Saturday March 13th @ Hunter's Ale House

Contrived

CONTRIVED is a 5 piece rock band with principal members from Juno Award winners Wintersleep and Juno/Polaris nominees Holy Fuck. Their latest project has led them into a new sound direction incorporating their hardrock roots and expanding on their pop sensibilities. Lending a hand at the mix was Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Super Furry Animals).

Moving to Halifax NS in 2001, CONTRIVED quickly built a loyal following based on the talents evident on their self-produced debut Pursuit of Plots(2002) and their engaging live performances. The ultra-limited Starshine EP(2004) sold out as quickly as they could be produced funding the second LP Dead Air Verbatim(2005) recorded with Andy Magoffin(Two Minute Miracles). The band then embarked on an Exclaim! sponsored Cross-Canada tour in 2006 with Dependent Music label mates Wintersleep, Holy Fuck and Jill Barber before slowing down to concentrate on other musical commitments.

Refocusing their collective efforts in 2007, CONTRIVED recorded their third full-length album ‘blank, blank, blank’ at Sonic Temple Studios in Halifax and was released on independent label Hand Drawn Dracula on November 11th 2008.

Contrived's Keepsake was i-tunes "Single of the Week" for the week of November 25th 2008. The single reached #19 on iTunes "Best of 2008: Alternative Songs (Canadian)", while blank, blank, blank made iTunes "Best of 2008: Alternative Albums" and the "Best of 2008: Albums You Haven't Heard" (iTunes)

"Complete musical freedom is a rare thing, and Contrived certainly takes full advantage of their unique position to deliver a record that stacks up nicely against the songs you already know and love." (Herohill.com)

"Contrived are a musical force to be reckoned with. With their third album, 'Blank, Blank, Blank', they deliver a full-force knockout that is as sprawling and majestic as it is melodic and addictive." (IndiePassion.com)

"The beautiful vocals and lyrical sentiment of singer Mike MacNeil flow over the poppy-jangle sound of sparkling guitar work and punchy danceable bass lines. From open to close, the album is worth every minute." (canadaindie.com)

"blank, blank, blank is just a really strong album - The whole thing has a nice, epic feel to it, and it makes it one of those albums I really should have paid attention to when it was first released" (iheartmusic.com)

"Contrived find a middle ground between Holy Fuck's instrumental chaos and the pop sensibility Wintersleep displayed on Welcome to the Night Sky. Muscular, overdriven hooks sit next to chiming verses while high pitched vocals float overhead... blank, blank, blank becomes more satisfying with each listen." (Exclaim! Magazine)

Contrived Myspace

Finding their home in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, what began as a duo consisting of guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Gaudet and bassist Richard MacLeod eventually grew into Boxer The Horse with the addition of drummer Andrew Woods and Isaac Neily on guitar and keys. Together for four years, the four 20-somethings have been performing around the Maritimes and have made appearances at NXNE, Pop Montreal, the Halifax Pop Explosion, and the ECMAS. Over the past year Boxer The Horse have recorded their debut full length album.

Sorry about no bio, couldn't find one.

Friday March 5th @ hunter's alehouse

Not going to the Ecma's? Come to Hunter's Alehouse for a night of fun music with two great PEI bands and Sleepless Nights before they head to the Ecma's the next day.

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Fugato

Hailing from Charlottetown, PE, Fugato is currently sporting its original four-man line-up of Mark Steele (vox & guitar,) Devin Stevenson (vox & guitar,) Peter MacDonald (bass,) and Jonathan Holmes (drums.) Having formed in 2005, Fugato would spend the next three years writing, recording, and performing their own blend of reggae/funk/rock. Fugato’s first album, Grass Radio, received two nominations for the 2006 PEI Music Awards and won the award for “Best New Artist.” The following year Fugato released their sophomore album, The Stash. Like its predecessor, The Stash also received a double nomination from Music PEI at the 2007 award gala. For the next year and a half, Fugato would go on to promote their music and wow audiences at various clubs, festivals, and events across the Maritimes.
In the fall of 2008, Fugato took a sudden six-month hiatus. During this time someone or something changed Fugato. With complete disregard to the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” the band decided to switch gears and drop their original trademark style. However, rather than fixing it, Fugato smashed it to pieces and rebuilt it into an engine that runs on the purest of rock music. Upon their return this past summer, Fugato have hit the ground running and immediately got back into the studio to record their new self-titled album. This effort truly showcases the bands transformation by displaying a brick wall rhythm section complimented by melodic vocals and guitar riffs so chunky you won't know whether to use a spoon or a fork. With a new album, new tunes, new audiences, new merchandise, and a revamped website, the future looks very bright for Fugato. You can expect to see Fugato in a Maritime town near you. If that’s not enough, Fugato also plans to keep pushing forward with another visit to the studio in the new year.

Fugato Myspace

Sleepless Nights

With a fury of blistering guitar riffs, captivating hooks and sing-a-long melodies, Sleepless Nights is a four-piece rock n’ roll tour-de-force.
Mixing classic rock bravado with dance rhythms and all-out volume, Sleepless Nights create songs that The Best Line of Fit call “tracks that should soundtrack parties and fill dance floors the world over.”

Their latest project – an ambitious three-record giveaway on their website over the span of nine months – is leading to the release of their third yet to be titled LP.
Their last LP, Turn Into Vapour, was lauded by critics as “smart but unselfconscious, the music ambitious without burying the pop hooks” (The Coast), “sharp hooks, a brisk pace and sing-along slacker choruses” (The Montreal Mirror), and “music is embued with the same kind of upbeat poppiness around which bands like Sloan and Wintersleep have built their careers” (I (heart) music).

Over the past five years, the band (AA Wallace –guitar/vocals, Trevor Murphy – bass/vocals, Josh Pothier – drums, Jeff Pineau – synths) has been cementing their reputation as an indie powerhouse on the east coast and relentlessly touring the rest of the country.

Sleepless Nights Myspace

The Barnkats

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/86/l_9dd51491ba6c41159a1250a7d7a9d9ca.jpg

The Barnkats are just Katie and Gillian. One day in grade three, Gill came to school and was the new girl. She and Katie decided to race at math. Gill thought this meant going as fast as she could, no matter how many problems she got wrong. Gill won. Katie got a better grade. They are now Barnkat Brothers, mostly because when not playing music, they enjoy having campfires and eating meat. They still wear skirts and dresses. They play music for kids who don’t get their on-stage jokes. They have a lot of fun. The futures dreams for the Barnkats were realized when they interviewed Joel Plaskett and saw him in a bar. Since that dream's done, they'll probably write a song about it.

The Barnkats Myspace

This Saturday, the guys in the yellow room battle the guys in the pink room. Who will win? Will they both get taken out and shaken out in the Back Alley? Only you can decide. Be there or be somewhere else less awesome.

English Words (nee Smothered In Hugs). Pat Deighan and the Orb Weavers. In Flight Safety. Baba's Lounge. Saturday.

Friday, Feb 26th @ Hunter's Alehouse

HAUNTED HEARTS

Haunted Hearts is based in Charlottetown, PE and consists of Dennis Ellsworth, Johnny Ross, Blu Gillis, and Mike MacDougall. The band has a familiar roots based sound, but maintains a fresh take on a wide variety of styles.

On Valentine’s Day weekend, 2009, Haunted Hearts set up to record at Mike MacDougall’s house on Beach St. The band agreed on recording live off the floor, with very minimal overdubs. Adam Gallant, who shares production credits with the Hearts on Thank You, Goodnight, was crucial in achieving this sound. The recordings are raw and they showcase the chemistry of the Hearts perfectly.

The songs are fun, sad, introspective, well crafted and performed in a tight but loose swaggering fashion. There are love songs, break up songs, songs about clear cutting forests, overcoming depression, taking acid, and getting GST Cheques. Meaghan Blanchard, Laura Oakie and Thomas Webb all guest on the album. Thank You, Goodnight was released July 25th, 2009.

Haunted Hearts were just awarded Best New Artists and Best Alternative Recording of the Year (Alt-Country) at Music PEI 2010 and are nominated in the Rising Star category for the 2010 East Coast Music Awards.

Haunted Hearts Myspace

THE STANFIELDS

Meet The Stanfields, a maelstrom of rock and roll, bluegrass, celtic and blues. Hailing from the gritty post-industrial towns of Nova Scotia, The Stanfields play every show like it’s their collective last night on earth. Their kitchen party harmonies, thunderous rhythm section, high octane stage show and genuine chemistry have won over audiences clear across their tiny corner of the world.

Since forming in the summer of 2008, The Stanfields have wasted no time making their mark on the venerable Atlantic Canadian music scene. They were voted “Best Band to get Trashed to in 2008” by the readers of Halifax weekly The Coast and hailed as “The Clash meets Steve Earle” by Great Big Sea’s Sean McCann. With a relentless touring schedule and a list of injuries more akin to a hockey team during the playoffs than your typical rock and roll band, the closing days of 2008 saw the band forge its identity, ready to take their 10 legged gong show into the studio.

Under the guidance of gifted engineer Darren Van Niekerk (Matt Mays, Kaos, Wintersleep), The Stanfields captured their knuckle busting rootsy sound at Halifax’s revered Sonic Temple in January 2009. Released as a self titled EP 2 months later to a crazed, packed house on St Patrick’s Day, the boys thought it fit to bring in videographer William Hirtle and Fortress Studio (Jimmy Swift Band, George Canyon) to capture the show and all its madness, both on and off the stage. SNAPHalifax soberly reflected on the Stanfields later; “The enthusiastic, outstanding dynamics of their thundering rock rhythms, bang on Celtic melodies and bringing it back home harmonies and lyrics brought on an energy from the crowd not to be outdone or forgotten”.

The Stanfields site The Stanfields Myspace

TONIGHT!