Do Your Lights Howl?

Howling Lights is an alternative band from Vancouver. For being one of the younger bands that we've reviewed, they have a great developed sound. Their self titled EP contains 5 tracks of pure alt rock.

Their first track "Fold" reminds me of a mix of U2 and Kings Of Leon. A very bass and drum driven song with great guitar flavours added throughout. The vocals remain quite chill and laid back from the most part until the very end which ends in a spectacular build leading into the final chorus. A great balance of drive and a pretty steady dynamic make the track flow nicely.

"By My Side", the second track is a acoustic driven piece which reminds me a tad of the Allman Brothers mixed with Pearl Jam. A very catch instrumental riffs breaks up the song into sections which keep it from being too singer/songwrittery. A nice gritty guitar solo full of melodic ideas adds nicely to the track.

The third track "Black And Blue" reminds me a lot of the previous track. I would have liked to see some different phrasing to distinguish it from "By My Side". Instrumentally it adds flavour by a crunchy guitar melody and a more driving chorus. In this track sometimes I found the lead guitar mixed a bit to high in the mix that it pops out too much in your face and hides the vocals. One of the most important parts of a song, I think, is to get the message of the lyrics across. I loved the tone and sound of the vocals in the first track of the EP that I wished it had been higher in the mix so you can hear all the natural grit, softness, dynamics and overall tone of the vocals a bit more.

"Clouds" starts with a nice intro. The vocals are noticeably louder and with a great radio quality balance. Right away this track struck me as the single of the EP. A little more indie/folk flavour in this track than the previous ones. This track is also structured perfectly to be both catchy but musically stimulating. I can already image a great music video for this piece.

The final track "Midtown" brings more of a indie rock flavour back into the mix with great dynamics between chorus and verses. I could have seen a little tighter drums on the pre-choruses to add some definition on some of the musical stops they have there. This track I would have loved to hear some harmonies to bring it to the next level. Its a solid track but I think with just a few adjustments it could stand out and be a great track.

Check out their Facebook page HERE. 

Mayans, Incas, And Then You Got Your Aztecs

Its not often we get emails from ancient civilizations, but when we do we definitely review their new album! It was a pleasure to hear such a beautiful album. Right from the opening track titled "The Benefits Of Being Alone" you can hear the level of production on this album. Im not saying that all albums need a big production budget, but its nice to  hear some really refined, well mixed tracks.

This album has a great mix of college rock and modern rock. Almost a hint of "The Smashing Pumpkins" feel in some of the tracks. The vocals has a great tone and grit too it. It has a great non-chalant vibe going on like, Im singing these well written songs, but you know, whatever. A backing vocal mixes perfectly on certain parts, really adding depth and flavour to different parts. On some later tracks like "East" you can hear the lead vocalist use a little bit more power, but does a great job without being "whiney". 

The instrumentation is fantastic. Plays great on record and I would bet my sons college fund that it would sound killer live! Great dynamics between verses, choruses and bridges. The guitar parts have some fantastic melodic lines that really contribute to the overall sound. Nice thick ridding bass that drives the songs along with a sense of purpose. The drums really keep the whole sound together. Such a straightforward rock sound with its parts perfectly fitting the feeling of the song. The drums also do a great job of not being too busy, allowing for both the guitar and vocals to have room sonically.

This album is well written, well produced, well recorded and well mixed. Therefore it creates a radio ready album that is both catchy but also musically stimulating. Check out their album HERE and their Facebook page HERE.

Hezzakya

Certain bands become legends, others become ghosts. Either way people tend to remember them. I still get people saying "oh ya, that band" when I mention the name Hezzakya. I had a quick chat with Nat Green, drummer for Hezzakya, about the band and how Vancouver treated them.

James: Where did your band start?
Nat: Hezzakya jammed in the Renegade Studios down on Hastings street for years before they got shut down by the man a few years back. It was super convenient for playing at Pub 340. We could roll our cabinets and gear down a block and a half and be there in minutes.

James: How has Vancouver helped your bands career?Nat: It's been a great city to play in with a tonne of awesome bands.

James: What is your favourite venue to play in Vancouver and why?Nat: My favourite local venue to play was the Rickshaw since it held a lot of people and it had a big stage. We had a couple awesome shows there.

James: Where do you plan on going? Staying? Moving? Nat: All the original members still live here in Vancouver but we're no longer playing together. Mike and Brad are playing together in a new band called Destroy the Destroyer

James: Favourite Vancouver story?Nat: So many to choose from but if we're talking music related it would be when we saw Clutch, Down and Heaven and Hell all a few days apart. That was a pretty wicked stretch of 3 killer shows.

Another would have been playing at the Waldorf on my birthday with our friends from The Next Hundred Years, Black Betty and Hypnopilot (from Calgary). I was drunk as shit by the time we played but it was super fun.

James: What's in the works with the band?Nat: I'm not playing music right now as I'm busy with my internet marketing business but Mike and Brad's new band Destroy the Destroyer can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ForgingSteel

Destroy the Destroyer

Born From The Mighty Wolf

Wolfborne is gearing up for  a huge US tour with the  release of  their upcoming album. I had a quick chat with Lanning Kann, guitarist for Wolfborne, about what Vancouver provided for the band's launch. Check out their Facebook page HERE to see all their tour dates.

James: Where did your band start?
Lanning: The band started in Vancouver

James: How has Vancouver helped your bands career?
Lanning: We have made some great industry contacts in Vancouver and there are some awesome studios to record in here.

James: What is your favourite venue to play in Vancouver?
Lanning:  My favourite venue to play is The Biltmore Cabaret. It's a cozy atmosphere and the sound is really good there. You don't need to have 500 people to make it feel packed. It's a great, small intimate, yet professional club to play in.

James: What is in works with the band?
Lanning: As far as what's going on with the band? We're leaving for tour in Europe with SOiL, American Head Charge and Hed (PE) from October 6th to November 2nd and then we are on tour with Wayne Static, Powerman 5000 and American Head Charge from November 4th to November 30th. Then taking a few weeks off for holiday and then back out on the road! Our album is released worldwide via Caroline/Universal. The release dates are staggered at the moment. Europe/UK released this past week and North America releases October 14th.

Warning: May Cause Happiness

Another band I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with back in the day was, The May Cause. I had a talk with Curtis Vee about the bands thoughts on Vancouver. Check out  their Facebook page HERE.

James: How has Vancouver helped your bands career?
Curtis: Our band started in Calgary, after a few years of gigging locally in Calgary we decided to make the move out to Vancouver to further our career... At first( 2004-2007) Vancouver provided us with a lot of fun and interesting venues to play and the scene there definitely seemed to be happening.

James: What is your favourite venue to play in Vancouver and why?
Curtis: My personal favorite established venues in Vancouver are The Railway Club, The Media Club and The biltmore. However, the best gigs we ever played there were at strange / illegal venues, we played at The Morrissey once for a Music West showcase which was brilliant, also we once played in a big hall in Emily Carr Art School for the graduation party that was amazing, there also used to exist a small secret venue called The Black Door that was the coolest. Any place that actually respects live,original music is my personal preference.

James: Where do you plan on going? Staying? Moving?
Curtis: Sadly, after our drummer Eric was killed in a car crash, we stopped playing for awhile and I found it very difficult to become motivated to start over again in Vancouver, I felt like the city and the scene had changed quite a bit since we moved there, and I didn't feel like there was much support overall for the indie scene, ( bars making bands go on at ridiculous 6pm, 7pm timeslots so that they could have dance club nights afterwards just truly upset me at the lack of respect given to hard working musicians in favor of DJ's spinning the latest J Lo tracks. It is for this very reason that I decided to uproot and move out East to Montreal, a city which I feel has a MUCH greater appreciation for arts of all types and in fact strives to support its artistic community. Now, that I am here, I have been meeting with local musicians and am putting together my next project.

James: What's do you think is in Vancouver's future?
Curtis: I am not sure what the future will hold but I am very excited at the possibilities! It was sad to see a lot of cool venues in Vancouver just pull the plug on local music, it upset me in a very real way, so I had to leave! It simply was not the same city we had moved to 10 years ago. That being said, we had a glorious run out there and Vancouver is a beautiful place, I hope that someday soon the talented artists of Vancouver will get the respect that they deserve.

God Save The Queen

Hammer Records has always enjoyed seeing bands work hard, be creative and slowly but surely gain fans and success. Queen Cobra is one of those bands. I had a chat with Brianne, lead singer from Queen Cobra, about their thoughts on Vancouver and what they have been up to. Check out their new website HERE.


James: Where did your band start?

Brianne: Queen Cobra is a home grown, Vancouver band. It all started when I was hosting a little open mic at a bar on Robson Street and this long haired guy walks in wanting to cover Paradise City acoustically with me. I knew from THAT moment, that he walked into THAT bar for a reason! Come on, a rockin G'n'R song done acousically?! After he jumped around for a bit on stage knocking over my mic stand, I invited him to come out for a jam with my band at the time. After Brandon guest starred at a couple of my shows, I decided that we just HAD to start something up. We jammed a few times and wrote some tunes, then we found Colin on craigslist and Drew joined from my previous band, and that’s how Queen Cobra formed.

James: How has Vancouver helped your bands career?
Brianne: Vancouver is a tricky mistress! She’s crazy, and just when you think you’ve reached the height of her madness and you’ve figured out how to get to the top, there’s a whole other attic up there just waiting to be discovered. Vancouver has helped our band grow, promote and play better shows. She is filled with terrific bands and the scene keeps getting bigger! We are proud members under the wing of Rednyne Productions. The wisdom and knowledge that they have taught us, has upped our game and we are striving to reach the levels that some of our fellow Vancouver bands already have. We wouldn’t be where we are without Rednyne and we wouldn’t have met the men of Rednyne without the help of our fair city.
　
James: What is your favourite venue to play in Vancouver and why?
Brianne: We have played all around Vancouver. The Cellar, Joes Apt, The Media Club but I have to say one of my absolute favourite bars to play at is The Roxy! I love the stage, the staff, the sound and the people that come out to The Roxy tend to be rock'n'roll lovers!

James: Where do you plan on going? Staying? Moving?
Brianne: We are staying right here! We feel that the scene is becoming bigger and better and we want to be a part of the movement. Rock'n'roll is making a comeback in Vancouver and we're gonna help push it to the limit.

James: Favourite Vancouver story?
Brianne: There are too many GREAT Vancouver stories to list, but rest assured, they ALL involve the members of Queen Cobra and our good friend, Mr. Jack Daniels!


James: What's in the works with the band?
Brianne: Right now Queen Cobra is under a show contract with Rednyne Productions. We are always playing bigger and better shows. We are in the process of getting our merchandise in order including t-shirts made for all of our favorite cobras and cobros out there AND we will also be going in to the studio very soon to record our very first single! The BIG NEWS that we haven't told anyone yet and hammer records is the first to know, is that we will be going under management starting November 1st! We feel like this will help us become one of the "break out bands" this coming year and we are looking forward to what's in store for us in the future!



　

Pistolwhipped

I had a quick chat with Arik, Guitarist of Pistolfish, about their thoughts of Vancouver and what they have been up to!

James: Where did your band start?Arik: We started out in port moody, all of us coming up through the Port Moody Secondary music program

James: How has Vancouver helped your bands career?Arik:  It's been home and shaped who we are as people. But more specifically, we've played several events hosted by the city, as well as learning so much about music through our education.

James: What is your favourite venue to play in Vancouver and why?
Arik: Our favourite venue we've played so far was Fortune Sound Club, it has a great vibe and a great crowd. We enjoyed playing there a lot.

James: Where do you plan on going? Staying? Moving? Arik: We plan on playing everywhere we can in this city, and hope to build a solid following. After that, skys the limit, we'd love to tour at some point.

James: Favourite Vancouver story?Arik: Favourite Van story has to be being downtown during the olympics, and seeing a street hockey game between 5 Canadian girls and 5 Russian girls, with hundreds of onlookers cheering and going wild. Our ladies came out on top too, as if there was any doubt 

James: What's in the works with the band?Arik: Currently we're in the final stages of mixing a couple new singles, we want to get those released and start playing 'em live!

Check out their Facebook page HERE.