Latefallen
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Latefallen

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The best kept secret in music

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"TONGUE-IN-CHEEK POST-ALTERNATIVE "

TONGUE-IN-CHEEK POST-ALTERNATIVE
(24 November 2004)
Written by Mary Best - Contributor

For better or for worse the members of Latefallen – a Toronto-based band who refer to themselves as post-alternative and tongue in cheek – do not concern themselves with their larger social impact. Instead, they are not materially influenced by trends, or posturing, or by the industry that is the Toronto music scene. They are consumed with exploring their diverse music/life interests. While vocalist Stephan LaCasse is a musical masochist, guitarist Vanya Drakul is a motorcycle maniac.



The breadth of their personal experience seems to play a vital role in Latefallen’s inimitable musical chemistry. Drakul puts it this way: “If you have five guys listening to the same music – it’d be obvious what you do. You can’t pinpoint our sound because we’ve got five guys with five different influences, and I think that’s what makes us click.”


They do what makes sense – whatever comes, whatever seems interesting – and whatever it is that drives the five, it works.


According to LaCasse, Latefallen’s sound is “a cross between alt-metal and pop punk … that would be basically the kind of punk metal genre, or post hardcore.”


It seems a broad description, but it’s also honest and there’s a little bit of something for everyone – heavy guitar riffs, driving bass, and a solid drum line to hold it all together.


Fuse this instrumental ingenuity with LaCasse’s eerily melodic vocals and lyrics and his raw, punk centred screaming and you’ve got an intoxicating experience. Factor in their dedication and drive and all signs point to the certainty that much remains to be heard from this particular band.


Much in the Toronto music scene is pretentious and esoteric; Latefallen and its members are not. They really are average, ‘lazy’ guys who dream of Maui and good coffee, surfing, music and of making it, (or alternatively, of driving motorcycles cross-country). You don’t have to love them. You don’t even have to like them – the guys wouldn’t want you to blindly jump onto their bandwagon. They want you to enjoy the experience and they’re willing to work for it. LaCasse makes this clear.


“We’re not only developing a fan base, but kind of, sort of a little scene of its own, like a lot of the people that come to our shows aren’t checking out shows on a regular basis – a lot of them are and that’s cool too, but it does take a lot of maintenance. So when we go to a show we’re making sure everyone’s having a good time. That’s part of being a good host; putting on a good party.”


The central conviction of Latefallen, if there is one, is not to believe the hype. There’s simply too much of it out there. LaCasse is concerned with what he calls ‘indie-cred posturing’ and the flood of posers in the Toronto scene.


“Toronto’s really got a whole poser thing going on and lots of it is fun and it’s meant to be poser-ish in a cool kind of way … but we’re just us on stage doing what we do and if people are cool with that, then that’s kind of making the scene a little more legitimate – a little more heartfelt.”
Drakul interjects, “Honestly, I just hope people dig what we do – and if they don’t that’s cool, and if they do – that’s awesome.”


These guys are constantly trying to reinvent themselves and to push the limits of their own constraints. They recently re-recorded their single “Bottles and Hearts” for their new self-titled, four track EP. The original version is a biting, fresh, powerful ball of sound – it is intoxicating. The newer rendering, while appealing and intense, doesn’t quite compare.


When asked about the change, the response was pretty straight forward, “It didn’t really work within the context of the other songs [on the record],” says LaCasse. “We were not going to hesitate to play around.”


Drakul points to the fact that the first version was recorded with a different drummer – so the altered rendition is representative of the modified Latefallen. It’s new, it’s different and according to the guys it’s “a little more organic.” Like it or not, their risk-taking is somehow endearing.


Both the music and the musicians are pretty unique and ready for anything. “I’m doin’ what I want to do, so I’m happy,” Drakul insists and LaCasse adds, “We don’t really feel like answering to any standard that is outside of our own standard that we place on ourselves. So, as far as credibility is concerned in the indie world – sure we’ve all done lots of stuff. But that’s not what we’ve ever wanted to focus on and that definitely has nothing to do with the music.”


Their next show is at the Reverb on the 26th. Check out their web site, www.latefallen.com, for more details.

COPYRIGHT © EXCALIBUR 2004. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - Excalibur


"SPILL LIVE REVIEW"

Latefallen
Reverb
November.26, 2004
By Rayna Slobodian

Latefallen played to a good size crowd at the Reverb with various age groups attending. After some bantering, they got right into the show. Bassist Chris Harris performed highly animated with heavy grooves as his five string bass added depth to the music. At one point during the show, Latefallen experienced some technical difficulties, but dealt with it well and nearly didn’t miss a beat. Beautiful back-up vocals rang through the venue from heart pounding drummer Bob Onyskiw. Both guitarists Vanya Drakul and Anthony Poto, ripped on their strings and connected with both the crowd and the other members on stage. The music showcased several styles within each song including a little emo, hardcore, punk and pop elements. Stephan LaCasse (Lead Vocals) manages to get quite a large sound coming from such a small guy and interacted well with the audience. Despite progressive rhythms, the transitions during the show were seamlessly strung together. Their undeniable energy live and tight performance would make any music lover have a great time.

- Spill Magazine


"FUSION IS MIGHT"

Fusion is Might
Writer: Cameron Gordon
Published: 2004-11-02

“Latefallen doesn’t agree on a lot of things, like where we should go to eat or transportation but when it comes to the music, we’re completely united.” That’s the word from Stephan LaCasse, the western-reared vocalist for Toronto’s Lakefallen.

LaCasse grew up in Vernon, BC and ultimately found his way to Toronto via Calgary, having arriving at Pearson Airport on Halloween night 2002, “I basically moved to Toronto in my Halloween costume—it was a kick-ass Nikki Sixx get-up.” Mere days into his residency, he shacked up with musicians from weirdo places like Europe and midtown, and Latefallen was born.

The five-piece combines ponderous riffs with LaCasse’s urgent vocals to create a sound that hovers somewhere beyond the Bermuda triangle of metal, emo and hardcore punk.

“There is a wide range of musical influences within Lakefallen and I think that’s really important,” says guitarist Vanya Drakul. “If we were all constantly listening to the same stuff, there wouldn’t be the variety you can hear in our sound. When you start with metal and hardcore and punk and then allow all these other influences to work their way into the music, that’s when your sound develops.”

Drakul, a veteran of the European music community who once toured with Motorhead, matches his impressive pedigree with that of his homegrown bandmates. Guitarist Anthony Poto (ex-Crawl), bassist Chris Harris (ex-Monster Voodoo Machine) and drummer Bob Onyskiw round out the fivesome, and together, the band’s music has been rattling windows up and down Queen Street and other ports of call. Scenesters and chuckers alike have been taking notice, a fact not lost on Drakul.

“With every show, our fanbase is growing. Our last gig at the Horseshoe, I didn’t know three quarters of the people. Plus we’re getting all of these request from underage kids who can’t get into the bars to hear us. That’s going to be the next step for us—putting on some all-ages shows and expanding our market that much more.”

LaCasse adds, “It’s funny because we’ve been working really hard at marketing the band but developing a specific fanbase isn’t really something you think about. It’s not like we’re targeting certain people; it just builds on its own.”

You’d think a band so stylistically divided amongst itself might risk implosion or worse, mean-spirited putdowns, yet this dichotomy is, again, what makes Latefallen click. Even though LaCasse cut his teeth amid the breakneck angst of the suburban punk sprawl of mainland Alberta and BC, his influences have long been digested by Latefallen and absorbed into the band’s bloodstream. He admits that the music of his youth definitely finds its way into the Latefallen sound and feels that this will always be the case to some degree.

“You can’t shake your roots even if you try—it’s part of you. That said, the music scene out west is a lot different than the music scene in Toronto. There are these subtle differences that I can’t really put a finger on. In Alberta and BC, there’s the whole sports culture that really informs the music—the snowboarding and skateboarding; it all goes together. In Toronto, music seems like more of an escape. From work and from pollution and from the millions of people around you.”

While the band had already invaded Ottawa, Guelph and other Ontario cities, they realize that it’s their hometown that will ultimate dictate how far Lakefallen will go. Yes, Toronto is a trollop that has emasculated many a band prior but between their guts, their glories and their devotion to the basilica of the electric guitar, Drakul and his Lakefallen bandmates are confident that their discord will endure.

“On a Friday or Saturday night in Toronto, you literally have hundreds of other bands performing somewhere in the city so the competition is very intense. It’s friendly and all but really, you’re always trying to outdo the bands you play with. It only pushes you to do better.”

Catch Latefallen in concert:

Nov 26: Toronto ON, The Reverb – with Spokane Jupiter, Reason Disappears

For more information on Latefallen, please visit their official web site at: www.latefallen.com. - Soulshine.ca


Discography

•SELF-TITLED EP (2005)

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Latefallen is a rising band based out of the competitive Toronto scene. (The Kings Of A&R newsletter used the words “Edgy, yet addictive, melodic-driven hard rock/alternative” to describe their powerful sound). The sound is a combination of heavy influenced guitars, youthful energy and unrelenting melody, with a focus on actual songwriting that is rare in today’s music scene.

Latefallen formed in November 2002 as an experiment amongst unfulfilled musicians. As the “alternative rock” music scene continues to diversify and grow into new territory and extremes, a sense of balance seems to have been lost in the expansion: The guitar-heavy hardcore scene is struggling to say something new and the energetic punk rock scene has fallen into a state of insincerity, while bands with thought-provoking and poetic lyrics have been relegated to the mellower, quieter genres, poppy-melodies have devolved to lyrics comparable to children’s songs. Look for one thing, and you miss out on another. What if there could be songs that were heavy, edgy, energetic but also well-written and catchy? That’s a tall order. It is also Latefallen's misson: To walk the line between melody and aggression, and to maintain the alliance of poetry and rock. A goal that cynics would balk at and purists would reject, but maybe, the masses would embrace.

“This music is intensely personal to us. We’ve invested a lot of energy and emotion into our songs.
When we share these songs, we’re purging the energy and emotion that we’ve invested,” explains
vocalist Stephan LaCasse. “It’s like showing ourselves from the inside-out, like a twisted kind of
exhibitionism.” This exhibitionism has manifested itself on the stage (playing to capacity crowds at the world-famous Horseshoe Tavern, The Reverb and The Rivoli), on the screen (Bottles & Hearts is featured on the extreme BMX video Trail ‘N Park Boys from the producers at Pain Incorporated) and on the television ("Not So Useless" was a featured track on the prime-time drama "Degrassi The Next Generation, which was simulcast in the US and Australia as well as being one of the highest-rated shows in Canadian television).

“Our music is heavy, high energy and melodic. That’s what we offer the music scene. No bullshit, no
indy-cred posturing and no excuses,” says vocalist Stephan LaCasse. “We have a tight, professional,
high-energy show and we have achieved our own sound within a crowded genre.” Latefallen is, literally, screaming out for attention in a crowd of bands.

Latefallen is continuing to write new material and rock crowds with their intense and consistently jaw-dropping set.