Photo Credit: James Fox

By BD Marie Hughes

Cobourg’s very own Gentlemen Husbands, an indie rock band with an Americana/country edge, debuted some new songs and played some great favourites at the NXNE pre-Festival Kick-off at The Horseshoe Tavern Wednesday night (June 17). It was an electrifying performance! The band – Derrick Ballard (guitar, vocals), Ryan Hutcheson (guitar), Dean Farrell (drums), and Jed Atkinson (bass) – performed:

“Family Economics”
“Tapanga”
“Compaction Girl”
“Burnin’ Gold”
“Cruise Control”
“Plans B & E”
“Danny Regan”.

The floor was packed. Their fans were lined 5 or 6 rows deep, where the black and white checkerboard floor meets the stage’s edge. I brought my colleague, Olivia D’Orazio, as she had become hooked on, “Tapanga” off the bands EP, “Something Along The Lines Of… A Lesson In Unprofessionalism”. She was definitely impressed! The band can count on her as their newest fan.

BD: How did Gentlemen Husbands prepare for this show? Are you rolling out the new tunes through shows to get audience reaction?

GH Ryan: Well, we kinda just practiced as usual. We’ve been really busy lately playing all over so the set has just kinda worked itself out. So, yeah, we’ve been adding in new songs what seems like every couple of weeks and the crowd is remembering them after only hearing them one time… So that’s a really good sign!

BD: What can you tell us about some of the new songs?

GH Derrick: Well, to put it bluntly, they are much better than anything we’ve written or released in the past! Since we became a 4 piece, the direction of the band has changed quite a bit. We’ve become a lot more focused and concise. If we had to categorize it, it’s definitely a lot more rock ‘n’ roll and less folky than before.

BD: What has most surprised you creating your new songs?

GH Jed: Probably how well they all flow together. They all kinda sound, well, not the same, but in the same vein. We’ve finally kinda grown into or found our own sound… Instead of playing like a country song, then a rock song, then a more folk-ish one, they all work really well together. They kinda blend those elements or influences into one cohesive sound.

BD: Do you have summer plans away from music this year?

GH Ryan: (laughs) Not really! I think this whole summer we’re only having one weekend off to go camping. We have had to turn down 3 different shows! But yeah, between playing like 8 shows a month, recording new songs all the time, and just general practicing and meetings every week, there’s really not much time for anything else… But that’s exactly the way we like it!

Gentlemen Husbands recently marked a huge myspace milestone, surpassing 100,000 profile views. The band is booked rock-solid throughout the summer including a show at The Cutting Edge Music Festival in Kitchener, ON, the civic holiday weekend of August 1st.

http://www.myspace.com/GentlemenHusbands

Photographer credit: Fernando Mascetta @ http://www.FernandoMascetta.com

George Dabbagh (“GDash”) – Drums and (reggae) vocals
Noel Dabbagh (“NDash”) – Rhythm guitar, vocals
Jean-Pierre Dabbagh (“JP Diddy”) – Lead guitar, backing vocals
And joined by bassist Chris Campbell for live performances.

These three brothers, along with Chris Campbell, are a definite stand-out at the TIMA showcases. I met them at TIMA Showcase #2 back on May 27.2009, when they were going for “Best Live”. In two months, the band will be releasing its first full length album, much to the delight of their alternative rock/pop loving fans. Like their faithful followers, I wanted to know more about these talented, up and coming musicians.

BD: What memorable moments do you have as a band?

The MacHams George: Our first listen to our debut album on the drive home from the studio. It was remarkable, really. We had feelings of accomplishment and glory go down our spines along with huge smiles on our faces. Our album is solid proof, something tangible, which shows what great music we, as brothers, are capable of creating.

BD: Who do you look up to?

The MacHams JP: I guess we look up to bands that have made it and haven’t turned into total jerks. I mean, like, bands whose fame hasn’t gotten to their heads and have actually used their success to do good in the world.

The MacHams Noel: Classic example is Bono of U2. He’s huge! But he has raised such awareness and done so much good work. Hopefully, we can do that one day.

BD: What does “selling out” mean to you? Can you have your cake and eat it, too?

The MacHams JP: It’s funny, ‘cause we were just talking about how I stop liking bands when they go mainstream. (laughs) But that’s not really selling out. I’d say it’s when a band drops what they believe in for something materialistic. So far, we haven’t done anything against what we stand for… and we intend to keep it that way!

BD: When people come to see you play, there is always the perception that your performance is great, seamless, effortless. How do you view this perception versus the reality of what you do? I mean, there’s a lot of hard work behind-the-scenes, rehearsals, keeping websites updated, booking shows, and so on.

The MacHams George: Definitely, especially since we see our performances as a show and not just a recital. I mean, the people come to see a show not just listen to some music. They could do that at home! We try to create a lot of energy on stage and have fun with it. Noel always says that the only bad thing about shows is having to lug our equipment on and off the stage. Hmm… We’re thinking of putting an ad in the paper for roadies. (everyone laughs)

BD: How do you mentally prepare for a show?

The MacHams Noel: Well, you’ve heard the expression “never go to bed angry”. We say “never go on stage angry”. If ever we get into a fight or something, we always hug and make up before the show. The point is to have a good time out there. We put on a happy face, say a prayer, and then we’re ready to rock n’ roll!

BD: What has been your most memorable show and why?

The MacHams George: Probably last year at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. Everything seemed to be going wrong. The day of the show, our amp and guitar stopped working, our bassist said he couldn’t make it, and JP had the flu. We re-arranged our songs so that we can do them as a 3-piece band. Noel had to buy a new amp and play the bass and JP toughed it out. Oh man, we put on an awesome show! It just showed us that we’re ready to take on anything and we don’t let obstacles get in our way.

BD: How do you keep positive? And handle setbacks?

The MacHams George: This one’s gonna be a sappy one. (clearing his throat) Here I go… Friends may come and go but family is there through thick and thin. The comfort and support between us brothers, along with wisdom and encouragement from Mom and Dad, and bodyguards Tigran and Raffi – really our cousins (laughing) – keep the dreams and ambitions alive.

BD: What crazy music shit have you heard of? Did you know The Vatican has its own radio station?? (laughing)

The MacHams JP: Hey, they have some good stuff on that station! (laughing) I’m sure the Pope has an awesome singing voice, too! Okay, one of the coolest things around is the YouTube Symphony Orchestra which is a collaboration of musicians from all over the world. Check it out. It’s a surreal experience. Oh, and if you didn’t know, there was a study in the UK that concluded that cows that listen to music produce more milk! Seriously!

BD: What do you do away from music? Do you have summer plans?

The MacHams Noel: George keeps busy with his vegetable and herb garden, and making home-made cleaning products. JP likes biking and watching 2 dvds EVERYDAY! And me – well, I like to kick it back and chill with family and friends on the patio over some mouth-watering barbecue.

BD: What’s next for The MacHams?

The MacHams George: Well, we can’t say when or where yet because we’re ironing out some details. BUT – it’ll definitely be the BIGGEST step for The MacHams… CD Release Party!

http://www.myspace.com/TheMacHams
http://www.TheMacHams.com

By BD Marie Hughes

Goodbye Beatdown, a rock/hip hop/reggae band from Vancouver, BC, is climbing the ladder of success, one rung at a time. On top of many show bookings, the band is preparing to release a full-length studio album this summer.

BD: What can you tell us about your Top 3 finish in the Fox Seeds competition?

GB Mark: It’s a huge relief. It’s a major foot in the door. We should probably explain the competition a bit. Fox Seeds (of cFox Radio – 99.3 The Fox) has been going on for 30 years and has helped springboard the careers of bands like Matt Good, Nickelback, and Default. Apparently they get an average of 400 entries a year from throughout BC which are then pared down to a Top 20 by DJ’s and executives at the station. From there, fans get to check out the bands’ websites and vote, both online and by phone or text, for their favorites. Then the bands are seeded into a Top 10. These bands then have to play a showcase for a panel of industry judges, are graded, and typically filtered down to a Top 5. This year, being the 30th anniversary, they chose to make a Top 3 instead. We’re lucky enough to be one of these 3. It has been a long process and more than a little stressful. We started recording in early April and only got our submission in on May 15, the deadline, during the last possible hour.

BD: How important is it for you to place Top 3 with a chance to be the overall winner?

GB Mark: Top 3 is enough of a victory in that we get guaranteed radio play and a chance to perform at The Commodore. That’s been a huge dream of ours from the beginning. There’s a pride thing, too. If you enter a competition, you obviously want to win or come as close as possible. We take our music very seriously. To be eliminated in the Top 20 or even the Top 10, considering that we cancelled Ontario dates and flew home from Toronto just to play the showcase, would have hurt. We’re already looking past this at the next steps in the industry. It’s just nice to move on with some credibility and a leg up in our home market.

BD: Where and how do you write music?

GB Dustin: Well, we’ve got a “bandhaus” where Mark and Sean live that acts as our jam space. A lot of the time things come together there. Sean never leaves the house so all of his writing happens there! (laughs) Mark doesn’t have to practice because he actually taught God how to play bass. (everyone laughs) For serious though, he’s pretty new to the band. So far, he has mainly contributed bass lines and arrangement and production changes to what was there already. However, he’s notorious for being a master of the “noodle” and will tend to write something whenever there’s a guitar or piano around.

GB Mark: Dustin is a vocalist and so his instrument is always with him. (laughs) Coming from a rap and freestyle background, he’s very off-the-cuff and can come up with something pretty well anywhere, at any time. It’s kinda like guerrilla-style songwriting. Sometimes he writes at home where he’s got a keyboard in his room.

BD: What has been a pivotal moment for the band? The place where you rounded the corner and finally felt you were going somewhere?

GB Mark: Going to Toronto in mid-June. This re-defined the band and expanded our horizon like crazy. It was our first real tour, marked our first dates outside of BC, and brought the band together in ways nothing else ever could. We’re on the same wavelength for the first time and ready to move forward.

BD: What have been some of your highlights since coming together as a band?

GB Mark: Spending every weekend in April recording our new album sometimes sleeping at the studio. Playing Richard’s on Richards twice. Advancing through Seeds – every new success was a reason to celebrate. Being Top 3 at Seeds – we just found out on Monday so we’re still on a high. Toronto and all the new experiences from playing Barrie to NXNE. And The Artist Sanctuary showcases. Oh, and getting free stuff from Osiris shoes, Skull Candy and PKG! Represent!

BD: What’s one of your favourite places to play? And why?

GB Dustin: The Commodore! (laughs) Even though only Mark has played there so far. We’ve all seen great shows from the audience and pretty much all of our living idols have been on that stage. Richard’s on Richards was special. It’s so prestigious and also has a great legacy. The fact that it’s slated to close and be demolished in less than a month just makes this more special.

BD: What’s on the horizon for Goodbye Beatdown?

GB Mark: Total. World. Domination! The end! We’re going to start by taking over Western Canada – Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton, Edmonton, Calgary, and Saskatoon. That’s right people, Saskatoon! After that, we’ll move to Toronto in the spring, set up shop, and start playing all of Southern Ontario and parts of Quebec… maybe even the Maritimes. After that, we really want to dip into the US, West Coast mostly but parts of the South East. Then, who knows? Europe, Australia, Japan… pick a place, any place! We just want to make music for a living, be it on a stage, in a studio or at someone’s backyard bbq. Everything about the job appeals to us. Well, other than long drives and load in and out! (laughs)

GB Dustin: We’re also hoping to make lots of fat cash for our managers – they need it! (everyone laughs)

http://www.myspace.com/goodbyebeatdown

By BD Marie Hughes

Empire Isis, a hip hop, reggae Gangstress from Montreal and winner of the 2008 TIMAs “Best Out-of-Province”, and I met a few weeks back.  She had just come from a photo shoot and interview with the magazine Urbanology.  I asked her to give me all the shit Urbanology didn’t get.

What follows is a “5-Star General’s” take on how it really is in the music biz – what it is and what it isn’t, on being a woman in the music industry, the “new business model”, and the hard-core work ethic it takes to make it.

Her take:
The (music) industry has crumbled.  Independent artists can’t really count on the things they used to.  Right now, it’s not enough, at least as a female artist, any artist, it’s not enough just to be an artist.  That’s really not gonna cut it.  The major superstars are gonna cease to exist..  We are gonna have many stars.  There’s nothing wrong with that, you know?  So basically, right now, it’s all about the artists and the artists taking destiny in their own hands.

I’ve been working in this for many, many years.  Miami, Bogota… all over the place.  And I’ve returned from all these places basically with the same view.

And I keep working.  And what has to happen is that major labels haven’t really understood me.  They’ve wanted me.  But I knew that they would want me to shelf me.  Or to have me to knock off the competition.  So that their Fergie or whatever could come out with no competition.  Ok?

So my thing is like what are they gonna do with this female?  You’re gonna try to be an artist for a few years and climb up the ladder.  You’re gonna try to be an artist for a few years and sell through your sexuality and totally be something you’re not.  Or are you gonna be an artist for a few years, sign a major deal and put out one single that’s not gonna do what the label thought it should and then you get shelved.  So I don’t fit into any of those categories.  I’m a 5-Star General.  I promoted myself from a 4-Star General to a 5-Star General because I felt I deserved it!  (we both laugh)

There’s really nowhere in the industry that I fit into, except maybe Queen Latifa who went into movies, products, Broadway.  Madonna, who I also relate to in a different way, she’s got her line into H&M.  She’s got modeling with Louis Vuitton.  She had top hit records for many years.  Missy Elliott – she writes for different artists, she creates personality for them.  She profits off of that.  It’s a wonderful thing – good girl!  I mean, there’s a few women that I look up to in this biz.  Maybe the last one, a shout-out to my girl Sarah McLaughlan, these are the women who are taking their destiny into their own hands.  They’ve managed to diversify their interests.

It’s no longer the major that shoves the song down the consumers throat.  People have many, many other venues discovering music these days.  The “number one’s” are not real number one’s anymore.  We all know it.  And the reason for that is the fans are the “taste makers” now.  The fan is the boss of the artist.  Not the record label.  Not the marketing department and so on and so forth.

So artists that are just all hype that actually don’t have a fan base are not artists that are worth putting money into anymore because the labels, marketing, this and that, you need a base of people to sell a product.  If you don’t have the million dollar budget to brainwash people any more, you’re gonna have to do it the good ol’ fashion way.  Which is getting out to the people, ok?

There’s very little mystery left in these internet days.  So if you’re an artist that has shit to say, it’s gonna be found out really pretty fuckin’ soon!  (laughs)  You can’t practise 3 or 4 lines any more and make yourself sound intelligent.  People are sophisticated.  Why?  Because there is an overload of information.  So how do you come out from all that information?  You’re gonna come with something really, really authentic.  Really necessary.  When you look at power you’re gonna be told:  make sure that what you do is something that everyone needs and only you can do.  Make yourself useful.

So basically the new business model is the artists and the manager are much more powerful than they ever have been.  The record labels want 360 deals and feel they actually deserve 360 deals because they don’t even have branding or a technology department.  They don’t actually deserve the 360 deals.  Now, why would I want a 360 deal with a record label that calls “new media” new media?  It’s not fucking “new media” it’s internet!  It’s been out for 20 years!  What are you talking about “new media”??  I don’t need you.  I need to be working with a company that knows about rapper tshirts and headphones and integrating new technologies.  Because people are consuming music more than ever.  It’s the wrong thing to think the music industry is crashing.  The music industry isn’t crashing..  The music biz is thriving.  You’ve got your publishing company in California.  I’ve had 12 placements in the past year.  That’s kept my floater.  You need a floater amount of money to keep your company going.  To pay people.  I don’t make money.  No one’s making money on my project.  Everything’s recycled.  The basic necessities and the cost of running a business.  So, all you girls out there who think you’re gonna find a deal and wear a pretty skirt and that’s the end of your job, you’re outta your mind.  You know, that pretty skirt can be yanked away from you real friggin’ quick, ok?  It comes down to your work ethic.  What the hell do you represent?  And, by the way, you could say to the world you represent this and that but if you don’t know who’s your core demographic, who you’re selling music to and who you’re performing it to that means you don’t actually have fans.  Means you didn’t go on the road.  And, I mean, why should I consume your music?  You haven’t affected anyone I know.

And, if you’re a woman.  Guess what?  Your job is 10 times more.

So, what it comes down to is that, right now, the major labels are losing all their power.  If they want to survive they probably have to turn into mega-management companies so that they can properly manage their artists’ careers.  Because now why would I sign a 360 deal with you when you can’t guarantee me that I’m going to be in the next Ford commercial or that I’m gonna be the song of iTunes or that I’m gonna be in a movie, yadda yadda yadda yadda.  Why should I be giving you a chunk of all my earnings?
So, to all you independent artists, keep doing you and make sure you have a network around you.  Make sure that you inspire the people around you to work with you not for you.  When people work with you then you start seeing real dollars.  Because no man is an island.  No woman is an island.  No artist does it on their own.  You hear artists, “Oh, I did such and such” and “I did such and such”.  You know what they’re really saying?  It’s, “My team and I…”  (laughs)  “My marketer came up with…”, “My publicist came up with…” and so on.

And then, for all you independent artists that are reading this and think this is crazy Isis talking to you, let me tell you something.  Do not ignore emerging markets, ok?  You ignore emerging markets at your own risk.  Emerging markets is where aaaall fans lay.  As much as you can, tour Canada.  You can only tour so often, so far.  There’s only a certain amount of dollars available.  You need to increase your geographical attack which requires long term planning and consistency.  Stay connected to people.  How about all the things that have to do with following up and all that.  It’s really important.  They are things, at the end of the day, really, really make a difference.  Because the music biz, some of them will only get back to you when they feel like it.  They ignore protocol.  There’s no corporate protocol, let’s put it like that.  They’ll call you back when they call you back.  If they’ve heard your name 7 times in one week in a good, positive way, you might get that phone call back a lot faster.
It’s the sum of all things.  It’s not one thing..  It’s the sum of all things you do.  Your routine by yourself, for yourself, for the world.  They try to put it in a little box and make it so sanitized that you don’t feel any more.  So what?  You’re selling music.  You’re selling a dream.  You’re selling life.  You’re selling a mood.  You’re selling emotion.  You’re communicating another way of living, another way of feeling, another way of talking.  It’s about being fly, about being fresh, about being connected.  Don’t lose that when you’re trying to make a perfect product to get out to the people who your market and campaigning to and such.

So, every step of the process is equally important.  And, everyone on your team is equally important.  Not one is more than the others.  Even your street team.  You’ve gotta be nice to your street team, you know?  Just sometimes you gotta bitch them out when they’re slow.  (laughs)  Straight up, though, in this business, there’s no rules.  You gotta make your own rules as you go.  You gotta understand there’s big egos.  And, it’s not something you get in one day.  You know that pop star that they make in 6 months?  That’s fading away now.  It’s coming back to the artist who’s been busting their ass for 6, 7 years, who knows themselves well.  They know when they get behind that mic, they know what they can offer.  Who knows that their life experience is rich and be turned into a movie or a tv show or a book or a story they can tell 5th graders in a primary school because you want to be there.

So everything is changing now, man, right now.  Really, the future of the biz right now is the eloquent artist that can speak.  Even within hip hop.  You have a bunch of dudes saying, “Nah, me, nah, me”.  They’re not even gonna want you for Hennessy.  Even Hennessy, they’re gonna say, “Why do I want a guy singing, ‘Nah, me, na, me’” when they can have this person saying, “Yes, Hennessy is my brand.  Me and my boys, we drink Hennessy.”  Whatever it is.  That’s not “selling out”.  You gotta lose that term outta your dictionary.  It’s stupid, ok?

The majors do not have money to promote their artists, ok?  They have money, in theory, to record products.  Products, radio, tv, movies, ok?  I’m giving it to you as real as you’re ever gonna hear any artist tell you.  This is the future of the biz.  In Canada, we’re a little bit behind.  It’s gonna catch up.  There’s so many companies now starting record labels ‘cuz why?  Because why should you take this artist when you can actually get the artist to write for your product.  You have TAG body spray, you have Axe, you have Rockstar (beverage), you have Red Bull – these are just some of the people that have record labels attached to their company.  So there’s a long topic that can keep going forever.

But there’s a whole de-centralization of what’s been happening in the past 15 years.  Every independent artist that’s gonna read this article, I highly recommend that you read 3 books.

1.           “The Hit Man” – it’s about the history of gangsterism about radio and the biggest big shots and how the music business really started.

2.           The second one is called, “Appetite for Destruction” by Steve Knopper.  This will explain to you all the biggest mistakes that we’ve done in the past 20 years and what has made us not profit off everything that we should be profiting from in the music biz.

3.           And the 3rd thing that I recommend, it’s not a book but a blog.  Bob Lefetz called “Lefetz Letter”.  It’s online.  Please.  Read.  Very carefully what this bitchy old man is saying.  He has very insightful things to say and, you know, as an artist, you should be reading about these industry talks.

As an artist, you should sit down and profoundly ask yourself what they’re saying about you.  Is it really you?  Everything can always be fine-tuned.  In fact, I’m never happy with my biography!  (laughs)  I don’t think I’ll ever be happy with it.  This is a business.  Where, if you sleep, if you take vacation, you’re gonna lose.  If you’re a woman and you spend too much time running after men and worrying about what men think about you and shopping and spending all your money, you’re gonna lose.  If you forget what you really started for and you compromise too much, you’re gonna lose.  If you’re an urban rapper and all you can talk about is your one-sided experience and think in a way not the general public, which are the people that buy records, you’re gonna lose.

Even the artists of Motown had to go to Motown’s School of Etiquette, ok.  I do believe that everyone in Urban needs to refine themselves and grow up.  Why?  Because you look at our top rappers.  They’re not even heard anymore, ok?  Jay Z, all these people, you see them doing things with Louis Vuitton – they’ve crossed over.

All these guys in indie rock, they talk about not selling out.  You need to stop with that shit.  Cut that nonsense out.  That’s bullshit, ok?  That’s the 90’s..  Welcome to the Age of Aquarius.  This is the year 2000, ok?  Brand association – Be you.  Improve upon yourself.  Associate yourself with hard working people that make sense in your life that have something to do with your message.  That’s the message.  And work, work, work.  More work.  And when you think you could never work again, work a little more!  That’s the message!  Don’t fight it.  Be it!

As far as my reggae people, they need to bust out of stereotypes of how they see us and do our business.  We need to be more on point.  More on time.  Long term strategy.  Because this is the music business and it’s fun.  You need a business plan.  It’s the way to fulfill obligations to do everything to earn money.  Your investors.  Your distributors.  Don’t be a scared artist..  Don’t shy away from doing your real stuff.  Then you can improve on it.  If you fear the things that you are bad at, you’ll never get better.  You look at the things you are shitty at, it’s what we call, “tough love”.  I lived in New York for many years.  I had my team shit on me every single day of my life.  Ok?  Doing hip hop.  Doing reggae.  In New York City, there’s no mercy.  In Kingston, Jamaica, you’re a female, and light skinned, you’re a joke.  You have to be a warrior.  Be a warrior!  This, too, is the message!

* * * * * * * * * *

Empire Isis has shows in Montreal in the month of June (House of Reggae with Trupaz June 13, Café Campus June 27).

She has a showcase and will appear as a panelist at The Drake Hotel on June 20 for the NXNE Festival (“Demo Derby” Presented by the Urban Music Association of Canada (UMAC)).

She is hitting California in early July, followed by a European tour this summer that includes Nottingham, UK, Festival Musique in France, and Club Pacha in Morocco, one of the biggest clubs in Africa.
Visit her myspace for tour information and dates.

http://www.myspace.com/empireisis
www.empireisis.com

By BD Marie Hughes

It’s not the size of the bar (or club or venue), it’s the music that’s in it…..
It was another spectacular night at The Central in Toronto on Wednesday, May 27. Standing room only!

Performances:
Hallowed Be
Sinister Trailerpark Magic
The MacHams
Pyramid Theorem
The Johnnys.

Hallowed Be, a raw and heavy rock-alt-metal band, is a masterpiece of juxtaposition – off-the-charts skill vs the riot of metal sound. Vedran Burdzovic has to be one of the best, most technically skilled guitarists I’ve heard I’ve heard in a long time. He, Peter McMaster (bass), Daniel Plague (guitar) laid down all the tricks. It was not only a real show but a performance of utter technical precision. One that die-hard metal fans clamour to catch “live”. Christian Pietrasiak on drums, a pure technician himself, seals the deal.

Many of Hallowed Be’s lyrics are “in your face” and shamelessly push back “the establishment” (“And now you do what they told ya”). This is a metal band that I, personally, live for. Songs on their cd “Calculating Madness” tell a story. One is about a WWII soldier out on a one-night pass. He has one night. To do everything he’s always wanted to do because he might not survive the next day’s battle. Another juxtaposition. About living. All in one night. Facing a possible end. This cd, recorded at FatLabs, will be out this year.

“We try to put on the best live show we can. I think that encapsulates what a band should be. When you’re on stage, you should give it your all,” says Vedran. All the guys told me how much they appreciated The Central as the TIMAs showcases venue.

Heros cited –
Christian – Led Zeppelin, My Chemical Romance
Peter – John Bonham
Daniel – Kurt Cobain, Led Zep
Vedran – guitar player from Synyster Gates, Dimebag Darrell, and singer from Holly Springs Disaster.
Seizing on the opportunity of their WWII soldier lyrics, I ask them –
BD: If today was the last day you were a musician, past this moment, right here, right now, what would you do?
Christian: I’d try my best to give my all. Everything is tight – no mistakes.
Peter: I’d play. Somewhere. I don’t know where, but I’d play.
BD: In the Alps with Heidi? (deadpan, then everyone laughs)
Peter: No! (laughing) Probably on the roof of my house. I’m up there a lot – it’s my personal spot. That’s actually where I write sometimes.
Daniel: I would play until somebody said, “Alright, that’s it – you’re done!” (laughing)
Vedran: Considering how strong of a message, I would probably collaborate with a bunch of other artists, you know. Hold a concert. And spread the message: You shouldn’t stop music! Of course! What else?! (everyone laughs)

http://www.myspace.com/hallowedxbe
http://www.hallob.com

Sinister Trailerpark Magic –
Jeremy Cavan (lead vocals/guitar)
Toby Cavan (lead vocals/drums/cd artwork designer)
Dustin Braiden (back up vocals/bass)
and Tavis Baird (back up vocals/guitar) –

is a very intense, technically polished rock band with crazy mad skills. They have been together for 12 years but only formally became a band in October 2005. Each member brought an unparalleled depth of experience with him. Tavis sat down with me so that I could find out more about their “magic” which seemingly includes blowing circuit breakers (clever and surprisingly relaxed on-stage banter ensued while matters were rectified…).

Tavis tells me that finishing their first self-titled album was a monumental moment for the band. STPM recently had a chance to play a big music festival in New Orleans, LA, for 120,000 people. “We got to play with Raise Against the Machine and Smashing Pumpkins,” a still-elated Tavis told me. “The weekend before this TIMA showcase, one of my favourite punk rock bands growing up – we playing with them in Barrie. About 800 people showed up. It was a pretty good show!”
I asked Tavis about their overseas tour in November 2008. “Going to Europe was awesome! We did 29 shows in 31 days through 14 countries. They were very, very well-received shows. We had a blast!”

Highlights? “Some were the most unexpected shows. We played a high school in Lithuania. We went back a week and a half later and played a different high school for similar kids. All these kids – they saved up money and had fundraisers so that we could have an authentic Lithuanian meal. Stuff like that was pretty awesome.”

Lowlights? “We got a ticket in Germany on our vehicle for being overweight. We were slowing down traffic going up a hill. (laughing) Because of the delay (with the police), we ended up missing one show.”

European fans vs Canadian fans? “My gut feeling – Montreal is a lot like Europe. It’s got that crowd of people that’ll go out to a show and they don’t even know what it is. Definitely the European promoters were all so professional.. They had a meal waiting for you when you got there. They never screwed around on your pay. They treated you like…” I jumped in, “Like rock stars!” “Yes! (laughing) Canada is half and half. Some (promoters) try to ‘shave off’ like, your gas money!” (we both laugh)
STPM is busy at work right now with a distribution company to re-release their cd.. Check them out!

http://www.myspace.com/sinistertrailerparkmagic
http://www.sinistertrailerparkmagic.com

The MacHams
It is, at once, apparent that The MacHams have a legion of fans. They were screaming, “Encore!” at the end of the guys’ set. Midway through, loyalty was rewarded with a generous toss of tshirts. Three multi-instrumental brothers – Jean-Pierre Dabbagh (“JP diddy”), Noel Dabbagh (“N Dash”), and George Dabbagh (“G Dash”) and joined by bassist Chris Campbell for live performances – deliver pop-rock music loaded with lyrics about the joys, uncertainties, and pitfalls of relationships (“Vulnerable”, “Ways to Go”, “If You Only Knew”).

In two months, The MacHams will be releasing their first full length album. “All the writing in the band is done by me and JP,” explains George. “You can tell which songs I write and what songs he writes,” he continues. “Sometimes we get inspiration from the weirdest places. If we’re watching a tv show like, ‘Boy Meets World’, we’re like, ‘You know what? This would be a good idea for a song’. One time, one of JP’s friends said, ‘Write a song based on one word.’ I said, ‘Give me a word.’ He goes, ‘Vaudeville’. So based on that one word, I wrote a whole song.” (laughing) George sums up the band’s writing process, “Really, we come up with something we’re both happy with”.
JP tells me, “The deepest thing is that we’re all brothers. Music is our entire life.” George adds, “It’s the relationship that we have with each other.” Both agree that the idea of forming a band ignited in 2002 with YouTube. The brothers were involved in the Catholic church and they first played for their church choir.

BD: What can you tell me about all your fans that were here tonight and making their presence known? (laughing)
George: They’re good people (also laughing)
BD: Are they friends of yours?
George: It started like 5 years ago when we started playing shows. We brought our friends. And, the next show, our friends brought their friends. It just kept getting bigger and bigger! Now, there’s a big group following us wherever we play. We really appreciate that. We take time to go out and say, “Hi” to them!

http://www.myspace.com/themachams
www.themachams.com

Pyramid Theorem, a progressive/metal/rock band from Richmond Hill, ON, opened with an epic song that featured an intricately stunning guitar solo that commanded all attention. From the back of The Central, I witnessed a crowd of many slowly and steadily, one by one, pulled to the edge of their seats, ultimately becoming a collective “one” while the band’s futuristic sound incrementally expanded outwards as though on a never-ending journey. The experience was astounding. “The Agency” was followed by “Forever in Chains”. It, too, was a big ass song that had the ability to take you on, what felt like, a blind rollercoaster ride. The entire place was hooked.
The band continued to build on that phenomenal opening platform. Near the end of the last song, the drummer delivered a massive piece (at one point he literally stood up playing from his kit) that nearly brought me to my knees – it was that fucking awesome. Pass me the nitro…..

Christian Di Mambro – bass
Stephan Di Mambro – guitar, keys, vocals
Sam Ermilini – guitar, vocals
and Vito De Francesco – drums
are the Canadian talent to watch. These guys came to their TIMA showcase with their band manager, Anthony Positano, a slick epk professionally printed in colour on glossy finish, packaged cd’s to spare, and their logo and branding firmly in place. They are as serious in the business aspect as they are in their music.

BD: Pyramid Theorem received a high rating on review of your cd “Voyage to the Star” (released in the summer of 2008) by Brutalism.com. How important was that rating to you?
Vito: It makes a big difference on our confidence level. And, it just goes to show we can do something with our music. It does reach out to people. It means a lot to us.
BD: What fuels your passion for your music?
Vito: Definitely, for me, on the musical side, would be my influences. It definitely plays into how I play and how we write music. But playing live, I love seeing the crowd getting into our music. Like I’m the furthest back (on stage). When I look out from behind the kit, if I see people looking at each other and talking and like rocking out, I feel great!
Stephan: To do something with my life.. People listening to our music. They can interpret it how it affects their life. And to just get out in the working world.
Sam: Listening to all other kinds of music, stuff that I like. It makes me happy and I’m sure it makes other people happy when they hear somebody they really like. It really gets me going. I like to have that reaction like what Vito said. Like seeing everyone, they’ve got smiles on their faces, and they’re rockin’ out. It’s a great feeling.
Christian: When I hear new music and I don’t know the songs. I listen to them more and more. I like to get to know them. I just want people to do that with our music.
BD: How do you want the audience to remember you? When they leave your show?
Sam: When you close your eyes, you can picture something. I really don’t want to say, “Oh, we sound like Rush or Dream Theater or Yes.” I want to get the crowd’s reaction saying we sound like Pyramid Theorem. I want them to come out of the show, “Oh, did you see that drummer? Keyboards? Bass? The guitar?”
Vito: I don’t want to be remembered, “Oh, these guys sound like them”. I want, “You know what? These guys are Pyramid Theorem and they’re…”
Sam: “… a distinct sound.”
Vito: You can listen to our cd and it will take you somewhere. And, to see us live, it just brings you somewhere else. Like, we’re a live band. The cd does us justice but seeing us live is the real thing.
Sam: Our music is supposed to be up on stage, live. Making the music and presenting it to someone.
Christian: And even if people don’t appreciate it and they’re not into the whole, long, complicated parts or different arrangements, at least they’ll be like, “Oh, that guitar player really shreds out.”
Sam: We just want to get that image, “We’re Pyramid Theorem. We’re not like anyone else.” That’s who we are. That’s what we sound like. We have our own sound.

http://www.myspace.com/thejohnnysrock