48 Caliber

So it seems whenever I go to local venues to catch shows, I always wind up coming home with a pocket-full of demo CDs and EPs. Sometimes I get pleasantly surprised with quality music like Rogue6 and J-CLX, other times I wind up with a free new coaster.

As I stared at the pile of EPs I've received from Toronto and Durham Region indie and baby bands, I was in the mood for something light-hearted, poppy and fun to listen to. Catching my eye was a bright duel-blue cover with spattered paint blazing the words 48 Caliber.

I picked the vibrant cover and flipped it around to see what I was getting myself in to. Staring back at me was four young men with a solid look that gives the listener clear confirmation that they are in for a power pop experience (or as I like to call it, "safe punk").

Just what I was looking for.

I tossed the CD in my player and was greeted right away with a warm vocal harmonies that bounced immediately into a high energy pop rock sound. It's a catchy melody supported by a fun progression and a bouncy beat that gets your foot tapping immediately.

The EP continues with a power pop rock ballade titled Let it Go that fills everything you'd want from this kind of song. Fun instrumentals, pretty harmonies and it just has this feel that if you sang this song to your high school crush then she probably would have thought harder about it before turning you down for the big dance.

Come the middle of the EP, the boys kick it up into a tune reminiscent of Sum 41 meets The All American Rejects. The pace is consistent and fun and you will find yourself subconsciously bobbing your head to it; it feels odd calling this song one of the the heavier song of the EP as it still has a very friendly pop feel to it, but the raw emotion fueling the song gives it some balls.

Next up is a poppy ska ballade titled Morning Comes. Again it's another fun and enjoyable song with a solid pace and a great progression.

The album closes with with a bang with the track titled The Relapse. It holds the modern punk motif a la Not By Choice very nicely.

This EP is solid as it gives the listener what they expect; what you see is what you get with 48 Caliber. It's rocky without being obnoxious and it's poppy without being fluff. 48 Caliber brings a great vibe to the table and it'd be hard not to bop along to these tracks.

Check them out, give them some love, and maybe they'll remember you when they're bigshots headlining Warped Tour.
Probably not though.

www.myspace.com/48caliber - Lee Clifford

The love of music and devotion to help Haitians brought local youth together on Feb. 12.
Fans and supporters came to watch local bands perform at the Durham College Haiti relief concert. Over 120 people came to E.P. Taylor’s, successfully raising almost $600 for the Red Cross.

Kensley Hilderbrand, third-year Music Business Management student at Durham College, had been putting her hard work into the event for nearly a month prior to the concert.
“I feel it was successful, people had fun, bands got to play for a crowd and you can’t go wrong with that,” she said.

The night featured five rock-based bands from the GTA.
First to take the stage was rougesix, the only band with a female member that offered a power-pop modern rock sound to pump up the crowd.
They were followed by the laidback, four-man, multi-talented group Earthtone. After their profound reggae and rock mix sound, came 48 Caliber. The four Ajax boys played a fun set of pop-punk rock.

“It’s great that we can come here and promote ourselves while raising money for such a great cause,” said Jeff Eastman, lead singer of the band. “We have to get ourselves out there, and especially at event with college kids, that’s exactly to our demographic.”
It seemed that London Swagger, the fourth band of the night, were trying to get their name out there as well. The band passed out stickers with their band name to everyone in attendance. The four guys in the band put their swagger on for their rock set.
The final and headliner band was the Cobourg-based Gentleman Husband.
The four-man group has played together for 2 ½ years. They emerged from hard-core bands, but traded in their mosh pit crowds to stomp around in cowboy boots with their bluesy, country rock sound, a style that was well appreciated by the crowd at Durham College.

“College kids seem to like us,” said lead guitarist of the band, Ryan Hutcheson. “It’s kind of our prime market, we’ve found out slowly.”
Their fresh sound was the perfect way to wrap up a successful evening.

By Stephanie Foden - Durham College Chronicle

Sprawled out on the basement sofas, with musical instruments by their feet, and the television station tuned to "Much Loud," are 48 Caliber. Jeff Eastman, Matt Lionetti, Ricky Lionetti, and Justin Forfar spend most of their free time underground, either writing music, jamming to music, or watching it on the big screen.
But perhaps that's not a fair interpretation of the boys. They aren't always doing something musical. Sometimes they're in gym shorts and tight tee's, snapping whimsical photos for their Myspace, and sometimes they're creating life-sized cardboard cutouts of each other (that's right, and it's pretty awesome to say the least). Nevertheless, you're guaranteed an interesting day with these four pop-rockers.
48 Caliber 48 Caliber Now, it isn't only the band's unique personalities that are so appealing, their stage name also stems from a fascinating concept. "To be honest, the real reason behind it is we took the first letter of each of our names and we found the numerical place of that letter in the alphabet, and it added up to 48," says lead vocalist Eastman.
Describing their music as a "pop-rock-punk fusion," the band says they strives to have an edge to their sound, straying as far away as possible from "bubblegum" music. "It's Hedley meets Rise Against," says bassist Ricky Lionetti.
It's been over a year now, since these four 48 Caliber members have been touring. Starting out in small Durham Region venues, the guys have quickly found themselves under the bright Toronto lights. "2010 have all been Toronto shows," explains lead guitarist Matt Lionetti. "We're trying to get out of Toronto to expand our fanbase."
In between promotional tours, 48 Caliber also donates a lot of their time to charitable causes - using their music to support initiatives including "Relay For Life" for the Canadian Cancer Society, "Ride for Cure," "Cycle to Help" and "Lifford Wines Annual Boy's Night Out."
48 Caliber has also just recently released their self-titled EP. It is available through their Myspace page. The foursome are hoping for a summer tour - hoping to visit Edmonton, Montreal and areas in Southern Ontario.
The band has also completed their official website. Join the 48 Caliber community to receive exclusive information. "It's the shameless self-promotion," laughs Eastman. - Emily Santos - yourmediapass.com