On The Sidewalk Bleeding

Artist Information

Biography

As it so often happens, small town life provided the right ingredients for On The Sidewalk Bleeding while growing up. Boredom, unfinished suburban basements, and a close proximity to the big city where they could watch an incredible music scene would hold huge significance for the five band members.

Bands like The Preshure Point, Drive-By Punch, Choke, Misery Signals, Dayz Wage, Change Methodical, Ten Second Epic and so many other amazing bands to grace the Edmonton Music Scene had a profound impact on OTSB, who are now honored to be a part of that same scene.

Sharing the stage with new acts like Mapping The Escape, Greater Than Giants, Snic and so many other talented local bands, On The Sidewalk Bleeding gives it everything they’ve got at every show, in hopes of making a fraction of the impact that they’ve felt from so many of the bands they love.

Whether it be writing, playing, promoting or round after round of Call of Duty after practice, OTSB really care about what they’re doing and are loving every second of it. High energy, pounding melodies, the occasional gang vocals, and a few karate kicks are always on call at their shows. Playing live is what the band is really about. Connecting with other bands and fans helps push OTSB to move forward, and play every show as if it’s their last.

On The Sidewalk Bleeding is a band often described as a post-hardcore sound, which pulls their influences from punk, metal and the only Metallica cassette that works in their trusty tour van, “Brian Vantana”.

In August of 2008, OTSB made the trek down to Three Hills, Alberta to hang with the local town folk, and record with producer, Mark Troyer. After five days at Muzik Haus recording studio, the band had a shiny new five song EP in their hands.

After many months of planning and preparation, the band finally ready to release “The Concrete EP” in March, 2009. OTSB will be playing six shows in a mini-Alberta tour to promote the new EP, including their hometown, Fort Saskatchewan, and ending with the Edmonton Release Party at the SONiC Showcase on March 27th at the Pawn Shop.

On The Sidewalk Bleeding has been playing together for three years now, and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. With one cross-Canada tour under their belt already, OTSB is planning their second tour for May. From Vancouver to Winnipeg, and possibly beyond, On The Sidewalk Bleeding and “Brian Vantana” will be heading off on a conquest of global domination, one community hall at a time.

“The Concrete EP” will be available at any show, and for a limited time, it will be free for download on the band’s website. www.onthesidewalkbleeding.com

Instrumentation

Reuben Wurtz · Vocals
Jeff Reirson · Bass/Vocals
Paul Hansen · Guitar
Shane Meehan · Guitar/Backup Vocals
Andrew Hansen · Drums

Discography

The Concrete EP - 2009
· 5 songs

Self Titled EP - 2006
· 6 songs

Official Website

http://www.myspace.com/onthesidewalkbleedingband

Audio

• Lonely Night In Vegas
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• Spanish
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• David
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• Journals
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• I Am Not Afraid
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Lyrics

• Spanish
• Journals

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Fort Sask. band joins online music giveaway [+ Show ]
  

  On The Sidewalk Bleeding offers free tunes to fans who sign up for group's mailing list BY SANDR...On The Sidewalk Bleeding offers free tunes to fans who sign up for group's mailing list
  
  BY SANDRA SPEROUNES
  THE EDMONTON JOURNAL
  MARCH 23, 2009
  
  
  You can't get blood from a stone.
  
  In this case, the stone represents music fans who no longer want to buy CDs -- they'd rather find free leaks online.
  
  Which is why more acts are discounting, or even giving away, their tunes.
  
  U2 and Chris Cornell were briefly selling their latest efforts for $3.99 and $2.99 respectively on Amazon.com. Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction are now offering a free compilation of new and old tunes via ninja2009.com.
  
  Fort Saskatchewan's On The Sidewalk Bleeding is taking the free route too. When fans sign up for the metal-punk band's mailing list at onthesidewalkbleeding.com, they'll get a free download of OTSB's new five-song effort, The Concrete EP.
  
  "It's hard for any band, never mind a small band, to sell their stuff," says guitarist Shane Meehan.
  
  "This is really to reach a new audience, so we decided to give it away. People get music for free, it's great exposure for us, and I think everybody wins."
  
  OTSB is also reaching a new audience as Sonic 102.9 FM's band of the month for March. Spanish, a chugging number with melodic vocals and growls, is in regular rotation.
  
  Meehan and his four bandmates are now vying for a slot on Taste of Chaos, a metal-punk tour featuring Thursday and Cancer Bats.
  
  OTSB is one of the top 20 finalists in an online battle-of-the-bands contest. Fans voted for their favourites; a panel of music experts will pick winners for Taste's stops in Calgary (April 1), Edmonton (April 3), and Saskatoon (April 4).
  
  "We feel pretty optimistic," says Meehan. "We'll know soon, I guess."
  
  In the meantime, OTSB will release The Concrete EP as part of their Sonic showcase on Friday at the Pawn Shop, 10551 Whyte Ave.

• On the Sidewalk Bleeding not stereotypical [+ Show ]
  

  Radio station names rock group 'band of the month' By Paul Grigaitis / Record Staff Despite th...Radio station names rock group 'band of the month'
  
  By Paul Grigaitis / Record Staff
  
  Despite the absence of lead vocalist Reuben Wurtz, local band On the Sidewalk Bleeding, from left, Jeff Rierson, Andrew Hansen, Paul Hansen and Shane Meehan practice in the basement of a Fort Saskatchewan home last month. The group has been selected as Sonic 102.9 FM’s band of the month for March. Photo: Paul Grigaitis/Fort Record
  
  A Fort Saskatchewan-based band — On the Sidewalk Bleeding — is taking their music to the next level with the release of a new CD they hope will carry enough wallop to subdue giant marshmallow men.
  
  In addition to releasing a new CD, the group of five 20-somethings that formed in the basement of a Fort Saskatchewan home three years ago is planning a tour of western Canada. They have applied to play in two major Canadian music festivals and were also named by radio station Sonic 102.9 FM as band of the month for March.
  
  “The Concrete EP” is a five-track independently released recording and the second recorded CD for the local band is expected to be available this month.
  
  “Everything went so much smoother and we had so much more fun,” said drummer Andrew Hansen of their second go in a recording studio. “We kind of experimented with a few more things and we’re all super stoked about this CD.”
  
  On the Sidewalk Bleeding shares the same name with the short story written by Evan Hunter. The story criticizes stereotyping and labeling. A few of the band members remember reading the story in school and like what it stands for, Hansen explained.
  
  Hansen’s brother, Paul, plays guitar, Reuben Wurtz sings, and Shane Meehan, who is living temporarily in Edmonton but is expected to move back to the Fort soon, plays guitar and also provides back up vocals. Jeff Rierson, a Sherwood Park resident, plays bass.
  
  Hansen described On the Sidewalk Bleeding as heavy rock enjoyable to people aged between 12 and 50. He said Rierson often humorously compares the band to a scene in the popular movie Ghostbusters in which the main characters cross their weapons’ proton beams in order to take down a giant marshmallow man.
  
  “That’s what we sound like, plus drums and singing,” Hansen said explaining that the band has a new kind of sound combined with “hard-hitting lyrics” comparable to Pink Floyd.
  
  Sonic 102.9 FM’s music director, Adam Thompson said he was “blown away” by the package the group sent in as their band-of-the-month submission.
  
  “I’m thinking they can do some big things this year,” he said, adding they have a good chance of landing a spot on the Taste of Chaos tour when it hits Edmonton on April 3.
  
  “Their whole album is really well put together. They’ve got the whole Alexis on Fire thing going where they’ve got really nice harmonies and some pretty aggressive style too. A lot of people that really resonates with so it’s going to be good to get them on the air.”
  
  People can vote for the band to play Edmonton’s show at www.battleofthebands.com.
  
  But plan a trip to Boys and Girls Club of Fort Saskatchewan next Wednesday if you want to see the locals play live. On the Sidewalk Bleeding is headlining a show of four acts at the local youth organization.
  
  Mapping the Escape, All Shaded Squares, and Eli Ritz, all from Edmonton, will take the stage before On the Sidewalk Bleeding closes the show.
  
  In May, On the Sidewalk Bleeding hits the road on a western Canada tour that wraps up in mid-June. Hansen said the band also has hopes for landing spots in Vancouver’s annual New Music West Festival and Conference and Toronto’s North by Northeast festival.
  
  Music from On the Sidewalk Bleeding’s latest CD can be listened to on the band's MySpace site.
  
  pgrigaitis@bowesnet.com

• On The Sidewalk Bleeding set to release their debut CD [+ Show ]
  

  BY MICHAEL SPEARS (Staff Writer) Local rock band On the Sidewalk Bleeding is set to release their...BY MICHAEL SPEARS (Staff Writer)
  
  Local rock band On the Sidewalk Bleeding is set to release their debut CD next weekend.
  
  To celebrate the release they along with many of their friends in the music scene are assembling at Avenue Skatepark, 9030 118 Street, to showcase the material from their new album.
  
  The band is comprised of three guys from the Fort, and two from Sherwood Park. Brothers Andrew and Paul Hansen, and Reuben Wurtz represent the Fort, while Tom Pawelec and Jeff Reirson are from the Park.
  
  “Paul and I were in the band Tragedy at Sunrise. Reuben used to play in My Tell Tale Heart. Tom was in Golden Boy, and Jeff was most recently in Valentene,” said Andrew Hansen.
  
  “We were all friends outside of the music business. My brother, Reuben and myself were going to do something for worship at our church, Fort Alliance. We got jamming down in the basement and making music. Tom gave us a call and asked if we’d jam with him. He came over and then Jeff called needing a band for a show. From there we wrote some songs.”
  
  For the fledgling band, which only formed earlier this year in January, their six track EP, Sunsets, represents another stage in their career.
  
  “We recorded the album with Torque Records in Gauvin Saskatchewan, it was actually a side project that Torque Records and Veneration Music from Vancouver were doing. They were recording six bands over the summer and we were one of them,” said Hansen.
  
  As a band On the Sidewalk Bleeding have only been seen by Fort audiences twice; they played with Calico Drive earlier this May, and also were a feature band on Canada Day this year.
  
  "Usually we play shows in Beaumont, Camrose of Edmonton,” he said.
  
  This is not the band’s first time playing at Avenue Skatepark, they’ve played several gigs there before.
  
  “We like the mix of people from the music scene and the skate scene,” said Hansen.
  
  Among the six tracks Hansen thinks that ‘Sunsets on Sunday’ is likely the band’s track most likely to emerge as a single.
  
  “It’s a really catchy song and one of our first songs. It was an important song and we named the EP after it. It seems like it’s the favorite song of a lot of people that have heard our stuff,” he said.
  
  “And as a band we really like it.”
  
  The album’s exposure has been limited to the band’s Myspace site.
  
  “Anyone that’s heard our stuff live or on Myspace has told us that they really like it. It seems that a lot of our friends really like our sound. The producer who recorded us couldn’t really come up with a band when we asked him who we sounded like. He said that we’ve got a really heavy sound, but with lots of singing in it too,” said Hansen.
  
  “We play a lot of new age rock. We play rock with a little bit of a metal influence, but it’s mostly a heavier rock sound. I think as a band Underoath is probably one of our biggest influences. We really all like a lot of the harder sounding music. We’re also into August Burns Red and Atreyu.”
  
  

Setlist

1. Lonely Night In Vegas
2. Spanish
3. Sunsets On Sunday
4. David
5. Broncos vs. Redskins
6. Journals
7. I'm Not Afraid
8. Cherry Vanilla Tea

Set Length: 40 - 60 minutes

Basic Requirements

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