Colour By Numbers

Colour By Numbers, Winnipeg’s self-professed nerdiest alt-rock band began when Alex Kozub (vocals/bass) and Jared Adams (vocals/guitar) started jamming together in the early 2010s. After releasing the folk-inspired Colour By Numbers EP in 2013, they rounded out their sound by adding punk-inspired band geek Mike McDermid (drums/vocals) and celebrated Winnipeg multi-instrumentalist Jesse Millar (guitar/synth/vocals). 

Songwriting, formerly a solitary task, became a group effort, with everyone chiming in to flesh out arrangements, chords and lyrics. Synthesizers, silly time signatures, and sometimes overly-ambitious harmonies found their way into the songs, making for a more layered sound and new level of sophistication. Heavier and more anthemic than the first, CBN’s second EP, Among the Stars, was released in 2017 and followed by the “Colouring Outside the Lines Tour” through western Canada.

Over the next several years, CBN began on their most ambitious project yet: a rock opera trilogy about a downtrodden Winnipeg punk rocker, Thaddeus. Vol. 1 was recorded at No Fun Club with Rob Hill and Aaron Bartel (Apollo Suns), who also mixed the EP and played sax. Guest artist Flora Luna contributed vocals, offering a more eclectic and varied soundscape than previous releases.

Thaddeus Vol. 1, released in March 2025 also marked Millar’s amicable departure from the band. CBN continues on as a three-piece, powering ahead with the 2nd volume in the trilogy, set for release in 2026.