The Cellar Launch Project Week 4

Cellar Launch - April 12th

Matt Cairns / We, The Sheeple / Amusia

It was a slow, rainy night in Vancouver however the three acts for this weeks Cellar Launch Project managed to bring in a fair crowd. We were sad that the other half of "Mr. Completely" couldn't make it out that night, leaving Matt Cairns to perform solo, and 'Sick Logic' was nowhere to be found, leaving 'We, The Sheeple' to take their place in the competition.

Side note: We were not impressed with Sick Logic that night. Failing to show up for a show without any notice is never fair to the promoters who put time and money into running a venue and promoting your band. The fact that no mention of this show was ever on their FB page made us wonder if they had had any real intention to play the show.

Having only three acts this week, Matt Cairns hit the stage around 9PM, thankful for the extra time to allow some of his late fans to trickle in from the rain. Matt always puts on a good show for just a guy, his voice and his guitar. There's always a great amount of passion behind the lyrics, and emotion put into every song. You can tell there's a real connection between song and songwriter. However, I believe that the addition of a full band behind him is what will take him to the next level at this point. Matt Cairns is one hell of a songwriter, and absolutely has guitar and vocal talent, but without the addition of a fully produced/filled out sound behind him, I feel he could be more of a success as a songwriter vs. a solo act. Matt is very active in the local scene, and if given the chance, please do attend one of his shows! They're never disappointing.

We, The Sheeple was next to hit the stage. They had obviously come prepared to play as they impressed us with such a quick set up time. Having never seen this act live before, I wasn't sure what to expect. They had a very indie-pop-rock sound, and the looks to match! For such young guys, they pulled off a really tight sound. I thought they had a lot of potential. We, The Sheeple showed great personality on stage, were very inviting, and had some wicked guitar work in their songs. I think the lead guitar could have been louder, and the vocals a little more developed (perhaps work on delivery, or if proving to be difficult to play an instrument and sing, find an additional lead vocalist?). Overall, I thought they played well, and held their own in this competition. Be sure to keep your eye out for this young band. I'd definitely see them again!

Last, but certainly not least, was Amusia! This band looked great, sounded great, and moved really well on stage. The vocalist has an amazing tone that really captures people's attention, and with such a strong instrumental sound behind him, the only thing that may be holding them back is their very 'progressive' sound. Although progressive music is great, and I personally love the genre, in terms of marketability, it'd be nice to hear a defined "single" or two on the set list as well. Something geared a little more towards a radio audience. In my opinion, the "end of the world song" and the last one of the set had the most potential as singles. Overall, I really enjoyed the set, and can't wait to see them perform again.

James and I had a fun night, and are looking forward to next week! If any bands are interested in more photos from the evening, please email us at HammerRecords@hotmail.ca for more info. 

-Roxy