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Stereos 'Turn It Up'

On December 11th, Stereos hit the University of Calgary's Den with openers The Envy, The Artist Life, and The Midway State. The show, although scheduled at a typical 18+ venue, was an all ages performance, which meant a definite hoard of young girls would be expected to crowd the small space.

Stereos were seen on last season's finale of MuchMusic's disBAND, which saw the band go through the usual struggles to get a thumbs up from the show's judges. Surprisingly, the Edmonton born band went away with overwhelming praise, and also with a record contract from Universal. From there, they quickly hit the radio and television waves strong. The first single 'Summer Girl' off their self-titled debut disc saw the band pinpoint a unique and successful dance-pop vibe, and have continued that feel with follow-up singles 'Throw Ya Hands Up' and 'Turn It Up'.

Check out www.myspace.com/stereos for more information on the band.

Inner City Elegance: Hot, Dangerous & Ready for Action

With the release of their debut EP earlier this year, Inner City Elegance have been taking over Calgary's music scene in a powerful and strictly energetic manner. Lead singer and guitarist Bruno Rodrigues, originally from Brazil, moved to Canada in 2007, later forming the band with bassist Justin Parsons and drummer Spencer Kathrens.

Like any other band, they've had to put in a lot of time and effort to get to where they are today. "In the beginning, we tried to play as many shows as we possibly could," they said. "From there on we worked hard to build our fan base and get the word out about our band."

After bursting onto the music scene in late 2008, the three of them had the opportunity to record and release their first disc.

"The album was produced and engineered by the wizard Casey Lewis," the band told us. Lewis operates Echo Base Studios in north Calgary and has worked with a substantial variety of artists. "We spent four days in the studio to record the five song EP," the band also said. "The whole time was spent twittering, cracking jokes, and upgrading our musical superpowers."

The Independently released cd includes title track Hot & Dangerous and fan favourite Jager Baby, as well as others. The EP finishes with a song called Can't Always.

"Can't Always was a big step for us," the guys said. "We feel it made us realize where we were headed as a band, and it gave us the inspiration to come up with our next batch of music." That being said, during live shows the band always plays a whole set list that includes songs that do not appear on their EP.

All ages fans gathered at Tubby Dog on 17th Ave. on Dec. 5 to hear them play, despite the blizzarding weather conditions. Beverages, fries and hot dogs were provided by the venue, and Christmas lights and retro decorations created a completely unique atmosphere. The bands performed in a small couch-lined area with old Loony Tunes cartoons playing in the background.

Opening the show was another local band called When We Were Dinosaurs. Unfortunately, those guys had other places to be after the show and couldn’t stick around. However, t-shirts and cds were available at the front of the venue while the band played.

Inner City Elegance took the “stage” to a small crowd of loyal fans, most of them knowing the lyrics and loudly singing them back at Rodrigues. An all ages show provided opportunity for a larger number of younger and more familiar concert goers to attend, regardless of the conditions outside.

The show was originally planned to take place on the 4th at The New Black Centre, but due to noise complaints the venue was shut down. Luckily, they’ve recently been reopened and the band has scheduled another show with them for Jan. 29. “We had a blast playing there and wish that Calgary had more venues like it,” the band said.

Given their crowd-pumping energy and loyal following, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Inner City Elegance is making their way up the popularity charts; the band has all kinds of hopes for the future. "We are planning a cross Canada tour in 2010, as well as working on getting everything in line to record a full length album," they said. "We are also working hard to arrange a tour in Brazil, which would be a trip of a lifetime."

Visit myspace.com/innercityelegance for more information on the band or to check out their music. But keep in mind that listening online is nothing compared to their live show, so make sure you get your tickets for next month's gig at The New Black. All photos by fourfourbeat.

Three Days Grace Start A Riot w/The Used & Default

Three Days Grace hit the stage Monday, Nov. 30 at the Stampede Corral with openers Default and The Used.

Three Days Grace recently released their third studio album Life Starts Now with first single Break, following their highly successful second disc One-X.

The show was originally scheduled for the Saddledome but got switched to the Corral with suspected cause being low ticket sales. With this change there came tons of confusion and hassle with exchanging tickets. For people who bought them from ticketmaster locations, they actually ended up waiting until the day of the show to get them officially exchanged regardless of many conflicting statements from online and radio sources saying to exchange before the show day.

Half of the Corral stadium was made available for the show, which filled up substantially by the time the show began around 7 p.m.

Defualt brought a spotless performance as the first band to come out. They sang hits that included Wasting My Time, Count On Me and Deny.

When The Used hit the stage, the crowd began with the usual fist pounding mosh pit and consistent crowd surfing. The band brought a heavy, grunge act that was only topped off by lead singer Bert McCracken's greasy hair, crazy facial expressions and constant f-bombs that always got the crowd even more pumped and excited.

Three Days Grace came out with huge applause, singing many of their Canadian hits such as I Hate Everything About You, Never Too Late, Pain and newest, Break. The stands were on their feet most of the show rocking out to Adam Gontier's seamless rock vocals, the infectious guitar riffs, the pounding bass lines and the intense drum beats. The show finished with a three song encore ending the night with the crowd favourite Animal I Have Become.

For more information on Three Days Grace and their current Canadian tour, visit them at http://www.threedaysgrace.com/

PHOTO JOURNAL: The Latency w/State of Shock @ Cowboys

Faber Drive bring the heat in the blizzarding Grey Cup outdoor festivities

Faber Drive hit the Olympic Plaza stage for a free show a little after 5 p.m. Friday as part of the weekends Grey Cup festivities. Regardless of the worsening winter weather that was seen, fans began waiting much earlier in the afternoon trudging through the wind, cold temperatures and occasional snow falls to see the band up close and personal.

The band performed songs from both albums, Seven Second Surgery and recently released can'T keEp A SecrEt, and even touched Owl City's song 'Fireflies' to great audience surprise. The performance surely did not disappoint the devoted fan base considering the blizzard that scattered many of the football supporters indoors that were there previous in the day. The high energy and emotion seen from the band on stage seemed to warm crowd hearts as well as shivering hands and feet that filled the Plaza.

Hedley: The Show Must Go...On

The obnoxiously charming, chart topping and fan favourite band Hedley released their third studio album "The Show Must Go" Tuesday, Nov. 17. Stationed out of B.C, the band has had previous hits with On My Own, Gunnin, She's So Sorry and For The Nights I Can't Remember to name a few. From the minute they hit the Canadian Music Industry, Hedley's band identity has been defined with high energy live performances, huge public support, sincere and personal lyrics, and a true love for their fans. In high anticipation, their newest creation is one of the bands most daring albums to date.

Track one, Cha-Ching, presents listeners with an up beat and danceable spoof on reality television. It was the first single to hit airways from the new record, and was soon accompanied with humourous scenes from the band on such shows as The Hills, Survivor, The Biggest Loser and even the Idol franchise in the over the top music video. The band can be seen throughout the video sporting many costumes that include money-hungry business men, Idol judges and reality show contestants. The second track on the album, Don't Talk To Strangers is the second released single. The video for this song aired on Much On Demand Thursday Nov. 19th, where the band also appeared for a quick interview. Directly in tune with the song lyrics, the video features a "cougar on the prowl" concept.

The album continues with Scream, an up-beat track that is programmed a lot like their previous material from Famous Last Words; however, there is also a presence of more electronic beats and sounds, which are also the basis of Cha-Ching, Don't Talk To Strangers and bonus track Lucky, which was available through a pre-order from itunes. Always known for his passion, Lead singer Jacob Hoggard, brings a whole-hearted vocal performance. In terms of the instrumental, both the lead up to heavier set drums from the verses to the chorus and the lead up from the bridge to the final chorus successfully stabilize the song into a real pop hit, incorporating the more produced beats with real rock undertones quite well.

In the fourth track is where the album takes a more down-beat and almost a more sincere approach in the way it's arranged. The smooth and camp-fire-esque melody dares the definition of what the band has done in the past, but reforms listeners of what the band can do now, and do well. These melodies also set the album apart from their previous work as well as what's currently out in the music scene at the moment. The unique and "head-bopping" beat along with the in and out shakers accompany the song well, setting a definite laid back and honest atmosphere.

Amazing, track five, is where the band has previously said they were able to truly showcase one of their best composed songs to date. Accompanied by the piano and slower beats, Hoggard brings a steller vocal performance and is sure to hit a high note with the female variety for singing such lyrics as "You're amazing, you're amazing and it's true, no one can save me, no one can save me like you do". The band played Amazing live at We Day when it stopped in Toronto, showcasing an already fan favourite.

The next track off the record, Shelter, has a great bass line, which accompanies the island felt melody and simplified drums. The track could be compared to Never Too Late off their second album, but definitely shows high vocal growth as well as growth within the band. The tune and whimsical lyrics create a no doubt, catchy melody that will definitely not disappoint.

Young and Stupid is a fun, no limits track that is bound to get you noticed for singing along in public. The lyrics and tone suggest that it represents Hoggards', or even the bands' growth since when they started out, being that the song as a whole is a tribute to their old days, scars and "young and stupid" behaviours, which the band is countlessly known for. However, it is clear from the lyrics in the chorus, "At least we did it our way" the song expresses no real regrets with all heads held high.
Track eight, presents a "Perfect" collaboration of superb vocal performance, instrumental strings and heart-wrenching passion that truly brings eye-opening emotion to the forefront. The small vocal changes that are seen throughout ultimately bring the simplicity that allows the piano ballad to shine through. One of the stronger songs on the record, fans can really appreciate the flow of personal experience from Hoggard with this track.

Another stand out track, Sweater Song is a story from Hoggard's heart that is really evident upon first listen. The acoustic, stripped down approach allows this song to keep its musical dignity regardless of music industry standards, definitely gaining an inch of love from listeners. The fact the song lacks the usual 'verse chorus' structure really shows Hedley's ability to keep the song the way they invisioned and how it was meant to be heard from the start. The haunting tune and vocals surround the true emotions of the song, which ultimately are the trials and feelings during a long distance seperation.

Coincidentally being track '9', 9 Shades of Red brings an easy and upbeat listen that touches on a 'fun night out on the town' with lyrics "Holla back for a planned attack, on this unsuspecting town, We may be looking pretty, but we make an awful sound". With catchy lyrics and a sing-a-long melody, the ensemble really brings a fun and care-free aspect to the album. The slower drum beat and "head-swaying" bass lines accompany the bigger choruses well.

The final track to the album, Friends, successfully ends with a slower, more stripped down performance that showcases the more raw sound of Hoggard's vocals and the simplicity is yet again a clear and pivotal aspect of their new sound. With lyrics such as "You and me will always be friends" the album completes on a seemingly higher note for fans. Previously, Tommy MacDonald, the bassist, has said this track is one of his personal favourites.

Presently it seems the band is evolving into a role-modeling, hard working band that has a duty to be responsible for themselves as well as their largely growing fan base. These personal growths and realizations can definitely be seen on this album. From the hillbilly rock anthems, to the fast and fun, and back to the emotional ballads, Hedley has made a record that is in tune with them as artists as well as them personally, which cannot be faulted against them in the least. This continuously maturing Canadian band has made rock hits and pop favourites that have hit the charts at #1, but with this album, regardless of those standards, it's sure to go as far and farther with the risky exploration of melodies, structures and compositions seen on The Show Must Go.

For more information on Hedley and on their upcoming headlining Canadian 2010 tour w/Boys Like Girls, Fefe Dobson, Faber Drive and Stereos, vist them at www.hedleyonline.com or myspace.com/hedley. Also, follow @hedleyonline on twitter. All photos by fourfourbeat (except album cover)