Hamilton bands to listen out for
Our city is home to plenty of diverse musical acts doing interesting things. Here are just some we think you should know about.
If you lost track of the local music scene over the last four years, you’re not alone. Waking up from the fever dream of COVID lockdowns, many of us found half the familiar music venues shuttered and feared the worst: that the music scene, while perhaps not dead, had withered significantly.
In a word, nope. There are several dozen Hamilton artists who prove differently.
There’s so much new talent in town that we can’t even begin to list them all, let alone feature them all. Solo artists, and artists in other genres (hip-hop, electronic, etc), will have to wait for another article in another issue. For now, we’d like to introduce you to three local rock bands you need to check out: cute, Sundried Whales and Fast Brake.
UP AND COMERS
Who: cute
Who, specifically: Daniel Conroy – vocals, guitar, atmosphere; Ciarán Galati – guitar, vocals; Chuck Kostash – bass; Zach Vernon – drums
Since: 2022
Recordings: apocalypse / life (2023) & she (2023)
You could call cute a noise-rock group, but that diminishes just how original the Hamilton band sounds. Elements of noise are present, but are blended with modern-day psyche, epic rock sounds (think Mogwai or Godspeed) and even, at times, a kind of groovy vibe. Our own notes, written about the songs on she, say things such as: “intentionally barely keeping it together;” “Talking Heads but also entirely not;” and “as if the Constantines lost their minds.” It is, in other words, difficult to put their sound into words. But it sure is fun to try.
Vocalist/guitarist Daniel Conroy conceived of cute’s music long before the band itself existed. “I had a lot of the sounds and textures in my head already,” Conroy says. “Then the pandemic hit and left me a few years to gestate what I was trying to create.”
With this aural vision in mind, Conroy recruited band members from across the Hamilton music scene. In 2022, after a jam session with Conroy, Vernon and Galati, they knew they were almost there. Shortly afterwards, they invited Kostash to join; within their first two practices, they had written the majority of their first release, apocalypse / life.
The band are inspired by artists as varied as Australian gloom balladeer Nick Cave, groundbreaking provocateurs The Velvet Underground, and jazz experimentalists such as Albert Ayler. cute carry their experimental, progressive ethos beyond the music and into their artwork, image, live show and philosophy.
“We are trying to not play into a broken system as much as we can with a new project,” says Conroy. “Our attempt is to make the shows we play and the merch we sell as affordable as possible. We demand all of our shows be a safe place for all who attend.”
As for making art in their hometown, they suggest that they’ve faced the challenges that most artists face, but do consider the Hamilton music scene to be a strong and love one. “I think it’s the most creative it’s ever been,” says Kostash. “Strong and diverse.”
Thanks in large part to cute, that assessment appears to be true.
Who: Sundried Whales
Who, specifically: Emman Alavata – vocals, guitar; Cache Kadlec-Smith – guitar, vocals; Curtis Heintzman – drums; Brendan Armstrong – bass, auxiliary instruments; Alex Tessier – bass (pictured, but recently departed to focus on solo endeavours)
Since: 2018
Recordings: “Apartments” (single) (2019), The EP (2022), “Don’t Feel Bad” (single) and “Socks” (single) 2023
Sundried Whales share an energy from past pop-rock bands; think Tokyo Police Club, Said the Whale, or ’90s indie pop like Guided By Voices. They’re in no way retro, however; they update the sound and put their own unique spin on indie pop songwriting. It’s the reason they sound so familiar and original at the same time.
The band began at McMaster, where Emman Alavata met Cache Kadlec-Smith where both studied multimedia. They decided they wanted to play music together in 2018, though the collaboration wasn’t immediately forthcoming. “It took a while,” Alavata recalls, “but I was eventually convinced and we started writing tunes.”
Over the next few months the Sundried Whales lineup began to take shape, and while it has shifted over time, the band’s direction remained true. The combination of common influences (Jeff Rosenstock, PUP, and Pavement) gels with each member’s own separate influences from a variety of genres to push the band’s creativity.
“We want to make music that is meaningful to us and have fun doing it,” says Alvata. “When we started, we coined the term ‘noisy grib grop’ because we didn’t know how to describe ourselves. Nowadays, we typically state that we’re an indie/alternative band with some punk mixed in.”
The band’s first gig was a McMaster Battle of the Bands in 2019. “We won that night and that was pretty cool,” Alavata says. “We were nervous at the time, but throughout our set, that energy transformed into something fun. Brendan started cutting his hair, as a bit, and then proceeded to drop-kick the pair of scissors across the stage.”
That kind of energy remains in the band’s live show, though most times, their haircuts remain untouched.
Who: Fast Brake
Who, specifically: Stuart Feenstra – sax and auxiliary percussion; Dean Irvine – lead guitar; Francesco Citino – bass; Fady Dawood – drums; Steven Ghobril – vocals, rhythm guitar.
Since: 2019
Recordings: Spain For Lunch EP (2023)
What sets Fast Brake apart from some other indie-alternative bands is the groove. The band has been inspired by Americana and modern pop, but also jazz and R&B, and the way a song such as “Riding the Waves” sways – without falling into modern R&B/pop clichés – is noticeable.
Fast Brake made it official in 2019, but like everyone else in this article, they were stymied by the pandemic; the band didn’t get to play until 2022. “We joked that our first album should be called Obstacles,” jokes Ghobril.
Ghobril and Irvine met at McMaster University in 2014, and then wound up in the same bachelor of education program at Western University. “On the first day of the program, I saw him walking past my house on the way home from campus and I invited him in for a beer and a jam. That’s when I showed him ‘Riding With The Waves’ and ‘Long Legged Lady,’ both of which he was super stoked on. A few years later, I was back in Hamilton looking for work and that’s when we started putting Fast Brake together.”
Enlisting a couple of friends, the full band came together. Their auspicious debut was in Irvine’s parents’ backyard. “We played for his mom’s 60th birthday and definitely brought the energy,” Ghobril recalls. “It was mostly covers and a few originals … but we still had a blast.”
Their “public” debut, though, was at the legendary Corktown in the fall of 2022, following in the footsteps of many an enduring Hamilton artist.
“Hamilton has a hometown energy that’s hard to deny,” says Ghorbil. “It’s a small scene but we can feel it growing. We’re really lucky that we have so many good friends and family in town that are willing to support us at all of our shows, and there’s something charming about being a small band in the Hammer.”
OTHER NOTABLES
This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are so many other bands we can barely list them all but here’s an attempt. If we missed you or your mom’s band, no offense!
Nicolette & The Nobodies: Self described as: “Influenced by the songs and stage presence of ’60s and ’70s country starlets but retains the gritty rough edges of outlaw country.”
Bent Neck & The Joints: Self-described as: “An incredibly tight and diverse live show, with members with musical backgrounds ranging from jazz to bluegrass to Colombian hardcore.”
The Rumble Wagon: Americana, roots, folk, and soul drawing inspiration from the diverse influences of Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Cake and Counting Crows.
The Night Chill: “Phantasmagoric sounds from the depths of your darkest nightmares...” Instrumental garage/goth with a spooky vampiric vibe.
The Tisdale: An instrumental trio that blends psychedelic funk grooves with measured alternative rock melodies.
Slow Reader: Indie rock good times from percussionist (WTCHS, Jessy Lanza) turned frontwoman Tori Tizzard.
Burn the Louvre: This indie rock band is the duo of singer-songwriters Jordan Speare (vocals/guitar) and Sean Cooper (guitar/vocals).
STILL MORE NOTABLES
We’re out of room to do anything other than list ‘em! …
Goddess, Lucky Honey, Sullen, blosum, Fake Shape, Grey Brother, Mr. Rabbit, Silvertone Hills, Mollolly, Irresponsible Purchase, Lost Faculty … and so, so many others.
