King's Eden

Halifax garage rock duo King’s Eden will be embarking on a Newfoundland Tour this week, kicking off at The White Horse in Corner Brook last night and arriving in St. John’s tonight (Thursday Nov 28th) for a string of shows downtown. The group formed in 2010 and consists of Heather Doran (guitar/vocals) and Jocelyn Conway (drums). In 2011 they released their debut EP Era of the Youth and are currently finishing off their first full-length entitled After Party which is slated for release early in the new year. King’s Eden specializes in a grungy mix of blues and punk with influences ranging from Muddy Waters to Dead Kennedy’s. Heather and Jocelyn have already toured across Canada and as far away as Switzerland and are making a special trip to Newfoundland this week. You can check out King’s Eden right here at home at the following dates and venues.
Thursday, Nov 29th – The Levee, St.John’s
Friday, Nov 30th – CBTG’s, St.John’s
Saturday, Dec 1st – CBTG’s, St.John’s - The Scope - Damian Lethbridge

Rock trio King’s Eden just completed a mini-maritime tour last week that took the band to Charlottetown, Fredericton and Saint John, leaving a lot of mosh pits in their wake. Now, it’s Halifax’s turn. “We usually have an aggressive, upbeat sound to us. It’s a good kind of music to rock out to,” says guitarist and lead singer, Heather Doran. Doran and bassist Seonaid Dorey started King’s Eden about two and a half years ago. New drummer Jocelyn Conway joined late last year. The group is heavily influenced by ’90s rock bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and PJ Harvey. Doran describes King’s Eden as a back-to- basics rock band. “People are really starting to want to hear that kind of music again,” she says. –

Friday April 20, Michael’s Bar & Grill, 6100 Young Street, 10pm, $7

- The Coast, Halifax Weekly

Show Overview: Kings Eden's Album Release at New Music Tuesday
Overview, Photos & Video by Tiffany Naugler
Kings Eden - June 7th 2011 - Seahorse - 03
Music Nova Scotia's New Music Tuesday Presents Kings Eden, Pioneer Video & The Devils Half Acre!!! Kings Eden are releasing their debut Album, Era of the youth on June 7th at the Seahorse tavern. Pioneer Video & The Devils Half Acre will be rocking the stage with us so don't miss it! It is FREE to Get in!!!

Kings Eden - www.kingseden.com
The Devils Half Acre - http://thedevilshalfacre.bandcamp.com/

I arrived at The Seahorse just as The Devils Half Acre were setting up.
I had heard the band's music before, when lead man, Chase Ross sent us their debut album.
Although they aren't out there breaking any molds, this band is awesome to watch as well as listen to. They love what they do and have a lot of fun doing it.
I was super pumped to finally catch them live, as I am always a bad judge of a bands music based on recordings alone, and so The Devil's Half Acre may not a band I would listen to while hanging out in my apartment - I would definitely check these guys out again in just about any venue.

But the real reason everyone was piled into the Seahorse that night, was to bear witness to the official release of the King's Eden record Era of the Youth.

A 3 piece, all girl, rock group who not only look good but sound pretty great too, King's Eden brought the heavy - to an otherwise lighter evening. Heavy riffs melded with rich vocals made for an almost eerie atmosphere at times. Front women, Heather Doran (also of the Hali-famous, Johnny Dick Project) showed off her immaculate guitar playing as well as signature vocal style all while not even breaking a sweat.
Bassist Seonaid Dorey added the beef with tight bass lines while adding to Doran's rock/blues vocals.
Kings Eden - June 7th 2011 - Seahorse - 04
Kings Eden - June 7th 2011 - Seahorse - 02
Maggie Goodhew, put on quite the show behind the kit. She played with feeling and conviction, which could be seen as she pounded anyway at the skins, arms flailing and nodding her head along.

These girls obviously love what they're doing - and it shows.

Personally, my favorite part of the evening was the PJ Harvey cover at the near end of the set. For some reason it caught me completely off guard and stood nearly motionless while watching them perform. It was during this song I got the full extent of the ladies musical abilities. It was amazing to watch.

I can only imagine that King's Eden will continue to work on their craft and become a real staple in the Halifax music community. - Noisography.com

Album Review: King's Eden - The Era of The Youth
Review by Mark Laffin

It seems to me that rock music can be divided into two main camps. Let’s set aside the idea of the many sub-genres of rock that have emerged over the decades and consider this. Firstly, there are the rock bands that tend to focus on creating vast soundscapes of textured sounds and countless sonic nuances, which are all meticulously arranged and extensively produced. Let’s call these the progressive minded artists. On the other hand, we have bands that forgo the subtle details and attempt to exploit the very raw and primal nature of rock music. Absent is the careful deliberation on tones and moods, and the core element of their sound becomes the byproduct of the amps turned up to 10 and the clamorous racket of the drum kit. These bands care less about progressing their music to higher art form, and more about targeting the true fundamentals of rock ‘n roll. Halifax’s own Kings Eden falls into this latter category.

To begin with, I really like what this band is going for with their debut offering, The Era of The Youth. What we get here is a stripped down, back to basics, bluesy slab of garage rock from a power trio of very feisty women. This is not exactly The Black Keys. This is much heavier and sludgier. This is more In Utero era Nirvana meets PJ Harvey. A little bit more Sleater-Kinney, if you will. Lead singer/guitarist Heather Doran displays a profoundly impressive wail over a barnstorm of dirty, modal guitar riffs and raging power chords. While this collection of songs may not exude originality, it’s all mostly made up with earnestness, sincerity and an unquestionable vitality. It’s all actually very convincing. So convincing in fact, you can almost smell the paint fumes and greasy toolboxes in the ambiance of it all.


“Calling All Liars” has the album hitting the ground running, with its urgent sounding blues-heavy rock riff that seems to borrow from the Danko Jones catalog, and then a melodic power-chorded chorus. The song is also graciously highlighted by a bluesy breakdown in the middle of the song. “Wasted Time” has a very Alice In Chains sounding bass intro that makes way for a very simple, yet effective guitar riff. The chorus is the high point, with it’s pleasingly off-time staccato groove. The rest of the songs don’t stray too much from this formula, with the exception of “Crumbling Castles”. This here is a bit of an oddity which centers itself on a delicate arpeggiated acoustic guitar passage, complimented by a somber sounding cello melody. Doran’s vocal here offers a moody, melancholic dirge that makes for a welcome change of pace from the chaos.

What I like the most about this record is the overall ethos of it all. I really appreciate and admire where they are going with this sound, where the elemental essence is just the noisy crunch of the guitar, the guttural bass, and the unrelenting din of the drums. Not to mention the petulant, yet harmonious vocals molding the lyrical landscape with laments of animosity, resentment and dispirit. In other words, the best thing about this album is really the sum of its parts. One constructive criticism I can possibly offer is that some the grooves could be a little stronger. Any given song here on its own, doesn’t really have a particularly strong hook. I get the idea that this isn’t intended to be hook-heavy music, however it did take me a good few listens for this album to really grow on me, because apart from the overall charm in its simplicity and indelicacy, there’s little to grab the listener in a big way.

For the most part, I would consider this album a success. The band seems to have a natural chemistry that is quite audible in the recording. Although I don’t find that any one specific song stands out, the entire album seems to work as a single unit. The band seems to have a unified vision and unyielding focus on creating a truly authentic sound, which although not completely unique, they’re trying to claim as their own anyway. The music is immediate, abrasive, and is loaded with plenty of vitriol and staunch resolve. I’ve never had the privilege of seeing this band live, but these songs have me wanting to, and this is a sign of doing something right.

http://www.kingseden.com
http://www.myspace.com/kingseden
http://www.reverbnation.com/kingseden - Noisography.com