Ska’s not dead. Ajax, Ontario’s The Johnstones are making sure it stays that way.
Throughout the past decade, Ajax has spawned popular musicians like white rapper Snow and the monster-selling pop-punk band Sum 41. Happily, The Johnstones are nothing like these groups.
The Johnstones take equal cues from raucous ska groups like Big D & the Kid’s Table, song construction straight from classic reggae and vocals culled from Minor Threat demos. The group’s innovation helped them sign with The Planet Smashers’ record label Stomp Records (now part of Union Records Group), which features classic Toronto ska artist Westbound Train and reggae-pop stars Bedouin Soundclash. The group also earned a feature spot on CBC Radio 3’s “Breaking New Sounds” and are in the process of recording the follow-up to their acclaimed debut full-length Word is Bond.
The five-piece Johnstones found their way for a short stint on Warped Tour in 2007, where the group’s frenzied live shows gained them a rabid fan base and close to a quarter million views on MySpace. The group traveled to California on a grant from the Canadian government. The trip was made to shoot a new music video for the astoundingly catchy “Sunny Days,” which has summery lyrics and a guitar riff that borrows its way into your skull and stays there.
Recently The Johnstones have appeared on MTV Canada and French-Canadian channel MusiquePlus. They have a fanatical fanbase across Canada and are about to embark on a Canada wide tour. A show at Whistler Mountain, British Columbia highlights the tour during the World Cup of Skiing on February 22.
It’s not a matter of if but when The Johnstones break huge in the U.S. They are already luminaries on the ska scene in Canada. These guys have the talent and sheer originality to destroy rock radio.
http://www.myspace.com/thejohnstones
- Garrett Lyons
No comments:
Post a Comment