The First Time
Rock / Alternative
There's a saying that "everything old is new again". The same could be said for Toronto's The First Time. Shortly after releasing their debut disc "It's On" the band found themselves in a less than enviable position. From the outside looking in everything seemed to going full steam ahead for the band. The band had 2 top 5 hits in the Netherlands. 2 songs had just been featured on Sportsnet and The X-treme Network. They were in the middle of an 18-week stay on Canadian campus charts. The First Time had just recorded an album with the award-winning Producer Warne Livesey (Midnight Oil, Matthew Good, Jesus Jones) and they were about to embark on a 10-date tour of Japan. But things aren't always what they seem.
Having been together in various incarnations for over 7 years, former lead vocalist Manfred Sittmann and bassist Mike Macmillan had decided it was time for a change and both left the band. This left guitarist James Whitton and drummer Stacey Washington with some decisions of their own to make. They could decide to pack it in just as things were finally starting to fall into place or they could attempt to replace 2 of the founding members of the band. They chose the latter.
You would think that replacing 2 key members of your band would be a daunting task but after a quick phone call to a former band mate of Stacey's everything old WAS new again. Former Strawman vocalist, Ron McJannet, who had spent the last 3 years working on a project called 'SKIN', was between gigs and looking to find a new project. With Ron aboard as the new TFT front man, the only thing left was to find a permanent bassist. After a number of bass players and a few more phone calls, a friend of Stacey's would put the band in touch with former KRONIS bassist, Norm Petroff, to complete the line up.
Without skipping a beat, and now stronger than ever, THE FIRST TIME is set to start recording their next CD with Andy Curran (Coney Hatch, Soho 69) at the helm.
With a successful tour of Japan under their belts, a 2005 Toronto Indie Award, and soon a new album in the works, THE FIRST TIME are definitely poised to continue to make their mark on the Canadian and International music scene.
Contact:
http://www.myspace.com/thefirsttime
Upcoming Toronto Shows:
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