Now, imagine that being an idea, a sound, or a loop and you’ve got the premise to one of Warm Den’s undeniably unique songs. Somewhere in between space rock, experimental, and avant-garde is this Montreal-based trio of inventors, musicians, or magicians. Their music is full of unpredictable twists and turns, especially in “Yi!,” giving the listener a ride to remember. I first heard this unsigned band at an intimate show and was immediately sucked in, so when we sat around a table on the terrasse of Montreal’s Casa del Popolo, I was more than excited to talk to these friendly fellows – Adam Davidson (keys, sampler, guitar, vocals), Cameron Mitchell (synth, drums, sampler) and Simon (guitar, bass, vocals) – about their music.

Q:  How did you come up with the name Warm Den?

Simon: Low Brow [the original name of the band], for me, was a bit pessimistic and negative. It should be something positive, unless you are in a heavy metal band. To portray our music, which I wanted to be more uplifting, maybe melancholy sometimes, and hopeful, I wanted something that was safe and warm. When I was growing up in P.E.I., I spent a lot of time at my great aunt’s house and the den was the part of the house that had my great uncle’s chair in it and his desk; a safe zone to sneak in and look at his papers and pictures when I could. So the den was always that, and warm is warm. It has a nice feeling in your mouth and you remember saying it – “Warm Den”. Feels kinda elfish. Could be a different language.

Q:  So it doesn’t mean vagina?

Simon: [Laughs] Yeah, there has been that connotation too. I find humour is good. That’s okay.

Q: Tell me about Warm Den, starting with who are your influences?

Adam: Food is my influence, honestly. Tennis. Tennis playing is always good. Big influence on my life [laughs]. I like a lot of stuff. I’m a huge Krautrock fan. German influences: Kraftwerk, Faust, Can – all that kind of stuff.

Simon: My influences are friends and family.

Cameron: Anything and everything I can listen too. It’s all going to be an inspiration in some form or place.

Q: Simon is from P.E.I., Adam from Ontario, and Cameron is from Australia – So how did you guys meet?

Simon: All the credit goes to Craigslist, in all honesty.

Adam: I had a thing going way back with a two-piece. Members came and went. I met these guys, reformed as a three-piece from a four-piece [one of the previous members dropped out], changed the name, and changed the sound a bit.

Q: How long has Warm Den been together?

Cameron: As Warm Den, and the way we are going now, has been six months roughly. The idea has been there long, but the process has been shorter.

Adam: We’re still in construction mode: happy with the sound, but still tweaking and fine-tuning things.

Q:  Okay, the music – How do you compose your songs?

Adam: We are pretty democratic. If we all kind of see something in [a new idea], then we’ll jump on it for a while and either it will fly or it won’t. Then basically hack it around, work at a few parts, record it and sit on it, take it home, rework on it on our own, and bring in new ideas.

Simon: [We are] pretty unconventional. A couple times someone might come in with an actual song on the guitar.

Adam: But that’s rare.

Simon: Every song has been definitely different. If one of us came in every time with a guitar line, the songs would end up sounding similar and we would get boxed in.

Q:  Do you have a guideline at all?

Adam: We try to keep an open mind; free flowing. Don’t try to limit ourselves, but obviously put a certain stamp on things. If someone brought in a hip hop beat, we could put a spin on that. There is a certain mentality that we have. It’s just, we just don’t define it or write it down and say “This is what we are trying to do.” If anything happens, automatically it will form into something that represents us and our sound.

Cameron: It’s liberating to bring in anything you can and turn it into something totally different.

Adam: As long as it has a kick beat! [Laughs]

Q:  So what are some of Warm Den’s future plans?

Simon: I think we are going to start recording soon.

Adam: Right now we are fine-tuning. We are playing shows about once a month, just to keep us going and keep us focused. It’s good to get it out there and see the reaction to it. Then, go back on that, rebuild and reconstruct, and change what needs to be changed. Get a bit of perspective, basically.

Cameron: Recording is such a final thing, but live, the idea would be to be able to play those songs under a different light every time.

Adam: For us, it’s a never-ending process. It’s nice to know that you can always change things. It’s good to have a constant influx of new sounds, but at the same time now, we have to set lock on something.

Simon: To progress, you have to have something recorded.

In the meantime, I suggest sitting in your warm den with your eyes closed and letting Warm Den take you on a magic carpet ride through a dark cryptic tunnel, into the belly of a jungle, over an endless field, and then out into space. You can also check out the band live in mid-September and head to their MySpace for upcoming show dates.

Ready In 10 lifted their name from a Chinese restaurant menu promising quick delivery. You could say Ready In 10 does the same by serving up tasty, no-nonsense pop rock, track after track. “31 Strong” follows their 2006 debut, “Face the World,” and consists of eight new studio tracks and a live version of the crowd pleasing, “Turn Your Red Light To Green.”

Vocalist Sal Nastasi sometimes does an uncanny Jon Bon Jovi, which is most evident in his inflections during the opener, “Song For A Southern Drive.” This radio-friendly tune is just one of many on “31 Strong” that feature sizzling guitar riffs and well-placed harmonies. Additional highlights include the moody “Immune,” the soft and beautiful “When She Moves,” and the excellent “Come Home,” where Nastasi delivers one of his more heartfelt performances. There is tremendous promise in this band and just a few things I’d suggest: Get a better production team, write some more upbeat tunes, and concentrate even more on writing bigger and badder hooks that make the listener want to come back for more.

You should be hearing some Ready In 10 soon – their songs have been licensed to several television shows and a new sci-fi movie coming out called, The Stone. In the meantime, get your hands on their MP3s and rock out.

iPOD worthy tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6

Ready In 10 on MySpace and their Official Site

Get the album – 31 Strong – HERE

About fifteen years ago, while most of the music-loving fans in the world had discarded the poodle perms, black leather pants and the gaudy turquoise and silver baubles associated with hair metal to embrace the slackerisms and flannel workshirts associated with grunge, a different sort were looking at huge belt buckles, cowboy boots, and pedal steel guitars. These folks were encountering, then hopping aboard the alt.country trend, a musical sub-genre championed by the likes of Uncle Tupelo, Jayhawks, Eric Ambel, Blue Rodeo and many other lesser-known acts. While grunge was known as bare-bones, meat-and-potatoes rock with no frills, the purveyors of the alt.country trend took “bare bones” a bit further, with most adopting a sound best described as Johnny Cash on meth as performers and devotees yearned for the perfect blend between traditional country circa 1958-1965 and rock and roll derived from the days of Sun records revved up with a post-punk modern feel. Though grunge also had a primitive feel, it had it’s own sound. In contrast, while the best alt.country and roots bands filtered their music through the prisms of punk and post-punk, an equal amount were enamored with simply striving to emulate their ’50′s and ’60′s heroes down to the bent notes on their paisley Telecasters. Though bands of this nature were found mostly on the second-tier, even the edgiest bands such as Uncle Tupelo showed their indebtedness to their heroes from Nashville on their sleeves and were careful not to stray too far from their country inspirations. It was the same catch-22 which modern blues players find themselves. How much do they honor their past and provide a touchstone to fans, while still blazing a trail and progressing their music so new generations will find elements to enjoy?

Seeking to provide not only an answer to that question but also a new album for your listening pleasure is Laurence “Luckyman” Beall. While Beall is a tad mysterious about his musical past, his bio tells a story about some hard years as a traveling musician after leaving home at a young age, with much time spent in menial jobs while striving to succeed as a musician at night. It’s the traditional hard-luck musician story, one which many of today’s legends can probably tell. That even his background story has somewhat of a familiar ring to it speaks volumes about the music he lays down on his recent release.

The first song of Beall’s new CD is entitled Hoe Cake and is a rockabilly/country rocker beginning with some great chicken-picking guitar work dovetailing into Beall’s vocals which give Beall a sound akin to an amped-up Chris Isaak. A great addition to the usual rockabilly groove is some great Hammond B-3 organ played by Dan Hocter. Mr. Lonely is the next tune and is a slow love song in a ’50′s R&B style with a tinge of downhome country added for flavor. It shows the versatility in Beall’s voice as he sounds right at home singing old school R&B and should he ever feel the need to record an album of R&B standards (or write new ones) he would no doubt find an audience for it. Again, Hocter’s skillful Hammond work adds an interesting dimension to the song. Pure country is the only thing anyone could call the next song, Blue Curtains, which is sung by Beall in a mumbled voice as if he was imitating Mick Jagger’s vocals on the Rolling Stones’ song Faraway Eyes. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong tack as Beall’s voice is good enough on its’ own and doesn’t need any schtick to make the song work. Great guitar work on the song, though, with Beall playing a tasty solo – just enough to make you go “wow” then it’s back into the song which is the mark of a skillful, savvy player. Drummer Ardie Dean seems to drag at pointsthroughout the song, which is unfortunate. While leaving a mistake here or there lends an off-the-cuff air to a record, maybe Beall should get a studio drummer for his next record. The next song She Make a Bulldog Break His Chain is styled like an old blues with Beall once again slurring his voice a little bit. Kind of weak songwise as a generic blues isn’t quite the same quality of material considering Beall’s work so far. Wanted By The Police is next and again follows the blues format, this time with Beall playing the slide guitar, which he handles quite well to be honest. He does nothing too original with it, but he hits the cliche blues licks well and makes them his own for the most part. The next song Five Bucks an Hour serves Beall better. It’s a slow-burner with some great smoldering Hammond organ and some great guitar licks by Beall with plenty of reverb on the guitar. Great spooky sounding track and as I listen to this album, the Isaak comparison is getting more and more apt. Isaak also features a mix of blues, country and intense balolad work, just like Beall is doing on this album. Not a bad goal to shoot for as Isaak is a great artist but I have heard nothing totally original since this CD started, though the music is competent enough. It’s back to the old rockabilly groove for Goin’ to Brownsville and Beall handles it smoothly, if nondescriptly. Tell Me Why is next and returns to the ’50′s R&B style Beall worked earlier, complete with Hammond organ backdrop and romantic crooning. Yeah, this is Isaak’s territory but Beall does sound great when he sings in this style. No one should strive to be a one-trick pony, but if he did a whole album like this or established a style built around this type of tune, no doubt he would get some notice for it. This is a top pick for best song so far though at over seven minutes long it does get a little bit tedious by the end. Four minutes, maybe four minutes and thirty seconds should have been the stopping point. I Wanna Get Wicked Wif’ You Baby is a decent mid-tempo rocker in a swamp blues style. Beall’s vocals kind of get lost in that his howls and yelps don’t really show fire, it’s almost as if he’s tryinbg a little too hard and it shows. He wants to rock and get all Jagger/John Fogerty, but it just seems forced though the band does a decent Creedence choogle. The song Blues Ain’t All Blue is up next and features Beall doing a country blues pastiche. Not bad, but at this point a lot of this just seems like a genre exercise for Beall, to show he can hit various types of American music styles with enough of the standard moves to get by with nothing to separate him from the pack of artists already mining this territory. That he does it well may not make a difference. When your playing relatively simple music you have to have an extraordinary personality to put the music over. You can only cram so many notes into an old-style blues guitar solo, you better say something special or spice it up somehow to make yourself stand out. Unfortunately, Beall is competent, but not much more than that. Tattoo Girl is next and features Beall playing more blues. Ten Foot Tall Blues is up next followed by Stompin’ Like A Zombie, of which the latter is the most adventurous – more of a garage rocker ala Bobby Fuller than anything shown previously by Beall.

While this album is enjoyable enough, especially for those who are fans of Americana and roots music, there is almost an air of disappointment one gets after listening to it. For all his talent as a guitar player and singer, there is nothing really distinctive about the record to make it stand apart from the many other bands who play roots, rockabilly or blues. And Beall tries, just not hard enough. The fact Beall can do it it all with a modicum of talent may be one hook he can use, but the fact is he does them competently, but there is nothing that stands out. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad album by any means. Beall does show flashes of having some real talent and, depending on the format, may end up coming up with just the formula that makes his music click with the public. As it stands now, however, there is just competence, and that’s really not enough to differentiate his music from the plethora of roots sounds already out there fighting for airtime and your hard earned dollar.

It all began when Last Call Chernobyl entered the 2010 Battle of the Bands, sponsored by Nova Scotia Music and Vans Warped Tour. LCC entered the battle among many other East Coast metal bands, but by winning over the unfamiliar crowds and judges their destiny was written in stone.

“We were contemplating to end, but after winning the first round it was a push for us,” said LCC drummer Josh Pellerine. And after winning that first round, there was no stopping Last Call Chernobyl, as the underdogs took the grand prize and found themselves doing a twelve date tour, which started in Ventura, California and ended in Montreal, Quebec. “We were originally supposed to do four dates, but Kevin, who runs Vans, couldn’t make it to the finals of the battle and I guess he felt bad, so he gave us twelve dates, which was super nice of him,” said guitarist Matt Moulton.

Out of the those dates, Last Call Chernobyl grew up from being an unknown band out of Halifax to conquering new fans and crafting themselves into pros. “This tour was definitely a learning experience; every day we got better,” said vocalist Kyle Mahar. And I testify to that, as I was supper impressed when I saw them live. No wonder these guys won; they truly hold their own on stage. LCC was just incredibly wild on stage, and they are all true musicians. Everything from Kyle Mahar’s vocals and crowd engagement, to the slick guitar riffs of Matt Moulton, to Jason Szeto’s flying bass, to drummer Josh Pellerine’s solid and rowdy drumming, is impressive. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing these guys perform again.

Last Call Chernobyl just released their debut album, Beneath the Sound of Change, via Halifax’s metal institution, Diminished Fifth Records, which actually also came about via the battle of the bands. Josh Hogan, who runs D5R, was one of the judges who’s attention was caught as he watched LCC fight their way through so many others. After LCC’s win, D5R snagged them before anyone else had a chance.

Coming across my earphones, Last Call Chernobyl definitely have a sound of their own. And being a young band; we will surely be hearing more from them real soon.

More Last Call Chernobyl at: www.myspace.com/lastcallchernobyl

And check out some of their videos here: www.youtube.com/lastcallchernobyl

Drowning Beneath the Sound of

What started out as a children’s television show in 2007 has become a true cultural phenomenon, as the YGG! crew is now loved by college students, adults, and hipsters worldwide. Why? How? It’s simple really. YGG! always manages to snag the best musical guests (they even played Coachella this year!) Think Weezer, DEVO, Of Montreal, Hot Hot Heat, MGMT, The Ting Tings, Snoop Dogg, The Killers, The Roots, and oh so many more! Now their YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! Tour is hitting the road and coming to Canada September 4 – 19.

Montreal, (Monday, May 31, 2010) — Fresh off a triumphant sold-out tour debut, a headlining performance at The White House, a critically-acclaimed, chart-topping album, and an appearance at Coachella that garnered rave reviews from spectators and media alike (Video), DJ Lance Rock and the cast of YO GABBA GABBA! are heading back on the road with YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! to play to enthusiastic fans in Canada. Today’s hottest live show for families will tour Canada from September 4 to 19. YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! is produced by S2BN Entertainment in association with Wildbrain Entertainment and The Magic Store and presented by DKD Events.

Champions on the stage and in the community, the Gabba Gang will partner with Child Find and The Missing Children’s Network to further their efforts to bring home missing children in Canada. In addition, $1 from every ticket sold for YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: THERE’S A PARTY IN MY CITY! will be donated to the local Child Find affiliate and The Missing Children’s Network in Montreal.

VIP packages with premium tickets and meet and greets will also be available. For complete tour, ticket information and VIP packages, visit www.yogabbagabbalive.com.

The state-of-the-art production features music, singing, dancing and animation.  The show is an interactive experience that offers audience members of all ages the opportunity to witness their favorite characters come to life.  Joining the characters on stage will be hip-hop legend Biz Markie to teach kids how to beat box with “Biz’s Beat of the Day”.  Special guests will join the party on stage for the Super Music Friends Show and Dancey Dance segments.

Released in October, 2009, YO GABBA GABBA!: MUSIC IS AWESOME Volume 1 topped kids and overall music charts at iTunes (#1 kids album), Amazon (top 5 kids album) and Target sales, which reached more than 40,000 copies in only 6 months since its release. YO GABBA GABBA!: MUSIC IS AWESOME was picked as one of 2009’s top holiday gifts for toddlers by both PARENTS magazine and the popular Mom web destination MomLogic.com.  YO GABBA GABBA!: MUSIC IS AWESOME Volume 2 will be released on iTunes and will hit shelves nationwide this September.

Dates, venues and ticket prices are subject to change.

About Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba! premiered in the U.S. on Nickelodeon in August, 2007 and currently ranks as one of the most popular children series on television.   Yo Gabba Gabba!, was voted as one of the best new shows on television by TIME magazine, won a BAFTA Award in 2008, was awarded the “Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Television” Award by the Television Critics Association, and is a two-time Emmy nominee. The series airs three times a day, seven days a week on Nick Jr. and in Australia, Canada, Israel, Latin America, New Zealand, South Africa and the U.K.

Yo Gabba Gabba! infuses retro-style and beat-driven music to teach simple life lessons through music. The series stars DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson) and a cast of colorful characters, including: Brobee, the little green one, Foofa, the pink flower bubble, Muno, the red Cyclops, Toodee, the blue cat-dragon and Plex, the yellow robot. Today’s most popular names in movies, television, music and sports flock to guest star in the groundbreaking show, including Jack Black, Rachel Dratch, Melora Hardin, Tony Hawk, Biz Markie, Jack McBrayer, MGMT, Mark Mothersbaugh, The Roots, Andy Samberg, Amy Sedaris, The Shins, Amare Stoudemire, The Ting Tings, Jimmy Eat World and Elijah Wood, among others.  Yo Gabba Gabba! toys, apparel and other merchandise are sold in stores nationwide in the U.S. and have skyrocketed in popularity.  Yo Gabba Gabba! is recommended as a trusted program for preschoolers by The Smart Television Alliance, a non-profit organization comprised of leading non-profit children’s media organizations including Common Sense Media, Parents’ Choice Foundation, Parents Television Council and Coalition for Quality children’s Media: KIDS FIRST!.  Visit www.yogabbagabba.com.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR COMES TO CANADA IN SEPTEMBER FOR SINGING & DANCING AND TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL CHILD FIND AFFILIATE

Saturday, September 4 – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto

Sunday, September 5 – Place des Arts, Montreal

Wednesday, September 8 – Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton

Thursday, September 9 – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary

Sat. & Sun., Sept. 11 & 12 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver

Tuesday, September 14 – Brandt Centre, Regina

Wednesday, September 15 – MTS Centre Theatre, Winnipeg

Saturday, September 18 – John Labatt Centre, London

Sunday, September 19 – Scotiabank Place, Ottawa

$1 From Every Ticket Sold To Benefit Local Child Find Affiliates and The Missing Children’s Network

Q: I’ve been following you guys for the past year and from the first time I saw you until now, the band has really come together. What is it that has allowed you to gel so quickly?

Andre: A lot of shows, more synergy being created between us. [As a new band] everyone was focused more on their own instruments and I think now everyone is able to hear what everyone else is doing … getting into that vibe where we are all uniform. We are able to push the songs more. We are getting better and better, but there is still a lot of room to grow.

Q: Since Joey has written all the songs on this album, how did the rest of you translate his words into music?

Max: [The lyrics are] the last thing he does. [They] usually come on top of the music. [Joey] usually has an idea, but yeah that’s the last thing.
Mathieu: We don’t really know what [the lyrics] mean really … They have like four explanations.
Andre: They are open to interpretation.
Mathieu: We are not reacting totally to [Joey’s] lyrics.
Andre: Yeah, usually my interpretation is better than his. [Everyone laughs]

Q: You’ve had an incredible year – touring China and the U.K. and showcasing at NXNE, SXSW, and Osheaga – what do you consider to be some of the most memorable moments?

Max: Driving. We have so much fun just driving, but seriously, lots. England was definitely amazing. Also, putting out the album was definitely exciting.
Andre: Putting out the record was definitely a plus. And now we have our first single coming out in a month.
Mathieu: And when we played in the little park for the senior citizens. [Everyone agrees]
Andre: Some of the older people liked us a lot because of the retro feel.

Q: Your music has a ’60s vibe; Is that the style everyone in the band likes?

Max: Our biggest influences are basically in these years. Although, we don’t necessary sound like them because its forty years later.

Q: How did you all meet?

Mathieu: Joey, Alex, and me have known each other since CEGEP.
Max: I worked with Joey. He was playing me some stuff and he needed a drummer. And everybody knows Andre: You can’t forget that hair!

Q: With EMI on board, everything has amplified. You are touring the U.K. again, but this time with 2010 Polaris Music Prize nominees The Besnard Lakes – what else is up and coming?

Max: We are releasing a vinyl. That’s very exciting I think. That’s what I am looking forward to most, other than touring different places.
Andre: We’ve been invited to Australia to play a showcase in Perth in October. Still a tentative thing. Until we see the plane tickets, then we’ll say we are going.
Max: It’s exciting that we are even being considered for some of the tours, shows, and festivals – very exciting.
Andre: The album is coming out in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. There may be a possibility we are touring there too.
Mathieu: Maybe in June.

Q: When you tour, do you have any time to explore?

Andre: I do because I don’t sleep much. [Everyone laughs]
Mathieu: It depends if we have a day off or not. If we don’t have one, we just move to the next venue and that’s it.
Max: In Europe cities are closer, so you find yourself travelling less. In the U.S.A., there are massive drives … Canada too. In Europe I had more time to walk around and take pictures, and be a tourist.

Q: Have you guys started on any new music?

Andre: [A new album] is already in the process.
Mathieu: We are playing a new song live.
Max: The other ones don’t have lyrics yet.
Andre: Yeah, we are waiting for Joey.

Q: So is Joey the only one who writes the lyrics?

Max: Joey really likes writing his own lyrics. It’s weird when someone else is putting words in your mouth.
Andre: But he’s been open in the past to be helped.

Q: Final Flash has been compared to everything from cereal to Pink Floyd – How are you going to maintain your style and avoid being typecast?

Andre: What we are doing in the jam space is coming together naturally and I don’t think we are aiming to be anything right now, which is the best way to be. And I think in that sense our sound will evolve.
Max: We might have some qualities, but I don’t think we are anything like Pink Floyd.
Andre: But at least we love Pink Floyd, so why not?

And why not? Vibrant, captivating, and poetic; Final Flash will satisfy any indie rock lover’s thirst for new music. And if you have the opportunity, I also highly recommend checking them out live!

You can follow Final Flash on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.

Homeless

Musicians Maxine Harman and Marty Xenoff make up the base for the Australian rock band. In the band, Harman is the keyboardist/singer, while Xenoff is the guitarist/singer. But unlike many of the ever-increasing number of duos that exist out there in the music industry today with just two musicians, Harman and Xenoff call upon other musicians to help fill out the band’s sound so they don’t end up sounding hollow.

The style of  The On Fires seems to simultaneously incorporate the old styles of rock ‘n’ roll and the new styles of today’s bands: At times, they seem to fit in more with today’s bands that can be found on current radio formats. At other times, the band has more of a punk/glam feel to their music.

“Coming Home” is the song that kicks off Betrayer by The On Fires. The song is an upbeat track that combines the feeling of punk rock with just a little bit of the off-kilter style of rock that Devo became known for. The song also has a drum solo that is very reminiscent of the Ron Wilson drum solo from “Wipeout” by The Surfaris.

“Hanging With The Living” feels like it belongs back in the sixties with some of the bands that were creating some of the straight-out rock back at that time.

“Precious Injury” sounds like a cross between The Motels and Duran Duran. The style here brings to mind these two bands before they were both “commercialized” by their respective record labels. The song sounds like it belongs on college radio back in the ‘eighties.

With the song “Melancholy,” the listener gets to experience, for the first time on this album, the beautiful voice of Maxine as she takes the lead on this track. The piano-driven tune, coupled with the strings on this track, brings to mind a song written in the style of Queen.

“Without” is just one of the tracks on the new album from The On Fires where the band lets their modern-day influences shine through. This song seems to have a little flavor from current bands like Coldplay and Stereophonics shining through it.

Betrayer by The On Fires is a solid collection made up of fifteen songs. Each song on the album has something different to offer the listener, and this helps make it a joy to listen to. Whether you are a fan of the older music that was part of the late seventies/early eighties, or you are more of a fan of the music of today’s bands, The On Fires have captured a mixture of those styles in their music.

Maxine Harman and Marty Xenoff make up The On Fires. The two musicians make for a fine writing team and with the people they have chosen to help fill out their sound while in the studio or on stage, they have a sound that people seem to gravitate to. Their album Betrayer is strong and will help to expand their fanbase. Keep your eyes and ears open for this talented band as they are currently making their way through North America promoting their strong release of it.

To find the band, you can check out their website at www.theonfires.com. You can also find them online at www.myspace.com/theonfires.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PUNK PIONEERS PENNYWISE READY FOR CANADIAN STINT
TOUR BEGINS SEPTEMBER 3 IN QUEBEC AND WRAPS UP SEPTEMBER 17 IN VANCOUVER
BAND IS REINTRODUCING ITSELF WITH NEW LEAD SINGER ZOLI TEGLAS

August 24, 2010—California South Bay punk stalwarts Pennywise, a main stage standout on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour, with Zoli Teglas of Orange County’s Ignite as the band’s new and permanent vocalist, will be taking its act across the Great White North during a brief Canadian tour kicking off September 3 in Quebec and wrapping up on September 17 in Vancouver.

After months of searching, the members of Pennywise announced Teglas, a long time friend and tour mate, as the band’s official front man. The newly energized lineup made its debut at the 2009 Smokeout Festival and has since played a handful of Southern California shows, including a sold-out holiday benefit concert for Amnesty International at Long Beach Arena, before venturing on a European tour and starting its run on Warped Tour in mid-July.

In talking about the band’s new front man, bassist Randy Bradbury explains, “Zoli brings to the table a tremendous vocal ability, creativity, and a die hard work ethic. There is a bond that makes this change feel like it was simply meant to be. Having Zoli join the band is a well needed shot of positive energy.”

Pennywise has been hard at work on a new record and is currently eying an early 2011 release date.

Pennywise Canadian Tour Dates:

UCI Mountain Bike Festival Quebec City, QC, CANADA

Metropolis Montreal, QC, CANADA Find Tickets

The London Music Hall London, ON, CANADA Find Tickets

The Sound Academy Toronto, ON, CANADA Find Tickets

The Garrick Winnipeg, MB, CANADA Find Tickets

Odeon Saskatoon, SK, CANADA Find Tickets

Edmonton Event Centre Edmonton, AB, CANADA Find Tickets

Flames Central Calgary, AB, CANADA

Flashbacks Kelowna, BC, CANADA

The Commodore Vancouver, BC, CANADA Find Tickets

For more band information see www.myspace.com/pennywise

Consisting of Jason Kent (The Dears, Spoon River, Soft Canyon), Christopher Wise (Elephant Stone, J.F. Robitaille), Philip Burns (Tricky Woo, Soft Canyon), and Chris Roberts (Closet Musician), Sunfields brings the voices of the Prairies, still waters, and sunset skies to life. Palace in the Sun is full of painted pictures as clanky old pianos, trembling organs, and distorted guitars dotted with wistful horns and harmonics colour songs like, Back Again, Hush, Palace, and City.

Although the album does sometimes become monochromatic and sleepy, Palace in the Sun epitomizes rock serenity. If you like Badly Drawn Boy, The Flaming Lips, and Neil Young, I would definitely recommend this record – enjoy!

Score: 7 / 10

More information on Sunfields at: www.sunfieldsband.com and www.myspace.com/sunfields

A voice eerily similar to Harrison’s tells a shocking story: Paul McCartney was killed in a car crash in November of 1966 and replaced with a double!? British intelligence, MI5, had forced The Beatles to cover up McCartney’s death to prevent mass suicides of Beatle fans. However, the remaining Beatles tried to signal fans with clues on album covers and in songs.

Until now, the “Paul Is Dead”  mystery that exploded worldwide in 1969 was considered a hoax. However, in the film Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison, the mysterious voice on the tapes reveals a secret Beatles history, chronicling McCartney’s fatal accident, the cover up, dozens of unknown clues, and a dangerous cat and mouse game with “Maxwell,” The Beatles’ MI5 handler, as John Lennon became increasingly reckless with the secret. The voice also claims that Lennon was assassinated in 1980 after he threatened to finally expose “Paul McCartney” as an imposter!

Highway 61 Entertainment has investigated this stunning new account of the conspiracy to hide McCartney’s tragic death and produced this unauthorized documentary that includes newly unearthed evidence. The mysterious voice on the audio tapes narrates the entire film in what may prove to be the most important document in rock and roll history, leaving little doubt that PAUL MCCARTNEY REALLY IS DEAD!

Nevertheless, as undoubtedly and forevermore convincing as this stunning film may certainly be, your intrepid Rock and Roll Reporter has in fact gone to the ends of the Internet to fearlessly uncover, believe them or not….

TEN MORE REASONS PAUL IS REALLY, REALLY DEAD:

1. Give My Regards To Broad Street (…especially the movie).

2. James Paul McCartney (the real one) was born in Walton Hospital, Liverpool, on the 18th of June, 1942. Numerically, that makes him a Number 6. However, the sixth song on the album Beatles 6, “Words Of Love,” was in fact composed by Buddy Holly, who died not only on the third of February, 1959, but stipulated in his last testament that all posthumous, universal rights to his publishing catalog be granted in perpetuity to none other than JAMES PAUL McCARTNEY for the nominal fee of … two hundred and fifteen thousand dollars (U.S.)

3. When spoken backwards, the title of the 2006 Paul McCartney classical album Ecce Cor Meum is MUEM ROC ECCE.

4. Paul McCartney’s first fiancé, the actress and cake decorator Jane Asher, most recently appeared on British television in the comedy series The Old Guys. Its first season theme song was composed by the Scottish poet/humorist Ivor Cutler who, in 1967, was actually hired by the fake Paul McCartney to portray bus conductor Buster Bloodvessel in the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. Buster, in one of the film’s most truly disturbing of many such sequences, is seated at a restaurant table alongside Ringo’s auntie Jessie as she is being served shovels full of stale, flaccid spaghetti by none other than… JOHN LENNON.

5. Throughout the Beatles Anthology “bonus” material featuring Threetles Ringo, George and “Paul” sitting and reminiscing over ukuleles together, George is constantly seen being painfully condescending to (when not ignoring altogether, that is) none other than… PAUL McCARTNEY.

6. When you hold a hand mirror beneath the title written across the top of The Beatles’ Second Album jacket, you have to be very careful not to tilt the cover too much to the right, otherwise the record itself will fall out of its sleeve and most likely become soiled and possibly even permanently damaged by coming in contact with the floor below.

7. “I haven’t spoken with Paul in several weeks now myself”:  RINGO STARR, Press Conference, Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, June 23, 2010.

8. Everyone, from producer George Martin on down, seems to agree that the Beatles’ 1968 double-length White Album should have been shortened by at least fifty-per-cent. But nobody to this day – including EITHER Paul McCartney – can agree on exactly which songs to cut!

9. Throughout the 1999 Nitin Sawhney remix of the Fireman single “Fluid (Out Of Body),” an electronically-altered tape loop of a voice sounding strangely like that of Percy “Thrills” Thrillington can be heard saying, over and over, “Fluid (Out Of Body) doesn’t really mean Fluid Out Of Body, as in Fluid pouring Out Of somebody’s Body – presumably mine – like the Bodily Fluids, mainly blood, which supposedly poured out of my body when I was decapitated and left to look like a walrus during a horrific car crash late on the rainy night of November 9, 1966 after I angrily stormed out of a Beatles recording session following a heated debate with John Lennon over why I wasn’t allowed to perform on the track ‘She Said She Said’ …REALLY!”

10. Had the real James Paul McCartney still been alive, the makers of Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison would certainly have already heard from his solicitors.

http://www.GaryPigGold.com

Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison