PISTOLSAT20PACES

Playing the Boonstock Music and Arts Festival is like striking gold. A mix of cutting edge music and pumped up fans, it’s a chance to collide, commingle and commune in the middle of nature.

But glitches occur. Due to scheduling changes, Boonstock founder Colin Kobza, who strives to push music forward and introduce new talent, has slotted Pistols at 20 Paces (PA20P), as a last-minute addition to the main stage lineup of high wattage acts.

“Colin has been very supportive of Long Way Down and now they’re taking a chance on Pistols at 20 Paces. It’s a really nice thing they’re doing,” says St. Albert vocalist Jakk Grandy. He adds that PA20P is slated to play a 45-minute gig today at 4:20 p.m.

With an untitled EP set for release later this year, the local band rose from the ashes of the now defunct Long Way Down in March 2011.

At the demise of Long Way Down, Grandy and drummer Nathan Kidd, with a shared musical vision, opted to continue their musical collaborations and create PA20P.

“Nathan and I have a like-minded process about how we wanted to write songs and we started recording. We wanted to crystallize our vision before we brought anyone into the fold.”

Once the duo’s vision melded, they invited Shane Lamotte (guitar) Dave Stoten (bass) and hired gun John Saturley (lead guitar) on board.

Recording at Vancouver’s Warehouse Studios with producer Jeff Dawson (State of Shock, Art of Dying) and mixer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith) was the genesis of a completely new vibe.

“It’s (PA20P) modern rock. But it has more electronic elements. It’s more ethereal. It has more atmosphere,” Grandy explains.

While the music delivers a soothing quality, the lyrics are just as punchy and catchy as Long Way Down’s. Just more polished.

“Basically it’s about deep seated emotion. It’s about pushing through when people tell you you can’t do it. It’s about forging ahead and smiling in the face of adversity.”

One thing hasn’t changed. As the main songwriter, Grandy is all about soul.

“Something has to have depth. I’m the guy who sings the lyrics and it has to come from my heart.”

It’s certainly about passion. Burn, the band’s first single is the culmination of emotion and not taking life for granted, whereas Disclaimer petitions lovers to put everything on the table before moving forward.

Busy writing and recording, the band only performed their first gig at The Pawnshop a couple of weeks ago.

“We were told we were super tight. The emotion and the vibe of the songs was intense. We’re not up there dancing like marionettes. It’s all holds barred. Everything is left on stage,” Grandy said.

“Come and support good live music. Colin has been building the festival for years. It’s tough to keep a live festival growing. It’s a great outdoor festival and people can come and enjoy it.”

For more information on the band, check out www.pistolsat20paces.com.

Single tickets start at $99 at the door. Boonstock is at Gibbons on Highway 28. - St. Albert Gazette

..."They're today's rock band," said Phil Anderson, Powersound owner/producer. "These guys sing about everyday life, where life is gonna take them. It's simple music. It works and that's where their energy comes from".

Unlike bland dinner hour music, they channel bittersweet emotion in consistently solid tracks. The quartet has created a vibe with a few mean guitar riffs and heavy drumming mixed with human angst that stops just short of being dark and brooding.

"It's straightforward rock. People tell us they can't pinpoint the sound with any other band." said Faulkner.
For instance 'Throwing Stones' is a simple song that contemplates life, but it's introduced with some eclectic whirling guitar riffs fronted by expressive vocals.

There's a real passion in the music and it's almost possible to hear flashes of their major influences from Metallica, Zakk Wylde and Joe Satriani to Our Lady Peace, Red hot Chili Peppers and Rage against Machine...

-Anna Borowiecki, Staff Writer, The Gazette Press - The Gazette Press

JOEL KELLY / joel@vueweekly.com


The next time Edmonton Police Chief Mike Boyd forms a task force to deal with late-night violence on Whyte Avenue, maybe he should ask Jakk Grandy for some advice.

Lead singer of St Albert-based Long Way Down, Grandy is plenty opinionated when asked about Edmonton’s stabbing pandemic.

“There’s so much shit going on,” he says. “You see in the news, and it seems like it’s so distant and far off, but it can happen right in your own backyard.”

Grandy is well acquainted with violent tragedy, having lost a friend to gun violence in what he describes as “pretty shady circumstances.” In memory of this, Grandy has penned the song “Sick Of It All” on Long Way Down’s debut recording Trying Times.

Despite the dark inspiration, Grandy is excited to be discussing the band’s upcoming CD release party at long last.

“We’ve been in preproduction for the last two years,” he recalls. “The recording process ended up taking much longer than we anticipated.”

The end result of that rather lengthy process, however, is an album that Grandy is obviously proud of. The disc includes a guest appearance by studio drummer Kenny Aronoff, who has previously worked with such bands as the Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp and the Smashing Pumpkins. Grandy describes working with Aronoff as phenomenal and better than anything he could have imagined, explaining that Aronoff came into contact with the band through a series of drum clinics at Mother’s Music, where several band members work.
While Grandy allows that Aronoff’s talent on the record did create significant expectations for their live show, he says that drummer Nathan Kidd has risen to the task.

“Nathan took the challenge head on,” he explains. “I think if you ask anyone who has seen us live, you hear that there’s nothing lost from the recording.”

And now that the record is finally ready for release, Grandy even manages to sound somewhat blasé about it.

“Recording is great, but playing live is what really takes the ticket,” he exclaims. “We really are a live band.

“The goal has always been to make a sustainable living at playing music,” he continues. “I feel like it’s within an attainable reach right now; we’ve got the right people together that are willing to sacrifice to make it happen. 2007 is going to be a big year for us.” V

Sat, Dec 16 (8 pm)
Long Way Down
With Cocksaw, Chysuga
Starlite Room, $14 - $18

- Vue Weekly

Zoltan Varadi

Published: Saturday, December 16, 2006

Longwaydown have seen first-hand just how low people can go.

The way vocalist Jakk Grandy recounts it, a couple of years ago a friend of his from

St. Albert -- who, he says, was simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time" -- fell victim to a shooting incident, later dying from his injuries.

"Sick of It All is my reflection on that," says Grandy of the song he penned in response. "It was a pretty eye-opening experience. I mean, I think everybody goes through periods of loss in their life; I had another buddy that was killed by a drunk driver. But (the shooting) was a little more shocking. It's hard not to think of that specific incident every time ... like, what was it a few weeks ago, that thing at the Red Light Lounge? And it seems like every weekend there's a stabbing or shooting -- violence out the ying-yang."

Longwaydown are a hard rock/metal band of the variety that wouldn't sound out of place on a station like the Bear, perhaps sandwiched between modern-testosterone rockers like Hinder and the seemingly daily dose of Ozzy's Crazy Train. That said, with tracks like Sick of it All and Around the Bend, which alludes to the war in Iraq, they'd stand out not for their mighty riffs, but for their occasional address of social issues. That form of lyricism seems far removed from the largely apolitical FM airwaves.

"As far as being socially conscious ... the fact that there's so much (violence), not only here but worldwide, it's easier to ignore it and have a good old rocking time," says Grandy of the trend towards hedonism over heroism in much of the hard-rock arena. Still, he admits that they indulge in a bit of both esthetically, adding that there's a bit of "cock-rock" swagger from the days of yore in their approach.

In fact, one of the producers who worked on their new CD, Trying Times, caught Grandy throwing around names like Metallica (early period, of course), Disturbed and Godsmack when referring to Longwaydown's sound, and likening their "grit" to that of Aerosmith.

Which is perhaps why the band was able to attract such a notable presence as Kenny Aronoff, who made the trip to Edmonton to lay down percussion for Trying Times. Aronoff made a name for himself playing in John Mellencamp's band, and has since become one of the top session drummers in the business, playing for the likes of Avril Lavigne and the Smashing Pumpkins.

Of course Longwaydown -- which bankrolled its recording venture with loans -- doesn't have the same kind of budget as an Avril Lavigne. But, while they may have experienced humanity at its lowest, they've also had some experience with people at their most generous.

"Well, he wasn't free, but more than a musician, he's a hell of a guy," says Grandy of Aronoff. "I don't know typically what he makes, but my guess from figures I've researched ... he definitely helped us out."

Longwaydown is holding a CD release party for their new disc, Trying Times, tonight at the Starlite Room. Check them out online at myspace.com/longwaydown




© The Edmonton Journal 2006
- Edmonton Journal