Down with Webster (DWW) first came on the scene back in 2009 with their hit “Time to Win”, and apparently the rap–rock band from Toronto’s Beaches area is a favourite of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s.
In a trending interview with “Nardwuar the Human Serviette” (every election, the Canadian journalist approaches the different party leaders to see if they’d do an interview and/or a “hip flip”, and the Prime Minister accepted), Carney admitted that he is a huge fan of DWW.
The Prime Minister said that he and his wife once attended a concert by Sweet Thing (a Canadian alt-rock band based in Toronto) at the Bronson Center in Ottawa, and the band playing afterwards was DWW.
“From the first tuba sounds of “Time to Win”, [I] was hooked,” Carney admitted, noting how he uses their music at his rallies — he even used the “Time to Win” song after giving his Liberal Leadership acceptance speech, “throwing up the W like an absolute legend”.
DWW’s roots trace back to the late ‘90s and were a bit more humble. Vocalist/guitarist Pat Gillett formed the band for a Grade 8 talent show at Glen Ames Senior Public School in The Beaches neighbourhood. The band stayed together throughout high school at Malvern Collegiate Institute — they made multiple demo releases but weren’t having much luck with signing a record deal.
So, in 2006, they released their self-titled album.
“We made this album when we were a bunch of kids in a garage with our first computer, whatever gear we could get our hands on and absolutely no plan,” the band said in an Insta post. “For some crazy reason no one would sign us at the time, can’t imagine why lol, so we printed CD’s and sold them out of our backpacks and at our shows.”
Down With Webster signed with Universal Motown in 2009, and the rest is history! After a brief hiatus, the band went back on tour as of last year. For those heading to cottage country this summer, the band will play at The KEE to Bala on Lake Muskoka on July 3.
