Famous Strangers formed in 2023, but each band member brought a wealth of experience to this band meaning that they hit the ground running and soon built a fanatical following. That’s really no surprise as this Edmonton-based crew have a dark, cinematic sound that has an effortless crossover appeal that’ll appeal to anyone who likes their music with plenty of bite. With 2026 shaping up to be a pivotal year for this quartet, we decided it was time to finally catch up with Jeff and Amanda and make their acquaintance.

Can you tell us about the band’s origins? Where did you meet

Jeff: We have all been in the same metal venues for the past twenty-plus years. Punk scene, metal scene, all the different styles. Beej, Braden, and I all grew up together, and we’ve been playing music in different bands all around – Pugnacious, Sleeping Girl, Compromise, Order of Chaos, This Is War, Into Eternity. Amanda’s been in the scene just as long, crossing paths with us for years.

When COVID hit, that was the turning point. Beej, Braden, and I were jamming some covers, and shortly after that, we invited Amanda out to come join us and have some fun – which she finally did. We were able to all be in the same room together, and we introduced her to an original song. The band started from there, which wasn’t even the plan.

Amanda: It was not the plan. We were not supposed to be doing this band. But you can’t deny the energy and the magic in the room. Once we all played together, that was it.

What are the musical influences of each band member? How do you forge them into a cohesive whole?

Jeff: My influences start from rock and roll early – The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, classic rock into metal. Metallica is what made me start playing guitar. I grew up in the same scene with Beej and Braden, so a lot of the local bands and shows we got to see shaped us. My influences were very similar to Brian’s – both of us growing up with hardcore music.

Braden adds more of the punk side of things, because he’s more influenced on that side. He also has a big folk influence, which helps keep things simple, especially on the low end for the bass and drums. That lets me and Amanda go do our thing, which is really nice.

Amanda: If you want to go way back, it started off with N’Sync. I was in love with N’Sync. Then my stepdad started playing The Beatles and Mrs. Robinson and all that kind of stuff. Then I was lucky enough to meet some people in the metal community, and it started from there. Then it went into The Great Southern Trendkill with Pantera, and Slipknot, Lacuna Coil, Nightwish… the rest is history.

Jeff: We all bring our influences to the table, and it collaborates into something really cool. Nobody has to leave anything at the door.

Can you tell us about your local music scene? Is it supportive? Are there many places to play?

Jeff: Well, there was. And ever since COVID, as you know, a lot of places shut down. It’s heart-breaking. But a couple have stayed alive, like The Starlight Room – thanks to Tyson and Andrea Boyd. There are more opening up but definitely always need more.

As far as the scene here, it’s been really strong my whole life. The community, the musicians, even the fans and the people that come together. The energy in Edmonton is unlike anywhere else I’ve been. It’s a really special place for music, and there’s been some great bands and talent out of this area.

Amanda: Twenty-plus years ago when I walked into that metal community. You never realised that you would walk into your first metal show and you’ll know those people for the rest of your fucking life. So if you’re new and you want to get into the metal scene, just know that eventually those people are going to be your family forever. The community is just like… no time has ever passed. Just old friends, old rooms.

What’s the best and worst thing about your local scene?

Jeff: The best thing is the people, the fans, and all the talent here. The worst thing is there’s not many places to play. There should be more places to play.

Amanda: The best thing – I’m really enjoying the all-ages shows. The new generation is coming up, and it’s so nice to see that it’s just as thriving as it was back in the day. So many kids coming to shows, but also so many kids playing in bands. New bands are coming around. That’s cool to see.

Can you tell us about the band’s discography?

Deep Star was our first release. It was really exciting because it was the first one, so a lot of excitement and feelings went into it. We released a music video for it, and it actually went through a few different mixing processes. We shopped it around to a few different people to work with as we were just getting into things. That process brought Maor Applebaum to the team, and Phil Anderson into the team, which was really nice. Deep Star is about a woman from space, here to save the world. Mystical.

George was our next release after that. We were all really excited for it because at that point in time, it was our heaviest and most metal song. We had a great time playing it. We released a lyric video with it and hadn’t really put a whole lot into the release – still learning how to release singles and getting the vibe of that. The song’s about being worthy. Everyone being worthy. Realizing your power, realizing who you are and how special and amazing you are.

Shortly after that, we released I’ll See You in the Stars, which was super exciting because we never thought that song was going to be anything much more than just a song on the record. Instead, it came with us doing our first DIY video, which was really cool. We brought in some PR people to the team and put a bit of a campaign together for it – that’s when John Asher got added to the team. It did very well when it released, and we were all very surprised by that. People seemed to really take to it, and it inspired us and gave us a new energy.

Amanda: That song is about my past with someone. I was obsessed with them for too long, for decades. I went to a tarot reader and they said, “You feel them so strongly because you have a soul contract – you’ve lived many lifetimes together.” So I thought to myself, how romantic is that? If you’ve lived so many lives with someone, why not explore other souls? The whole point of it is, I’m thankful that I got to be with you in this lifetime, and after that, I’ll see you in the stars – wherever our souls take us next.

Jeff: After that, we released LSC, which was the first time we went to record drums and do things in a big room studio – The Audio Department. Shout out to Phil Anderson there again. We were able to get it mixed by Joel Wanesek which brought our production to where we wanted. For us, it was a song that we had all come completely together on and wrote together. It was new, exciting, fresh. We did a full, proper video with this one – brought in production and a team. Thank you to Brad Thompson for that, and to Lord Heathen. That song has carried us to where we are now, taking some time writing and doing the next things for these upcoming releases.

Amanda: That song was really fun for me because my whole life I’ve just been screaming in metal bands, so I was really challenging my vocals and trying to go on the softer side, which has been really fun. LSC is about how bugs mate – black widow spiders, praying mantises. Can’t tell you what the title means, but yeah… it’s about bugs mating and killing.

Last but not least, we went back and did a proper video for Deep Star, which kind of took us full circle back to the beginning. That was really awesome.

How do you feel you’ve evolved musically throughout your career?

The band is relatively new, and within the short two years that we’ve been launched, writing music together and creating, we’ve definitely come into our own sound. I don’t think it was quite what any one person had thought it was going to be. But we’re all really excited about what’s happening. There’s room for everybody to be themselves and create how they want. You can bring any idea to the table, and nothing gets turned away.

It’s evolved very quickly and in a healthy way. And for all of us over the past twenty years individually, we’ve evolved like crazy. Every single day – lessons, growing, growth. It’s wild how far we have all come.

Can you tell us about tours you’ve completed? Any war stories you’d like to share?

Jeff: We’ve done a couple tours now. We were lucky enough to do a Western Canadian tour with Gravemass, and we did an Alberta tour with our friends Shackled to the Throne on their EP. We’re hoping to get across Canada in the summer of 2026, and so far we’ve come through pretty unscathed. No real war stories yet with this band.

But we can talk about war. For all parties here, we’ve all experienced fires and losing all our gear in the past with other bands.

Amanda: One time, The Order of Chaos was in France, and we were in a bus. The bus driver took a wrong turn and we ended up on this crazy winding mountain road. We all got woken up in the middle of the night and had to get out of the bus, unload all the gear out of the trailer so that the bus could turn around, then load all the gear back in. The bus got stuck up a mountain for hours, and we were fucking late. It was crazy.

Will we see you on the road anytime soon?

Yes. This summer. 2026 Canadian tour.

What’s next for the band? How do you plan to reach the next level?

We have a seven-song record coming out this year, with a single and a video leading up to it. We’re going to tour, and we plan to just keep putting the team together. Practice, practice, practice, practice. Work, work, work, work. That’s how you reach the next level.

What’s the one question interviewers never ask, but you wish they would?

going to go this time with, “What’s the bands favourite food?” And the answer is my hometown BLTs

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