Idle Sons
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
Nothing is going to stop this band from persevering, writing, touring, and otherwise pursuing a career playing hard-driving rock. As their moniker may one day have suggested, these four guys from Burlington, Ontario are idle no more...
not that they ever were, really, except in the eyes of some of their parents, who used to tease them about forfeiting traditional jobs for rock ‘n’ roll.
Now, a decade since lead singer/guitarist Mike Eastick, guitarist Sean Kelly, bassist Bruce Nicol, and drummer Ryan Barkwell solidified the lineup, Idle Sons are earning a loyal but steady fan base both at live shows in Canada, and online at MySpace, where songs such as “Waiting Around,” “Now Forever,” and the cover of The Outfield’s “Your Love” have received almost 9000 plays each climbing by thousands every couple of weeks.
While “Your Love” is sparse and acoustic, “Waiting Around” and “Now Forever” are superb melodic rock songs that display the same kind of intensity aurally that Idle Sons have demonstrated throughout their career. Recorded in Los Angeles over six months with producer Gavin McKillop (Goo Goo Dolls, Audiovent), those two tracks, plus 11 others (“Your Love” is only available on a limited run Coalition compilation), comprise the band’s yet to be titled album. The album was initially made for a major U.S. label, which graciously gave it back to the band after what we will call some strife and disappointment.
It’s been a couple of years since Idle Sons, then called slurpymundae, recorded them, but the songs still hold up, which, of course, is a testament to great songwriting. “They’re still fun to play live, but we do have a dozen new songs, but we feel the ones on the record are still valid.,” says Mike. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to put on two or three new ones and then maybe remix the whole record and put it out as a new package.”
All on the same page, a band can’t get any more committed than these four guys. Originally formed while still in high school as slurpymundae, the band put out the independent EP Splurge, followed by Sifter. They mainly toured southern Ontario, and were invited to join Wind-Up recording act Finger Eleven on its Big Noise Tour. “We grew up together,” says Mike. “We all went to the same high schools. They’re from Burlington; we’re from Burlington.”
That affiliation led to a relationship with Coalition Entertainment, which manages Finger Eleven, as well as Our Lady Peace and Simple Plan. With management now secured, the band did a three-song demo with F11 guitarists James Black and Rick Jackett. It included “Waiting Around,” “Now Forever,” and “Long Way Home” (the rerecorded McKillop version features F11 frontman Scott Anderson). It immediately landed “slurpymundae” that coveted record deal. But as paradise turned to, well, a long freakin’ time in an LA studio, the band kept writing. They had a 16-track studio at their condo and recorded the acoustic-based ballad “The Good Life” and rocker “Before The Fall.”
Interestingly, the even newer songs, recorded once Idle Sons returned home, seem to speak volumes. Demoed on their Pro Tools rigs, one is called “Tell Me;” the other is “Maggot.” One would think the latter might be about the music industry, but it’s actually about an abusive father figure; “Tell Me” is more uplifting about not giving up. “Pretty fitting for our situation,” says Mike. “As far as we’re concerned, we just keep writing songs and moving forward. It did suck (the label fiasco), but we came out of it thinking whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, as a band. We got a lot of good material out of it”
To hear it, contact:
Julian Gruhl - Coalition Entertainment Management
10271 Yonge St. Suite..202 - Richmond Hill, ON - L4C-3B5
Ph: 905.508.0025
