Music
Press
Busker Bros is a Canadian band consisting of Dan Leduc, Chris, and Sean Panacci. Originally
from Whitby, Ontario, Busker Bros came to fruition last summer and have been on a steady path ever since. Their influences include Tera Melos, Sonic Youth, and Radiohead.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Chris, the singer/guitarist/bassist.
Q: Describe your sound.
A: We all have short attention spans so we’re constantly trying different types of styles and genres. Some songs are really fast and loud, some songs are more mellow and atmospheric, and some songs dabble in genres like jazz and blues.
Q: Are there any sibling rivalries or brotherly feuds within the band?
A: Everyone gets along. I think me and Sean exhausted our sibling rivalry years ago when we were kids.
Q: Who writes the lyrics and what or who inspires them?
A: I write most of the lyrics but occasionally Dan contributes. I usually just aim to keep my lyrics very honest, as if they’re just open journal entries for everyone to read.
Q: What was the craziest thing that has happened at a show?
A: Sometimes the craziest stuff happens with the crowds. Funny stuff happens with Sean (who is only 14), especially when he plays in bars he probably shouldn’t be in…after our first show he was offered a shot of tequila.
Q: Are there any Canadian musicians out there right now that deserve more exposure?
A: Viva Mars are an amazing band out of Oshawa that deserves more exposure, they craft their songs really well, and I think they will go places. Watershed Hour are another band we’ve played a bunch of shows with, and I just saw Cousin for the first time the other night, and they put on a great show.
For more info, check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/buskerbros.
If you’re in Toronto this weekend, be sure to check them out live this Sunday, 8:00pm at the Central!
Tune in next week! - Mass Exodus
By Meghan Wels
A talented trio of Whitby-raised musicians have come together to bring a unique sound the GTA’s local music scene. The small but loud alternative rock band is known as The Busker Bros and features brothers Chris and Sean Panacci who take turns on guitar and bass, and percussionist Dan Leduc.
The band has found success at many local shows throughout the GTA. They’ve played various bars in downtown Toronto such as The Rivoli and Clinton’s Pub. They even drew quite the crowd at Living Culture’s Musical Entropy on Saturday Jan. 21 at The Bombshell in Oshawa.
“We just get out there and try and play as many shows as possible,” said percussionist Leduc. Chris Panacci and Leduc both attend school in downtown Toronto – Panacci at Ryerson and Leduc at York -- so it gives them a lot of opportunities to find new venues to play at in the city.
The boys grew up together in Whitby and each roamed the halls of All Saints Catholic High School, where Sean Panacci is currently in Grade 9. “In highschool, you’d just jam with whoever had an instrument,” said Leduc. “It didn’t matter if we were good or not, we just played ‘cause we loved it.”
The Busker Bros began when Chris Panacci and Leduc found they shared a bond over similar taste in music. “The only person I knew that had such a ridiculous amount of music on their computer was Chris,” said Leduc. “That kind of got the chemistry going.” Both Panacci and Leduc played instruments and jammed together frequently during their time at All Saints.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2011 that the Busker Bros began jamming officially as a band. “Chris asked me to start writing bass lines for their songs,” said Sean. “That’s when we started recording.”
The boys experimented with their sound and recorded what they came up with together. “When we first started recording it sounded awful,” said Leduc. “It just took a little bit of abuse and before we knew it started coming together.” Since then, the Busker Bros have recorded a four track E.P. titled From A Frozen Shoreline which can be found at buskerbros.bandcamp.com.
Check out the Busker Bros on Facebook to learn more about new music and upcoming local shows. - The Chronicle
Busker Bros is a three man band from Whitby, Ontario. With Chris Panacci on guitar and vocals, Sean Panacci on guitar and Dan Leduc on drums, this group stimulates my ears in the best way possible. With influences like Sonic Youth, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Franz Ferdinand, Busker Bros has a varied transience that finds an easy place in the mind, and then dresses to impress. The psychedelic tone of this band breaks down into rhythmic guitar riffs and strong insistent vocals. Busker Bros has perfected the art of musical ambiance laced with complicated timing and a certain sense of… well, being bad-ass!
Busker Bros began in high school for drummer Dan Leduc and Chris Panacci. Jamming in an unorganized fashion led to structuring and solidifying their songs. Chris decided to start singing, and states, "I'm inspired by video game music, haha. That's kind of what got me into music in the first place." In two sessions, Busker Bros recorded sixteen one take recordings so that they could build off of these rough tracks and promote their band.
This past summer, Sean Panacci was chosen to play bass on the tracks, and has become a permanent member of the band. Busker Bros began recording one song at a time and have released a track a week since June. The boys switch up instruments often and are not restricted in what they play live, or on on their recording's. The song writing process is pretty collaborative, each song has someone taking the lead but the mutual conception of the song is apparent.
Busker Bros aims for variety, daring genre bending, and ultimately blowing your mind. "Some of our songs sound very different from each other because they reflect so many different influences and moods that we go through as people," says Chris Panacci. Drummer Dan Leduc touches on the band's progress, "It's all just been trial and error so far, but you've got to start somewhere, and this was a good learning environment." Busker Bros has no plan on stopping anytime soon, and will continue releasing songs, and writing new ones. Keep your ears open for these boys, they're not going anywhere! You can find their music for free on their bandcamp page (link above). - Pure Grain Audio
Discography
Since June 2011, the band has released the following demos, the latter that is still in the process of being released one week at a time.
Sessions From the Shores
From a Frozen Shoreline
Both are available for free download at:
www.buskerbros.bandcamp.com
Photos
Bio
Busker Bros are a band from Whitby with a work ethic that cannot be matched. Drawing from various influences such as post punk, blues, psychedelic, post hardcore, and experimental music, Chris Panacci and Dan Leduc began jamming out various styles of music and one day decided they should record their work. The band later added Sean Panacci and started recording, playing shows and haven't stopped since.
Their songs draw from a wide range of influences that they are not afraid to show in their sound. You will find many songs sound very distinct and different from each other as each song will reveal different influences of the band.
The band is constantly writing and releasing music. Though they are currently still in the process of releasing their second 11 song demo, they plan on releasing yet another in the Spring, which will be their 3rd in the past year.
Busker Bros have no plans of letting up, always booking new shows and have plans of an Ontario and East Coast tour on the horizon. This band is fresh, ambitious, exciting and will stop at nothing to reach their goals.
The band has recently been gaining popularity through exciting live shows and online distribution of their music, with multiple videos on youtube drawing thousands of views as well as bloggers and facebook fans praising the band's unique and engaging style. They were recently named The Edge Indie Band of the Month, earning them radio play for the song "Irish Wristwatch".
Links
