The long slog...

So long 2010! And what a long ride you've been...

Highlight of the year is definitely recording the best material Charge of the Light Brigade has done, our debut full-length record The Defiant Ones. It's been a long arduous process, and we switched drummers as recording drew to a close, but the end result is shaping up just fine. There's some great tracks coming, from opening rocker "Last Door Down" to the rolling pop swing of "All You Are To Me" to the epic pomp of closer title-track "The Defiant Ones". We've revisited the material from our first EP We Haven't Been Properly Introduced, and those tracks have bigger cojones now, some real hairy mojo. In a good way! We've even dug further back in the vault, polishing up earlier Sneyd pieces "Wheels Come Off" and "The Real Heart". Marc Koecher's production is superb as ever, really rich and complex, and Jason and Zack did wonderful work on bass and drums. My own writing continues to develop, along with that fragile instrument people call a voice. All in all, it's a great mess o' tunes.

Beyond that, getting out our first EP and going out with a newly revitalized band (twice) was a great feeling. Jason joining the band made a huge difference for getting back in the live world, and his half-cocked jocularity, steady playing and mad range of vocals have added a lot of great dimension to the band live.

The lowlight was definitely the great drummer hunt in the summer. Zack Mykula, a long-time stalwart playing with me, decided to move on to focus on some new projects he was getting going, just as we were finishing up the tracks for The Defiant Ones. Talk about hard to replace! Zack's a superb drummer, and an original thinker behind the kit. And wonderfully stoic and dry, one of the city's true curmudgeony best. We auditioned a good bunch of guys as replacements, and boooooyyyyy was it tough finding anyone even remotely in the same ballpark. We did meet a few really great guys, but it ain't easy when you're looking for the right combination of technical skill, hard-hitting, and someone on the same wavelength to top it off. You know, those alt-rock-prog-pop sophisticated-creative-but-restrained guys don't exactly grow on trees. After many auditions and a few near-hits, we finally lucked into playing with Owen Tennyson, the drummer for Toronto new wavers Blue Peter. Owen's worked out fantastically, bringing his own panache and outgoing style to the band.

Can't wait to get the album out, and get on with the scads of work that entails! But fuck, it's waaaay better than waiting around mixing. Sometimes, the recording process can be a huge grind, and it's easy to lose sight of what you're trying to achieve. But the beast is done, the beast lives! More details about the release coming up real soon.

Happy New Year, and bring the good times. Charge!!

Feeding the muse....

Charge of the Light Brigade is very close to finishing up our debut full-length album The Defiant Ones. This has been a long time in the works, over a year of recording, mixing, reworking and recording again. It's the first full-length release I've put out since 2007's Luke Sneyd solo album All of Us Cities.

I think it's be the best thing we've done. The album's sounding great. Marc Koecher's production is superb and we've really kicked the mixes up a notch in terms of sheer oomph and fullsome sound. Zack Mykula's drums are spectacular, and it's a great send-off for his time with the band. Jason Eagan's bass and vocals have added another melodic dimension, anchoring and driving the music. You can really hear everyone's contributions. And the songs are pretty damn fine, too.

To help us wrap up the record, we're enlisting the help of our fans. We've teamed up with FeedTheMuse.net, a cool site that enables bands and fans to come together and help realize a band's vision, whether that's an album, video, tour or virtual music pleasure centre. We figured we'd stick with the album for now.

We're raising money to cover the costs of recording, mastering and publicity for The Defiant Ones. There's a bunch of cool ways for people to take part. Yes, we're raising cash. In return, people get perks from digital downloads to CDs to free shows. We'll even play in your very own living room, if you want to kick in a hefty dose of lucre (plane tickets extra). Payment can be done directly from a credit card (if you're a U.S. resident), or via PayPal (which also takes credit cards) for any supporters regardless of location.

We'll be posting some exclusive videos and song samples at FeedtheMuse.net for fans and supporters to check out in advance of the album's release.

All in all it's a very cool way to help artists achieve their goals. Check it out at http://www.feedthemuse.net/chargeband and see what it's all about. We'd be thrilled to have you along for the ride!

Solving the ConunDrum

Last night we had our first rehearsal with drummer Owen Tennyson, who's taking over behind the kit for departed wunderkind Zack Mykula. Owen's a whiz. He's played with Blue Peter and countless others, got a million stories and such an effusive guy. Really looking forward to doing the next show with him.

Running through our set for Friday with Owen, it really hit me how important a top-notch drummer is to a band. Zack's very creative in his approach, fusing an almost jazz sensibility with a hard-rock style. And Owen's superb, settling into a brand new (for him) nine-song set with confidence and aplomb.

The other thing about our three-month quest to find a replacement for Zack is it's shown me that our songs are surprisingly tough for a lot of people. They're hardly the most technical stuff out there, but there's a lot of structure. Amazing how many musicians aren't interested in structure. "There's a lot of parts," one guy would mumble, before crashing through the condensed epic-osity of "Young Love" like a bulldozer stuck in first gear. But to me all of our songs are very organic. Just listening to "Young Love", you don't notice the myriad time-shifts taking place. I've always love bands that can do that, like Pink Floyd's "Money" or the Beatles "Good Morning" or Them Crooked Vultures, where the song's time is complicated, but it just flows.

It's great to find another drummer who gets that. The stories about The Police infighting on tour are pretty hilarious, too.

IndieSolo Band of the Day - September 22nd

Charge of the Light Brigade is the featured band tomorrow, Wednesday, September 22nd, at IndieSolo.com. Like us, you know the band's great. But there's a lot of people that don't. So on Wednesday, pop over to IndieSolo, vote for the band, add your comments and download our free tracks. It'll give us a boost in the annual rankings as people surf the site in the weeks to come. Thanks for the support!

Live at Lee's Palace, Friday, October 1st

Charge of the Light Brigade is going to be playing Lee's Palace Friday, October 1st. Really looking forward to this show. Sitting in with us on drums will be Owen Tennyson (no relation to "Charge of the Light Brigade" poet Lord Alfred), long-time drummer for Toronto legends Blue Peter.

Also on the bill are Militis Rue, Reckless Disposition and This Mad Desire. Doors are at 9pm, and cover's $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Pick up five tickets ahead of time, and get 'em even cheaper, for $7 each. Advance tickets will be held at the door for you under your name.

Get tickets now - email us at info@cotlb.com with how many you want, and we'll arrange it pronto. You'll get a payment notice from PayPal, but you won't need a PayPal account, just a credit card for the secure transaction.

We're plugging hard to finish up the recording of our debut full-length, so this is probably the last Toronto gig of the year for us. Don't miss it, brigadoons!

Press Watch

In case you didn't catch them on Twitter or Facebook, there were a couple of good reviews/interviews for Charge of the Light Brigade last week.

Chicago/New York music blog Consequence of Sound touted the band's debut EP We Haven't Been Properly Introduced, calling the band's sound "familiar yet experimental, different and polished." There were a couple of good in-depth interviews with yours truly, too, in Vancouver's The Delete Bin and at Georgia online mag Junior's Cave. I get to talk about the band's influences, our writing and recording process and the plight of freedom for the independent artist. Check 'em out.

"Young Love" Live is Live

The video of "Young Love" from Charge of the Light Brigade's release gig at the Rivoli is online now. Thanks to Juan Montalvo for shooting and editing this puppy.



The gig itself was a good vibe, with local outfit Bella Clava and New York's Midnight Spin joining us for a night of spit and polish rockness. Best moments were the tit-for-tat covers, with COTLB delivering their brooding take on Springsteen's "Atlantic City" later followed by Midnight Spin's feisty and rambunctious cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World".

There's some great live shots of the show, too, from Juan Montalvo and Allison Janzen, at our Facebook Fan Page.

We're back in the studio now, blasting through the last few tracks to finish for our full-length, The Defiant Ones.  The album is shaping up to be a pretty grand slab of rock'n'roll, much bigger in scope than the small stage of our debut EP We Haven't Been Properly Introduced. Can't wait to drop this one on you guys, some time this fall!

We Haven't Been Properly Introduced available now

Our debut EP We Haven't Been Properly Introduced will be up on iTunes, eMusic and others in a month or so, but you can get it now at the band's own digital store, here. The EP's available to buy in high-quality formats like Apple Lossless, FLAC and 320k mp3s, or more ipod-friendly versions in smaller mp3 and aac formats. We're also giving away two tracks; "Young Love" and "Charge!!" are available for free, so grab 'em and tell us what you think!

For the CD-inclined, there's a great looking digipack version available too, which you can buy here. The EP's spiffy artwork was done by aspiring chanteuse Deniz Reno, and the full package is a sweet collectible. (And about Deniz's online demo, Luke, Marc and Zack all played on those tracks!)

The EP's a taste of what we're working on for our full-length album The Defiant Ones, which we'll be wrapping up this summer. Opener "Young Love" is a soaring paean to the headlong rush of a relationship's first blush. Featuring a fast-moving, dense arrangement with Luke's driving guitars, and Marc's swirling keys flourishes, the song is propelled forward by Zack's thunderous percussion. "Fastest of the Losers" is more melancholy, but still textured and epic in scope. The song got its title from a phrase Luke overheard during the 2008 Olympics. A reference to the second-place finisher of a race, Luke turned the phrase toward the ephemeral, tenuous nature of relationships. Not everyone's a "winner", the song says, but the losers and the outsiders have each other, for as long as love lasts. "Desdemona" is an infectious slice of power-pop wrapped around a relationship-on-the-rocks song, and "Charge!!" is the band's call-to-arms, a rallying cry for determined individualism and expression. The EP's rounded out with an alternate version, the more acoustically-themed "Fastest of the Losers (Endwell Mix)".

The EP was recorded at producer Marc Koecher's Toronto mksoundworks studio, and mastered by Tim Branton at Joao Carvalho Mastering.

Toronto Independent Music Awards Showcase

We're playing a live showcase at the Toronto Independent Music Awards tonight, Wednesday, May 5th. It's happening at The Central, at 603 Markham Street, 1 block west of Bathurst, south of Bloor. They're usually pretty interesting nights, very diverse, talented up-and-coming acts. We played one a year-and-a-half ago, when it was running out of Jeff Healey's Roadhouse. Door are at 8pm, and we're on at 8:50pm. Also on the bill, White Ravens, Vintage Railway, and Candice Chantrell. Cover's $7.

Great chance to catch us if you missed Saturday's blowout at the Velvet. Our bassist Jason is tying the proverbial knot with his gorgeous fiancée and heading to the U.K. to play International Pop Overthrow in Liverpool with Clockwise, so suffice to say it'll be a little while till the next one. See ya there!

Double Duty Squared

We're playing Velvet Underground Saturday, May 1st. The show's gonna be a lot of fun. It's the band's first weekend gig, and we won't have another one for a little while as our bassist Jason is getting married and trooping off to Europe with his blushing bride.

That Saturday's gonna be mad hectic. Zack's pulling a Toronto Phil Collins that night, playing first over at the Drake with Bella Clava before boarding his private jet to fly over to the Velvet for our set an hour later. The man, as you doubtless already know, is a machine. And at our show, Jason's gonna be pulling double-duty as well, playing with us and first with guests Clockwise. They'll be awesome, breaking out a set of pure power-pop before they head to the UK to play the International Pop Overthrow festival in Liverpool. There they'll be playing the legendary Cavern Club.... how cool is that? And their Velvet performance will top off a day of recording a wicked new track. And the next day, the Brigade boys head into the studio ourselves, pressing relentlessly forward on our debut full-length, The Defiant Ones.

Phew.

Everybody's working for the weekend, indeed.

Music and theft: the con of convenience

So this morning I'm reading a post from Mika Schiller on Made Publishing. It's called "Music File Sharing and Digital Disruption Aren't Unfair". The post is a bad attempt at justifying illegal downloading by putting it on a relative moral plane, clearly worse than murder or the right to decent health care or national defense. He goes on to say that file-sharing "isn't a moral issue, it's an economic one." Business models are changing, and why should we protect the old-guard industry standing in the way of progress?

The last part is partly right - business models are changing, and the record industry is struggling desperately to overcome it's near total irrelevance. But there are still key fallacies here. First and most important, a song belongs to an artist. It's their creation. If they choose to give it away, so be it. And indeed there's little choice given the realities of contemporary digital distribution. Secondly, songs from signed artists are the joint property of the artist and the company they work for. Sure, record companies have a long history of corruption. If you look around, so do many companies in many different industries. Kinda the nature of the beast. Regardless, artist and company have made a deal, and selling the songs is what makes the deal viable.

Enter the downloader. Illegal file-sharing is exactly that, the theft of property. Utopian net anarchists will tell you intellectual property should all be free, but they're wrong. It's a lawless, frontier mentality, devaluing the rights of the creator. Anything you create, you are entitled to treat however you the creator see fit, whether giving it away or selling it for profit. Profit is how you earn a living from your creation. It's not an inherently evil word. Perhaps in the future a better model will be adopted. The subscription model is bandied about all the time, but has yet to gain major traction. Legitimate digital downloading is growing, and convenience is certainly part of it. Buying tracks from iTunes or eMusic is a straightforward proposition, and it'll continue to grow as the CD disappears from view.

But back to file-sharing. Sure I'm crying over spilled milk, the cat's out of the bag and Pandora's box is waaaaay open. The fact remains all those albums and tracks you so conveniently swap back and forth don't belong to you. If you could download cars, or pies, the fact that it's theft would be pretty obvious. Sure you didn't kill somebody, but you can't just drive a car off the lot and keep swapping it for a new one every ten blocks. Making something digital makes it ephemeral, so the act of theft appears to be insignificant. Stealing an extra newspaper from the box is another example. You already paid a buck, the box is open, why not grab a few extra papers? But as you waltz away with five broadsheets in your hand, it's pretty obvious you took more than you were entitled to.

Music is especially ephemeral. With the precedent of radio, it's the least tangible art-form. Radio is of course subsidized by advertising. But there's a mental association for the majority of people, that they've listened to plenty of music for free, so now there's a better, easier way to get that music for free. And they're absolutely right. But who's paying for it? Not advertising. Not the industry. And certainly not the downloading music aficionado.

Then there's the live red herring. People argue they may download music from an artist that they don't pay for, but that makes them more likely to pay to see the artist live. It's highly unlikely given the amount of file-sharing going on, that people are seeing every artist they download. So what is it? A 5% justification? 10%? You see a quarter of the acts you download? Which would mean you only stole from 3/4 of them? Which you didn't. You stole from all of them. It just doesn't hold water.

Schiller argues that the rise of the auto industry put the horse and buggy industry out of business, and you can't say that the auto's innovation was unfair to buggies. It's an apples and orange comparison, though. Doubtless new companies will come along with different business models, ones that are more effective and yes profitable than the current record industry. And if those are equitable and share profit more fairly with their artists, more power to them. In the meantime, rampant downloading is no better than the storied corrupt record labels themselves. You're ripping off artists, just like they've done for years. You've just eliminated the middleman.

Ultimately what's under debate is the value of music. Maybe $1 per song is too high. I don't think so. A pack of gum or a chocolate bar costs a buck, you consume it and it's gone. A great song can brighten your day, haunt your memories, become entwined with the soundtrack of your life. A great song you'll play over and over, finding new things to love about it. That isn't worth a dollar? And even a song that isn't magnificent, isn't artful or moving or innovative or whatever floats your boat - if you take momentary enjoyment from that track, from the bop of the rhythm or a lyric or its melody - is that really any different from enjoying a $1 candy-bar?

Artists should be entitled to earn the fair value of their creations. Until a better method comes along that pays stakeholders fairly, can you really argue that taking their work for nothing is okay for now? As an artist myself, I support artists. I buy downloads through iTunes and I have an eMusic subscription (I don't even take advantage of all my downloads every month, but I figure what the hell, it's a small price to pay for the music I do enjoy). If an artist offers freebies and sample tracks, great, I'll grab 'em. But that's where I stop, 'cause there's no excuse for a con of convenience.

The new band, live at Tiger Bar

After a nine month hiatus, I'm glad to say we're finally getting back on-stage. That was waaay tooo loooong!

My new band, Charge of the Light Brigade, is hitting Tiger Bar this Thursday, February 25th, for our debut show. We've had some line-up changes and put a lot of work in on a mess of new material. The EP is nearly done, and we're über excited to be playing these songs in front of a bonafide audience at long last. It should be a cool show, with us, Bitter City and Volcano Playground putting it all out there for Tiger Bar Groove. The bar's at 414 College Street, east of Bathurst, underneath the Crown and Tiger. Cover's a 1+$1 deal - $10 for one person, $11 for two. There's even better deals if you join the promoter's Facebook group - see the details here.

The Brigade will be on at 10pm. Feels like it's gonna be the start of something pretty special. You should be there!