Laval-based garage band Beauty In Motion is part way through a month-long fundraising campaign for Diabetes Canada. On July 26, the band released its debut single, I Feel Like This, a song was written as a tribute to bandmember Marco Chioda’s wife, Tania Bellon, who lives with type 1 diabetes. The release, in fact, coincided with the couple’s 10-year wedding anniversary.
Uploaded to Bandcamp, a popular online audio distribution platform, 100 per cent of the profits* from the single, priced at $1.30 CAD or more, go directly to Diabetes Canada. The goal is to raise $1,981, which matches the year Bellon was born, and by August 5, 10 days after the launch, the band had already raised more than $800.
“People have been extremely generous and have donated more than the $1.30, some even donating over $100$ to the charity. We're blown away,” said Chioda via email.
“Profits?” You ask? Well, I did, and the answer is since Bandcamp is a relatively artist-friendly platform that only charges a 15 per cent service fee, plus a credit card service fee, the band gets to keep 85 per cent of the sales. So, after those deductions, the band’s profit is 98 cents. Got it? Together since April of this year, Beauty in Motion is comprised of Chioda on drums and vocals; Daniel Desrosiers on bass; Maria Masucci on vocals; and Cyril Usnik on guitars — all teachers at Laval Senior Academy, part of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board.
From left, Tania Bellon, Chioda’s wife and a former band member, with Daniel Desrosiers on bass; Maria Masucci on vocals; and Cyril Usnik on guitars. Chioda and Desrosiers, who had been playing in a cover band together since 2007, were joined by Usnik in 2015. The last piece was the addition of Masucci on vocals.
“I thought of Maria because she gave my niece lessons a few years ago,” said Chioda. “We hit it off and I asked if she could sing back up on a track [we were recording]. The three guys in the band loved how she sounded so we asked her to join our band, and she fit right in.
We clicked right away and were able to come up with ideas for three songs in just two jam sessions. We're hoping to put an album out next year.” As for the band’s sound, expect anything from blues-based rock to hard rock, with some ballads thrown in for good measure.
“To cop a line from the late, great Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, ‘We're Beauty in Motion and we play Rock N Roll!’” said Chioda, adding, “We don't want to stick to one genre necessarily. We want people to expect the unexpected. That said, I Feel Like This has a Chuck Berry-meets-The Ramones vibe to it.
There's quite a range there. Pink Floyd, Beau Dommage, Metallica, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Heart, Dream Theater and Iron Maiden are our main influences. That and The Beatles.
” As for the charitable cause, diabetes affects about four million Canadians and costs the health care system about $50 million dollars a day. “I think it's important we find a cure for it,” said Chioda. “To their credit, Daniel and Cyril both agreed to donate their share of the profits to the charity as well, and when Maria joined the band, she was all in, too.
” To hear the song, visit https://beautyinmotion.bandcamp.com/track/i-feel-like-this.
