Dinosaur Bones unearthing a new album

Toronto Band Dinosaur Bones By: Sheena Lyonnais
June 28, 2009

Anyone at all in touch with the Toronto scene has at minimum heard the name Dinosaur Bones.  Their smooth blend of indie rock and spooky beach flair has made them a hometown name despite the fact they’ve only been together a little over a year. 

At this point in their career they’ve already released one highly praised demo and played throughout Ontario and Quebec.  They’ve become acquainted with music festivals, playing both NXNE and Edgefest in the same weekend.  Now it’s time to get back in the studio to begin laying down demos for their first full-length.

“I feel like the EP we recorded is very tame, it’s very contained.  I think on the album we’re going to push everything in every direction.  Just extremes.  I think we’ve developed a lot as a band.  The songs are hopefully getting better or at least fine-tuning a bit or starting to develop a sound or direction.  And we’ve recorded more as a band, so I think now we have a better sense of how to do things,” said singer Ben Fox.

Dinosaur Bones“I think we were a little timid the first time.  We didn’t want to be too loud or too this or too that.  After doing “Life In Trees” it was kind of like oh, we can try different things and if it doesn’t work just scrap it and move on,” guitarist Joel Clifton added.

Before Dinosaur Bones formed as an official band, Fox wrote the parts and lyrics for many of their songs by himself.  Writing tracks with a full band was surprisingly unchallenging and has only added to the development of their sound as a band. 

“Over the past year, we’ve found a way to communicate with each other and work on songs and try to bring out the best elements in them and try to make them as strong as we can. We’ve got a good communication system down, which takes time. It takes time to get comfortable,” Fox said.

“Life In Trees” was demoed six to eight months after the demo with a completely new mind frame and a new set of balls.  They took chances with that recording and say they will be trying even more new approaches with the new music, which will probably end up being 12 new tracks.

Perhaps most convicting about Dinosaur Bones is the caliber of talent exhibited in their live shows.  Despite a wet and rainy Edgefest atmosphere, Dinosaur Bones played with a great amount of energy and magnetism.   One can’t help but be drawn to Fox’s whispy vocals, the eerie forest-like guitar lines or the soothing keys and melodies.  The assertive drums and progressive energy throughout their songs do not overshadow the delicacies presented in their stories, nor do they distract from the overall mood of the songs. 

Watching them perform, you would never know they were such a fresh band.  Their chemistry is undeniable, a remarkable conquest considering they didn’t even know each other before forming the band.   Some members were friends and others were friends, but before the first practice they hadn’t met.

Dinosaur Bones Live“I think we have more of a sense of identity than when we first started. When we first got together there was a lot of trial and error and feeling out how we work on songs and how we play shows. You just get comfortable; you get into a comfort zone.  We’re just sort of starting to realize what that feels like although we’re totally still rookies,” Fox said.

Dinosaur Bones will be playing Scenefest and the Cutting Edge Music Festival with a few other GTA shows this summer while laying down demo tracks for the upcoming full-length. 

To check them out visit www.myspace.com/dinosaurbonesband.

Additional Photos By: Andres Hannah-Suarez

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