Music
Press
“A very good singer fronting a solid pop-rock band…. Watch for some buzz when they finally release their debut album." - Sandy MacDonald
“Provocative and original lyrics and thoughts… such incredible potential." - JC Douglas
“Great tunes! …well crafted and enjoyable. Very sexy-catchy-driving-rockin’ songs. Great radio potential." - Juror
“This is a rare rock album…Gibson’s cutting rock voice is the wild card here - sassy and sexy, exuding a don’t mess with me attitude”
- Sandy MacDonald
"The 14-song set of smart hooks and sultry vocals hits record stores on Tuesday, just in time for the East Coast Music Awards submission deadline." - Stephen Cooke
Discography
full length debut cd "swivel" was officially released on October 14, 2003. The first single "cherry" is receiving airplay on several FM rock stations including Q104 in Halifax (the largest rock station east of Montreal) and a MuchMusic Videofact grant was recently awarded to the band for the single which was shot on December 7, 2003 with Mike Clattenburg of Trailer Park Boys Fame on board as the cinematographer. The CD is also currently in rotation on 46 Canadian College Stations and is currently being tracked on an 8 week radio campaign. The band has also signed a one song publishing deal for their song "Elastic Joy" with a U.S. based company and a new national publicity campaign will be started in August with Hype Publicity who works with artists such as Bif Naked.
Work is currently underway on their Followup CD.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
This is a rare rock album
Gibsons cutting rock voice is the wild card here - sassy and sexy, exuding a dont mess with me attitude
Sandy MacDonald, The Daily News, Halifax, NS
"A very good singer fronting a solid pop-rock band . Watch for some buzz when they release their debut album." The Daily News, Halifax, NS
" provocative and original lyrics and thoughts such incredible potential." J.C. Douglas, Program Director Q104-FM
"Great tunes! well crafted and enjoyable. Very sexy-catchy-driving-rockin' songs. Great radio potential." New Music West 2003 Juror
Female-fronted pop/punk/rock group 60-Watt Vamp combines tight grooves and melodic hooks with strong, sexy vocals and lyrics. 60-Watt Vamp is all about catchy, well-crafted songs, with just the right amount of edge to remain firmly rooted in the fertile soil of indie rock.
60-Watt Vamp was formed in 2001 by former Kudzu guitarist Glenn McMullen and ex-Vertigo singer/guitarist Tara Gibson. Though they had crossed paths on various musical adventures in the past, this would mark the first time they combined their considerable songwriting abilities, and the results were exceptional. With Tara's intensely provocative lyrics and Glenn's mastery of edgy alt/pop hooks, musical nirvana was imminent. "We knew at that point that it was just a matter of finding the final piece of the puzzle to really push the sound over the edge," says Tara. Enter local bass player Kirk Hazel and former Torontonian drummer Derek Lindzon. With many years of professional playing experience between them, Kirk and Derek know that the secret to making good songs great is to play exactly what the song requires. "People used to ask if I got paid by the note. I finally clued in that they were trying to tell me something and started listening more to the song instead of what was coming out of my amp. I think it takes a lot of self discipline to appreciate the value of that," says Kirk. Together, these four exceptional talents form the powerful and unmistakable sound that is 60-Watt Vamp.
This past year, the group has been busy laying the groundwork for the national release of the debut CD Swivel, slated for release October 14, 2003 with NO Distribution. The CD's 14 all-original songs range from the sexually evocative trip-hop of "Liquid Honey", to the sassy "f#ck you" of "Ambrosia"; from the intensely exposed relationship wounds in "Wounded Monarch", to the anti-nuclear energy rant of "Magician". 60-Watt Vamp's intensity is sustained from the intro feedback of the first track and first single "Cherry" through to the last chord of the last track, the introspective and powerful "Crumble". Glenn describes the sound this way: "I'd have to say Blondie accidentally stumbles into a brawl over the beer tab between Weezer and No Doubt; whoever is left standing at the end - that's us."
Swivel was recorded and mixed at Idea of East Studios with Laurence Currie (Sloan, Ian Janes and The Jimmy Swift Band), and mastered at Metalworks in Toronto by Brett Zilahi (Sarah Harmer, Emm Gryner and Big Wreck). The debut video for "cherry" will be released to MuchMusic in January 2004 and the single has been remixed by Vic Florencia (Esthero, Nelly Furtado, Hillary Duff, Amanda Marshall, LEN, Danko Jones).
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