We arrived back in Vancouver on the 14th. We were initially coming back to play the Arts County Fair and Telus Ski and Snowboard Fest. Due to the powers that be, those shows fell through and now we are basically here for a few weeks to hang out with the ladies and friends. We’re also continuing to write new tunes and playing one show out in Maple Ridge next weekend. I will also be working on finding some artwork for a new EP that we should be releasing very shortly. It will include the three tracks we recorded with Howard in February as well as two live versions of songs that will be coming out on our next full length.
Anyway if I go back to where we left off, we were on our way to play Ottawa, Montreal, and London at the beginning of April. Opening for Dragonette shows turned out to be great crowds for us in London and Ottawa, but the highlight was spending time in Montreal. We only had one day, but we met up with a large posse of friends and decided to have a picnic up on Mount Royal in the old graveyard… We didn’t plan it but it turned out that hanging out in front of the Molson (beer) families mausoleum was the best spot, and believe me we all tipped a beer or two for the Canadian beer tycoon.
Our Montreal show was a last minute thing but it turned out great. We met an awesome band named Trevor James and the Perfect Gentlemen who helped us to bring out a crowd, only promoting the show two days beforehand. Check out Trevor playing solo here:
When we returned to Toronto after the weekend, we had time booked in the rehearsal space all week. As a four piece (since Henry was still in Europe) we kept writing and working on new songs. In the past I’ve often brought more finished arrangements of chords/lyrics to the band, but since we all had lots of time in Toronto I tried to get everyone as involved as possible in the writing process. We came up with some pretty sweet new songs which we are still working out the kinks on. Joseph brought some lyrics to the table as well.
We had one last weekend of shows lined up and so on Thursday, April 8th we headed to Windsor to play the Phog lounge with a band called Huron. It was great to see the owner Tom and chat after almost two years since our last show there and the turn out was great. Huron reminded me of a cross between ZZtop and Lynyrd Skynyrd and were really awesome as well. Be sure to check out their MySpace.
We stayed in Windsor that evening. The following day we had to try to sort out a dentist for Joel who was having massive problems with a much needed root canal (which he could not get until we returned to Vancouver). His face puffed up massively. So while he went to get some sort of medical attention, the rest of us went out in search of a used window (to replace the one that got smashed) in the car capital of Canada. With luck we found a cheap window and after picking up Joel and the window we headed back to Toronto where our Friday night show was at the Bovine.
In preparation for a going away/after party, we bought over 75 beers and some vodka to leave at Dave Hollander’s house (where Dana stayed), which was right across the street from the bar. After we played our set and watched Darlings of Chelsea, we spread word of the party and had one hell of a hurrah.
I woke up with a cold on Saturday and felt pretty bad, but before I knew it we had to grab our gear from the Bovine and head to Waterloo for one more show with Will Currie and the Country French. When we got to the show and started to soundcheck, I was so sick I was worried I couldn’t sing. Joel was still in immense pain from his tooth. To kick it up a notch, Dana dropped a drum stool on his foot which immediately swelled up to a giant blood swell of a few inches. We debated what to do and ended up heading to the emergency room to fix him up. I was there with him for two hours and after the ‘Ice and Advil’ remedy, the doctor suggested we headed back to the show just in time to walk in and play our set. We were a bit of a rough group of guys that night, but Will’s amazing set made up for it. We all sat back and enjoyed his tunes a lot.
Check out this live version of their song ‘Flowers’:
So after this show we had our plane tickets booked for the 14th to head back to Vancouver. We figured since we’d be back touring around Ontario in May, it was better to fly back than drive across and back again. We met up with Henry at the airport hotel the evening before our 7am flight. However, the one big change was that after we played around eight or so shows as a four piece and started to write and work that way, all of a sudden the dynamic of this seemed to be working better for the band. I approached Henry about this via email while he was away.
While Henry has been a great member of Bend Sinister, it seemed his heart was also more in his own project Henry and the Nightcrawlers. The other four of us were also feeling like we were liking the vibe as a four piece live. Thus with equal sadness and excitement for both our futures, I have to inform everyone that Henry has left Bend Sinister to pursue his own endeavours and I wish him the best! There is a chance we will try to find a singer/multi instrumentalist to take over for him, but that is up in the air. So I will keep everyone posted soon about more news but until then, take care.
Dan
Vancouver Vacation, Shows, and Departures
We arrived back in Vancouver on the 14th. We were initially coming back to play the Arts County Fair and Telus Ski and Snowboard Fest. Due to the powers that be, those shows fell through and now we are basically here for a few weeks to hang out with the ladies and friends. We’re also continuing to write new tunes and playing one show out in Maple Ridge next weekend. I will also be working on finding some artwork for a new EP that we should be releasing very shortly. It will include the three tracks we recorded with Howard in February as well as two live versions of songs that will be coming out on our next full length.
Anyway if I go back to where we left off, we were on our way to play Ottawa, Montreal, and London at the beginning of April. Opening for Dragonette shows turned out to be great crowds for us in London and Ottawa, but the highlight was spending time in Montreal. We only had one day, but we met up with a large posse of friends and decided to have a picnic up on Mount Royal in the old graveyard… We didn’t plan it but it turned out that hanging out in front of the Molson (beer) families mausoleum was the best spot, and believe me we all tipped a beer or two for the Canadian beer tycoon.
Our Montreal show was a last minute thing but it turned out great. We met an awesome band named Trevor James and the Perfect Gentlemen who helped us to bring out a crowd, only promoting the show two days beforehand. Check out Trevor playing solo here:
When we returned to Toronto after the weekend, we had time booked in the rehearsal space all week. As a four piece (since Henry was still in Europe) we kept writing and working on new songs. In the past I’ve often brought more finished arrangements of chords/lyrics to the band, but since we all had lots of time in Toronto I tried to get everyone as involved as possible in the writing process. We came up with some pretty sweet new songs which we are still working out the kinks on. Joseph brought some lyrics to the table as well.
We had one last weekend of shows lined up and so on Thursday, April 8th we headed to Windsor to play the Phog lounge with a band called Huron. It was great to see the owner Tom and chat after almost two years since our last show there and the turn out was great. Huron reminded me of a cross between ZZtop and Lynyrd Skynyrd and were really awesome as well. Be sure to check out their MySpace.
We stayed in Windsor that evening. The following day we had to try to sort out a dentist for Joel who was having massive problems with a much needed root canal (which he could not get until we returned to Vancouver). His face puffed up massively. So while he went to get some sort of medical attention, the rest of us went out in search of a used window (to replace the one that got smashed) in the car capital of Canada. With luck we found a cheap window and after picking up Joel and the window we headed back to Toronto where our Friday night show was at the Bovine.
In preparation for a going away/after party, we bought over 75 beers and some vodka to leave at Dave Hollander’s house (where Dana stayed), which was right across the street from the bar. After we played our set and watched Darlings of Chelsea, we spread word of the party and had one hell of a hurrah.
I woke up with a cold on Saturday and felt pretty bad, but before I knew it we had to grab our gear from the Bovine and head to Waterloo for one more show with Will Currie and the Country French. When we got to the show and started to soundcheck, I was so sick I was worried I couldn’t sing. Joel was still in immense pain from his tooth. To kick it up a notch, Dana dropped a drum stool on his foot which immediately swelled up to a giant blood swell of a few inches. We debated what to do and ended up heading to the emergency room to fix him up. I was there with him for two hours and after the ‘Ice and Advil’ remedy, the doctor suggested we headed back to the show just in time to walk in and play our set. We were a bit of a rough group of guys that night, but Will’s amazing set made up for it. We all sat back and enjoyed his tunes a lot.
Check out this live version of their song ‘Flowers’:
So after this show we had our plane tickets booked for the 14th to head back to Vancouver. We figured since we’d be back touring around Ontario in May, it was better to fly back than drive across and back again. We met up with Henry at the airport hotel the evening before our 7am flight. However, the one big change was that after we played around eight or so shows as a four piece and started to write and work that way, all of a sudden the dynamic of this seemed to be working better for the band. I approached Henry about this via email while he was away.
While Henry has been a great member of Bend Sinister, it seemed his heart was also more in his own project Henry and the Nightcrawlers. The other four of us were also feeling like we were liking the vibe as a four piece live. Thus with equal sadness and excitement for both our futures, I have to inform everyone that Henry has left Bend Sinister to pursue his own endeavours and I wish him the best! There is a chance we will try to find a singer/multi instrumentalist to take over for him, but that is up in the air. So I will keep everyone posted soon about more news but until then, take care.
Dan