Eagleson

In a small subdivision off of Ottawa’s major highway lies the home base for one of the city's most unique rock acts. Upon entering the secretive confines of what the band dubs 'The Buffalo Bungalow', its easy to see that Eagleson truly eat, sleep, and breathe their craft of bringing the rock 'n' roll stage show back to life. Posters of musical idols (primarily KISS) adorn the walls, while racks of CD's and old vinyl records take over one end of the small basement room. At the other, the band is all business - instruments and an iMac (doubling as both a quick recording setup and a social media machine) dominate the space, next to a window revealing the band’s jam space. Amidst the water heater and plumbing sit the tools of the trade - guitars in classic rock music shapes (think Flying V’s, SG’s), amps, drums, and assortments of pedals.

“Three of us actually live together in this bungalow,” explained lead singer Alex DePaul, citing it as an excellent thing for the band. “A lot of work definitely gets done.” Drummer Daniel O’Brien lives minutes away, and bassist Mike Gregory lives within driving distance, making it easy to get the practice. With guitarists Ryan Wolves, Peter Ian, and DePaul already living at the house, it’s a situation most area bands would envy.

Eagleson was formed in the year 2011 after plenty of jam sessions, with Wolves’ friend Chris Stephenson (Aggressor, Old James) asked them to open a show in Ottawa for metal act Cauldron. Rehearing a set for around a month, the band gave the performance their all and haven’t stopped since. From the time this interview was conducted (around a year ago), they’ve gone on to become one of the city’s most unique young bands, channeling the glory days of rock music and bringing the definition of showmanship to life onstage once more. DePaul is quick to say they enjoy having an identity that sets them apart from their peers.

Their hard work has led them to many a great opportunity both inside and out of their Ottawa home. They have played gigs in Toronto for Canadian Music Week festivities, community Canada Day celebrations, and have more recently opened for Toronto rockers Die Mannequin. At the time of this interview, they had played a high-energy gig opening for Toronto rock act Danko Jones in the city only a week earlier. The band loved the opportunity, and said they noticed a certain energy amongst the crowd that had never been felt before.

“I think this was the first one of our shows where we weren’t really the main attraction,” said drummer O’Brien. “Percentage-wise, most people were not there to see us, and I think that was really great for us as far as building our name. Most people were just discovering us for the first time.”

“I just like ripping guitar solos in front of 300 people, it’s pretty great,” joked Ian.

It’s a time that those in attendance were sure not to forget. Apart from creating music full of hard-hitting guitar riffs, thundering rhythm sections, and soaring vocals, the band takes pride in letting their stage appearance leave a memorable impression on their audience. All five band members don face paint onstage in the classic ‘war paint’ style. Frontman DePaul takes things even further by painting himself with a new pattern each show - sometimes leaving him almost unrecognizable. Wolves adorns his guitar with ornamental feathers dangling from the instrument’s headstock, while O’Brien is still searching for some art to present on his 28” bass drum head (the thing is an earthquake machine - send some ideas to him). Wolves identifies KISS as a longstanding influence in his musical world, but wouldn’t say that the getups idea comes directly from them.

Cover art for single "True Lust"

“We do it because we’re interested in bringing the mystery, theatrics, and showmanship back to rock that has been missing since I don’t know how long now,” he said.

“To me, Eagleson represents letting the animal out,” DePaul chimed in. “A good rock show is all about just letting go and fucking getting loose. The war paint is a good way to do that - you’re going out there to go to war and go nuts.”

The band was also part of the 2012 edition of Live 88.5’s ‘Big Money Shot’ - a competition put on by the local radio station which fosters growth of local musical talent. Thought Eagleson were not the final victors, they had an excellent experience being part of the final fifteen bands.

“Well it’s obviously too bad we didn’t make it to the end, but other than that it was a great experience,” reflected bassist Gregory. “We had a lot of fun, learned a lot of things, and got some good recordings out of it”

“We gained some good contacts in the industry, and lots of experience as far as the way that things work in general,” said O’Brien. “It opened up a few doors for us and despite the fact that we didn’t win, we look at it as something that we gained a lot from. We grew as a band from - Calum Slingerland

In a small subdivision off of Ottawa’s major highway lies the home base for one of the city's most unique rock acts. Upon entering the secretive confines of what the band dubs 'The Buffalo Bungalow', its easy to see that Eagleson truly eat, sleep, and breathe their craft of bringing the rock 'n' roll stage show back to life. Posters of musical idols (primarily KISS) adorn the walls, while racks of CD's and old vinyl records take over one end of the small basement room. At the other, the band is all business - instruments and an iMac (doubling as both a quick recording setup and a social media machine) dominate the space, next to a window revealing the band’s jam space. Amidst the water heater and plumbing sit the tools of the trade - guitars in classic rock music shapes (think Flying V’s, SG’s), amps, drums, and assortments of pedals.

“Three of us actually live together in this bungalow,” explained lead singer Alex DePaul, citing it as an excellent thing for the band. “A lot of work definitely gets done.” Drummer Daniel O’Brien lives minutes away, and bassist Mike Gregory lives within driving distance, making it easy to get the practice. With guitarists Ryan Wolves, Peter Ian, and DePaul already living at the house, it’s a situation most area bands would envy.

Eagleson was formed in the year 2011 after plenty of jam sessions, with Wolves’ friend Chris Stephenson (Aggressor, Old James) asked them to open a show in Ottawa for metal act Cauldron. Rehearing a set for around a month, the band gave the performance their all and haven’t stopped since. From the time this interview was conducted (around a year ago), they’ve gone on to become one of the city’s most unique young bands, channeling the glory days of rock music and bringing the definition of showmanship to life onstage once more. DePaul is quick to say they enjoy having an identity that sets them apart from their peers.

Their hard work has led them to many a great opportunity both inside and out of their Ottawa home. They have played gigs in Toronto for Canadian Music Week festivities, community Canada Day celebrations, and have more recently opened for Toronto rockers Die Mannequin. At the time of this interview, they had played a high-energy gig opening for Toronto rock act Danko Jones in the city only a week earlier. The band loved the opportunity, and said they noticed a certain energy amongst the crowd that had never been felt before.

“I think this was the first one of our shows where we weren’t really the main attraction,” said drummer O’Brien. “Percentage-wise, most people were not there to see us, and I think that was really great for us as far as building our name. Most people were just discovering us for the first time.”

“I just like ripping guitar solos in front of 300 people, it’s pretty great,” joked Ian.

It’s a time that those in attendance were sure not to forget. Apart from creating music full of hard-hitting guitar riffs, thundering rhythm sections, and soaring vocals, the band takes pride in letting their stage appearance leave a memorable impression on their audience. All five band members don face paint onstage in the classic ‘war paint’ style. Frontman DePaul takes things even further by painting himself with a new pattern each show - sometimes leaving him almost unrecognizable. Wolves adorns his guitar with ornamental feathers dangling from the instrument’s headstock, while O’Brien is still searching for some art to present on his 28” bass drum head (the thing is an earthquake machine - send some ideas to him). Wolves identifies KISS as a longstanding influence in his musical world, but wouldn’t say that the getups idea comes directly from them.

Cover art for single "True Lust"

“We do it because we’re interested in bringing the mystery, theatrics, and showmanship back to rock that has been missing since I don’t know how long now,” he said.

“To me, Eagleson represents letting the animal out,” DePaul chimed in. “A good rock show is all about just letting go and fucking getting loose. The war paint is a good way to do that - you’re going out there to go to war and go nuts.”

The band was also part of the 2012 edition of Live 88.5’s ‘Big Money Shot’ - a competition put on by the local radio station which fosters growth of local musical talent. Thought Eagleson were not the final victors, they had an excellent experience being part of the final fifteen bands.

“Well it’s obviously too bad we didn’t make it to the end, but other than that it was a great experience,” reflected bassist Gregory. “We had a lot of fun, learned a lot of things, and got some good recordings out of it”

“We gained some good contacts in the industry, and lots of experience as far as the way that things work in general,” said O’Brien. “It opened up a few doors for us and despite the fact that we didn’t win, we look at it as something that we gained a lot from. We grew as a band from - Calum Slingerland

Eagleson is a band that improves everytime I see them. Their Zeppelin-esque brand of rock continues to evolve as does their performance. This time around the band incorporated Native-American inspired, Genesis-influenced face-painting into their live and lively spectacle; a choice that could have been a bit overbearing and brow-beating had the guys not had the energy to play it off. They absolutely did, with the band members bopping around the stage and visibly having whole heaps of fun with their music. Alex De Paul’s vocals were a little muddy in the group’s live mix, but the man has enough personality to push forward the feel of his music without needing to hear every word said. Looking forward to the next time I see this rockin’ tribal dance on stage. (9/10) - Matt Miller

Eagleson is a band that improves everytime I see them. Their Zeppelin-esque brand of rock continues to evolve as does their performance. This time around the band incorporated Native-American inspired, Genesis-influenced face-painting into their live and lively spectacle; a choice that could have been a bit overbearing and brow-beating had the guys not had the energy to play it off. They absolutely did, with the band members bopping around the stage and visibly having whole heaps of fun with their music. Alex De Paul’s vocals were a little muddy in the group’s live mix, but the man has enough personality to push forward the feel of his music without needing to hear every word said. Looking forward to the next time I see this rockin’ tribal dance on stage. (9/10) - Matt Miller