Friday Nov. 25th @ The Loop: Betrayer, Pitch Union & Awake to a Dream

Visit The Loop (156 Chatham St. W. Upper Level) this Friday, November 25^th for a look at some of Windsor’s finest alterative bands.

Betrayer has been part of the scene for years, is in fact one of the city’s longest-running acts. After winning a number of battle of the band competitions and doing  a fair amount of touring in Ontario, they took the better part of 2010 off, but returned earlier this year with a new member and new material. Since then, they have tirelessly played shows across Southern Ontario.

With the sound of a classic metal band, Betrayer is a throwback to the traditional sounds of Iron Maiden and Megadeth, while still keeping their own sound and style of song writing. A far cry from the guttural vocals of many meta acts happening today, frontman Jeff Klingbeil’s style of singing is smooth and rich, operatic, and clearly practiced.

 

 

Joining them onstage is another long-standing local group, Pitch Union. Also with vocals that stand out, this band has a lot more to offer, too. Their live performance commands attention as the room is filled by kaleidoscopic music with a distinct edge. The vertex between 70‘s psychedelic and modern alternative metal, Pitch Union has been playing shows since 2004, and there is definitely a reason they’re still drawing crowds seven years later.

 

 

The third and final band on Friday night’s bill is a newer one, post-grunge progressive outfit Awake to a Dream. And, despite the name, their music has nothing to do with the film Inception. Instead, they’re blending sounds from the early 90s with modern progressive rock. The outcome is an eclectic styling of music that takes unexpected turns in genre and structure.  Live performance by Awake to a Dream is generally amusing with it’s between-song banter, group members “quitting” mid show, and the possibility of a ukulele solo. Also keep in mind that these guys will be releasing their first album on New Year’s Eve at The Coach and Horses.

Betrayer, Pitch Union, and Awake to a Dream will be playing at The Loop (156 Chatham St. W, Upper Level) this Friday, November 25^th. Admission is free, doors open at 9 pm, and you must be at least 19 to attend. 

Sun. Feb. 20: Inoke Errati release new EP to sold out crowd at the Loop?

Despite still being several days away, it appears that the guys from Inoke Errati may be already sitting comfortably in the knowledge that the release party for their new EP, Make-Outs and Movie Stars, will be to a full house.

This Sunday, Windsor’s premiere power pop kings release the highly anticipated follow-up to 2006’s The Wink and The Gun, a 5-song EP produced by the band themselves, with engineering and mixing done by Joel Bruyere (of Thousand Foot Krutch) and mastered by famed engineer Joao Carvalho.

Inoke Errati are a stand out band in many ways, perhaps mostly because of their determination not to sit back and simply wait for good things to happen for them. They’ve toured, played with national touring acts, and sold out venue after venue around Windsor by good old fashioned hard work. The fact that they’re well on their way to selling out The Loop (156 Chatham St. West, above Pogo’s) – which is no small feat, as it’s capacity is 440 people – by pounding the streets and taking a personal approach to selling tickets, is proof positive of the rewards hard work and dedication to your craft can net. At press time, they’d sold well over 300 tickets and they printed 400. Which, if your math skills are calculator reliant, means that there’s only room at the door for 40 more people to get in (if you want to get advance tickets at only $5, email info@inokeerrati.com).

Inoke Errati – a fixture in the local music scene since 2003 – have stuck around as long as they have for the same reason veterans like Ten Indians, fiftywatthead and Kelly “Mr. Chill” Hoppe have. They don’t chase fads, they don’t try and predict what the music industry wants to hear, they simply do what they do best and stick at it. In Inoke Errati’s case, it’s write infectious powerpop with big hooks and a story that everyone can relate to. And they realize that rock and roll, once you strip away it’s pretensions, it’s wardrobes and it’s MTV gloss, is really about uniting as many people as possible through the power of a good chorus and the energy created by the interweaving of the music makers and their listeners. Which is something this power(pop) trio have mastered in spades.

They’ve kept the new EP tightly guarded (even their MySpace only offers clips), so here’s a listen back to their big single from their last record, with a new video recently made by local film maker Gavin Michael Booth.

Doors for the show are EARLY, so don’t say you weren’t warned. Doors are at 7:30pm, with the music starting at 8pm. Opening the show are two great new bands – Shortcut to Last and Beijing Bike Club – as well as The Greatest Invention, the new moniker by the band formerly known as Credible Witness. The plan is to have Inoke Errati finished earlier so they can celebrate the release party out in the crowd as well, with DJ Vin Vicious taking over to close out the night.

Inoke Errati ‘Make-Outs and Movie Stars’ EP Release Party, with special guests The Greatest Invention, Shortcut to Last and Beijing Bike Club, with host DJ Vin Vicious, The Loop (156 Chatham St. West, above Pogo’s), $5 Ticket, 19+, Doors at 7:30pm, Show starts at 8pm