Mardeen brings together the very best of the genre with distinctive pop hooks all their own. Think of the bright shimmering guitar of Built To Spill and Teenage Fanclub accented with the swirling distortion of My Bloody Valentine. Imagine the anthemic vocal delivery of Bob Pollard (Guided By Voices) or early Michael Stipe (REM) mixed with the sweet high harmonies of Rivers Cuomo (Weezer).

Mardeen’s upcoming debut album Read Less Minds and 2005’s critically acclaimed Friends Don’t Love EP were recorded by Halifax indie rock veteran Charles Austin (The Super Friendz, Buck 65). “They have a great melodic sense going for them,” Austin says, “that harkens back to the hookiest moments of Teenage Fanclub, or dare I say it, The Beatles or Zombies, coupled with ferocious guitars that owe as much to The Ramones as they do the current crop of jingle janglers!”

Music as expertly crafted and as confidently performed as this doesn’t just happen. It requires a solid foundation, a dedicated and shared vision. “It’s all in how deep the rock goes,” sings Travis Ellis in “Can You Feel It” from Read Less Minds. In the capable hands of these musicians, the rock is sourced from deep within that foundation, each song a polished gemstone.

“Matthew, Jon and I have been playing music together since we were 12,” explains Travis. The three grew up in the small community of Whycocomagh in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. “We are first cousins. The three of us write and record all of the songs.”

The song’s chorus asks two questions all music fans should ask themselves when assessing new songs: Can you feel it in your mind? Can you feel it in your body? In the case of Mardeen, the answer to both is a resounding yes.

1 Aug 2008 20:00 The Capital Fredericton, New Brunswick
3 Aug 2008 14:00 SAPPYFEST Sackville, New Brunswick

Arriving fully formed, Brent Randall & His Pinecones released the expertly crafted debut EP, Quite Precisely, in late 2004 (Charting 34 on Earshot). The seven songs on the album showed a style of song and depth in writing rarely seen since Brill Building era pop. Randall quickly became a enigmatic yet renowned character throughout the East Coast. Along with His Pinecones, made up of Laura Peek, David Ewenson, Joel Goguen, Brian O’Reilly and Jess Lewis, he played several legendary shows in the years that followed, previewing new songs from an ever forthcoming LP that never seemed to materialize.

Four years later, and the wait is finally over. From the first listen of “Strange Love (Don’t Be Lazy),” it’s apparent that the time spent honing the songs on We Were Strangers in Paddington Green was not in vein. The track’s cabaret inspired delivery balances camp and beauty with equal grace. Produced by Jason MacIssac (Jenn Grant, The Heavy Blinkers), the song’s lush sound is reminiscent of peak era Paul McCartney and Harry Nilsson. Randall’s penchant for grandiose arrangements delivered over classic songwriting continues throughout the rest of the album. From the epic chorus of “This House” to the more crestfallen “Slumberjack,” We Were Strangers in Paddington Green never reveals the hand print of its formation. It instead is a beautifully complete document, balancing emotion and sound into one forward striding and backwards looking collection of songs.

A single featuring two songs from this album (Strange Love and This Absence of Mine) has been released online and on vinyl 7 inch. The single has received a lot of attention on CBC radio and campus radio alike. Although the past two years we’re spent recording, Brent has kept busy with the live band. Brent Randall and his Pinecones have completed two national tours in the last year as well as a number of East Coast and Ontario tours. They’ve shared the stage with such acts as Wintersleep, M Ward, The Hylozoists, Two Hours Traffic, The Meligrove Band, Dog Day, and Germans. They were invited to Toronto to record a CBC Radio 3 “In Session” which was also filmed for a one hour program on CBC’s digital tv station, “County Canada.” In 2006 Music Nova Scotia selected him to take part in their high profile private showcase night at Canadian Music Week, they performed at CMW in Toronto opening for the Buttless Chaps and the Halifax Pop Explosion with In Flight Safety and Dog Day. In fact over the past few years Brent has played most of the best alternative music festivals, including Coast to Coast in PEI, Stereophonic in Sackville NB, Pop Montreal in Montreal, Pop Explosion in Halifax, Juno Fest in Halifax, and the QuebecOff in Quebec City.

18 Jul 2008 20:00 The Marquee – Hey Rosetta CD release Halifax, Nova Scotia
25 Jul 2008 12:00 Grand Parade Square: Tunes at Noon Halifax, Nova Scotia
25 Jul 2008 17:30 Evolve Festival Antigonish, Nova Scotia
8 Aug 2008 20:00 Virgil’s Backyard Halifax, Nova Scotia
22 Aug 2008 22:00 Close to the Coast Fest. Baba’s Lounge Ch’town, Prince Edward
18 Sep 2008 22:00 Gus’ Pub w/ BA Johnston , The Stance Halifax, Nova Scotia
19 Sep 2008 22:00 Baba’s Lounge w/ BA Johnston + The Stance Charlottetown, Prince Edward
20 Sep 2008 22:00 The Capital w/BA Johnston and The Stance Fredericton, New Brunswick

Little Foot Long Foot, born out of necessity. This two member Toronto-based band was conceived from a tribute act. Isaac Klein (drums) bought his second tom to bash like Bonham, and Joan Smith (guitar and vocals) did her best to carry off Plant’s feminine machismo without stuffing her pants. After discovering that the smartest business decision for a tribute band is to add as many midgets as possible, Joan accepted her inability to shred wicked solos, strapped on a fat loud guitar and dug out her originals. Isaac put away the second tom so that Joan’s amp would fit in his car, and they journeyed towards a new horizon where White Stripes comparisons were lush and unavoidable.

Being a two piece band is all Little Foot Long Foot has in common with The White Stripes – musically they couldn’t be further apart. Joan’s voice is hard to put to words, there are moments when you can picture her chugging back JD straight from the bottle, channeling Joplin herself. From a light Billie Holiday to a Dylan feel. Be sure to check this Toronto Blues-Rockn’ duo with their injections of sarcastic prose at one of these great venues.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

June 17th 9pm Mercury Lounge, Ottawa with Bible All Stars
June 18th 9pm Brasserie Lafontaine, Riviere Du Loup
June 20th 9pm The Capital, Fredericton with Chris Colepaugh
June 21st 8pm Summer Solstice Festival, Saint John’s
June 25th 10pm Tribeca, Halifax
June 28th 9pm Brennans, Charlottetown
June 30th 8pm The Mersey House, Liverpool
July 4th 8pm Chuggles, Antigonish
July 5th 8pm Seahorse Tavern, Halifax
July 8th 10pm Gus’s Pub, Halifax
July 10th 9pm The Capital, Fredericton
July 11th 8pm Duncan’s Pub, Amherst with Jon McKeil
July 12th 8pm JB’s Pub, Springhill NS with Nicknameless
July 18th 8pm A Khord, St John’s
July 19th 8pm Doc Dylans, Moncton
July 23rd 9pm Divan Orange, Montreal
July 24th 9pm The Rainbow, Ottawa
Aug 14th 8pm The Supermarket, Toronto
Aug 15th 9pm PepperJacks’s, Hamilton