formed a band called As If

In late 1991, guitarist Mike Turner placed an ad in Toronto-based Now newspaper in search of musicians. Michael Maida , a criminology student at the University of Toronto , was the first to reply. The two formed a band called As If, inviting Jim Newell as drummer and a friend of Turner’s, Paul Martin, to play bass. After they played a number of gigs in Oshawa with sets containing a mix of original and cover material, Martin departed, and the band placed an ad for a replacement bassist. Chris Eacrett, a business student at Ryerson University, replied and was accepted after an audition. During that time, Turner and Maida attended a music seminar where they met songwriter and producer Arnold Lanni , the owner of Arnyard Studios. The band, with Lanni, commenced writing new material and recorded some material under the As If name.