Killbear

That's the hope of four members of ...and he is us, a band headlining an all-ages rock show in Beaumont at the KC Hall and Beaumont Community Centre March 14.
"We kind of just wanted to do something in Beaumont to give bands more exposure here," said drummer Amanda Rene. "There's not much of it."
The show will feature ...and he is us, Mapping the Escape, Farther From and On the Sidewalk Bleeding who captured Sonic 102.9 FM band of the month on the radio.
...and he is us consists of Rene on drums, Nolan Richer on guitar, Liam Wilson on bass and vocalist Sonia Silva. They've been together for two years playing shows in Edmonton and surrounding areas. In May, they're hitting the road to Vancouver, playing 13 shows in 17 days along the way.
Silva and Richer were in a band before they met Rene. The trio went through a number of different bass players before Wilson came along.
"And we havn't looked back since - aside from making sure Liam's still there," said Richer, laughing.
Rene and Wilson are the Beaumont connection. Rene graduated from Beaumont Composite High School in 2006 and Wilson currently works there. They gave some residents a taste of what is to come at the 30-hour famine and benefit concert the school hosted for World Vision Feb. 27.
...and he is us was approached by On the Sidewalk Bleeding to do the show in Beaumont. Of the four bands performing, Rene said Mapping the Escape has the biggest fan following.
"It feels pretty cool," said Richer. "It means someone out there is listening to what we have to put out."
The band is currently working on putting out their second album, the first of which is titled Pills, Pens and Paper and has three songs. The band defines their music as alternative rock, comparing their style to that of Metric or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Tickets are $10 at thedoors of the KC Hall and Beaumont Community Centre which open at 6:30 p.m. on March 14.
- La Nouvelle

At some point in the last century, popular music seemed to split into two camps. On the one side was danceable pop music, while on the other the lyrics and themes held precedence, exploring the hardships inherent in being human. For local band ... and he is us—whose members are split evenly between Beaumont and Edmonton—exploration of the darker side of the human condition is what drives them to create.

"We definitely don't have a lot of those poppy feelings to our songs, it's not upbeat—they've kinda got a darker tone to them," explains drummer Amanda Rene. "We're trying to do something a little more meaningful. I don't know if we do it on purpose—that's just the way the songs we jam come out."

That jamming is typically spurred on, she says, by riffs written by guitarist Nolan Richer. The band—rounded out by Sonia Silva on vocals and Liam Wilson on bass—builds upon those riffs when crafting its moody and driving songs. It is from him that the moodiness originates, Rene postulates, and when asked about it, Richer admits that his life experience has created within him the need to question the veracity of his fellow human beings, and this lack of trust may have created a darkness within.

"My parents broke up when I was a kid and I was always going back and forth and a lot of my writing I draw on this idea of never really knowing which side is telling the truth, or knowing where to turn," he says. "I think that that's where the darker side of our writing comes from. It was an uphill battle."

Regardless of the moodiness of their output, the band is genuinely excited to be heading out on its first tour ever, which will see the members travelling to Vancouver and back.

"It's our first tour as a band and I think it's everyone in the band's first time on the road with music," Rene beams. "It's definitely gonna be a new experience for us—the most we ever did was drive out to Lloydminster to play a snowboard festival in March." V

Thu, May 21 (9 pm)
... and he is us
With Jebediah Split, the Mitts
Pawn Shop, $10 - VUE Weekly