9 Lives and Counting

Toronto rockers 9 Lives and Counting formed in 2011 and have made their mark on rock music since. The band consists of Peter Alexander (guitar), Craig Burnatowski (lead vocals), Jason Hutchings (drums) and Scott Everatt (bass and vocals). 9 Lives and Counting is about to head out on tour in April with Johnny Nocash. The band have their tracks available for listening on Reverbnation. If you see that they are coming to a city near you, be sure to check them out on tour.

How has it been trying to get into the music scene in Toronto?

Toronto is a true make it or break it type of scene. It takes a lot to gain traction and to get attention amidst all the other great acts. BUT that’s why we love playing here, every show we meet a new band that encourages us to go back and get better.

What makes your sound distinct from other hard rock bands in the area?

We feel that our music speaks to a huge demographic. Our songs are relatable – but are not cookie cutter.

Craig – We pride ourselves on complex but accessible riffs and melodies.

How is the band preparing for the upcoming tour?

Practice, Practice and Practice. Our set is rock solid, tight and we know that the towns we visit will be left with the absolute best impression of what it means to be at a 9 Lives and Counting show.

What made you want to pursue as a music career?

Jason – I have wanted to pursue music as a career since I was 10 yrs old. I feel in love with music’s creative side and loved how it touched people.

Craig – Music is the most important part of my life. To this day I still find songs that affect me emotionally and resonate in my life. The drive to create something that would have the same effect on someone else is intoxicating.

Who are some of the bands influences?

Craig – We all bring our own tastes and favourite bands into the mix and constantly find common ground. Lyric and melodic songwriting influences for Craig include: Sting, Maynard James Keenan, I Mother Earth, and all the other great bands I listened to growing up.

Peter – Faith No More, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden

Scott – Living Color

What has been the writing process for your music?

Craig- Instrumentally, the first batch of songs were written by Peter. He will often bring in fully fleshed out songs that we will then tweak collectively. Newer songs have been more collaborative with Scott, Jason, and Peter working on concepts together. Craig will ad lib melodies and lyrics until he feels comfortable enough to take the songs home and commit final lyrics and harmonies to them. New songs will often be played with ad libbed lyrics several times for audiences before they are finalized.

Here are Canadian Beats we like to ask some fun questions. Here we go:

If you weren’t a musician what would be doing?

Jason – I would be a music teacher or an Urban Planner or GIS Analyst, these things still might happen.

Scott – I’d be an actor.

Peter – I’d be in Jail - Canadian Beats

In recent years, Toronto has been cultivating a rapidly growing and diverse rock ‘n’ roll scene, including 9 Lives And Counting, a band which stands out from the crowd of near countless number of bands and among Toronto’s top talent. The release of Beautiful Distraction, their debut, full length record, solidifies this, providing listeners with a hard hitting and unique collection of songs.

From the first notes of the opening track, “Out Of My Head”, the listener is pulled into the fray surrounded by a barrage of crunching guitars, slithering riffs, and earth shaking howls. Throughout the rest of Beautiful Distraction, 9 Lives And Counting show that their rock is one that is multifaceted and takes a great number of influences to create a highly original album. Most notably, the band is able to seamlessly blend the rhythmic hooks and riffs of 1970’s classic rock, reminiscent of legendary acts like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, with a heaviness taken from Metallica’s post thrash era, and a tone and pallet of textures inspired from the alternative rock of the 1990’s, especially Canadian bands Our Lady Peace and I Mother Earth. Few modern bands dare to pull together such a wide range of genre crossing influences, fewer could pull it off, and only 9 Lives And Counting could have created Beautiful Distraction.

From the sludgy drag of “Silence And Shadows”, to the upbeat and slightly funky pulse of “Marionettes”, Beautiful Distraction manages to cover much ground, giving listeners an album which remains in constant motion. Even the softer numbers, if they can be called that, are of excellent quality. “Home”, with its dark and ominous tone and dual acoustic and electric strummed chords, most resembles a ballad; however the track grows with the inclusion of drums, distortion, and dissonance to become a prime example of a modern power ballad, one which can easily be heard as an arena sized echo as thousands of fans sing along.

Without a doubt, 9 Lives And Counting are a clear cut above most artists Toronto has to offer. As new music, specifically rock go, I would say they stand among the top tier of up and coming bands as very, very few bands play rock ‘n’ roll like this. Much of modern rock seems to have fallen to countless clichés and tired models of composition, but Beautiful Distraction proves to be the opposite of this through 9 Lives And Counting’s unique style of song writing, their emphasis on groove, and their hooks which are as interesting melodically as they are rhythmically. Songs like the previously mentioned opening track, “Out Of My Head”, “Seas Of Unknown”, “Fall Apart” and the album closer, “Product Of Reality” demonstrate the invigorating pump that 9 Lives And Counting can give to today’s musical climate. It is the explosive nature of Beautiful Distraction which is most appealing; the album has a gritty feeling to it. It’s rough and has a certain energy which often feels absent among today’s bands. Whatever it is, be sure to check out 9 Lives And Counting, and their impressive debut, Beautiful Distraction, as they are one of the best that Toronto has to offer. - Canadian Beats