Fan-favourite Canadian rockers find connection and inspiration through music

Charlie Kerr, singer for Vancouver rockers Hotel Mira, can vividly remember the life-changing moment he stepped onstage for the first time.

“I played in a Beatles cover band and did my first professional gig when I was 11,” Kerr told Daily Hive in an interview. “I was a very shy and awkward kid who got bullied a lot. But the moment I hit the stage, I felt seen and special and good at something for the first time.

“All of a sudden I felt like I had a purpose. Not that I needed one — I was 11. But that’s another story.”

Kerr alongside his bandmates Mike Noble on bass, Clark Grieve on guitar and keyboards, and Cole George on drums have continued to grow their fanbase at home and around the world. And they’re treating fans to a unique Hotel Mira experience on Portside Live, a new online concert and interview series in partnership with Daily Hive.

Portside Live profiles popular and emerging artists while giving viewers an opportunity to get to know the band beyond the stage.

“Fans will hopefully get a taste of the energy of what we do on tour,” Kerr explained. “Something between a studio recording and a live show. Also getting to see me try to dance without having my headphones fall off is probably pretty entertaining.”

Kerr and Noble are the founders of Hotel Mira, with Grieve and George joining the group shortly after its formation.

The band formerly known as JPNSGRLS finds inspiration from many different places, including film, literature, theatre, stand-up, and of course, music.

 

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“I am always consuming art and working on something or going to a show,” Kerr shared. “I’ve also just had an objectively strange, exciting life which has been a beautiful well of inspiration.

“These days I think my biggest influences are Kurt Cobain, Frank Ocean, Karen O, Mr. Rogers, and maybe Nick Cave and David Byrne. But like I said, I just really dig being around art. I hope to age into a weird eccentric who continues to make really cool stuff and be kind to people.”

Kerr currently resides in Los Angeles and the rest of the band lives in Vancouver. The cross-border connection doesn’t impede their creative output though, and it has brought them to some amazing tour stops.

Hotel Mira/Submitted

“Having a line-up around the block for our show in New York City was a pinch-me moment. And then having everyone singing to every word was unreal. I studied acting in New York as a kid and was just mesmerized by the shows and plays I would see there. So to be a thing that people were coming to see in a city that inspired me so much was mind-blowing.

“I think our fans are cool no matter what. We’re lucky that way.”

Hotel Mira is also celebrating the recent release of its sophomore album, I Am Not Myself, which they have been working on for three years.

Whether through Portside Live or back on the road for their next tour, Kerr is excited to connect with fans old and new once again.

 

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“Music always been my greatest tool for communicating my ideas and feelings,” said the Jann and Supernatural actor. “I feel the least misunderstood and arcane through all things Hotel Mira.

“I want to give a big thank you to our fans who took a chance on us and ultimately allowed us to do this. I never thought we would get to take it this far. I owe you more than you’ll ever know, and I hope our music for your dedication continues to feel like a fair trade.”