No distance is too great for music and friendship with Kestrels
Photo credit: Riley Taylor
Living in a rural Maritime town can be difficult to meet like-minded band mates, but not if you lean on support of old friends thousands of kilometers away.
Kestrels, a dreamy shoegaze rock band out of Nova Scotia is the project of Chad Peck. This mild-mannered English teacher, Noyes Records owner, producer, and shredder extraordinaire is really great at making friends. His charming nature has led to some special musical collaborations with J.Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Tim Wheeler (Ash), and Alex Edkins (Metz/Weird Nightmare). Joining him in the project is North of America’s rhythm section, Michael Catano and Jim MacAlpine.
Kestrels stellar 2025 Album Better Wonder just turned one this February and looking back it’s still a record to be proud of.
“I think we got the sonics really right on that record. I'm always the most proud of when it comes together as an actual record and not just a collection of songs,” says Peck.
“The last record (Dream or Don’t Dream), Michael [Catano] did all the drumming and I played everything else besides [J.Mascis]’ parts and my partner Norma sang on some stuff. But this was the first record Jim [MacAlpine] played on, and I was really happy and proud to have him as part of it as well because he's such a commanding presence on stage. He's got such a good sound and it's playing in ways that complement really well to what I do and what Michael does. I was glad that we kind of came together as a unit on this one.”
Peck, Catano and MacAlpine are coming back to Alberta as Kestrels for the first time since 2019, with three dates joined by Calgary’s post-hardcore house band, Fulfilment. This is the second time the bands have toured together, the results of another long-distance friendship.
“Jim and I used to play in a band called Union of the Snake and Kevin [Stebner] played in a band called Stalwart Sons and we did a split 7-inch on my label, Noyes Records in 2011. I lived far away from anything at all, and Stalwart Sons were on tour, and they'd run out of 7-inches. Kevin’s like, ‘I'm going to stop by your house sometime and grab some more records.’ And it was like two o'clock in the morning, middle of the country, in the winter, and I could hear a knock on the door. I'm like, ‘who the hell is at my house?’ And it was Kevin waving in my doorway, picking up records driving in this Chevy Astro. It was just a bizarre scene, but it was also so funny.”
“Our bands complement each other super well, kind of different styles, but it's really good, and it makes for a great bill because it's just diverse enough that it kind of grabs everybody.”
Attendees at an upcoming Alberta Kestrels’ show can expect pop songs played at crushing volumes. “It’s really dynamic, we’re a three-piece, but it’s a really big sound for sure, we have figured out how to make it propel off the stage. And Michael is the best drummer of all time, so you’ll see some unbelievable drumming.”
While you prepare to experience the marriage of melody and volume that is a Kestrels set, Peck is getting ready to visit Edmonton and Lethbridge for the first time, explore coffee shops and see where the cool record stores are in town.
Make sure you grab yourself a copy of Better Wonder at an upcoming show. Kestrels play with Fulfilment:
Calgary -Thursday, March 19 at the Palomino Smokehouse with Heavy Dive | Tickets
Lethbridge – Friday, March 20 at the Slice Bar and Grill with Berserker and Sometimes Always
Edmonton – Saturday, March 21 at the Starlite Room - Temple with Lushclot and Weak Material | Tickets