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19 Jan 2022, 2:58 pm

Toronto’s ASD Band wants others on the autism spectrum to know: ‘We can do anything"

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It takes a lot of gumption to name your band after your own neurodevelopmental condition.

But the four members of the ASD Band — the acronym stands for Autism Spectrum Disorder — wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s the reality that singer Rawan Tuffaha, keyboardist Ron Adea, guitarist Jackson Begley and drummer Spenser Murray deal with daily and, now that they’ve bonded through music, the Toronto rockers want to dispel stereotypes and show the world the sky is the limit in terms of their individual capabilities.

In fact, they view themselves as the poster children for potential and possibility.

“I want everyone to know who is on the spectrum that we’re different but not less, and we can do anything we can to put our hearts and minds into,” declared Tuffaha on a recent Zoom call.

“And we want them to have faith in themselves, regardless of what their talents may be, such as technology, music, baking or math.”

Tuffaha more than eloquently makes her point with her lyrics on the title track of “Fireflies,” a recently released six-song EP of original material that puts the listener in the shoes of a community that is often as misunderstood as it is underappreciated.

“We have abilities to blow your mind / Don’t underestimate us, we’re one of a kind / It’s our time to shine,” Tuffaha wails with her commanding voice, articulating mixed emotions of frustration, defiance, hope and self-determination throughout the rock ’n’ roll anthem.

“The spectrum is very wide,” said Andrew Simon, chief creative officer of Edelman Canada and a board member of Mississauga charity Jake’s House, which supports families affected by autism.

Simon is the ASD Band’s commission-free manager and the individual who assembled the group’s lineup.

“For these individuals, music is their communication,” Simon said. “A couple of the band members were noncommunicative before music gave them their outlet.”

The ASD Band story began on World Autism Awareness Day, April 2, 2019.

Ex-Supertramp singer Roger Hodgson performed a free concert at what is now Meridian Hall with Tuffaha, Adea, Begley and Murray joining him and a 43-piece orchestra for Supertramp hit “Give a Little Bit.”

They played to a packed house and Tuffaha said sharing the stage with Hodgson was a thrill.

“It was an amazing experience and I loved that the crowd loved us.”

After the show, the ASD Band became a longer-term initiative “to really celebrate who they were as individuals and be in a collective experience that goes against the stereotype of people thinking those on the spectrum are aloof or like to be separated from society.”

They began rehearsing and recording cover songs, anchored on bass by veteran musician Maury LaFoy, formerly of Ottawa’s Starling, who has since worked with a wide variety of Canadian musical luminaries, Terra Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn, k-os, Sarah Harmer and Danny Michel among them.

LaFoy said he got in involved with the band at the best of former Chalk Circle singer Chris Tait and Ari Posner at sonic branding agency Pirate Toronto.

“Those guys were helping Jake’s House realize this vision they had, that people on the autism spectrum can do a whole bunch of things.”

After being recruited for bass duties, LaFoy was soon retained to help with arranging and production. He says his role with the ASD Band “has been a real great shot in the arm to me.”

“What’s great about them is that they say yes to everything and anything,” he said. “There’s never any reluctance. They’re totally focused on content and the real reason that you would create music, for the enjoyment of it and for the success of seeing the thing through, as opposed to any commercial translation or success.

“These guys have taught me to stay open and keep breathing, and make sure you don’t shut down creativity.”

After they covered Imagine Dragons’ “All for You” and received a social media stamp of approval from the band’s Daniel Platzman, Simon suggested the band start composing originals early last summer.

“Fireflies” was the first and Simon praises the band for speaking its collective truth.

For Tuffaha, the ASD Band is the first step in hopefully following other successful musicians who have identified themselves as autistic, David Byrne and Eminem among them.

“It gives me strength and confidence,” Tuffaha said.

“What I like best about the band is that we have a myriad of abilities and that we showcase them. This is fulfilling me because my dream is to be a famous singer and to show also to the autism community, as long as we have our goals and it’s something we can accomplish, we can do it as long as we have faith in ourselves.

“I hope one day we’ll all be famous.”


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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity

“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman