Looking Back

Well it's another new year. Before we get into some of the stuff Charge might be up to in the coming year, I thought, damn, we did some pretty awesome things in 2011.

The Defiant Ones came out in February, our first full-length album. Following up on our EP We Haven't Been Properly Introduced from the summer of 2011, the album gave us a chance to really stretch out and try a lot of different things. From the alt-punk riffage of opener "Last Door Down" to the spaghetti western bombast of the closing title track, it's wide-ranging and intense. Lithium Magazine gave it a rave review, saying we had "a rugged flare for bringing raw yet melodic sounds of alternative rock to life alongside the boisterous style of indie darlings like The National and Band of Skulls. 'The Defiant Ones' also features dynamic drum beats, punchy bass lines, jagged guitars, and haunting piano passages." ExploreMusic.com picked "Young Love" for an Indie Track of the Day, and CBC Radio 3 featured "The Real Heart". Late in the year, blogger T.O. Snob chose "Desdemona" as #4 for his Best Songs of 2011. Pretty sweet, and everyone seems to have a different fave.

We did our first real video for "Charge!!", a short and punchy take of the band sweating out the track, directed by Paul Thompson. Check it!



Jason and I got over to the UK to play some dates in Liverpool for the International Pop Overthrow, including a hilarious stint with Japanese tourists in the Cavern Pub.

Then we got to do it all over again the fall for the International Pop Overthrow right here in Toronto!

That was a pretty intense gig. I'd just had surgery for a hiatal hernia two weeks before (which you can read all about here). Sure I was recovering, but they'd made a knot out of the top of my stomach, so maybe playing was pushing it. We did have a really good show, but hoooo I was feeling that the next day!

What else happened?

We played a boat.

We played a garage.

We played a mess of club shows and wrapped the year up with a great benefit gig for Sick Kids where the bands raised nearly a grand for charity!

All in all a pretty solid year.

What's coming next? Well, that's for the next post!

Benefit for Sick Kids Foundation, Friday December 2nd

Charge of the Light Brigade is playing a great benefit show this Friday, December 2nd, for Toronto's Sick Kids Foundation. It's a great opportunity to help out children experiencing all kinds of challenges. Sick Kids is a landmark hospital, one of the leading institutions for advanced care for children. While we're fortunate to be living under a public health care system, there is always more that could be done. The Foundation is involved actively in research, child health, learning and care.

We're glad to be a part of what's going to be a great night. I've been lucky to be involved in a few fundraisers around Christmas over the past couple of years, and they're always a great time. This one's organized by Toronto roots rockers The Alter Kakers. There's four bands playing, and it's happening at Lee's Palace this Friday. Charge is first up, at 9:30pm. Here's our video for "Charge!!", if you haven't seen it:



The Alter Kakers are next up at 10:30pm. They've been perennial chart toppers on Jango radio, and are bound to put on a great show:



Little Creatures are the third band at 11:30pm. They were featured on the History Channel's What's In a Name show this fall, when they took on their new moniker. Pretty fun episode, and it showcases their great pop songcraft really well. Can't embed the video, but go see it here. And here's them live:



Angela Saini and the Residents round out the night at 12:30am with her infectious singer-songwriter confessionals:



Should be a great night for an awesome cause! Tickets are $10. Pick 'em up at the door, or buy direct from any of the bands. Charge's tickets are on-sale in advance at our online store. And we're throwing in the complete album The Defiant Ones if you pick up a ticket direct from us.

Lastly, it'll be an interesting night when Charge takes the stage. Our regular drummer Owen Tennyson ran into a scheduling snafu, so for this night only we're reuniting with our founding drummer Zack Mykula. Owen's fab, and we'll be missing him, but Zack's an awesome drummer in his own right. I'm looking forward to hitting the stage with him playing on the songs he recorded, now that The Defiant Ones has been released. Bettin' it's gonna be pretty spectacular. Hope to see ya there!

I survived the Toronto IPO

Well I can now say gigging after surgery is totally possible. Recommended? No. But doable? You bet your sweet ass!

Charge played the Toronto edition of the International Pop Overthrow on Thursday, November 10th. We were in classic post-infirmary shape. I'd just had major surgery to fix a hiatal hernia, or tear in my diaphragm, two weeks before. Owen was getting over laryngitis, nasty enough on its own, but he has to keep an eye on these things, having suffered through a collapsed lung in his twenties. Yipes! Jason was totally fine, except for the fistful of tequilas he'd been handed by an overzealous fan just before his other band Clockwise hit the stage that same night. In spite of all that, or maybe partly fuelled by it, we put on a rockin' tight set. David Bash, the always affable host and organizer of the IPO events, remarked how Charge can "play any kind of pop song", something we really pride ourselves on. Sometimes we're punky, sometimes progressive, but it's always hung on a power-pop skeleton. That's just the way we roll.

I've been experimenting with playing keys as part of my set-up in the band, but this time we kept it lean and mean. Festivals are always about tight turnovers between bands, and I didn't want the added strain when not in top form. But it made the gig really free and easy for us, not having to sweat all those other parts. The stripped-down power-trio works well for what we do, and as we blasted through everything from "Charge!!" and "Last Door Down" to "Young Love" and even a wrenchingly minimal "The Defiant Ones", the audience was with it every step of the way.

Boy was I sore the next day though.

Really looking forward to our next show, playing a benefit for the Toronto Sick Kids Foundation at Lee's Palace on Friday, December 2nd. It's going to be fun. We're appearing with Toronto roots-rockers The Alter Kakers, the slick pop of Little Creatures, and the cool acoustic stylings of Angela Saini and the Residents. And another change-up for us: Owen's tied up with a different gig, so Charge will be appearing one night only with our original drummer, Zack Mykula. Can't wait to reunite with one of Toronto's great up-and-coming musicians. Seriously, Zack can wail.

We've got a great deal going for tickets for the benefit. If you pick one up direct from the band, you can get a ticket to the show and download our album The Defiant Ones for $10. Buy tickets here. A good cause, four bands, and a free album. Makes a great stocking stuffer too! Seriously, benefit shows are a great way to do something nice around the holidays. Your support makes a difference.

And by December, I should be fully ready to rip again. Okay, poor choice of words. You know what I mean. See ya there!

C'est What?

Charge of the Light Brigade is playing C'est What next Wednesday, March 23rd. We'll be hitting the stage with Garage Baby for a night of power-pop-punk tomfoolery. Also kick-assery. Doors are at 9pm, Garage Baby's on at 9:30pm, and Charge will hit the stage at 10:30pm. $5 gets ya the best seat in the house, anywhere you can hear us. :)

If you can't make it down, you can still hear the whole thing, live-streamed from C'est What's music site. The live radio feed button is at top right.

See ya there!

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!

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!

"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!

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!

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!

"Fightsong" video online now!

From Paul Thompson, the director of "The Prisoner" video, comes our latest for "Fightsong". A great vid of a couple's relationship unraveling, the story's told backward a la Memento. Lensed by Juan Montalvo and shot on a high-end RED Camera, it features the full band plus a sexy debut from Deniz Reno. There's even two different cameos from Elena Vardon, star of "The Prisoner" vid. See if you can find her!

Making “Fightsong”: The Shootist’s Adventure

Alright. No shootists were involved. Although I suppose you could say I was a shootee.

We shot the video for “Fightsong” on Friday, March 13th (not being a superstitious lot). The video was a great chance for Paul Thompson and I to renew our Martini MacGuffin film collaboration. Paul shot my first video, for “The Prisoner”, and together we’ve made a few short films with him directing, and me throwing words together in a semblance of writing.

The “Fightsong” concept is pretty cool. The song’s a moody, apocalyptic love-song. In the video, we watch a relationship unraveling as a musician (that’d be me) succumbs to the trappings of success. Except that the scenes play like Irreversible or Memento, occurring in reverse. So we begin with me alone in my now empty apartment, and work our way backward through the relationship in crisis to happier days to when the couple first views the apartment together. The video’s being edited right now, but that’s what we’re going for, and I think we got it.

We had a lot of luck getting the video off the ground, and got to work with a bunch of great people and familiar faces. Juan Montalvo was our cinematographer, back after lensing our short Quarantine. Album producer Marc Koecher joined my bandmates Scott Hannigan and Zack Mykula to round out the onscreen band. And Elena Vardon, featured in “The Prisoner” video, was a huge help, connecting us up with both the studio where we shot the film (Walnut Studio), and our gorgeous leading lady, Deniz Maria Reno. A great bunch of friends and newly cast strangers rounded out our cast, and the crew was capable, efficient and a pleasure to work with. Our art director Rahema Mohamed did a wonderful job creating the apartment, with much help and driving around from Carmela Versace.

The capper was the Red Camera Paul managed to lay hands on through David Woods. That thing is a **monster**, a magnificent, gleaming black beast with a resolution vastly superior to Blu-Ray. Geeks can feast on its specs here. That camera alone will lend the video incredible cinematic depth and luster.

The shoot was long, brutal and loads of fun. Of course we blew out the power in the studio at one point, frying some fuses in a terrifying old-school circuit box. By fluke, one of our extras was an electrician’s assistant, and helped us to track down the right fuses to replace, which Carm, ever intrepid, had to source at 11pm on a Friday.

In the party and photo-shoot scenes, energy and exuberance were in abundance, fuelled by a little of the ol’ alkey-haul, natch! The people that came out fell right into the spirit(s) of the shoot, and had themselves a blast. Can’t thank them enough for being part of it.

The couple scenes played really well, too. It’s strange, falling into instant intimacy with someone you barely know. But Deniz was a beautiful trooper, and I managed my acting neophyte status the best way I knew, with fits of blazing dorkiness.

The band played great – so what if half of it was pantomime? One of the night’s many magic moments that stood out for me was a scene we shot in the wee hours, when the band was working out “Fightsong” as if for the first time. Scott hunkered on his bass and Zack took drumming notes (evincing the possibility of consciousness in a drummer!), as I played guitar and Marc the accordion. The accordion’s reedy sound drifted haunting over the strains of the track as we played together, gathered on the couch of my fictitious living room, and sang the song together. A perfect film moment, concocted, artificial, yet for a fleeting moment amazingly moving and real.

With the great contributions we got on Friday, and a generous dollop of luck, “Fightsong” will feel the same way.

Now you see it...

So warnings, dear readers, listeners and fellow flies on the wall. Our show at Lee's Palace this Thursday, February 12th has been subjected to a do-over, owing to the Pains of Being Pure Heart taking a bigger venue for their Toronto show. Such are the vagaries of the biz.

But fear not! Luke Sneyd and the Deed bows; we don't break. We've picked up a better night anyway, playing The Silver Dollar at College and Spadina (486 Spadina Ave.) on Saturday, February 21st. Take that frown and turn it upside down, and fill it up with liquid jubilation, 'cause we're gonna break out the new tracks and the old tracks and shake it up till it spritzes all over the stage like hot champagne. (This metaphor's really goin' places I wasn't plannin' on....) Cover's $5, and doors are at 10pm. If you're feelin' Facebooky, visit us here. Come spend the weekend with us. We'll make you breakfast in the morning.

Final mix-down at Iguana

We're into the final mix-down phase for our upcoming Salvo EP. I'm blogging from Iguana up in Downsview as Marc mixes "Fightsong", one of the tracks we've been working on. It sounds great on their absolutely massive SSL board. Trying out BlogWriter, a handy little app for my iPhone. If you like the short and sporadic approach to blogging, check out my twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/sneydman. We're in the middle of a very long day. The work is painstaking and fiddlesome, but wow when the final mix goes up, it sounds pretty superb. The guys here (Vic, John and Luke) are really laidback and knowledgeable. I'm capturing some pics and video snippets which should see the light of day over the next few weeks. The EP is still a ways off, but we should be posting a lead track in the very near future. Till then!

Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards

All of Us Cities has been nominated for Best Rock Album of the year in the Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards! Nifty. Adding to the fun, "I'm the Decider" was also nominated for Best Rock Song. Toronto Exclusive is hosting a fun award celebration on Wednesday, October 22nd at the Smiling Buddha (961 College Street), starting at 8pm. We'll be there to join in the festivities. Nice to see the record's still getting good notices. For full details about the gig, check out the Toronto Exclusive site.

We're nearly finished our upcoming EP. Expect some pretty wicked new songs coming your way in the next month!

Tattoo Rock Parlour!

Great set last night at the Tattoo Rock Parlour. Thanks to them what came down post- their Labour Day weekend hangovers and dreaded kickstart-the-fall with work / school / name-your-poison futures looming large on the dusky horizon! The denizens of Tattoo were mightily pleased with what they beheld. Mike Celia provided a great opening act with some fine guitar work and a cool blues-folk vibe, followed by the stomp and crunch of Fourlines. We wrapped up the bill with a solid set, breaking out some new tracks including "Wheels Come Off" and "The Real Heart". Thanks to Todd Arkell at Cool Planet Entertainment for booking us, and shout-outs to my cousin Mike for doin' lights and the ever-present Marc Koecher for his wicked shots. Check out the pics!

Coming up.... Tattoo Rock Parlour!

We're playing Tattoo Rock Parlour in Toronto, Wednesday, September 3rd. Opening are Mike Celia and Fourlines. Doors at 9pm, cover's $5. The place is at 567 Queen Street West. Sign up for the show on Facebook! It's gonna be wicked - we're breaking out a few of the new tracks we've been working on in the studio, as well as your All of Us Cities faves.