Fast Romantics

“Oh, are you kidding me? How could you even ask that?”

Matthew Angus asks these things incredulously over the phone, while in the bosom of his current flame.

And the answer is simple. The lover spurned always needs answers, always needs closure. It’s part of the grieving process. Part of the healing process. Why did you leave? Was it us? If so, what could we have done better? What could we have done more? Were we too needy? Not needy enough? Not big enough? Not freaky enough?

“Hell no. No, that isn’t it at all,” laughs the frontman for former Calgary band Fast Romantics about their unofficial relocation to the Centre of the Universe over two years ago.

“Somebody asked me why did you leave and was Toronto everything you wanted? . . . But it’s not really like that. We didn’t leave Calgary for all of the cliched reasons that a lot of bands do. We didn’t leave because we thought we’d do better from a music industry standpoint in Toronto. We actually left because we were really happy with where we were at the time and we kind of knew we shouldn’t be.

“We didn’t want to just get comfy and Calgary was really comfy for us.”

That it was. The band, which bloomed out of local pop act The Mood, had become one of the city’s more popular indie rock acts of the last decade.

As Angus says, the group had a great support system in place, they were getting radio play for their self-titled debut, gigs were always packed and the opportunities were many and magnificent, ranging from an appearance at the Calgary stop of Virgin Festival to a Wiki-legendary, oft-cited one at the opening of the downtown Holt Renfrew where they performed with actor Jeremy Piven. The relationship between city and band was strong and mutually beneficial.

And the decision to head east was one that the songwriter says was an attempt to keep things growing in the right direction and to maybe infuse a little more Piven-less adventure into their lives.

Again, that was more than two years ago, with nary a phone call or plutonic visit back to their former flame, before finally re-emerging last week with the sensational new pop-rock outing Afterlife Blues.

“We thought we’d make a trip to Toronto, and see what it felt like out here and make the record, basically,” Angus says before offering a quick recap and explanation of that time in between. “We went through all these weird growing pains, lost members and added members and decided our last EP was s--t and we tried to figure out what we were going to be, and that tends to take more than six hours, I guess.”

It sounds like it was time remarkably well spent. Recorded with producer Howard Redekopp, the 10-track sophomore release is reason to fall in love all over again with the Fast Romantics — catchy, confident, lyrical, lovely, sad, sweet and sentimental, with the right amount of swagger, it’s fully realized adult pop on par with acts such as The New Pornographers or the old guard such as Graham Parker or Elvis Costello.

Angus admits that it wouldn’t have been the fine, focused and mature release it is without the move to T.O. and all that happened as a result, including the loss of a pair of original members and the addition of Aussie pair Shane O’Keeffe and Lauren Heron, who join the singer and the Calgary rhythm section of Jeffrey Lewis and Alan Reain.

And he also admits that lyrically and thematically Afterlife Blues wouldn’t be the record it is, with many, including Angus, defining it loosely as a breakup record.

“I didn’t want it to be a breakup record, everybody does a breakup record,” he says noting that it fits in only the broadest sense of the term, relating to everything from the end of romantic relationships and friendships to situational closures and, yes, even leaving your hometown.

“It was really more about endings and trying to deal with endings in a way that doesn’t suck. I think maybe what happened was that writing the music was a catalyst for understanding all of these endings that were happening.”

But while he does use the words “ending” and “breakup” when it comes to many aspects of his and the Fast Romantics’ lives after their relocation, Angus isn’t so definitive when it comes to the situation between they and us.

In fact, he still wants it viewed as more of a “long distance relationship” than the termination of the affair.

And although Friday’s Broken City show will be the first time they’ve played in town since they departed in April of 2010, he wants it known that they miss us dearly and will do everything they can to make sure we know the romance hasn’t died and that whatever else comes, whatever city they may call home in the future, we were the first and will always hold a special place inside of them.

“We still identify as a Calgary band,” he says. “That’s just who we are.” - Calgary Herald

After taking a few years off “soul-searching,” Canadian indie rocker foursome Fast Romantics are back with a bang with an album described as “a good blend of blood, guts, and bliss” – their words, not ours. After the openly Brit-pop, glam-rock, Blur-meets-Costello inspired buzz of the bands self-titled debut, Afterlife Blues feels like an album from a band a lot more confident with making their own sound. There’s a playful pop-rock attitude balanced by a good dose of post-breakup melancholy (particularly in slowed-down power-pop number “Old Enough”) and a sense off all-American rock greatness underlined by an honest lyrical simplicity.

The great thing about this album is its variety – no two tracks are similar enough to become boring. Made-for-summer single “Funeral Song” is the slick and detailed guitar-rock song that instantly becomes a hit on your speakers where title track “Afterlife Blues” drops the tempo and allows the vocals to take lead. Songs like “White Lights” and “Time” are more typically pop-like and hook-heavy, and while this influence can also be heard on opening number “Friends” the track has a rougher rockier edge (with complimenting layered vocals) that makes it instantly compelling. Sure, there’s nothing here that many bands haven’t done before, but the Fast Romantics take the best of a multi-genre bag of influences and pull them together in an record that, for all its genre straddling sounds, is quality indie rock to its core. - The Owl Mag

“We want to get off when we’re onstage,” says Matthew Angus, “and we want to get people off – permanently.”

Angus is the front man of Fast Romantics, an indie rock group that formed in Calgary in 2008 and relocated to Toronto in 2010. Any promise to get people off permanently should be taken with a grain of salt, but Fast Romantics may just have the chops to pull it off. They have two albums under their belt – The Fast Romantics (LP, 2009) and Kidcutter (EP, 2010) – and an impressive CV that includes major festivals (Virgin Fest, SXSW, NXNE, CMJ) and TV soundtracks (Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars).

Their long overdue return to Calgary comes on October 18 at Broken City for the release of their new album, Afterlife Blues.

“This album has more guts,” says Angus. “It’s not so much about, ‘Hey, let’s do a cool riff like the Beatles, or let’s do a crazy drum solo like Keith Moon.’ It was more about, ‘Let’s write songs that mean something to us, then build the music out of that.’ We’re spilling our guts on this record.”

How did the Romantics get to that level of vulnerability? “There was a lot of booze involved, for sure. There’s a big whiskey thing happening with us right now, but beer is the staple.”

More seriously, Angus says the album’s mature sound comes from the fact that… well, the Fast Romantics are growing up. “There’s a fear associated with being young,” he says. “You don’t want to give away too much of yourself and you think a little too hard about how you’ll be received. That damages the art and it’s no good for anyone listening, because they can see right through it.”

After finishing their last album, Angus remembers feeling empty. “Whatever we were trying to get out, it didn’t get out,” he says. “Whereas this record has been sitting on the shelf for, God, eight months now and I still love it. I think that’s the test of whether you’re being honest with your music: if you can stand to listen to it afterward.”

The move from Calgary to Toronto – “It’s a bit of a cliché, isn’t it?” – came with some challenges. “It was scary to go to a big, bad, cold city where nobody’s ever heard your name!” says Angus. “We wanted to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone. What better way than to put yourself in front of seven hipsters at the Horseshoe Tavern and see if they throw things at you?”

By all accounts, the experiment was a success – but that doesn’t shake the sense of displacement. “We still consider ourselves on a long vacation. We don’t really know where we’re from. Christ, we’ve got two Australians in the band now. We’re this global, lost, travelling band.”

Fast Romantics’ current lineup includes founding members Angus, bassist Jeffrey Lewis and drummer Alan Reain, recently joined by those Australians: Shane O’Keeffe and Lauren Heron.

“It was the boring old story about a classified ad, except with a twist,” says Angus. “Our drummer answered one of their ads to play a project, but had to back out because he was busy with our stuff. Then we put out an ad looking for a guitar player and, lo and behold, the same guy answered! It turned out his girlfriend plays a mean keyboard, so it was just one of those really happy accidents.”

Coming back to their hometown has given Angus perspective on their musical career, including this last nugget of wisdom: “It’s funny: we came to Toronto in search of help, because the music industry is supposedly out here and now we’re releasing our record on a small label in Winnipeg [Pipe & Hat],” he says. “From a music business standpoint, it doesn’t really matter where you end up living. If you surround yourself with good people, anywhere, you can make great art.” - Beatroute

The best strategy for building buzz around your album release is to have a slick radio hit pumping out of speakers all summer long. That's exactly what Toronto-based Fast Romantics have done, with the shimmering guitar rocker "Funeral Song" priming the pump for the October 8th release of their sophomore record Afterlife Blues.

Fans who were won over by that track certainly won't be disappointed by the balance of the album. It's brimming with delightful, melodic power pop numbers like "Old Enough" and "Time".



The most conventionally catchy tune is "White Lights". It's an irresistible, hook-heavy number. Equally as compelling though is "Friends", which uses stellar vocal harmonies to be more insidiously enticing.

The record steps out of that realm on a handful of cuts. There's a dark, almost Pulp-ish atmosphere to "90s Life". The guitars really come into their own on "Atoms". The song begins with an Interpol-esque angular riff before the melody kicks in. The title track slows things down considerably, allowing the 'woo, woo, woos' to take over.

The drawback of Afterlife Blues is that there's nothing truly new on it. We've heard this type of music countless times before. Fast Romantics do it pretty darn well though. - Snob's Music

There’s something to be said about unapologetic hooks, group harmonies, the visceral impact of a huge kick drum and shimmering guitar work. These elements, that when combined in just the right way, force your to crank up the car stereo to obnoxious, teenager-approved volumes and thump on the steering wheel at stoplights.

If the lead single from the upcoming Fast Romantics LP is any indication, the band is completely comfortable with adding a female vocalist stripping out any of the precious pretence that derails rock bands from finding that all important connection. I’ve never met or talked to anyone in the band, but I get the impression they’d rather have you singing along at their shows or in your car than dissecting their influences or relishing in their sonic explorations.

“Funeral Song” is polished, seasoned rock ‘n roll, and wisely the band doesn’t try to make the huge riff anything more than what it is. The swell of vocals that end the first line of the song sets the tone for the whole affair and the band never lets up. Look, I realize Fast Romantics aren’t trying anything new here, but without question the four-minute anthem shows the good things this genre has to offer. I’m not sure we need anything else from a song, or a band. - Hero Hill

“Funeral Song” is a song with lots of heart from Toronto’s Fast Romantics. They convey their soul through their dramatic energy that’s epic and upholds you with a feeling of great strength. Big passionate harmonies and chugging guitars provide quite an anthem.

For comparisons sake, think of a contained Arcade Fire mixed with the dramatic flair of The Airborne Toxic Event. They set the tone immediately and work their magic throughout the songs entire duration.

This song hit me hard. It’s one of the best songs of the year that not enough people know about. Time to change that. - We All Want Someone to Shout For

Halfway through every year, I always look forward to Will Oliver’s list of the best songs of the year (so far) at We All Want Someone To Shout For. Will always finds a perfect balance between the obvious BIG tracks that everyone talks about and the under-the-radar gems found in the inbox of a typical music blogger. He found a real gem with “Funeral Song” by Fast Romantics.



“Funeral Song” is one of those rare songs that became one of my favorites of the year on first listen. It’s got an epic feel that so many bands try for, but few fully achieve. A shimmering guitar-and-piano riff kicks off the song and eventually develops into a larger-than-life, pulse-pounding Arcade Fire power chord that kicks off every verse. The big hook is lifted to the highest height when the full band piles on to join lead singer Matthew Angus in choir fashion, accentuating exactly the right moments for a cathartic experience. Even the quiet, intense build-up of the bridge is perfectly paced. The whole song hits that “Bleeding Heart Show” level of power – and catchiness.

An excellent track from a Toronto band who is on the verge of releasing their sophomore full-length this winter, and judging by the strength of this song (and some other old ones I listened to on their Bandcamp), on the verge of blowing up. - Knox Road

With many spotlights on movie and show soundtracks, appearances at the Virgin Festival and Free the Noise, not to mention a nomination at the 10th annual Independent Music Awards, The Fast Romantics are quickly on their way to the top of the pop/rock charts.

To really seal the deal, the Calgary outfit is set to release their sophomore album titled Afterlife Blues this October, as a follow up to their self-titled LP (2009) and an EP called Kidcutter (2010.)

Front man and founder of the band, Matthew Angus said casually that they’re stoked for the album release, and what’s to come following.

“We’ve had the album done now for almost 7-8 months, and I’m still enjoying it, that’s the most exciting part,” said Angus.

He explained that with the past two works, they’ve been overly critical and constantly found err in their previous recordings. Now with this album, he feels like they’ve stricken a chord.

“Everyone else in the band is still feeling really good about this, so that’s got to be a good thing.”

“As a younger band, we worried so much about what people would think, or what they will judge. As an artist you’re meant to bear your soul, I don’t think we were quite doing that before out of fear of what people might think,” Angus said in reflection.

Angus closed in saying that they’ve finally trusted their instincts, and whether they make it or not, or what people think, they’re happy with what they’ve done.

Their release show is slated for Oct. 11 at the Garrison in Toronto, Canada’s international music hub, playing alongside local indie surf poppers the Highs.

“After the album release, we venture on a seven-week power trip across North America, everywhere but Mexico. We’re still adding shows, and we’re doing the scary thing of not really having a day off during that time. We go big, foolishly sometimes, and just think about it later.”

It’s been almost three years since they’ve done an actual full-length tour, and these guys are jonesing to play full-fledged again after hunkering down so hard for this album.

Their first single and video from the album “Funeral Song” is quite simply put a rock gem. The video complements the song incredibly, considering the abstract and unusual videos we’ve become accustomed to in recent times. As you can watch yourself below, it starts off with a comical opening of a funeral sequence, and a grandmother asking “who the fuck are the Fast Romantics?” once again showing the light-hearted sided of these hopeless romantics.

“We were just trying to portray the view of the general public through that old lady,” laughed Angus. “We wrestled with the thought of literal over abstract, but once we started, we thought ‘what else are we going to do?’”

So, they went with the morbidly morose theme, but with a laughing twist, a rock band in a church, and a celebration of someone’s life, much like an Irish wake.

“As someone who is terrified of death, I like to think that humans can think of death in that way, because I can’t handle death like that,” admitted Angus.

The new album is showing not only a lot of progress in the band itself, but also a lot of future promise for the group. Angus attributes this new found and felt harmony to the band finally being solidified after a few changes in membership.

“I listen to our old stuff, and not that they’re terrible albums, but you can hear a band struggling to figure out who they are,” explained Angus.

“It’s just a natural thing that happens,” Angus said about Matt Kilewer leaving the band. “There was no giant tornado of violence or anything, it just needed to happen. I can’t say that about a lot of band member changes.”

The route has been mapped for these young chaps from Alberta, and although they’ve seen and tasted recognition, they’re well on their way to international fame. Being mixed and mastered by the likes of Mike Fraser (Franz Ferdinand, Elvis Costello, Metallica) and produced by Howard Redekopp (Tegan & Sara, Mother Mother) has them learning from the best.

Add spotlights on popular hit shows such as One Tree Hill, Shameless and Vampire Diaries, and their personal musical accolades, they’ve drawn up the recipe for success, it’s just a matter now of baking it to perfection.

- See more at: http://www.martyrmagazine.ca/2013/10/fast-romantics-living-life-in-the-fast-lane/#sthash.3GCXc22y.dpuf - Martyr Magainze

It’s always nice to discover some amazing raw talent, and during CMW it came in the form of Calgary band The Fast Romantics. These boys combine Brit-pop influences with a sound all of their own to make sweet, sweet music. They have already released their self-titled debut album, showcased during both Virgin Festival and CMW, and are now about to embark on a West Coast tour. Did we forget to mention that these boys aren’t even signed to a label yet? When we got the opportunity to speak with lead vocalist Matthew Angus and lead guitarist Matthew (Matt) Kliewer, we were more than thrilled. Here’s how that chat went down:

iheartthemusic: For those of us out there who don’t yet know, why don’t you share with us how you all came together.

Matt: We actually tracked each other down through a classified ad. We were looking for lovers of the musical caliber and we ended up not loving each other but we both liked each other’s music!

Matthew: You’re a dick.

Matt: Somehow it all worked out in the end.

iheartthemusic: That’s crazy! I have yet to hear of a band that is as talented as you guys and who have started out that way!

Matt: It was music personals.

iheartthemusic: Since you formed you got to be a part of V-Fest. Any highlights from that?

Matthew: There were so many people that we liked. We met Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots that Matt had an altercation with I believe.

Matt: When Scott Weiland came on to the main stage to watch Flaming Lips play, he wouldn’t talk to anybody but for some reason he wanted to talk to me. So I put my arm around him and chatted and got a photo. The whole time we chatted he had these crusty white things on the corners of his mouth and we talked for about four minutes and I still don’t know what he said. After that we went to the Gibson guitar booth where you can play new products, so a few of us were jamming out and Scott came down and got a massage while he listened to us try to do covers of Stone Temple Pilots songs.

iheartthemusic: Was he impressed at all?

Matt: No.

iheartthemusic: [laughs] You just released a debut album and were able to work with some big names in the industry such as Mike Fraser. What was it like working with him?

Matthew: It was really an amazing time. We actually got to go out there and spend time with him. During that time he was mixing an AC/DC record and a Franz Ferdinand album in between ours! He was the nicest guy and he genuinely liked what we were doing, which made us feel really good. He becomes a buddy when he is working with your project and he is so talented at the same time. I don’t think our record would sound the same without him.

iheartthemusic: How would you define your sound?

Matt: I think a lot of the bands that we follow you can of hear it in the music. We aren’t going to limit ourselves and say we’ve got a Brit pop vibe or an indie rock vibe, we just play what comes out of us and it just happens to be what it is. It’s our own thing and it’s happy.

iheartthemusic: So is it a collaborative effort when you write?

Matthew: It’s collaborative, but generally things start with Matt and I. We see something and work on it for a bit and then the whole band takes a crack at it and makes it good.

iheartthemusic: The opening track on the album, “Spooning the Gorilla”, please explain how you came up with that name? There’s got to be a great story behind it!

Matt: I don’t know if we can reveal that!

Matthew: Who is spooning who?

Matt: You were totally spooning me and I had no idea! You drugged me up and spooned me!

Matthew: That’s pretty much it, I drugged Matt up and spooned him the end.

iheartthemusic: I guess we could say that you are a very “close” band! When can we expect this album to come out?

Matthew: I guess we could say it’s out right now on iTunes. The hard copy is going to be released probably in June. It will be available on MySpace, the website, shows and I guess probably through stores.

Matt: We are shooting for June.

iheartthemusic: After doing a cross Canada tour, including a stop in Toronto for CMW, do you have any crazy tour stories from the trip?

Matthew: A lot of spooning going on.

iheartthemusic: Well that’s a given! Where was the best crowd for you?

Matthew: Believe it or not I would have to say Brantford.

Matt: We have to give a shout out to Brantford because they promoted the crap out of the show and they came out to see us play in Toronto as well. The opening band and the bar owner in Brantford came to Toronto and knew the words to our songs and stuff and were really into it. When we got there it was plastered with posters for our show. So it was a sold out crowd, packed wall-to-wall with people and they were right in your face. It was really cool.

iheartthemusic: Do you find it a lot easier to play when the crowd is really loving you and you can feed of each other?

Matt: Oh yeah. We’ve played shows where it hasn’t been promoted p - I Heart the Music

Calgary band the Fast Romantics, comprised of Matthew Angus, Jeffrey Lewis, Alan Reain, Matthew Kliewer and Laurna Germscheid, were personally recommended to Holt by famed fashion designer after they wowed at a Spin Magazine gig called Free the Noise in Varvatos' store during New York Fashion Week in September.

And if opening for Samantha Ronson and performing for a crowd of Calgary's elite wasn't sweet enough for the local indie-dance-rock band, having Jeremy Piven -- a.k.a. Ari Gold from HBO's Entourage -- jump onstage and insist he wanted to drum along with them to "something by Led Zeppelin" was the icing on the pink cake.

"If Jeremy Piven tells you he wants to play drums with you, you do it," lead vocalist Angus told Page Six. "I thought he was a pretty good musician, for an actor."

Keyboardist and background vocalist Germscheid was less guarded in her review. "He's not the greatest drummer, but when an opportunity like that presents itself, you run with it."

The result, in the words of Angus, was a "slow jam funk version" of Iggy Pop's The Passenger.

Walking the pink carpet runway, having the paparazzi snap pictures so they could show up the next day on WireImage.com, the largest entertainment photo archive in the world, and starring on stage alongside the real live Ari Gold at Calgary's most star-studded party in memory?

Now that's gold. - Calgary Sun

NEW MUSIC TUESDAY: THE FAST ROMANTICS
POSTED TUESDAY, MAR 03 2009 BY ASH LAFERRIERE
TAGS: ARCADE FIRE BRIT POP BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE FAST ROMANTICS FRANZ FERDINAND NEW MUSIC MUSIC
For some reason I'm obsessed with indie-rock bands from Canada. The Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Tegan & Sara, Shapes & Sizes and now The Fast Romantics.

Their self-titled debut album hit iTunes today, and it's already taking over my iPod. The album will hit stores in May.

The still unsigned band has that Brit-pop indie sound that makes you want to dance; similar to Franz Ferdinand but mixed with a little Arcade Fire and Spoon.

Their following is growing past Canada's borders and I'm sure a label with snatch them up in no time.

BUY BORROW OH BOTHER: BUY
If you like any of the bands listed above, you'll definitely be into The Fast Romantics.

http://community.pacsun.com/posts/2009/03/03/new-music-tuesday-fast-romantics
- PacSun - Ash Laferriere

The Fast Romantics are a band who seem to have everything going for them. The foursome from Calgary, Alberta, Canada have had their current members in place since late 2007 – Matthew Angus (Vocals), Matthew Kliewer (Guitar), Jeffrey Lewis (Bass), Alan Reain (Drums) – and have been enjoying a very successful streak, with no signs of slowing down. Their self-titled debut album is overflowing with their signature quirky sound and has had people talking and instilling constant praise on the band since its release.
Their standout sound even caught the ears of some industry bigwigs and The Fast Romantics were named one of the four finalists in the SPIN Earth/John Varvatos Contest in search of the world’s next great rock and roll band. As one of the four finalists they performed at the old CBGB’s in New York City last September, where they absorbed as much as they possibly could from the rocking judges panel, which included: John Varvatos, Perry Farrell and Antonio “L.A.” Reid.
The Rock and Roll Report caught up with the two Matthews the day after their big New York City gig, just as they were getting set to rock Montreal, Quebec.
Q: How did the four of you come together?
A: Angus: We were each picked on really bad in school and we were geeks, so we figured lets just get together and try and do something. We were really bad at drawing comics together so we started picking up instruments and that kind of took over.
Q: Any particular story behind the name?
A: Angus: We’ve been asked that four times and we don’t have a cool answer for it yet. I mean, we can be fast and we’re definitely romantic, and we’re not impotent or anything else that that might imply [...] We were really desperate for a name and we’d been trying to get all these different names, so we locked ourselves in a room and I think it took us ten hours.
Q: Recording the album, what was the best and worst moment?
A: Angus: I think the best part was that we had all the time in the world, and the worst part was that we had all the time in the world. We built our own studio and that was amazing ‘cause we got to do anything we wanted, try anything we wanted, but, at the end of the day, we spent a year on the record. [...] In the end I think that’s good ‘cause we got to work out our sound.
Q: What’s the most unexpected thing that happened while in studio?
A: Angus: Matt almost died.
Kliewer: Yeah, I got T-boned by a semi-truck on the way home from recording a song called Casablanca. Major intersection in Calgary, a semi-truck came and hit me pretty hard, ran a red light and yeah, it sucked.
Q: Do you have a song-writing process?
A: Angus: For the most part. Generally what happens is we’ll [Angus and Kliewer] just kind of toss some ideas around for a few months, and then we’ll bounce those ideas off the other guys, and then we’ll kind of bring it together.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word?
A: Kliewer: Sexy!
Q: What’s your favorite song on the album?
A: Kliewer: I think probably Soup Song for me. I think there’s a lot of dynamics in that song [...] everybody really kind of shows off at some point in that song [...] It’s a song I’m really proud of.
Angus: Mine changes all the time, but right now it’s Spooning The Gorilla. I think it best shows off who we are, both musically and kind of our sense of humor, but also musically it’s just where I think we want to go.
Q: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
A: Angus: We drink a shot of Jager before every show. And that’s not an advertisement, we don’t have a sponsorship yet.
Kliewer: And you can print that.
Angus: In bold!
Kliewer: We actually dance to a song. There’s a song called Fancy Pants by a band called Ween. We’ll get together, we’ll sing that song and jump up and down.
Q: You just played the SPIN Earth/John Varvatos show in New York City, how was that?
A: Angus: Amazing. It was such a tightly run organization. They had stage managers, amazing stage set-up, basically rebuilt CBGB’s [...] I think they went like 400 people over capacity.
Kliewer: It was pretty cool: Perry Farrell sitting there, John Varvatos sitting there, Mick Rock sitting there. These are legends from the music business, you know, and these guys became pretty tight with us [...] it was specific about what we do, so to hear from the legends, talking about our creations, that was awesome.
Q: If you collaborate with any musician/band who would you choose?
A: Kliewer: Living or dead? Dead, John Lee Hooker. Living, Tom Waits.
Angus: Dead, John Lennon. Living?
Kliewer: John Lennon!
Angus: John Lennon, I’ll go with that, thank you!
Q: If you had to listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
A: Kliewer: The island album? It’d be London Calling, The Clash.
Angus: I think probably The Beatles ‘s White Album ‘cause it’s really long. Got a lot of good material [...] you get a lot of bang for your buck. You have to sit through crap like Rocky Raccoon …
Kliewer: Yeah, but it’s good co - Rock and Roll Report

Local band hits it big at Virgin Fest


Jon Roe
Editor-in-Chief

June 19, 2008
Print this story
Unlike headliners the Stone Temple Pilots or the Tragically Hip, who will be moving on to more concerts in exotic locales, as much heroin as Scott Weiland’s pencil-thick body can take and brandy glasses full of brown M&Ms after Virgin Fest hits Calgary June 21–22, the Fast Romantics will likely go back to a life barely balanced between family and friends, day jobs and making music. After winning the right to open up the festival Saturday through X92.9’s Xposure contest though, that may change for guitarist Matthew Kliewer and the rest of the Calgary-based ensemble.

“We know what we want to achieve,” Kliewer says. “We want to quit our day jobs and take the music seriously. We’re all in this for life, right?”

Kliewer, vocalist Matthew Angus and bassist Jeffrey Lewis have learned a lot since their first attempt at quitting their day jobs. The trio achieved some radio success as the Mood and cracked ChartAttack’s Top-40, but didn’t tour to capitalize on the airplay. Kliewer calls it the “stupidest thing we’ve ever done.”

“We knew what we wanted to do, but we didn’t know how to get there,” he adds.

Since then, the band has dissolved and then reformed as the Fast Romantics, adding drummer Alan Reain. This time, they will organize a tour to support their full-length album, likely to be released early August and hopefully use any airplay their single gets. This kind of timing is typical for most artists, but it’s a lot easier to accomplish when backed by a label. The Fast Romantics are fully independent and self-managed and will be mailing all the copies of the CDs to the radio stations themselves, while booking their own shows.

They’ve carried over experience from their days as the Mood, but Kliewer admits the process is time-consuming and adds plenty of stress. He believes the reward will be more valuable at the end.

“We have friends that will help, but we want to keep this as independent as we can,” says Kliewer.

The dream may be quitting their day jobs, but the Fast Romantics have few places to look for inspiration in Calgary. Kliewer admits it’s hard to be a full-time musician.

“Yeah, I don’t know any,” laughs Kliewer. “Despite having lived here for 12 years and, I don’t know, I seem to know a lot of musicians here, but I don’t know anyone that’s really full-time at it.”

For the band’s upcoming Calgary shows, at Virgin Fest on Saturday and at Sled Island at the Legion on June 27, Kliewer says he’s excited. The band is feverishly preparing for the opening slot Saturday and though the band has played few live shows as the Fast Romantics, he doesn’t find kicking off Virgin Fest too intimidating.

“We’re just really focused on letting the music do the talking,” says Kliewer. “We want to sound as good as we can. It all comes down to lots of rehearsing. We really want the music to speak for ourselves.”



http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca/story/12521
- The Gauntlet - University of Calgary - Jon Roe

Calgary's The Fast Romantics' first foray into the American music market was definitely a memorable one.

They were selectd as finalists for Free The Noise, a global battle of the bands contest sponsored by fashion designer John Varvatos, SPIN Earth and Island Records. They traveled to New York in mid-September to compete against Chile's Howlers and American group Reckless Sons.

"To be perfectly honest, once we entered it, we forgot all about it," admits guitarist Matthew Kliewer. "There are so many of these contests out there for indie bands and we've entered many of them, almost always hearing that we didn't make the final cut."

This time was obviously different. After their plane landed, their driver (who had just dropped off Jay-Z at the airport) took them to their posh hotel. They checked in and then headed out for a night of food and drink with Perry Farrell, music photographer Mick Rock and Varvatos.

The Free The Noise showcase gig took place at John Varvatos 315 Bowery (the former space for famed live venue CBGB). A trailer stocked with beverages was placed outside the boutique for the groups to use to prepare for their live performances.

"The band played incredible that night," says Kliewer. "When they introduced us, they claimed that we were one of the 'top three' unsigned bands in the world, so immediately we felt good.

"There were apparently 950 people there. I heard that Dennis Quaid was there, but I couldn't see if he was jumping up and down, checking his watch, or trying to save the planet."

Although Reckless Sons were awarded the grand prize of a development deal with Island Records and involvement in Varvatos' next international advertising campaign, The Fast Romantics didn't leave totally empty handed.

All the members were given a $1,000 shopping spree at the John Varvatos 315 Bowery shop and a bottle of cologne. They also received some great comments from the event's judges that should help build a buzz for their next appearance in New York on October 24 at the Bowery Poetry Club as part of the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival.

"It wasn't really about winning this contest for us," explains Kliewer. "It was about the experience and just playing a good set to a good crowd in a great city.

"I didn't realize that they were going to set it up like American Idol with a judging panel right off the side of the stage prepared to give feedback. Thankfully, they were all pretty into our set and for the most part we were praised. John Varvatos said, 'Now I know why there is so much buzz north of the border about you guys. Now you have to bring it down south.' Mick Rock's microphone wasn't working so he stood up and gave us two thumbs up."

The Fast Romantics issued their debut eponymous full-length at the end of the summer. The album is filled with post-punk accented indie pop and was mixed by Mike Fraser (Sam Roberts, AC/DC, Franz Ferdinand) and mastered by Adam Ayan (Sarah McLachlan, Foo Fighters).

"I think my most favourite thing about this record is that it's honest," offers vocalist Matthew Angus. "In our past bands, or I think most bands in general, it's often about posturing. People want to sound like this, or look like that, or fill this role.

"On this record, we let loose. So no matter what happens, we win. Four million people could buy it, or maybe just 1,000, but either way, we've got this thing on our shelf now, and every time we look at it, we get to smile." - ChartAttack

In an age where it seems there are as many rock bands as there are stars in the sky, what does it take to rise above the rest?

The answer is honesty, hard work and lunacy—at least, if you take it from Matthew Angus, frontman for The Fast Romantics.

“You have to be very honest these days because a lot of bands make a strategy as to what they want to sound like, who they want to be and what they want to project,” the 28-year-old said by phone late last month from his apartment in Calgary.

“I think that’s dangerous because you’re picking an identity and a sound for yourself out of a pool of hundreds of thousands of existing bands. It’s hard to be yourself when you’re trying to be someone else.”

Striving for honesty is precisely what the four-piece has been doing since they formed three years ago, rising out of the ashes of a previous musical project manned by most members of the current line-up.

With the addition of a new drummer in 2006 and a name change, The Fast Romantics took a new lease on their musical direction and started working on their self-titled debut album. It was released this past August.

Putting their social lives on the backburner, the band holed up in their self-financed Post/War studio for close to a year, allowing the creative process to be freed of unnerving studio fees and ticking clocks.

“It was long and sweaty…and sometimes difficult,” Angus said.

“We had a lot of time to focus on how we wanted it to sound like. Maybe it wasn’t practical from a financial standpoint, but we took the time to do it.”

The resulting effort is a collection of catchy, Brit-pop-infused rock tunes that caught the ears of legendary mix engineer Mike Fraser.

Fraser, who was working with AC/DC and Franz Ferdinand at the time, jumped on the opportunity to mix the record.

- See The Fast Romantics Monday, Sept. 6 at The Pyramid Cabaret (176 Fort St.)
- Calgary’s Secret Broadcast and Winnipeg’s Jicah will also perform

Story Links
The Fast Romantic’s MySpace page
“That gave us a huge boost of confidence,” Angus said. “I don’t want to say it gave us big heads, but it made us feel this record is getting treated the way we wanted it to. We didn’t want it to be mixed or recorded in any way that hindered the sound (we were after).”

Besides Fraser, the band has also brushed shoulders with other notable acts, playing alongside Stone Temple Pilots, The Flaming Lips and The Stills.

“I think we found out that we are hard workers,” Angus said reflecting on their journey so far. “We can’t stop thinking about our band, whether it be musical or business-wise—we’re always working on this. We’ve lost jobs over it.”

So what keeps the band pushing to stand out amongst the other bands trying to make a name for themselves?

“Maybe a healthy dose of stupidity,” Angus said, only half in jest. “Maybe we’re a little bit crazy.”

“We always said the bands that make it are the ones that stick it out just a little too long to be rational. We’re very committed to making music a career and not just a one hit wonder, and certainly not a failure by any standards. We just picked this like anyone else picks something, and we’re not going to stop. We’re just stubborn.”

In the meantime, the band is growing some legs for the record by taking it across Canada before heading back into the studio for the follow-up, slated to be released next summer. - The Uniter

The Fast Romantics play Friday at the Marquee Room. You may not have heard of this band before, but you will. This Calgary band has started to make a lot of noise (both in the literal and figurative sense) in Canada and beyond. Their bouncy piano pop has earned comparisons to bands like Spoon and Blur (not bad bands to be compared to, if you ask me) and has usually been termed "Brit Pop", although that label makes little sense here. Now's the time to check them out before they blow up. We could have another Arcade Fire on our hands. That would certainly be good for Calgary. Also on the bill are shoegaze band Heat Ray.

http://www.martiniboys.com/Calgary/articles/Today-in-Calgary:-The-Fast-Romantics-Turn-a-Lot-of-Heads-11331.html
- Martini Boys - Richard Trapunski

Racing their way into the local music scene, The Fast Romantics are one of the most promising new bands listeners are yet to catch up with.

That said, this piano-driven Brit-pop/indie-rock four-piece are not in fact all that new.

They've been at it, under the radar, since 2005, and played with three of their members under the moniker, The Mood, for three years before that. That project gained them national airplay on both commercial and college stations, national press coverage, and a spot on Chartattack's top 40.

Yet, according to lead guitarist Matthew Kliewer, there was still something missing.

"I think The Mood was a very rushed project with a good group of musicians," he says.

"We had received a grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts with a deadline to have an album finished within a certain time. However, I dislocated my right shoulder during the writing process.

"Between that and maybe having some first-time 'real' studio jitters, we simply didn't have the confidence behind the music that we wanted to get across to our listeners.

After we had recorded that album, we were a little surprised that it was well received, especially in Eastern Canada. So the band got tighter with our live performances and we vowed to take our time and do it right with the next one."

Taking encouragement from the success of Canadian crossover acts like the Arcade Fire and The New Pornographers, original members Kliewer, singer/guitarist/keyboardist Matthew Angus and bassist Jeffrey Lewis brought in drummer Alan Reain.

Revitalized as a quartet, they re-branded the band and started cranking out tightly wound, sophisticated tunes that bring to mind Spoon and Blur. The group has only played a few shows in this incarnation so far, but are now gearing up to hit the stage with five gigs before Nov. 1.

"I suppose we've taken ourselves out of the local scene while we were writing, choosing to stay in and write instead of going to play with songs that didn't have the confidence we wanted behind them," explains Kliewer.

"Now that we're about to finish the recording and release it, we want to expose the project to the public."

Despite shying away from the spotlight in Calgary, Kliewer says the group is very supportive of the local scene, mentioning a few venues and artists in specific.

"Calgary's always sort of seemed like a city on the verge of erupting with a music scene that could be taken seriously outside of our city limits. I think it's still like that today -- on the verge. There are some great venues to play like Broken City, Liberty Lounge, and the Ship & Anchor, but there are simply not enough of them to give all of the good bands in this city a fair chance.

"I've also really enjoyed listening to some of our local talent on the radio and in the bars," he continues. "Secret Broadcast, Hurricane Felix & the Southern Twisters, Chad VanGaalen, Reverie Sound Revue, The Ostrich and Axis of Conversation are some of my favourites."

With their new full-length nearly finished, the time seems right for The Fast Romantics to speed into the scene. However, they actually have their sights set on something more bright.

"When the album comes out. we're going to promote it with a national tour, but we don't have dates for that until the tapes come back fully mastered," says Kliewer.

"We've also got our eyes on a European tour, but that'll be after we've come home from a Canadian one and have had a soccer breakfast at the Ship.

"We're not striving to be rock stars, but we're each so passionate about playing our music together that we want to continue writing and performing for as long as we can."

On the web:

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/F/Fast_Romantics/2007/09/21/4513954-sun.html
- Calgary Sun

Calgary indie rockers The Fast Romantics have just released their self-titled debut - but the album isn't technically the band's first.

"We sort of did make one before under a different name and three-quarters of this band," says Matthew Angus (vocals/keys/guitar), 28, over the phone from Calgary. "The last album was really derivative. We were really into Radiohead and we wanted to be moody and serious. And deep. Very deep. But we quickly realized that when you try to sound deep it starts to sound pretty shallow."

That album was called What's on the Surface And What's Underneath. The band was called The Mood. "I didn't realize how funny that is until I said it out loud," Angus says, laughing.

Happily, under their new (and much better) moniker, The Fast Romantics shoved their well-worn copies of OK Computer aside and came up with a bouncy collection of angular dance-rock tracks, no doubt influenced by Britrock's cheerier players.

"We're good-natured guys, so we wanted to make music that was less serious but still reflected our influences," Angus says. "We wanted to be ourselves, and I think we succeeded with that. And we're thrilled with (the record). We've had it sitting on the shelf for a long time but it hasn't gotten old to us yet."

That old adage about just being yourself has paid off for The Fast Romantics. The quartet - which includes Matthew Kliewer (guitar), Jeffrey Lewis (bass) and Alan Reain (drums) - caught the ear of noted mix engineer Mike Fraser (Franz Ferdinand, AC/DC), who was eager to work on The Fast Romantics.

"He brought confidence to the sessions," Angus says. "Just to hear how excited he was about our little record, it made us go, 'Whoa, we really need to give this everything we've got.' And when you have someone who understands you sonically, there's nothing better than that."

The record's release couldn't have come at a better time. The Fast Romantics were recently named one of three finalists in Spin's Free the Noise contest, a "global search for the next great rock 'n' roll band." On Sept. 15, the three lucky bands will head to New York City to play a prominent industry showcase at the John Varvatos boutique at 315 Bowery Ave. (the former address of legendary punk club CBGB) as part of New York Fashion Week. The winning band will receive a development deal with Island Records, among other coveted prizes.

Good thing The Fast Romantics have no problem strutting their stuff onstage.

"We're ultra-proud of our record, but we're more proud of our live show," Angus says. "There are so many bands that take themselves seriously and are just so cool, you know? But isn't that kind of boring? They're so dead serious about it that they look miserable playing it. I'd rather look like a dweeb and be having fun." - Uptown Magazine

"Melodious and impressive," writes BeatRoute Magazine.

BeatRoute's not talking about the intro music to Mad Men, y'all; they're talking about The Fast Romantics, a band whose use of the word "fast" in their name is kind of apt considering how much they've done in two short years. Says the Calgary Sun, "The Fast Romantics are one of the most promising bands listeners have yet to catch up with," and that's kind of the point: If you're from Calgary, you probably know this band. If you're not, your probably don't. So jump on the wagon now and you can be leading the charge, scenesters. Just think of the look on your friends' faces when you say you've already listened to the album a zillion times before they discover it in October or whatever. It'll be priceless! You'll have blog fodder for months! All the other scenesters will be green with envy!

Okay, now we're going to get serious for a second.

The Calgary-based Fast Romantics "played their first show with the current line-up" in fall of 2007, and, since then, they've shared stages with the likes of the Stone Temple Pilots, The Fratellis, The Stills, and even The Flaming Lips. And yet still, most people East of the Prairies have no earthly idea who they are.

But they will. Soon.

The Fast Romantics are releasing their S/T debut tomorrow, August 18. This is a truly auspicious debut, one which attracted top flight talent to it like a magnet pulls iron shavings. Like who? Like Mix Engineer Mike Fraser (Franz Ferdinand), and Grammy winner Adam Ayan (Nirvana, Rolling Stones). Said Fraser, in a prepared release:

"Being in this business almost 30 years I've heard lots of bands and lots of styles of music. Once in a blue moon a real gem comes along. Even in it's (sic) roughest state you know you're hearing something special and you want to be involved, period. It's just a matter of time before this band will be everywhere." - The Hour

With the end of year nearing, music mag readers can ready themselves for a barrage of 2007 retrospectives. This column is no different, and besides compiling 13 of my favourite songs by local artists, I’ve also assembled them into an online mixtape for your downloading and listening enjoyment. The track listing is as follows, with a few of the artists and personal mix picks.

1) “Spooning the Gorilla” — The Fast Romantics

“Just one song? That’s so tough,” says guitarist Matthew Kliewer. “Well, I often include ‘Jimmy Jazz’ by The Clash on mixes, because it has a tendency to turn people into bumbling drunks.” That’s smart reasoning if I’ve ever heard it, and this stomping piano rocker might have a similar effect.

2) “Don’t Rock” — The Ostrich.....

....(continues through other bands)

To download the 2007 411 mixtape, hit up mediafire.com/?bnby1ddm0ed. Happy Hanukkah to all!

On the web:

http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/music/music-features/its-end-year-we-know-it/
- FFWD Weekly

In 2002, Calgary was graced with a new band, melodious and impressive. The Mood made a name for themselves, not just here but across the country, getting airplay from college and commercial radio alike. Three years later though, they disbanded. It was time to re-evaluate the direction they wanted to take.

“About a week after the old band called it quits, Matt (Kliewer, lead guitarist) and I moved all of our instruments into a spare room in a basement,” vocalist Matthew Angus recalls. “The room couldn't have been more than seven or eight feet squared, and we managed to stuff three guitars, a drum set, an upright piano, a synth/sequencer, and a home studio in there.

"It always got really sweltering, really fast, and between that and booze we certainly went a little crazy, but a lot of the songs on this album came out of those demo sessions.”

Thus was the beginning of The Fast Romantics, a name that arrived at random and, as Angus states “with us all sitting in a room, half-cut on whiskey and wine and smoking grape Shisha.” There was also a new drummer. “We worked with several talented drummers over the course of the last six years, but we met our match with Alan (Reain). He had just moved from Ottawa last October and within a week of his arrival, we had our first session with him.”

While this transition was taking place for the band, Calgary has itself been changing with the boom, and it’s actually been good for The Fast Romantics.

“We sort of took a step back from attempting to be anything at all that wasn’t our true form as songwriters,” says Kliewer. “The Mood was simply a stepping stone for Matt, Jeff (Lewis, bassist) and I to start up The Fast Romantics with Alan. Fortunately for us, Calgary seems to be less judgmental of its local music scene.” He adds, “We’re getting a lot of support from the local media, radio and the people that come to our shows.”

Of course, with social change comes problems and it’s natural to write about that.

“I still care about outside things, but it usually comes out in more personal ways, and only if it stirs me up. I may write about former Alderman Madeleine King eating homeless children with a glass of thousand-dollar brandy, and that works just fine because it truly does get my goat,” Angus explains. “But I’m just as likely on this record to write about how much a particular girl turns me on, or how good it feels to brush my teeth with hot water. I think in the end, it connects with people in a more honest way.” With a new album in the works, what truly drives these four gents?

“Pie is a major passion for all of us,” proclaims Kliewer. “When we’ve worked hard for a while, we’ll blow off some steam by having a ‘Plastered Poker and Pie Party’. We each bring a different kind of pie, play poker and drink way too much.”

Now that's creativity!

On the web:

http://www.beatroute.ca/view_archived_article.php?id=35&sectionID=15&articleID=1250) - Beatroute

A while ago, this Calgary-based band decided that being broody wasn’t for them. So, they shrugged off their dark skins and walked out into the sunlight again. Thank goodness they did. The Fast Romantics definitely have it when it comes to up-beat, indie pop-rock.

Matthew Angus, the lead vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist, uses trembling and theatrical vocals to match the fervent accompaniment of equally-talented band members Matthew Kliewer on guitar, Jeffrey Lewis on bass, and Alan Reain on drums. They’ve also managed to sneak in a few less-conventional instruments like the trumpet, banjo, and trombone. It’s already clear that this quartet has the potential to match forces with fellow Canadian bands like The Stills, Hot Hot Heat, and Sloan.

Their self-titled record showcases a really nice layering of sounds. Launching straight into the high-energy, vaudeville-esque style in “Spooning the Gorilla,” the band sets the tone for the rest of the album: complex, creative, and a lot of fun. The all-together-now choruses, old-school guitar riffs, bouncy keyboards, and a assorted of underlying genres (varied forms of pop, electronica, and a bit of bluegrass) makes these tracks a real treat for the ears.

There are remnants of their old, darker influences in the songs “Casablanca” and “Modern Eyes” which contrast nicely with the rest of the tracks, giving things a well-rounded feel. It’s nice to hear Angus nurturing a variety of vocal styles. Much like how the album begins, they make sure to also end it with a bang. The explosive track “Mr. Magoo” plays like a New Orleans jazz band enlivening a rowdy crowd in a steamy, smoky nightclub.

The Fast Romantics are well on their way, having already caught the attention of Spin’s Free the Noise contest (where they were one of the three finalists) and have already played alongside big names (Stone Temple Pilots, The Flaming Lips, The Fratellis). If this album is a taste of this band’s burgeoning ability, it will be only onward and upward from here for The Fast Romantics. - LucidMedia

Visit :

http://www.kmnr.ca/2007/kMNR_v2007.189.htm

for the article. - KMNR.ca

Visit :

http://www.kmnr.ca/2007/kMNR_v2007.189.htm

for the article. - KMNR.ca