Apollo Suns

Seven-part instrumental band Apollo Suns will be kicking off a Western Canada tour at the Handsome Daughter on Sat., Oct.21st
Being in a band is like being in a relationship, says Ed Durocher, and so far Apollo Suns is a match made in heaven.

The Wolseley resident plays guitar for the group, which is playing a show at the Handsome Daughter on Oct. 21 as a kick-off for its second Western Canadian tour. Apollo Suns — which also includes Dave Guenette, Ethan McKibben, Anatol Rennie, Phil Collins, Paul Klassen, Aaron Bartel in its ranks — played its first show in March 2016, and things have been moving forward at a steady pace since then.

"We call it psychedelic jazz rock, but we’ve gotten weird descriptions," Durocher said with a laugh. "One (person) said we sound like instrumental Prince. I don’t get it, but that’s fine, I’m not going to take that as an insult."

The seven-piece band comes largely from Wolseley and the West End, so it seems appropriate that their last home show will be in the neighbourhood. It’s a special event for a number of reasons, most of all because it’s the debut of a video — something closer to a short film — that the group has been working on for eight months.

"It started out small, it was supposed to be a quick one-day shoot and then we started working with the production designer and director and it just kind of grew into this grandiose thing with cheesy special effects and it turned out really great," Durocher said.

"We’re kind of doing a spoof on James Bond and Mission Impossible, ‘60s kind of how cheesy the whole spy genre is, so we had a lot of fun with that and used a lot of local music and photographers and people in the film."

The whole thing will be projected on the wall at the Handsome Daughter, with the band playing along, dressed in full costume and makeup to match the video.

Durocher has been playing and performing for over 10 years, and he says there’s something special about this project — the band knows it and audiences seem to know it too.

"There is more focus in this band, I guess from playing in the music scene and trying to get a foothold in the industry, because it’s a tough industry," Durocher said. "It was a lot of growing up, I want to say, really understanding what goes into making a project and having it be successful and being honest with your expectations and goals, so I’m way more focused, and that expectation runs through the band as well."

Durocher said the process was intentional: get into the scene and play some shows, get into a couple of festivals, release an album right away and go on tour, all of which Apollo Suns has managed to do in the last year and a half. It’s helped that people have been supportive, both behind the scenes and in the crowd.

"The local crowd and scene has been very supportive and coming out with an instrumental project where it’s more of a niche thing, it was really nerve wracking… but people have been very supportive," he said. "I’ve never felt this good about anything I’ve done in my life." - The Metro Winniprg

I never thought I’d ever listen to modern jazz album, yet Winnipeg based band Apollo Suns have inspired me to embrace some modern jazz due to their stellar debut album Each Day A Different Sun.
Blending classical jazz with elements of funk and post rock giving this project a very unique sound. As heard on the track “An impossible bond” which is a great rendition of the James Bond theme. The horns and grooving riff on “A study in red” are for sure highlights. “A lesson in sharing” was definitely my favorite track as it reminded me of classic progressive rock and the horns on this track are tight.

As someone who usually isn’t too keen on recent releases, I was very impressed with this album and the sound that came from their debut. Each Day a Different Sun is out now on Spotify and Apple Music/Itunes.

apollosunswpg.bandcamp.com - Stylus Magazine

Saturday April 8th, Apollo Suns will be playing a show at the Good Will Social Club in their hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba to support the release of their debut EP Each Day a Different Sun. I had a chance to listen to the five song instrumental album and it’s fantastic!

Apollo Suns are a collection of seven very talented Winnipeg based musicians that each stand out with their own style and mastery of their respective instruments. The album opens with the track, “An Iberian Peninsula” and right away the common feel was evident. Lots of upbeat catchy guitar riffs, with a firm backing from the rhythm section and the brass that seems to ramp up at just the right moments. There’s an obvious jazzy feel to the whole EP but it’s fused with rock, funk, prog-rock, and even into the realm of psychedelia. In the opening track there’s a great dual between Jorden Hart on the trumpet and Casimir Gruwel on the sax.

Next up is “A Study in Red”, the song starts out with a spacey guitar riff and then the brass and rhythm kick in. Ethan McKibben can really pound the drums and He’s got some awesome fast rock based beats in this tune! We’re also treated to a keyboard solo by Chad Braun that reminded me of the Doors and Led Zeppelin a little bit.

The third song in is called “An Impossible Bond” and it’s the bands take on the Mission Impossible and James Bond theme songs. The track starts off with Ed Durocher on the guitar and the familiar sound of Mission Impossible, He’s quickly joined by the muted trumpet and the rock driven back beat of the drums, there’s a keyboard lead interlude and then Ed transitions us into the James Bond theme. This song sort of bounces between rock and jazz and there’s a killer guitar solo in the middle.

“A Bird to Sing For” is next, the track starts off with the bass and drums pounding a fat upbeat Intro. Bring in some 70’s sounding psychedelic guitar riffs and matching keyboards, this track really put a smile on my face! The trumpet is a big part of this song and really helps give it a warm and strong feeling. Brass sounds so cool when it plays an equal role to guitar or keyboards in a song, which it does in this track.

Last but not least, and the longest of all the tracks, is “A Lesson in Sharing”. A strong upbeat guitar riff opens this eight and a half minute epic fast paced guitar driven song. The brass again is matching the guitar work with lots of harmonies and duelling solos. In all five songs I can’t help but notice some Spanish influence with the sound of the trumpets and the guitars. The middle of the song brings a piano interlude that calms the mood and then comes back full circle with the upbeat guitar riffs and pounding drums that seem to almost explode and dive into a club like beat.

I really enjoyed listening to this album! It’s a strong instrumental set that does a good job showcasing the individual talents of each musician. The album flowed nicely and was intriguing which kept me wanting to hear the next song and also made me want to listen to it again right away. It has this really cool feel of psychedelia especially from the keyboards and guitar riffs. Adding the brass and the strong rock and roll beats from the drums and bass section to that made this an enjoyable and unique listen. - CANADIAN BEATS