"Meh name, great band" - Bovine

Grab a drink, a dance partner; preferably both!     

Mr. Jr. is Michelle Schnob and Jason Zak. They are an original country / rock band from Toronto, Canada who have been playing together since 2012. Their individual musical influences range from punk rock to classic country and combine to produce a style that is often simple, frequently danceable, sometimes witty, and always fun. They have a deep passion for all genres of music and the band tries to make sure that everyone from the crowd to the venue staff are having a great time. Professional attitude without taking themselves too seriously, Mr. Jr. has learned what it takes to make a great night of music.      

In 2012, Michelle was as a girl with her guitar. She had played in previous bands prior to then, playing mainly alternative music and went as far as releasing 2 solo albums. She was looking to start a new band and put out some online feelers for musicians. Enter Jay, with his guitar. He had played in previous bands and was looking for a new project. “I really wanted to find a project where the vocalist had a distinctive and powerful voice.” So, he came out to a rented jam space and met Michelle and a drummer friend. One jam led to two, and so on, until it didn’t have to be said that they were a band.      

The yet unnamed project started out writing and playing mostly alternative / singer-songwriter music that Michelle had been working on. Jay, highly inspired by country, blues, and bluegrass players, started to add those flavors to the music. Michelle, inspired by these sounds, started to find a new voice heavily influenced by the punk music she loved so dearly. Lo and behold, the genesis of Mr. Jr.’s ultimate sound had been discovered. Yee Haw!     A weekly jam for fun quickly became more focused and the band decided that they needed to bring their songs to live audiences. So, they wrote and arranged a bunch of songs, sought a venue, a date, and made it happen. Oh, and they decided on a name. In 2014, things got more serious and the band started to play live regularly, with a full lineup of musicians.