After moving in together in 2021, three best friends discovered their new home was a century-old schoolhouse – inspiring the name and giving them a dedicated space to create. Since then, the group has rapidly gained attention, opening for Canadian music icon Alan Doyle, being named Group of the Year at the 2024 Ottawa Music Awards, and having their debut release awarded Album of the Year by Faces Magazine. The band then secured a coveted spot in the 2024 Mariposa Folk Festival lineup by winning the Artist Showcase – where they were celebrated as “fan favourites” by the festival. In 2025, they further cemented their place as one of Canada’s most exciting acts by winning the Boots and Hearts emerging artist showcase.
Their sound was born around a campfire, taking turns sharing songs and joining in three-part harmony. They combine upbeat singalongs with emotive folk ballads to bring a wise, yet youthful perspective to the Canadian music scene. Releasing their debut album in 2023 and an Acoustic EP in 2024, the band is set to release their highly anticipated album in early 2026.
Complete Country: “Live While I’m Alive” captures a lot of the anxiety and uncertainty people feel in their twenties. What personal experiences or conversations shaped the song’s themes?
- Joel – Live While I’m Alive might not be directly related to specific events, but it is inspired by real feelings that were then twisted and turned into lyrics for the song (a common songwriter practice). Failed relationships, toxic situationships, career and financial uncertainty, and even questioning religious beliefs all came into play when writing this song. Even though these are all such serious themes, we had a blast writing it, and it’s one of our most fun songs to play live.
Complete Country: The track leans into contradiction — accepting that not everything can be fixed. Why was it important for you to embrace imperfection rather than resolution in this song?
- Dave – We’ve often strived for perfection as individuals and as a band. But as we all know, sometimes a perfect result isn’t in the cards, and not everything can be mended. Through learning this, we realized imperfection isn’t all bad. It’s everywhere. It’s inevitable. Sometimes, it’s what gives life variety, spontaneity, beauty and meaning. That sentiment really fuelled this song, allowing us to write about embracing life rather than dwelling on the things you can’t fix.
Complete Country: Musically, the song feels like a folk-country anthem meant to be shared live. How did you approach translating those “campfire” roots into a modern recording?
- Joel – This song was one that we played live for years before going into the studio. It has so much energy live, especially with the full band. We knew that capturing that live energy was going to be the most important thing to translate this song into a studio version, so we recorded it as live as possible – off the floor. We laid down guitar, bass, and drums all at once live off the floor at Simcoe Mechanical Studio in Orillia, ON, with Nixon Boyd (of Hollerado). Nixon helped us channel that live energy – we stood in a circle facing each other, danced around, rocked out, and tried to match our live energy as best we could. I think we did a pretty good job!
Complete Country: You’ve described the song as a response to keeping score in life. Was there a specific moment where you realized you needed to let go of that mindset?
- Dave – The decision to let go felt like a gradual transition more than a eureka moment. It probably came as a result of us going through the life lessons of early adulthood. From trials in love to family health concerns, all these events gave us new lenses to look through, and this song came from that perspective shift. And those lessons haven’t stopped just yet — we’re simultaneously learning that life’s too short to sweat the small stuff, and keeping up with the Jones’ doesn’t get you very far. Teddy Roosevelt was onto something when he said “comparison is the thief of joy”.
Complete Country: Homeland is your sophomore album. In what ways does this record reflect your growth since the debut, both personally and as a band?
- Dave – This record feels a little closer to home. Despite our perfectionist ways, we didn’t try to outdo our debut with bells, whistles and a pristine sound. Instead, we took a step back and unearthed our simpler roots, so to speak. We focused on capturing the feeling that started this project: an honest good time. This is what’s true to us, and it always has been. It’s how we started as a band and as friends before that, jamming in the living room or by the fire. We really dug deep to find it – with help from friends and peers it feels like we were able to let go of perfection and create something beautiful. This album does a great job capturing our honesty as a band and as individuals, and we think that’s what reflects the growth we’ve experienced over the last couple years.
Complete Country: The band famously formed after moving into a century-old schoolhouse together. How has that shared living and writing environment continued to influence your sound and chemistry?
- Mitch – Since the start of School House, we’ve always found true joy in jamming and writing together. It comes out naturally and stems from the desire to just live in the moment, enjoying music and storytelling with your friends. Before recording the album, we realized that this feeling and sound was what defined us – the ingenuity behind truly enjoying what we do together. When we started recording, we wanted it to feel as natural as possible. We recorded the base layer of instruments all together in the same room, often without using a metronome which gave it that raw feeling. We also tracked many harmonies and gang vocals in a living room with no fancy sound deadening or vocal effects – just like how you would hear it if you were listening to us play in our living room. We felt like these small actions helped define the School House sound on this album! And honing in on the feeling of togetherness continues to influence how we write songs and feel motivated in all of what we do
Complete Country: You’ve had a big few years — from winning the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase to touring with The Strumbellas. How have those milestones shaped your confidence heading into this release?
- Mitch – We’ve always believed in ourselves; but after winning the Boots & Heart Emerging showcase, there was a new and different sense of hope and belief. Realizing that we could actually build this into something big, and that little ounce of work that we’ve poured into this project would be worth it in the end…it felt amazing. Coming off the tour with the Strumbellas, we feel incredibly grateful and excited to have been so well received in these cities. Our one goal in mind for the tour was to just be ourselves, have fun, and truly enjoy the process. We are feeling the excitement from the fans and that really helps motivate us to continue on this fulfilling journey. In terms of confidence, we feel like we can take on anything, and we’re ready for it!
Complete Country: You’re hitting the road for the “Freewheelin’ Field Trip” tour across Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and Ontario. What excites you most about this run of shows, and what can fans expect live?
- Dave We are absolutely thrilled to be hitting the road this spring. A tour of this scale is a first for us, so that in itself is exciting. Not only will we be in fantastic company with Braden Lam and the crew, but we’re manifesting a semi-reliable tour bus on the horizon (seatbelts, everyone). We’re most excited to meet new people, visit new towns, make all kinds of memories, and most of all, play some new music. Fans can expect us to pour our hearts into every show, and they are sure to have a heck of a good time!
Complete Country: You’ll be sharing the stage with Braden Lam on this tour. What drew you to touring together, and how do your audiences complement one another?
- Mitch – We discovered Braden on social media and were instantly impressed by his artistic expression & commitment to his craft – you can tell when an artist goes the extra mile! After playing a show together in spring of 2025, we talked about how a Co-Headlining tour might be mutually beneficial based on our careers being at a similar place. But little did we know that we would become instant good friends and have so many similarities. Braden is such a great guy to be around, he’s a great songwriter and an engaging performer that leaves you with a warm heart. A match that fits like a glove, and it’s special when you truly believe in the artist that you’re sharing the stage with. We are unbelievably excited for this tour together and think it will be a match-up that fans won’t want to miss!
Complete Country: With Live While I’m Alive setting the tone ahead of Homeland, what do you hope listeners take away from this next chapter of School House?
- Joel – That we’re here to stay! And that we mean business! Haha. We’ve been saving some heaters – this song included – for the album itself and the last single. It’s been a long time coming and we can’t wait to share it with the world. So many late nights, long days, phone calls, and most importantly – fun has been had. The vision is coming to fruition and we couldn’t be more excited. See you out on the road!
