Two local musicians didn’t let the pandemic slow them down and formed a band before ever meeting in person.
Craig Carswell and Joel (JT) Pearson formed Dorian’s Mirror last November. Pearson hails from Calgary and Carswell from High River. The duo, who recently finished their first full-length album, Artificial Harmony, have only met in person three times since forming their band.
“We didn’t actually meet for the first time until we did our photoshoot together,” said Carswell.
With their solo projects on hold because of the pandemic, Carswell and Pearson had time to start a new project.
“I don’t think this opportunity would have come up,” said Carswell.
Each band member has a home studio. Pearson, who has a background in classical music, composes and records the music and sends it to Carswell who writes and records the vocals.
With influences ranging from classic rock and blues to 90s rock, the band creates music described as edgy, raw and soulful.
“This is kind of an amalgamation of all the genres we really love,” said Carswell.
Two man band
They originally planned to have a full band, but pandemic restrictions put those plans on hold. Carswell and Pearson forged ahead, welcoming the opportunity to explore new ground and make a departure from their individual projects.
“It’s a lot different lyrically for me,” said Carswell.
“This is different than what Joel does for his solo project as well.”
They knew of each other through the local music community but didn’t realize they were fans of each other’s work until they started talking.
“A lot of this seems very serendipitous,” Pearson said about how they met and formed the band.
They have been able to support each other musically as well as with mental health challenges like depression and anxiety that they both experience.
“We both understand what we’re going through, which is very, very helpful, and it’s really helped the music along as well,” said Pearson.
Dorians Mirror entered their single, Hazy, in CBC Searchlight. The song recently surpassed 1,000 views on YouTube. The band has also found support through local radio stations and online streaming services.
They’re working on their second album and hope to hit the road with a full band this summer.
