SoapBox Bits and Bites

Just a few notes from on top Island SoapBox:

(House Built Around Your House 7" by The Darcys)

1. Toronto Ontario's "The Darcys" are releasing their second album this fall titled Young Believers.  They have a couple tracks on their Myspace account right now (which make up House Built Around Your House 7", you can have that emailed to you by the band for free).  Although it's not generally my type of thing, I actually enjoyed this the more I listened to it.  They have some pretty killer collaborations on this upcoming disc as well. Worth checking out for sure.

2. I've been pushing this since I found out about it, West Coast Music Network or WMN.  It's a new online radio station playing West Coast talent.  Based out of Whistler, the station is still in development.  Currently they are focused on gathering content.  So any West Coast band out there, make sure you send Steve your album!  As for listeners, this is a great way to see what the Coast has to offer.  There are plenty of gadgets in the works, that will make this site easy and customizable for the listener!

(Jeff Desjardins from Vancouver, BC)

3. There is a new artist, and consequently a new blog out of Vancouver that I'm really digging.  Jeff Desjardins is an aspiring musician from VanCity and is keeping us all involved in the day to day struggles of starting from scratch.  It's a good read, and it's a perspective you don't often get to read about so deeply.  There are a plenty of people who choose to make a go at this industry every day, and this guy is logging his adventures in a well written way.


That's about it for now.  I'm always interested in spreading the word.  Any musicians/bands out there that would like to check out any material, I'm happy to give a listen and do what I can.  You can get a hold of me if here.  Also I'm starting to do some giveaways on my Twitter account.  Nothing crazy, but some very solid albums that will have their artists signature!  Make sure to follow for your chance to win :)

Better Lucky Than Good

To sit down and chat with Zachary Lucky, you’d swear you were chatting with a 15 year vet. After sound checking at The Fort St café recently, Lucky had time to sit down and chat about life after his latest release “Come & Gone”.

This is the 4th album for the talented Yorkton, SK songwriter, but this may be his “coming out” party. The album serves up 9 solid tracks (although track 1 is only a one minute intro), and Zachary’s got the whole package tied together beautifully. Lyrically, I’ve always enjoyed his style, and he certainly didn’t disappoint this time around. A quick stop for this album in BC may have been just what it needed before release.

“It’s easily the best sounding record I’ve put out. We recorded everything ourselves, then we had a producer out in Langley mix and master the record. He really tied it all in together and put the finishing touches on it.  I’m feeling really good about it, really good.

“There’s definitely some people in certain radio stations, larger radio stations that are taking interest. And the few artists that’s I’ve passed it onto have really latched onto it. So that’s a really positive thing for me. It’s nice to hear somebody go “hey can you send me this, cause I need so and so to hear this”. So far it’s been really great. You can never really predict how these things go. It’s a very strange thing when you put your art to paper or CD. It’s like a child, you just let it go in the world and it has to find its way right? If nothing else man, I’m really proud of this record. It’s my favourite thing I’ve ever put out, easily hands down. I don’t need much more than that right now.”

You’d think after recording 4 albums since ’08, it might make the process an easier one. That couldn’t be further from the truth for Lucky.

“Maybe for some people but so far it hasn’t gone that way for me. Getting this record out was one of the most stressful things I’ve been through in a long time. It was easier and way harder at the same time, which makes no sense. It’s just the process of having to be your own manager and dealing with all the details of getting a record out. It was just a lot, because we really wanted to try and actually get it out there. But man when it finally dropped, there was a relief. I don’t think it gets easier with time. A record is still a record and it will always be a lot of work. I think each one, you go into it knowing a little more, and you can kinda direct the path that it goes. Steer the ship and choose how you want things to go. So not easier, but more controlled.”

It’s comments like that, that make him seem like such a music veteran. Lucky is another shining example of today’s independent musician, traveling relentlessly to get his sound out there. He is known for touring and pushing his music through that live avenue. This tour may be his most hardcore yet.

“We covered about 3500 km in the first week, which is a lot. We slept in the car one too many nights, so it was a good little conditioning week you know? It’s like full on man. We're playing pretty much every night this tour. That means there’s some long drives in there. We drove from Yorkton to Canmore which is like an 11 hour drive; we have a few more of those. You know there is four of us, so it works out pretty good for the most part.

“Calgary’s gonna be a real good show, playing with a bunch of friends. Playing with Northcote, and he’s great, just a really good friend. And Aidan Knight is playing that gig as well, just a real loaded show should be fun. We’re playing Peterborough Folk Festival, so that should be really fun. Looking forward to that. We’re just looking forward generally to the whole east coast, none of us have ever been out past Quebec City. It's always good to go somewhere new. Its been a good year since I’ve been somewhere new, that I haven’t played before, so that’ll be really refreshing to play a new city, new faces you know? We have really good shows out there, a lot of good friends, I think we’ll be well taken care of. Nothing but good vibes for that.”

With several thousand kilometers still to go, and his brand new album hardly 2 weeks old, it’s hard to imagine Lucky looking ahead to what’s next. With the industry being what it is these days, that’s exactly what Lucky is doing.

“In this business you have to think about down the road, you can’t just always let it happen. It’s all about balance. I’m learning. I’m thinking of sitting down and recording some songs in October. But well see, I’m having a bit of a surgery at the end of September. So, October is kinda a forced month to chill out. I’m really bad at sittin still. I’m gonna spend the month just taking it easy. I’m gonna head down to the states for a week at the end of October. Hopefully hooking up with some real good people down there for a bit. Then we’re doing a western Canadian tour for three weeks in November, with a singer/songwriter from Australia. Should be really good I think. A lot of the shows are really looking good so far. Once again nothing but good vibes. People tend to not tour in winter, but I say why not. If you don’t do it, someone else will. I mean, there’s lots of thoughts about next year, lots of different stuff that is on the horizon. I’m trying to take it in stride.”

“I can’t think of one thing I’d rather be doing. Sometimes I think I’m a little bit crazy. Those days where I’m like “Shit why am I doing this man?”. For the most part, 95% of the time, it’s completely worth it.”

Always a gentleman, and a musical talent that grows day by day, Zachary Lucky is an artist that this country can be proud of. An up and coming folk talent from The Prairies that may well be a household name very soon. “Come and Gone” is a fantastic listen, and has cemented the fact that Lucky is here, and won’t be gone anytime soon.

A Farm Boy’s First Folk Fest Experience.

A Special Guest post for Island SoapBox by Cody Lobreau.

Growing up on the farm we only had access to radio stations that played the top 40, rock and classic rock/oldies and country music. Since I found top 40 music to be the music equivalent of Bud Light Lime (total crap), I became a rock fan at an early age. Over the years, several of my friends told me about the Winnipeg Folk Festival, stating that it’s the best musical experience they ever go to, kind of like their equivalent of a religious experience. They would go each and every year. If the weather was horrible, they would still go and just tough it out, even if it means their tent was soaked through with rain water, it was part of the Folk Fest experience. Last summer, after hearing about all the great musical acts my friend Pat saw at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, I decided it was finally time to visit my first one.

Waiting for the 2010 edition was the hardest part, waiting a whole year for the Folk Fest to begin was hard, mainly because I was unemployed (and still am), and it was supposed to be the highlight of the summer. Well on July 7th it was time to head to Bird’s Hill Provincial Park and finally experience my first Folk Festival. This marked the first time I drove solo to Winnipeg in several years, and on the way to Birds Hill Park I managed to get lost twice, almost got in an accident once, and ignored five phone calls from family (as they were worried that I got into an accident because I was ignoring their calls).

The experience at the Winnipeg Folk Festival was like nothing I have ever seen before. I had the pleasure of going to festival d’été in Quebec City a few years ago, see dozens of acts, and be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people, but Folk Fest was much more insane of a festival. For four days I was cut off from reality, surrounded by thousands of people ranging from hipsters, hippies, to retired business men, all there to soak up the sun and see live music. I felt somewhat out of place as I was a farm boy and not used to seeing this sort of mix of people, but very quickly I realized that everyone is welcome here, even if you aren’t a folk music fan.

Over the four days of “folking on”, I managed to see John K. Samson 4 times (either performing on several stages, or just simply appearing on stage being a jokester). Frankly, I think four times to see John K. Samson perform (or any act really) in a long weekend is a bit too much, but either way it was a memory I will never forget. During a Manitoban music workshop with himself, Del Barber, The Duhks and several other artists, Samson was being his usual hilarious self when he borrowed Greg MacPherson’s electric guitar to perform his song “The Heart of the Continent”, throughout the song he would randomly stop and start over, this was because he was not used to seeing “the dots” on a guitar.

I used Winnipeg Folk Fest as an excuse to see musicians I saw in Quebec City at Festival d’été (United Steelworkers of Montreal, Weakerthans and Rock Plaza Central), but of course I needed to discover new music. One such act was Rural Alberta Advantage. I knew OF RAA’s music but didn’t know that was their music. So I was delightfully pleased with their performance and bought their CD. Another act was Quebec’s Mauvais Sort from Quebec City. I’ve seen several Franco-folk acts in my day at sugar shacks, at various events and whatnot, and usually I would be bored by the act (as most of them are all too similar in style of music), but not Mauvais Sort. Their music was upbeat, very fun to dance to, and just overall much better than the usual Cabane à sucre music I’m used to in Manitoba.

As this was my first time visiting a Folk Festival, I wanted to be a bit clever (or I guess cheesy) and have a few t-shirts made up specifically for the event. Thankfully the shirts arrived just in time for Folk Fest or else I would’ve had to stick with wearing my trusty Winnipeg Jets t-shirt (very unoriginal – I saw five other people with the exact same shirt). One shirt was a simple green shirt that said “Vive la poutine!” (translates to long live poutine!) This was a crowd hit! I had a few dozen people walk up to me commenting on the shirt, I’ve even had a few francophones start up conversations all because of the shirt. However, my Burton Cummings’ themed t-shirt (with his face) that has the words “Clap for the Stacheman” got absolutely no attention, I guess either it’s unoriginal or nobody there knew who Burton Cummings was (very doubtful).

Looking back a month later, I have to say that out of the hundreds of concerts that this farm boy has gone to over the past decade (starting with The Guess Who in Brandon, Manitoba in 2000) to now, Winnipeg Folk Festival ranks as one of the top two events alongside Festival d’été in Quebec City. Those experiences make me look back and reminisce about the great times I had, the great friends I hung out with, and how I was cut off from society for an entire “long” weekend! I have already thought about going again next year, possibly as a volunteer, but it depends if Festival d’été is during the same week again.

I say that if you have the chance to check out your local folk festivals, check them out! Buy some souvenirs, make some new friends and you will be looking back on the experience, the concerts, and the fun times for several years to come! It’s also crazy to discover what you can find at Winnipeg Folk Festival, such as discovering that other members of your own family once frequented the festival 25+ years earlier and had the same great experience!

Cheers and check me out at http://www.twitter.com/cdnmusic

Thanks very much to Cody for sharing his experience with Island SoapBox.  I hope you all enjoy the read as much as I did!

Kuba Oms...Get used to that name

Kuba Oms is a pro. Flat out. The man has been making music for well over a decade, and like any musician who’s been around that long, has had his ups and downs.

The good news here is Oms is a success story. Battling everything from heartbreak to drug addiction, the past decade has been an eventful one. Needless to say, a clean Oms is very excited about the present.

“I feel blessed actually. 10 years ago I had every major label in the US on our case down in New York. I was a different guy back then, a lot more of a control freak. It’s interesting because 10 years later, I’m 10 years better. The music industry has sort of gone sideways, but for me the music has kinda evolved a lot since then.

“I’m really enjoying playing music. I love the guys that I play with. I’m really excited about the future. The last trip down to LA. We shot a music video. I played a bunch of shows and really realized there’s a huge market for what I do down in the states.” Oms said recently before a “Velvet” show at Darcy’s Pub in Victoria.

That music video was for the single Beautiful Uncertainty, from his full length “How Much Time” released this past September. The 15 song effort is truly a fantastic album, never tempting your “skip” finger into action. Although less than a year old, Oms and the boys recorded their set recently at Shore Fest, confident enough in that batch of live songs to lay it down.

“We’re just mixing that right now. We’re going to put out a little E.P. of that. Anybody that joins the mailing list can just get it, get a free download of it. So that’ll be kind of a gift to the fans, and an invitation to new people to join us.

“It’s a good way to archive these last couple years and this batch of songs. I’ve got a lot of new songs that I’m really excited to record. We’re actually going to the studio next month, pretty intensely to do some recording, so we’re really excited about that. It felt appropriate to archive, a little E.P. as a way of moving on.”

Kuba is also in the Peak FM Performance Project this year. A 2nd time finalist, Oms admits last years result wasn’t exactly what they had hoped for, but the experience gained will be put to use this year.

“It was a good experience. I mean it was disappointing in a lot of respects. And if you look at a lot of the acts that were in the top 20 last year, you look around at who’s really still relevant, and who’s still playing, even some of the bands that won, it just shows that the Peak Performance Project is an opportunity, it’s an opportunity to do something. You don’t win it and you’ve “made it”. It's an opportunity to receive help, and opportunities like that are far and few between. So it’s something that you have to respect and feel blessed that you have it.

“The most exciting part is the community and the new friends to make. I learned a lot from last year, I learned a lot about pushing too hard, and trying too hard. It’s like anything, if you try too hard, you don’t really get what you want. You just kinda gotta go with the flow and let it happen.

“For me I haven’t had much of a chance to think about it because I’m so busy. You know I have it blocked off, I’m committed to it, and then I’ll just go there and have some fun, learn some tricks and meet some peeps.”

Being so busy certainly isn’t a bad thing. With show after show piling up this summer (including headlining a stage at the upcoming Live at Squamish, on Labour Day Weekend), it’s a wonder that Oms has been able to do anything other than live shows. Yet the Victoria native has been busy with a variety of things this sunny season.

“We were fortunate enough to get a MuchFact grant, which is a foundation to assist artists from MuchMusic. We went down and shot with a big name Canadian director in LA with a full Canadian Crew. We went down to LA to do something different, and get out of our comfort zone. The video is wrapping tomorrow, the final edit. So that’s coming out in a couple weeks. Its actually turned out really good. So that’s one thing we are really excited about. And the other thing is just the new material and getting in the studio. I know this record (How Much Time) only came out about 9 months ago, and we’re still gonna you know “work the record” from a labels perspective, but I’m excited to get in and enter this new era of my sort of evolution, and our evolution as a band. The last album was kinda ADD, I’m proud of it and I’m stoked about it, but it crossed a lot of genres, and in a lot of ways it falls in between the cracks in Canadian and US radio. Not that I’m going for radio like that, don’t get me wrong, I’m not like catering to anybody, but this next record is just gonna be a lot more focused.

“I’m going into pre production next Tuesday and Wednesday in a studio. We’re just negotiating that for next month. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it. I want it to represent me, so its relaxed and a little bit lo-fi but I want it to sound as good as any record that you hear, so that requires working with the best so were talking with the top people.”

Seeking out nothing but the best is just the way Oms does his business (that’s of course why he said yes to this Island SoapBox interview ;). Surely this album will be another example of the hard work Kuba and this group have put forth. With “no filler” guuarentees, Kuba Oms is a polished act that is set to explode.

Rock of the "Hood", The forest has moved indoors Aug 20-22

Vancouver Island's "Bamberton" was supposed to be getting ready for the very first edition of "Rock of the Woods", a brand new outdoor music festival featuring talened artists from near and far.  Well due to circumstances that just suck, the festival is moving indoors over 3 nights.

Of course the goal moving forward is to make this event a successful outdoor one, but that doesn't mean this 2010 edition won't be worth while checking out indoors.  Sugar Nightclub and Lucky Bar have stepped up to host the 14 acts over the 3 days.  The line-up looks like this:

Friday, August 20th @ Sugar Nightclub Doors at 9:00pm: Brasstronaut, The British Colombians, Sunday Buckets, Acres of Lions and Smith &Lyseng

Saturday, August 21st @ Sugar Nightclub Doors at 8:00pm : Junior Boys, Mat the Alien, Humans, Celebrity Traffic, The Mowhawk Lodge.

The Closing Party, Sunday, August 22nd @ Lucky Bar Doors at 8:00pm: Run Chico Run, Espionage, Bloody Wilma, and JP Maurice

The group behind "Rock of the Hood" has done a great job keeping their spirits up, and finding alternate ways of making the festival work.  It's people like this that get local music heard and they should be commended for pushing through and making sure the music happens!

It's also great to hear that so many of the bands are still able to make it out, some of them dealing with date changes.  There are many people working hard, and changing their schedules around to bring music to you, the people!

It's easy to focus on the negative, and what is not happening this year. I say throw that to the wayside, and get in on "Rock of the Woods" while it's still in the "Hood". You can brag that you were around "when that ole festival was still indoors".  It's a chance to see some great acts, have a few drinks, and enjoy yourself.  In the end, isn't that what music is about?

I've caught The Ruby Spirit! An Album Recommendation by Island SoapBox

We're headed to Toronto this time round, and it's well worth the trip.  The Ruby Spirit are "kaleidoscopic indie-rockers", which I've personally translated into simply meaning, it's fun.

Their album "Born Under a Veil" is set for release September 4.  It is very simply, awesome.  Paige Boy, is the voice that leads the way, and she produces nothing but smooth vocals that do wonders.  Behind her, the rest of the band (Alex Pulec, Mickey Donnell, Jay Cipparrone, Juliana Eye), play music that is driving, sometimes hypnotic, but constant with positivity and happiness.  Listening to it just makes me feel good.  It's the type of music that lends itself to just about anything.

The band is gearing up for a supporting tour of the six song E.P.  The album has a good variety of sound, my favourite tune has got to be Caligari though.  I really dig the organ in it, and Boy sings her heart out in parts.

With nothing but positive reviews in regard to their live show and stage presence, the energy behind this album would be very worthwhile catching live.  Their album release show in particular sounds very intriguing.  The group is taking over The Great Hall in Toronto (Queen and Dovercourt) on September 4, and turning the space into a multi-dimensional atmosphere.  A great opportunity to see The Ruby Spirit in their element.

If you need an album for your next road trip, bike ride, walk, run, paper-route, whatever, this is no waste of your time.  You don't need to be in any certain mood to listen to The Ruby Spirit, and in the end, it always leaves you in the same mood...a great one.

Links of Interest:
The Ruby Spirit Myspace
The Ruby Spirit Homepage
The Ruby Spirit Twitter

Nanaimo Bars & Sweet Chords...It's Christopher Arruda

I recently caught up with Christoper Arruda high on top of Nanaimo, we had a chance to sit down and chat about his musical life.  The first thing that really made itself obvious when chatting with the man was the fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve. The 26 year old singer/songwriter released his first solo album “God Hates a Coward” in October of ’09, and he’s been working like a dog every day since then. He’s a class act, and another example of an extremely talented modern day musician doing whatever he can to make a run at the ever-changing music industry.

“I think what I’ve really realized is, after Open Parachute ceased to exist, it was a long slow process (to realize), that it’s literally the only thing I actually know how to do. Like quite frankly I sit before you as this guy that, if I didn’t have it, I don’t know what I’d be doing, know what I mean?”

I’m not sure Arruda is giving himself enough credit. Adjusting to his solo career seems to be going to quite smoothly. With his newest E.P “Swain” on the way in September (his second album in 11 months), things are looking up for the Nanaimo talent. With a full-time job on top of his music career, and recently qualifying for the Peak FM Performance Project, Arruda has learned to make music for himself.

“It was really intimidating at first, because I didn’t really think that, quite frankly, I had a hope in hell. It was one of those things that was like, "Well this is happening". The difficulty with me is, you know I’m 26, I work a full time job, and so I don’t really have the ability to do what those other bands have done (in the contest), which is kinda throw their entire lives into it. So when I looked at it at first, I was like “I can’t really compete”. But then I looked at the materials that I assembled, you know through the music video, and the album sounds pretty good, production wise. I looked at that and I just said well the materials are pretty good, and if their basing it on the materials, you never know.
"I’m certainly thrilled to be a part of it. Definitely gonna be an awesome experience. And I think the way I’m gonna go about the Peak thing is just work as hard as I can and just try and get the most out of it as I can. Not really treat it as a competition but more just as an experience and a place where I can build some camaraderie and learn more about the business side of things, which is something that I haven’t really been that good at in the past. It should be a really positive thing so I’m super excited about it for sure.”

Fans can be super excited about the September release of Arrudas’ latest works, “Swain”. There will be 200 copies printed, and the seven song E.P. will be available on Itunes as well.

"I had all these songs, and was just like "I’m gonna take 7 of the best songs and I’m gonna record them with a 58 and a microphone". To be fair I did overdubbing, and some of them do sound pretty big, but it was all done by myself, I just wanted to do something that was so honest. And if there is mistakes, then that is better. Case and point the last one I recorded I finished, I finished tracking about a month ago.  I had a couple beers, and I wrote this song, and I recorded it in my living room with this shitty condenser microphone and then I really liked it, and I showed it to some friends.  They were like "Yeah this is really good". So I was like, “OK, now I really have to record it”. I did three separate recordings of it after that, in the end, I probably spent 12-13 hours trying to do this song, and in the end you know what I ended up doing? I ended up taking that original version and that’s the one that’s going on there. Because it’s just the best one, it’s just the best one.

“You know there is something about the first take. It was a condenser mic, me and my guitar and I added some vocal overdubs, and that’s kinda the spirit of the whole thing. It’s all about lovers, and kinda the good things that happen in relationships, but also the really fuckin heart wrenching and horrible things that happen, that’s really the theme that makes it up. The whole idea is just honesty and, you know, here it is. Its slow, it’s a slow record, there's no drums, it’s just a chill little EP.

“I’m kinda treating this as a footnote to “God Hates a Coward”.  Because “God Hates a Coward” to me was this huge triumph over you know, over myself really. And this is something that kinda came as an afterthought. I guess looking back at it now, it’s kinda natural it came after it because “God Hates a Coward” was really, really angry. This (Swain) is more like acceptance, yeah, yeah pretty much. I just had a little epiphany actually! I never really thought of that myself (until now). Maybe I should go see a councilor.”

Well Chris, we can only hope your councilor doesn’t tell you to stop playing music!

Arruda is set to release “Swain” September 5 at the Diner’s Rendevous in Nanaimo.  With all the talent in the world, and an attitude to match, it looks like the only “acceptance” Christopher Arruda will need worry about in the future, are awards.

Links of Interest:
www.myspace.com/christopherarruda
www.christopherarruda.com/
twitter.com/ArrudaMusic

Vaccaro preaches it softly at St. Ann's

(The Chapel at St. Ann's Academy in Victoria, BC)

Well that was one of the coolest sets I have witnessed.  Vince Vaccaro played to a capacity crowd in the chapel at St. Ann's Academy in Victoria, BC.

Now, in my typical fashion, I didn't bother grabbing a program when I got to the BC Day celebrations.  I lied on the grass outside, listened to a wonderful set by Ellisa Hartman, and was just generally enjoying life.  I noticed people with programs, but thought "why would I need one of those".  The next set was announced, and it wasn't Vince.  Alright now I need help.  Luckily, and with some assistance from some very friendly volunteers, I made my way into the back of the chapel about 20 minutes into the set.

It was fantastic.  Armed with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and the microphone, Vince kept the rooms attention the entire time.  Using the mic only when needed, the rooms natural acoustics were perfect.  Even during Little Candle, the room seemed to bounce his foot stomping perfectly through its walls.

It was fun to watch people watching the set.  With the environment being what it was, it seemed people were more focused on the performance, but reserved in their behaviour.  Some heads bobbed here and there, and I saw a mouth or two moving, but most just watched and listened.

In the 40 minutes I saw, Vaccaro played some stuff from his album, as well as some new stuff.  It was great to hear it all in such a raw form.  There is one thing that stands out through all of it though, and that is just how talented this guy is.  I mean he had the room glued, and mostly wasn't even using a microphone.   A class act, playing a free set to celebrate the province.  Happy BC Day everyone, now send Vince a thank you ;)

Visit his main page and listen to his new single Catch a Fire here.
If you dig it, vote for it on the Zone 91.3 Modern Rock Inbox here.

Yes please to The Yes Way

It's not quite a full album recommendation, yet, but it sure looks like it's going to be that way.  NYC came knocking again, and again it is us listeners who are the benefactors.  "The Yes Way" is a rock outfit on the up & up.  With an album release coming later in the fall, there is no better time to start listening.  The music is solid, there is nothing special or fancy, just dudes rocking out together.  The vocals are strong, and the songs seem to be the perfect length.

Mets is the single everyone should be looking out for as "The Yes Way" take to the road this autumn.  With the video already shot and planned for circulation, this catchy tune should be everywhere in no time.  It gives a good feel for what the band is all about, and certainly leaves you wanting to hear more.  The band have themselves a great lead singer in Aaron Mendelsohn.  He has a great voice, reminding me of other singers I love, but still sounding unique.

As of now, "The Yes Way" have the month of August planned for touring, and more dates will be released  with the release of the album.  Such an energetic brand of music will lend itself nicely to live venues, and surely "The Yes Way" will have the nation singing along in no time.

When the album is ready, make sure to check back with Island SoapBox, as we will make sure to give the whole thing a spin!  In the meanwhile, you can listen to Mets, and two other singles by the band here.
Check out the bands main website (including a free download of their 2009 EP Who's better than you?) here.