Aki Maris

Hailing from the Niagara music scene, Aki Maris brings a dynamic low-end shaped by the melodic precision of Rush, the rhythmic swagger of The Police, and the raw energy of The Clash. His bass lines drive Suicide Star’s sound with equal parts finesse and fire—grounded, inventive, and unmistakably his own.

SongStory

Aki Maris's story as told through musical moments.

SongStory

Middle School

My Middle School Obsession That Still Rocks

"The first album I purchases was a used copy of Outlandos d'Amour The Police in middle school...."

My Middle School Obsession That Still Rocks

Next to You

The Police

The first album I purchases was a used copy of Outlandos d'Amour The Police in middle school. The first track was 'Next to You' and I was hooked ! The reason I moved from guitar to bass was Sting and the Police, and over two years I purcahsed all their albums and learned how to play the bass parts from all their songs

SongStory

Middle School

Fist band audition

"The first time I ever tried out for a 'real' band was at 14 years old...."

Fist band audition

Next to You

The Police

The first time I ever tried out for a 'real' band was at 14 years old. I saw an add in the local paper about a band that needed a bass player. Needless to say the guys in the band were a lot older than me and I didn't know jack about playing in a band! I didn't even own a bass! I took a guitar and a little 10 watt amp and played as hard as I could! The song I had to learn was Raise a Little Hell by Trooper. I'm not sure why I thought I could even get into a bar at that age, let alone play in one, but it was my first taste of what it was like to play with a band and I haven't looked back.

SongStory

A Band Built in Separate Rooms

"When it came time to meet to record the first record, it was smack in the middle of the Covid pandemic...."

A Band Built in Separate Rooms

When it came time to meet to record the first record, it was smack in the middle of the Covid pandemic. We knew we wouldn't be able to be in the same room together as you would do in a traditional studio environment. So Brian worked on getting each of us setup in our own homes so we could record our parts, then send them as tracks for Brian to mix. It was strange at first without the interplay of the band members through the recording process, but we soon came to realize that there's a certain kind of relaxed atmosphere to recording by yourself. You can do it at your own pace. There's no time clock ticking away pressuring you to finish your part. It took a lot of the pressure off and it shows in the music.