Maitreya, a progressive metal and experimental quartet from Whitby, returned home last weekend to mark the first anniversary of its EP Auxesis.
Bassist Lyam Morrison reminisced about the launch exactly one year earlier at Biltmore Theatre.
“That was excellent. Really good turnout. Playing on a big stage like that always makes you feel amazing,” he says.
“It was really cool for us to play this EP that we were feeling very powerfully about, all the way through. And then I think that was the first time we also played ‘Wonderhouse,’ which is our flagship song for the next iteration of the band.”
This time, they performed live in Oshawa to an energetic crowd at Two Two Two, the basement venue of Bond|ST Events.
Auxesis has two versions: one with Matt Cutrara’s vocals and the other as a collaboration with Toronto-based trumpeter Paul Callander.
This EP, which is the band’s third studio release, is the latest step in Maitreya’s evolution towards an experimental, genre-bending sound.
The name ‘Maitreya’ came from guitarist Mark Wylie’s interest in Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, and nods to the concept of Bodhisattva, which Wylie understands as a “world teacher” passing on a message to uplift humanity.
Now, Wylie says it is more about embodying a state of consciousness working towards improvement, or auxesis, tying neatly into their newest work.
But Maitreya is not just about lofty ideas and complex music. Its current phase is as much about levity and even comedy.
“You can be serious and have fun with it,” says Morrison.
Officially formed in 2016, Maitreya is a homegrown band from the metal scene in Oshawa and Durham Region. It was influenced by the musicians around them along with their eclectic tastes.
The city “has a very strong, heartfelt community for music,” says lead vocalist Matt Cutrara, and says this got them a foot in the door to access a much bigger scene in Toronto.
“We’ve definitely been fortunate to come up in Oshawa, which is really where we cut our teeth,” says Wylie. “We met promoters in the area, and there were always bands coming through Oshawa. There was a kind of a built-in scene for us to come into.”
In its decade-long journey, the only time the band has had conflict is over finances. Personal schedules and “learning how to play ridiculously difficult music” is part of the mix as well.
“We move with our hearts,” says Pellatt. But then, there’s business to take care of, too.
That holds true not just of bands like Maitreya but also the venues that support artists like them.
The number of places to play in Durham Region “ebbs and flows,” says Morrison. The band recalls Oshawa venues like Wasted Space (now Brew Wizards), Gravity Lounge, the Moustache Club and the Atria as their early haunts.
As spaces have shrunk or repurposed, Maitreya has found it useful to expand beyond Durham Region and cultivate a base in Toronto as well. But getting stretched too thin is another problem.
“There’s just more challenges and more logistics and more risk going to further markets,” says Wylie. “We’ve just prioritized keeping things simple and focusing on Oshawa and Toronto.”
When it’s time to take the stage to play alongside Dusk Before Dawn and Dead Silence, Cutrara drops in a word about their new “swan song,” ‘Utopian Play,’ and Morrison says supporting local music matters.
“I want to tell your readers to go out and see local music. There are so many talented musicians in Durham specifically, playing all kinds of music,” he says.
Echoing that point, Wylie says that it is important to support musicians “in the era of digital tech companies making [it] difficult to leave the house to access entertainment or to access culture.”
Music is financially viable for bands because of people coming out to shows and to the city, he says.
“Just go learn something. Just go do something, you know. Be a part of of the world. Delete TikTok and never use AI, and then, yeah, just make some, human something,” says Pellatt.
Maitreya is Mark Wylie (guitar), Matt Cutrara (vocals), Lyam Morrison (bass) and Brandon Pellatt (drums).