They may be the toys of the past but Gameboys are in the present for Crystalyne.
Lead singer of the Toronto-based band Marissa Dattoli said she and her band mates are “big, nerdy turds” who have a hard time turning away from their Gameboys while on tour.
“We’re obsessed with Pokemon and we’re just 20-year-olds who play our Gameboy constantly,” she said.
The pop punk band is currently on their second tour with their debut EP Navigate, which started off at Mod Club Theatre in Toronto last week.
Since then, they’ve played with fellow Canadians Marianas Trench in Oshawa.
The group’s show in Kingston this week will be their first, but local hotels aren’t a site they’ll be visiting.
“I’ve been here before because I have a couple of girlfriends from high school that go to Queen’s, so it’s really convenient that we can have a place to stay,” she said. “The only thing I’ve ever really done in Kingston is go on a boat ride.”
Meeting through mutual friends, Dattoli got together with her current band after parting ways with her former musical partner.
She started playing music with band mates and friends Josh, Scott and Justin three years ago and said she doesn’t mind being surrounded by boys in her band.
“I don’t get along with many girls because I’m a tomboy — getting dolled up to go to clubs isn’t me. So we usually just chill and play video games,” she said, “but when we’re playing shows in different cities, sometimes I’ll say ‘I need some time to go shopping on my own.’”
Dattoli said the origins of the name Crystalyne are just as nerdy as the four of the group.
“My sister had a book on how crystals form and there’s a real word for it called crystalline. I looked it up and it related to our band and [that’s] how we slowly formed,” she said.
Even though the crowds they play to are the same age as the band, Dattoli said she isn’t going to party like people her age usually do.
“For me, I have to be careful because I don’t usually drink when we’re on tour because of my voice. I don’t want to drain it and the alcohol dries out my throat,” Dattoli said.
If the words coming out of her mouth during a song weren’t from the heart, she wouldn’t be able to do it, she said.
“I write all my own songs and I write them about things that have happened to me and stuff I’ve gone through,” she said. “It’s hard for me to sing about something if I haven’t experienced it.”
Crystalyne plays the Mansion on Saturday at 6 p.m.
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