the City Streets

Artist Information

Biography

They play diverse melodic power pop with the spirit of punk rock always shining a light. They have released three full length albums, ‘These Things Happen’, ‘Concentrated Living’, and ‘The Jazz Age’, and 3 EP’s called ‘If you don’t like the Clash you’re a bad person’, ‘The Hipster Cull’, and ‘Decline of the West’. Spring 2012 will see the release of 2 more full length records ‘Winter Lightning’ and ‘Sawdust & Rum’.

They have toured North America extensively, visiting almost every province and state at least once, and performing in Haiti/Mexico. The City Streets have played over 400 shows and counting.

The members of the City Streets are: Rick Reid, songwriter, vocals and guitar, Matt Leddy, bass, backup vocals, Mark Chmilar drums and art/graphic design. Some people have said there are traces of Springsteen, the Replacements, Jawbreaker, the Clash, Gram Parsons, Broken Social Scene, Elvis Costello, Pavement, Wilco and the bleak prairie where they grew up in their songs. Their songs are about fading beauty, strange madness, childhood, being drunk and broke, romantic idealism, inherited sadness, glory nights, failure and love.

The City Streets have released their albums and received almost uniformly excellent, sometimes insightful reviews. They also have been fortunate to have continual support from campus radio across Canada for all of their releases, and both full length albums charted in the top 150 overall in the year they were released. Concentrated Living was the #1 record on CJSR in 2008. They were added to XM Verge radio in May 2009 and played a live set on-air. They have also played showcases at SXSW, NXNE, Pop Montreal, and Canadian Music Week.

The City Streets are the hardest working band in Canada, and one of the best. Come see them play and if you’re feeling up to it, let them crash on your floor.

"This group is Alberta's only hope. "Concentrated Living" is their latest album and if their brand of Power Pop is any indication of their live performance, then we have lots of hope for them. (along with their home province)."- CBC Radio 3

“Some Replacements, some early Costello, a bottle of Whiskey, and you’ve got some idea of where these hearts-on-their-sleeves, punk prairie boys are coming from.” –Now Toronto NXNE preview

"What sets City Streets apart from other competent songwriters is the intensity they bring to this studio recording — especially Reid’s consistently committed vocal performances. The worst thing you could say about The City Streets is that they occasionally veer towards Kings of Leon–style populism — which probably just means that they’re gonna be huge."

4/5
-Dave Morris, Eye Weekly

"Their songs- a tight mix of the hard social message of the Clash and the twang of Wilco- are spectacular."- Vue Weekly cover story

About the new record, The Jazz Age

“The trio mastered the art of the deliberate build-up, turning pretty ordinary bar band confessionals into mini-crunchy guitar epics with the chops to match the heart. 7.5/10 – Montreal Mirror"

"Containing everything from upbeat punk-rock to haunting ballads, the album has sweeping appeal. The group's diverse musical taste comes through int their lyrics; Reid calls out the Clash, Neil Young, and the Supremes in different songs."
- The Gateway

Instrumentation

Rick Reid-singer/guitar
Matt Leddy-bass/vocals
Mark Chmilar-drums

Discography

The City Streets
"These Things Happen"
Release date-December 2005

The City Streets
"If You Don't Like The Clash, You Are A Bad Person"
Release date-January 2006

The City Streets
"Concentrated Living"
Release date-August 2008

The City Streets
"Movies Are For Retards" Replacements 7" w/Secret Fires
Release date-January 2009

The City Streets
"The Hipster Cull"
Release date-December 2009

The City Streets
"The Jazz Age"
Release date-June 2010

The City Streets
"Peacemaker"
Release date-March 2011

The City Streets
"Winter Lightning"
Release Date - May 2012

The City Streets
"Sawdust & Rum"
Release Date - May 2012

Official Website

http://www.citystreetsband.com

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace

Audio

• For all the (Doomed) Lovers
  Listen   Download
• Tristesse
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• First World Inventions
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• Young Runs Out
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• Yer Ghost
  Listen   Download

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• CBC Radio 3 on 'Concentrated Living' [+ Show ]
  

  "This group is Alberta's only hope. "Concentrated Living" is their latest album and if their brand o..."This group is Alberta's only hope. "Concentrated Living" is their latest album and if their brand of Power Pop is any indication of their live performance, then we have lots of hope for them. (along with their home province)."-CBC Radio 3

• Edmonton Journal best of 2008 [+ Show ]
  

  # 3. City Streets playing at the Likwid Lounge, Oct 3. ... howling away on guitar at some epic noise...# 3. City Streets playing at the Likwid Lounge, Oct 3. ... howling away on guitar at some epic noise, the stage was littered in broken glass and the club itself teetered on the brink of pure anarchy. That's pure rock 'n' roll. -Tom Murray

• CJSR 88.5fm on 'Concentrated Living' [+ Show ]
  

  "The City Streets are getting the most play of any artist I have ever seen on CJSR. As someone who ..."The City Streets are getting the most play of any artist I have ever seen on CJSR. As someone who doesn't lean to well on the "Pop Rock" side of things, Concentrated Living is phenomenal music. I was shocked at how much I liked it."- CJSR 88.5fm music director Aaron Levin

• exile on the city streets [+ Show ]
  

  CITY STREETS These Things Happen (Independent) **** Holy shit, where did these guys come from?...CITY STREETS
  These Things Happen
  (Independent)
  ****
  
  Holy shit, where did these guys come from? If you’ve ever wanted to go back in time to a Minneapolis basement circa 1985, the City Streets might be the band you’ve been waiting for. And sure, the Replacements similarity may be apparent from the first few chords on, but it’s not to say the band is riding on Paul Westerberg’s coattails, happily picking up nostalgic drunks along the way. We’ll look at it more as a passing of the torch, and it bears mentioning that the City Streets have developed a sound of their own, a rock ’n’ roll spirit from a time when that meant something to be proud of.
  
  Hyperbole this isn’t, I genuinely haven’t been won over during the course of an album so convincingly since Exile on Main Street finally managed to convince me that the Stones weren’t just a bunch a tired culture rapists. Forget the loftiness of the comparisons–just pick it up and find out for yourself.
  
  JAMES STEWART
  

• Edmonton favourites keep wet crowd wild [+ Show ]
  

  CITY STREETS Thu, Sept 14, Sidetrack Café A tour kickoff can be a glorious thing. It gives the b...CITY STREETS
  Thu, Sept 14, Sidetrack Café
  
  A tour kickoff can be a glorious thing. It gives the band a chance to hold the debt-slide at bay for at least the first few days of tour as they pull in a decent chunk of change as well as a morale boost from a hometown crowd. Or better yet, a chance to set a precedent for the entire tour. But then sometimes you play a tour kickoff and then sit around town for two weeks, like the City Streets. With tour stories that put everyone else’s to shame (FBI agents, showcase crashing, debauchery), the evening doubled as a sendoff as well as maybe a last chance to see the band in one piece.
  
  Kettle Black had come all the way from Vancouver to open the show, but due to some dodgy road conditions coupled with electrical problems, the solo act was not able to play. Also from Vancouver were the Feminists, what seemed a strange name to give to a band consisting of three dudes and one girl. Their uplifting brand of quirky pop music kept the crowd entertained, but was unable to drum up any real enthusiasm on this wet Thursday.
  
  City Streets took to the stage and got to work playing selections from both of their releases (last year’s These Things Happen and this year’s free online release If You Don’t Like The Clash You’re a Bad Person), as well as a handful of new songs. What strikes me most about the City Streets is their ability to marry the drunken charm of their music with what is fairly sophisticated songwriting and nimble performances, especially in the case of drummer Mark Chmilar.
  
  Even while having shots poured into their mouths mid-song without dropping the beat. Even while being hounded all set by an incredibly drunken fan that left a trail of broken glass in his wake.
  
  There was a real sense of excitement as the band played, with people dancing and singing along, cheering in recognition of the opening chords to their favourite songs. In the annals of Edmonton music history, there will undoubtedly be a large space set aside for the City Streets.
  
  JAMES STEWART
  
  

Setlist

constantly changing sets.
35-40 minute sets.

Basic Requirements

Calendar