Flatlined
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Flatlined

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The best kept secret in music

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"Welland rock band has nothing to lose"

Out of Seattle came grunge, out of Jamaica was reggae, out of California was the surfer style, and out of Welland is contemporary punk and hardcore. The only problem is, the local dominance of the Rose City Hardcore sound has made it hard for bands of other genres to prosper. Welland group, Flatlined, describe themselves as a straight up rock and roll band that are driven to succeed through adversity.

Wes Stonos, James Lowman and Carmen Celi used to play in a cover band over five years ago. Along the way, they split up, joined other bands, but always stayed in contact with each other. Celi and Lowman played in a band called Sons of Eve with Dean Beaudoin on drums. They needed a singer, so they called up Stonos to join them and the basis of Flatlined was formed.

"[Flatlined represents]" the death of all other bands, and the birth of this new and improved one," said Stonos. Influenced by Tool and Finger Eleven, they have carved out a niche in Welland. "Being from Welland, we are kind of at a disadvantage,: said Stonos. "There's a big punk scene, and a big hardcore scene, so it was a little difficult because we didn't have any other bands to play with."

The guys took matters into their own hands and started to play Toronto, Hamilton and other surrounding areas that have a bigger music scene. They also have a tour set up in Los Angeles. Flatlined is slowly feeling the success their hard work has brought, and are working on a new CD to open a new chapter of their life. The new songs are going to be more emotion based as the past CD, Guilty Of....,was based mostly on events that happened to members of the band.

"Best Intentions' involves the death of a friend, 'Shiver' is about a stalker," said Lowman. For the new CD, they are hoping to write songs which reflect on events that happen to the band as a whole, because they now have spent more time together and are feeling that 'band bond.' Locally, Flatlined play Lava Lounge weekly and the size of the crowds may fluctuate, but that doesn't effect the quality of the performances. There is one rare aspect of Flatlined which should not be missed at their live performances, and that is that they are a rock band where the singer can actually sing.

"We throw one hell of a live show" said Lowman. "It doesn't matter how many people are there, 1000 or 10. It's just about playing great music and have fun while doing it." Whatever happened to those bands that would smash their equipment and spit on the crowd, like The Who and Sex Pistols? They are still alive in the Flatlined spirit. Live shows for Flatlined sometimes involve injuries and they've got the battle scars to prove it. "I put my tooth through my lip while playing. It was the first song of a six song set, I chipped a tooth at the CD release party, too," said Lowman and Stonos. "[We want to] make it big, and play big venues, and to be able to be in the green. We are in debt and have invested more in this band, so maybe that's what drives us. We've got nothing to lose." - Dila Velazquez--THE BROCK PRESS


"Flatlined Inks Exclusive Recording Contract with Voodoo Records"

This week Niagara-based rockers Flatlined announced their signing of an exclusive recording contract with Voodoo Records of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For the past two years, Flatlined has dominated the indie circuit in Canada and Northern US with their explosive live shows and signature blend of aggressive, melodic rock. A sold-out debut CD, openings gigs for big-name acts (including Skindred, Out of Your Mouth, Idle Sons, Klear and the Mudmen), awards from Garageband.com, and an enthusiastic –and rapidly expanding– fanbase are just a few of the rewards Flatlined has received for their dedication to making and playing great rock.

This collaboration with Voodoo Records marks the next chapter of Flatlined’s steady rise to the top. “We are very excited to work with Voodoo Records,” says guitarist Jimi Battle. Along with producer Mike Dmitrovic, Flatlined has already begun pre-production on their sophomore album, anticipated for release in Fall 2006. And there’s more good news for Flatlined’s rock-hungry fans: working overtime in the studio doesn’t mean fewer live shows. “We will still be touring many venues while we are recording… playing live is our reason for doing all this, and we will not let our fans down!” Battle adds.

As a part of this exclusive deal, audio and broadcasting supplier RVA Canada has endorsed the band with a state-of-the-art wireless systems. Freeing up the band from guitar cables that twist and unplug, this system will only add intensity to their already energetic live performances. In addition, Punk Invasion has joined the Flatlined team as their exclusive merchandise provider. Other gear suppliers, including Dava Picks, Spector Bass, Jim Dunlop, Firewire Strings, and PedalSnake have also officially sponsored Flatlined with their products. These impressive endorsements will no doubt continue to advance Flatlined’s music as they get down to work in the Voodoo Records studio. For more information about Flatlined – including current tour dates in Canada and the US.
- David Flynn


"Flatlined returns for Chatham-Kent Show"

We'll be seeing many shows coming through Chatham-Kent this summer for sure. We've got our rather large list of local bands in Chatham-Kent that will surely be filling all the local establishments, plus we can bet on some more signed acts to come through town too. For links and what not to our local artists, just sift through the Rock Shop archives here and you'll find ways to contact some of these bands and see who's where and when.

On to this week. I have had the pleasure of performing on the same bill as Flatlined on 2 occasions, and I think they are band that has a great future. Flatlined is from the Niagara region, and has been performing since early 2003. Their sound could be described as a mix between Finger 11 and Tool, but at the same time, very unique features do stand out. The group is composed of 5 members, Wes Stonos-Vocals, James Lowman-Guitar and Vocals, Carm Celi-Guitar, Chris Fraser-Bass and Dean Beaudoin-Drums. Myself, I often hear the styles of Linkin Park in their music.

One thing I can say about Flatlined is that they are down to earth, personable people. They are easy to talk to, and at the same time want to hear what "you" have to say. They have become one of my favourite bands in which to not only watch, but perform with as well. Flatlined performed along with our band Finding Core at the recent show with Quiet Riot. Sadly that evening, Flatlined tour vehicle broke down on the highway, and caused delays
in reaching the venue. Good news though, the band prevailed, and found a way to get there, and ended up "closing" Quiet Riot's show!! How cool is that? They also had no problem using the bulk of our band's gear, and that alone showed us that they were people that could easily work in a tight and sometimes stressful situation.

The band currently has their debut CD available entitled "Guily of." and upon its release sold over 300 copies, in the first week alone. That is fantastic for doing the job yourself. Way to go guys! Currently, their CD can be purchased at these locations:

*CD PLUS----Chatham,ON (Sears mall)
*HEAD OF THE CLASS----Cambridge, ON(Hespler Rd.)
*SUNRISE----London,ON (Masonville)
*IN THE MIX--Welland,ON (Seaway Mall)
*STATION TO STATION--St Catharines,ON
*THE RECORD WORKS---Woodstock,ON
*RJ SUBS--Port Colborne,ON

I'm sure you could also pick one up at one of their upcoming shows, or through their website as well. Speaking of shows, Flatlined has an extensive tour lined up for the summer. Visit their website for showdates and all pertinent information at: http://www.flatlinedband.com
Don't forget to tell them we sent ya!

Also, don't miss Flatlined at the upcoming CD Release party for Finding Core, Saturday July 2 at Twister's Nightclub. Tix $5.00

See ya'll next week!
Eric
- Chatham-Kent Times


"Flatlined hits city in big way"

(Jul 28, 2005)
Based out of the Niagara Region ñ and leaving their mark everywhere they play ñ Flatlined is one of Canada's top unsigned acts. Blending aggressive, melodic riffs with the powerful but evocative voice of Wes Stonos, Flatlined's explosive performances have earned them a well-deserved reputation for rocking the indie circuit in Canada and the U.S.

The band is making a two-day stop in Cambridge, playing at Fiddler's Green tonight, with guests Brothers of the Gutter, War Against Amy and SpinStill. They perform tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. during an all-ages show at Head Of The Class Rock Shop with special guest SpinStill. Flatlined then performs tomorrow night at 69' Pick Ups with Distant Minds, Fluid and SpinStill.

Flatlined burst onto the scene in early 2004 with their debut album "Guilty Of...". Since then, Flatlined has toured more than 200 venues, opening for bands like Out Of Your Mouth, Helix, Mudmen, Quiet Riot, Klear, Dead Celebrity Status, and Skindred. Whether it's entertaining audiences of 12 or 1,200, Flatlined tends to steal the show.

"Our live show is dynamite," says guitarist James Lowman. "You haven't seen a band until you've seen Flatlined live."

Blending elements of bands like A Perfect Circle, Finger Eleven, Tool and Rage Against the Machine, Flatlined's sound appeals to a wide audience without losing its distinctive edge.

The band is currently working on their anxiously awaited sophomore album slated for release in August.

In the meantime, Flatlined will be on an extensive Ontario tour this summer . - Jeff Hurst - Cambridge Times


"Flatlined: Bringing new life to nu-metal in the Niagara region"

You may not be familiar with the band Flatlined, but that may change sometime soon.

With the release of its album Guilty Of… in April of last year and the promise of a new album soon, Flatlined is ready to make a name for itself in Canada’s mainstream music scene. Combining emotive vocals with heavy nu-metal riffs and a solid guitar sound that pays homage to Tool, the band is quickly reviving the mainstream market for poignant hard rock.

Originally hailing from a onetrack Niagara Falls scene, lead singer Wes Stonos of Flatlined admits that the rock band’s future didn’t always look this bright. “As a rock band, we never really fit in,” he reveals. “There was a lot of emo, screamo and punk in the scene we’re from.”

“We found that we had to go elsewhere to get our start,” adds lead guitarist James Lowman.

However, since the release of Guilty of… things are looking much brighter for the band. “2004 was a huge year for us,” says Stonos. “We played 96 shows this year, which is five times more than last year; we released an album, we filmed a DVD, and we shot a video,” adds Lowman. “It’s safe to say that our expectations were passed this year.” As a nod to the future, he offers, “We’re only looking to grow further from here in 2005.”

Lowman and guitarist Carmen Celi formed Flatlined in 2000 with drummer Dean Beaudoin; it arrived at its current lineup in 2003 after the addition of Stonos on vocals and Chris Fraser on bass. With a constantly evolving line-up, Lowman admits that Flatlined’s sound has changed dramatically since its roots. “We used to have a more metal-type singer, but now with Wes singing, there’s far more focus on melodic vocals. We used to sound a lot like Creed.”

Often, expectations can be higher than reasonable for a relatively new rock band. More often than not, hardships or other unforeseen circumstances prevent the potential of many bands from being fully realized; however, Flatlined has received nothing but overwhelming success and buzz from its fans. And this is all following a mere two years as a full band.

Contributing to Flatlined’s quick rise to the brink of mainstream success is the group’s focus on perfecting live performances. It is evident that Flatlined has stuck by the mantra on its website, which reads: “You haven’t seen a band until you’ve seen Flatlined live.” In addition, live clips (available online) differ little from the quality of studio recordings. As Lowman proudly says, “Our live show is dynamite.”

In the past year, Flatlined has toured with big name acts such as Out Of Your Mouth and Dead Celebrity Status. However, having played on both sides of the border, Lowman has noticed differences between Canadian and American audience reactions.

“We noticed that American fans were a lot more open to our style of rock music than our Canadian audiences. I think it might just be that Americans are used to our kind of music more so than Canadians.” Looking at the band’s influences, it’s easy to understand Lowman’s claim. The band spent ample time listening to Tool, Nine Inch Nails and The Smashing Pumpkins, while covering songs from Limp Bizkit, Hoobastank and Rage Against the Machine — all of whom are members of the well established American rock scene.

However, meaningful Canadian rock music should not lose hope. “Talking to other bands on tour, there definitely are some good rock scenes out there,” says Stonos. “We find that our scene is very open. We get people out to our shows from all different backgrounds and scenes.” In contrast to Niagara Falls’ t r e n d y - f o r - t r e n d ’s - s a k e emo/screamo/punk scene, Flatlined has certainly found its niche. Flatlined will perform at Fanshawe College tonight and will return to London on Feb. 11 at The Brunswick Hotel.
- The Gazette - Alex Paterson


"Little Worried"

“We were a little worried when we first started out,” chuckles James Loman wryly. “When we first played Bolero in St. Catharines it was their last night before they closed up and no one told us. We thought we were doing pretty well that night and people seemed pretty into it but at the end of the night the owner told us he was shutting down. Luckily the new owner—it’s now the Lava Lounge—was there and offered us Wednesday nights and that’s been one of our steady gigs ever since.”

To say things have moved quickly in the nearly three years since the band that Loman plays guitar in, Flatlined, started betrays a gift for understatement. Since getting together in early 2002 Loman, co-guitarist Carmen Celi, bassist Chris Fraser, drummer Dean Beaudoin and singer Wes Stonos have successfully released their first independent CD, Guilty Of…, secured opening slots for hard rock heavies including the Mudmen and Out Of Your Mouth, shot a video, are planning a DVD release and begun putting together material for their follow–up record. All this and both Loman and Stonos say they’ve got their sights set on much loftier aspirations.

Where Flatlined is concerned, it seems a certain amount of business savvy has come into play. Rather than toiling diligently in the Niagara Region (though they do play here), for example, the band has already begun infiltrating larger markets like Buffalo and Toronto to very receptive crowds. As well, both band members are confident that the United States is where they’d like to concentrate their energy. “Canada’s great and all, but when you look at it, the Canadian bands that have similar sounds to us are getting picked up by American labels and starting to see quite a bit of success down there right now while the Canadian labels we’ve spoken to are more interested in the punk and pop sounds,” asserts Stonos. “I think our sound is a little closer to the Nickelbacks and Finger Elevens and the American labels are the ones that are coming up here to find that so, to us, it seems like that’s where we should be putting our energy. We decided a while ago that this is what we wanted to do and if we’re going to do it, we want to make sure we do what we think is best for us.”


In the coming year, that’s exactly what they plan to do. Stonos says that while making their first record was a great experience for the most part (“We had our ups and downs, but I don’t think making any other record is as exciting as making your first one”) the band’s sound has changed since then into something that they are now totally happy with and can’t wait to get it down on tape. The band has already hammered four songs out for their next record and is still working on more. “I think the first album was good at the time, but the ideas that are coming together for the second record are – to me anyway – much, much better,” says Loman. “We’ve already played them live a bit and they’ve been received well so it’s been really encouraging. I’ve actually already scheduled the release party for the next one for July 1st {laughing] to kind of give everyone the double whammy, but none of it is about that. When we’re done with this new album, we want it to be a shoppable record that we can get out there and hopefully get the level of success that we want.”
- Pulse Niagara - Bill Adams


Discography

"Guilty Of..." April 20th 2004
1. Home
2. Shiver
3. Go
4. Best Intentions
5. Bliss & Hell
6. Tennesse Ave.
7. Joel
8. Wait For The Pain
9. Facecast
10. The Balance
11. Prophet

"Flatlined LIVE" May 28th 2005

Disc 1
1. Radio Commercial
2. Prophet
3. Bliss & Hell
4. Home
5. Way To Long
6. Best Intentions
7. Drowning
8. What You'll See
9. Go
10. Just Try
11. Shiver
12. Similate *
13. Shiver *
14. Lepricon**
15. Plea of Innocents**
16. So Close**
17. Radio Commercial (Original Concept)

*Original Demo Tracks for Guilty Of...
**Unreleased B-sides from Guilty Of...

Disc 2 (DVD)
1. (Intro) EPK
2. Live Footage
3. Bliss & Hell (Music Video)
4. Pictures

CD currently available:

*CD PLUS----Chatham,ON (Sears mall)
*HEAD OF THE CLASS----Cambridge, ON(Hespler Rd.)
*SUNRISE----London,ON (Masonville)
*IN THE MIX--Welland,ON (Seaway Mall)
*STATION TO STATION--St Catharines,ON
*THE RECORD WORKS---Woodstock,ON
*RJ SUBS--Port Colborne,ON

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Based out of the Niagara region —and leaving their mark everywhere they play— Flatlined is one of Canada’s top unsigned acts. Blending aggressive, melodic riffs with the powerful but evocative voice of Wes Stonos, Flatlined’s explosive performances have earned them a well-deserved reputation for rocking the indie circuit in Canada and the US.

Flatlined burst onto the scene in early 2004 with their debut album “Guilty Of…” which has sold over 1000 copies to date. Since then Flatlined has toured over 200 venues, opening for bands like Out Of Your Mouth, Helix, Mudmen, Quiet Riot, Klear, Dead Celebrity Status, and Skindred! Whether they’re entertaining audiences of 12 or 1200, Flatlined has a habit of stealing the show. “Our live show is dynamite,” says guitarist James Lowman, “you haven’t seen a band until you’ve seen Flatlined live.” Blending elements of bands like A Perfect Circle, Finger Eleven, Tool, and Rage Against the Machine, Flatlined’s sound appeals to a wide audience without losing its distinctive edge.

Without a doubt, 2005 has been the busiest year for Flatlined yet. The band debuted their first music video, “Bliss and Hell” (directed and shot by Oscar Navarro) which was released independently in early 2005. The video has become a hit with Flatlined’s fans, and is being packaged together, along with previously-unseen band interviews and studio footage, with their first LIVE album.

In addition to this DVD/CD release, Flatlined is currently working on their anxiously-awaited sophomore album. In collaboration with producer Dan Preston (Clarknova) the new album will include the smash hits “Drowning”, “Way too Long” and “Just Try,” and is slated for release in August 2005. With Flatlined’s established and enthusiastic fanbase in the Niagara region and rapidly growing popularity in cities like Toronto, Hamilton, Cambridge, London, Northern Ontario, and Buffalo (NY), this album promises to impress —and expand—their growing audiences.

In the meantime, Flatlined will be on an extensive Ontario tour this summer and plans are in the works for a cross-Canada tour in the fall of 2005. But all this activity, including receiving awards from garageband.com and extensive media coverage in Southwestern Ontario, hasn’t slowed the band down a bit. “The last twelve months have been a real success for us,” says lead singer Wes Stonos. “We’ve established a great fanbase and gain more with every show we play. But we’re not about to stop there. . . Flatlined has had a great year but we’re convinced what we’ve done so far is just the beginning. And we’re willing to work our asses off to get where we want to go.”

FLATLINED BOOKINGS:
skilly@flatlinedband.com
(905)380-1698