Category: Rock

Rock

Raised on heavy metal and distilled in rock n’ roll comes Toronto based Old James. A 4-piece guitar and piano driven rock group with slamming rhythms, deep groove and enough musical integrity to satisfy the neediest of the music elite. The group is comprised of Brian Stephenson (Aggressor, Annihilator, Beehler, Sanctity) on lead vocals and guitar, Chris Stephenson (Aggressor, Cauldron) on the drums and vocals, multi-instrumentalist Spencer LeVon (Fatality) on honky-tonk piano, vocals and slide guitar, and Graham MacKrell on the 4 string bass.

 

Old James mixes an eclectic blend of hard pounding rock soothed with the bright sounds of piano and warm vocal harmonies. These musical chameleons are best described as a heavy retort to Lynyrd Skynyrd combined with 90’s grunge sensibilities. Their self titled, self-produced EP was released for free on the internet in June of 2012 as a musical celebration and an omen of musical discoveries to come.

 

Armed with melodies to open the ears, words to open the mind and a strong positive message to open the heart, Old James strive to challenge the current trends of the mainstream on their mission to save Rock ‘N Roll

Contact Old James:

www.reverbnation.com/oldjamesband

Synth/Indie/Dance

 

 

Coronado’s story is a common one nowadays it seems: solo project turns into full band. But it is not as simple as that. It all begins in 2007 in Monterrey, Mexico when Carlos Coronado starts recording and releasing folk music under the name “Coronado” after spending a few years playing in several bands and being heavily involved in the local music scene. In the summer of 2008, a move to Montreal, Canada broadens his musical horizons. Here, he spends 3 years experimenting with different musical styles, but always within the confines of his bedroom. When his constant need for change and challenge strikes again, he relocates to Toronto in the spring of 2011. By October of the same year he independently releases his first EP: “Fool Yourself”, again under the name “Coronado”. In the summer of 2012, the band is formed to perform live and the group’s current members come together: Lisa Lorenz, Luke Boehler and Amy Morris. The band holds their first performance on November 23, 2012 at Velvet Underground, with Lisa on synth, Amy on keys, Luke on bass and Carlos on guitar, with the help of a 4 track unit used as a drum machine. 

 

Coronado’s music is heavily influenced by 70s disco, 80s synth pop and 90s dance music but rather than being a tribute to those influences, their music is a re-interpretation of them, shaped also by other genres such as indie rock and modern pop music. While the project remains a solo enterprise in terms of composition and song writing, the live versions of the songs are the product of a true group effort with the rest of the band making the songs their own, which in return influences the recording and writing process, making Coronado much more than someone’s last name.

 

Contact Coronado:

http://thisiscoronado.bandcamp.com/

Rock

New Design was formed in 2008, in Brampton, Ontario. After being involved with various bands in the local music scene, Jeff, Joe, Zack and Melissa wanted to form a band that would allow them to effectively express their individual voices. Their connection proved so strong that the emerging sound was distinctly unified and uniquely their own.

After years of jamming, writing, playing shows and a couple of home recordings the band decided to record their debut EP “Burn Out The Sky” with Kenny Bridges of the band Moneen. The EP consists of six songs that can leave you singing along or in deep thought. New Design’s music blends the intensity, atmosphere and feel of the post-rock genre with the drive of their early pop rock influences.

New Design performs steadily around the GTA to a growing fan base. Past shows include performances at Run For Your Lives, BIAF, and Indie Week and venues such as Lee’s Palace, The Mod Club, and The Opera House.

 

Contact New Design:

www.facebook.com/newdesignmusic

Rock 

Out of the valley where good meets evil, light meets dark and genius meets insanity The Ghost Umbrellas emerged at the turn of the century.

By no accident or mistake, The Ghost Umbrellas are a refreshing reminder of the fundamentals of rock and roll. Dirty, wholesome music, this is what the soul needs.

Who are The Ghost Umbrellas?
You can call them The Guardian Angels of rock and roll.
Inspired by the likes of The Breeders and other low fi goodness from the early 90’s, the art of musicality lives through The Ghost Umbrellas. The band can be described as a bunch of pop music obsessed losers in love with creating, dissecting and playing their brand of broken down, degenerate pop music. By evoking jagged, raw emotions in their listeners and condensing their songs into frantic bursts of melody and beat, The Ghost Umbrellas have an infectious way of making their audience feel good by making them feel bad.

Why should you care about The Ghost Umbrellas?
You shouldn’t. Forget you read this. It doesn’t matter. Your life has already been changed.

The Ghost Umbrellas are;


Max Deller-Lestage – Drums
Butch Agostino – Bass
Vincenzo Fazzari – Guitar/Vocals

Influences
Minimalist art, the year 1959, subliminal messages, pop music from the late 60’s to the early 90’s, television and radio jingles, Robert Frank photos, early 90’s recording gear.

 

Contact The Ghost Umbrellas:

www.theghostumbrellas.tumblr.com

Rock

There are many different ways one can describe Breached: cranked, heavy, melodic…

 

“Incubus with their balls back!” (Anthony Dell’Orso, Promoter)

 

…ah, touché! This story begins sometime in late 2010, when four men from Toronto
met in an undisclosed hospital delivery room. No one will ever know what actually happened that day other than it inspired something big – something that could only be expressed through music. The newly formed rock outfit have since made significant headway for themselves in the local indie scene with their alluring blend of melodious, metal-tinged rock ‘n roll – though their striking good looks couldn’t have hurt much, either.

 

2011 proved to be a successful year with the late-summer birth of the band’s first child, produced by Mike Langford (Parabelle, All But Over), followed by winning Best Demo during Indie Week in mid-fall. In January 2012, Bobby Noakes (vocals), Mike Diesel (guitar/vox), and Ryan Alexander (bass) completed their developing sound with the addition of a new drummer, Neil Uppal, who is best known for his successful underwear modelling and lawn bowling careers. He’s a pretty good drummer, too. 

 

Despite that Breached had originally set out to emulate Miley Cyrus’s sound, fans insist they more closely resemble the likes of Alexisonfire, Emery, and Incubus, with their tight harmonies and nail-hitting screams atop overdriven guitars and intricate tempos. Makes sense, since they grew up listening to that kind of stuff. And hey, the customer is always right. Right?

 

After being finalists in this years 97.7 HTZ FM Rocksearch, the boys had to give up their weekly Scrabble tournaments in order to prepare for several appearances including Sudbury New Music Week, Bookie’s Nu Music Night, and Balcony TV, topped with more out of town dates in the works. 

Contact Breached:

www.breachedmusic.com

Rock / Disco Punk

Who is TJ Hollywood? Rumour has it he was teleported from the LA strip to the streets of Toronto, getting lost briefly in London along the way. It was there he met a tall man named Luke Vegas who got sucked into the sleezy dance punk swagger of Hollywood. Vegas joined on axe and the tour began.

Influenced by brit rock, 80’s synths, punk and dance, TJ Hollywood received show offers hours after posting “Tales From The Mezzanine” and “Cocaine Jane” online. The city is thirsty for something unexpected. For a band that possesses a sound no one else has, a unique brand that can only be defined by the enigma that is TJ Hollywood.

Hollywood is here. Are you ready?

For fans of LCD Soundsystem, David Bowie and The Bravery.

 

Contact TJ Hollywood:

TJ Hollywood Official Site

Rock

TNG are a young, hard, fast Toronto band who have played heavily in and around Ontario and Quebec . They draw comparisons to such acts as the White Stripes and Death From Above, but have a chemistry and stage presence that can make even the stingiest crowd ripple and roll. Past gigs include Canadian Music Fest, NXNE, as well as spotlights on Edge 102.1 and CFRU 93.3 FM in Guelph.

 

Contact TNG:

www.facebook.com/tngrules

Alternative/Pop-Rock/Progressive

Refreshing; one of the most commonly used words to describe explosive alternative/pop-rock/progressive quartet Elos Arma. In a city where saturated music is running rampant through the streets Elos Arma has created songs that you don’t constantly have to check your ipod for, in order to figure out which artist you’re listening to. After disbanding from a local hardcore band that all four members had played and promoted together in for over three years, the group shed their heavier roots and began writing a more integrated set of songs with the intention to regain the listener’s focus. Catchy vocals, unique song composition, emotionally captivating, and an intimate live show were all key characteristics that the group honed to perfect their creative vision.

“this is a band that everyone can have fun with…as mellow, lo-fi shoegazer rock and electronic music continue to build popularity, it’s refreshing to hear an indie band revive an uptempo and happier vibe in their music…instead of being a casual spectator to an album like I usually am, Elos Arma made me want to jump in and motorboat.” – Bandsoup.com

“Fantastic. They really have the crowd talking. They are very well received and refreshing to listen to. The transitions are seamless and each song is better than the last.” -Toronto Live Music Examiner

“Catchy, and singable, are the only words I can use to describe this new indie band from Ontario.”-Damaged Press

At the present time Elos Arma consists of four suburbanite musicians (Dan Tricanico on guitar/vocals, Chris La Rocca on keys/vocals, Mark Procopio on drums & Jon Watters on bass), struggling with day to day semi-average life and the fact that you can’t get a bachelors degree in “touring musician” as they’d put it. The anticipated release of 2011’s T.I.T.S. as well as an extended list of shows in the GTA (Ryerson Frosh Week, Edge 102.1 Smirnoff Indie Concert Series, Edge 102.1 Dave Bookman’s Nu Music Night to name a few) as well as the GTFO of September 2011 now under their belt, the band has gained acclaim from those who have heard and the number of people singing along is growing vastly. They are touring the southern Ontario circuit once again this March, and will travel across the pond as a supporting act on a UK tour.

They have commenced recording their 3rd EP, which will turn audience’s ears if they haven’t already. expected release is spring of 2012, with an LP release in the summer.

Now at the forefront of their local music scene, Elos Arma continues with no intention of slowing down.

 

Contact Elos Arma:

www.elosarma.com

Alternative / Indie / Rock

The Bare Minimum hails from Toronto, Canada. Taking their influences from all over music spectrum, from The Clash to Weezer to The Beatles – The Bare Minimum sets themselves apart from over-processed, over-pretentious indie rock music by offering a raw, melodic, no-frills sound.

 

Contact The Bare Minimum:

www.thebareminimum.ca/

Rock

Drawing influences from classic rock to thrash metal, Laugh At The Fakes is a hard rock band that pushes the limits of the genre while staying true to it. Formed in the fall of 2010, Laugh At The Fakes is the brainchild of singer/guitarist and songwriter Everett Mason. Mason’s vocals and guitar playing combined with the raw unbridled power of Julian Craig’s drumming and purposeful bass-lines by Chris Riley create something truly unique and captivating. The high energy trio have just released their debut record One Night Only which is available on iTunes.

 

Contact Laugh At The Fakes:

www.laughatthefakes.com