Pelt

That was a great set at The Horseshoe. Self-described as “50’s Sex Rock”, this strikingly photogenic five-piece from Kingston deliver a feel-good combination of rockabilly, post-punk, New Wave, all overseen by an indie-rock sheen. Just think Blondie filtered through swingin’ jukebox vinyl. Fronted by a show-stealer vocalist Genene accompanied by twang-filled guitars and kinetic drumming, Pelt make for an invigorating performance of unbridled energy guaranteed to make you dance. Fun times from the get go. - Lonely Vagabond Exclaim Blog

January 25, 2008
By Adèle Barclay, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Four girls, a guy and a dance party—Kingston’s own Pelt has been playing their high-energy rock show within the mellow local music scene for the past few years. Enjoying their oddband-out status as a brash and lively act, they’re best known around town for rocking their hearts out on stage.

After some member changes, the friends feel comfortable in their band’s skin, each bringing their instruments and unique musical backgrounds to their lively shows. The five-piece outfit includes Genene Maurice as lead vocalist, drummer Laura Simpson, keyboard and synth player Moira Demorest, bassist Denise Steenburgh and guitarist Chris Wood, all of who work in and around Kingston in addition to hitting the stage as Pelt. “I think that we definitely feed off of each other. Everyone comes from a different musical story. I was classically-trained. Genene was really into musical theatre growing up. Laura has always been in bands. Chris was more into metal for a little while,” Demorest told the Journal. “We still like our individual types of music but we can still somehow turn that into Pelt without seeming too metal or classical. It amalgamates into one kind of style.” The fusion of styles, supported by the members’ enthusiasm, paid off for the band. As the winners’ of K-Rock Radio’s Battle of the Bands in 2006, the group is finally on the verge of releasing its first full-length album, Static in the Attic. Slated to come out in March, Static in the Attic has been a labour of love and growth for the band. It features old favourites and new tracks they specifically took time off to write and hone. “We won this K-Rock Battle of the bands and as soon as we won, we thought ‘Yeah! Let’s run into the studio.’ … We recorded all the songs we wanted to put on the album and realized, ‘This isn’t full-length.’ Then we had a little break in between the [two studio sessions] just for writing,” Demorest said. More accustomed to the stage, the studio forced the band to shift gears slightly as they prepared to polish their sound while trying to capture the spontaneity of their ive performances. “We danced a lot in the studio and we had little parties because I think we were just trying to keep the energy up. That’s why where we recorded was so good. They made us coffee,” Demorest said. “We wanted the essence of our live show to come out. We wanted it to be raw, just not as raw as a live experience. It was like we were just in my living room jamming, that’s how we combated it. … We’re a visual band, we’re a live band and we take a lot of energy from each other and our performance and from the audience so obviously it’s not going to be quite the same.” The band has made its way touring from Toronto to Ottawa, and hopes to see the East Coast and the U.S., but Kingston and its compact but supportive scene provides a steady flow of gigs. However, the closing of venues that used to open their doors to local bands has affected the local musicians. “Kingston is a great music community for starting out. I figure there’s been a lull recently. There were a lot of great venues. “There were always places to play.” With the closure of the Scherzo, young, local bands like Pelt lost out on a venue. Bands have compensated by starting up and making use of churches and restaurants. “Now there is sort of an influx of tons of bands starting up, a whole lot of different styles even for a smaller community. “I think if we had started in Toronto somewhere, we’d be lost. Kingston has been a good foundation for us.” Excited at the prospect of fellow up-and-coming bands who are venturing into new genres not usually associated with the Kingston scene, Pelt feel they now have companion bands interested in making noise that can be danced to. The beat- and dance-inspired rock ’n’ roll party band is excited at what Kingston does for its band and the styles it’s slowly fostering. “I think that’s a pretty cool thing about Kingston—we are able to fit into a scene that doesn’t really have other bands that come close to our styles. … We’re just kind of a fun dance-rock band and we can still play with Kingston Punk Productions and fit it. We’ve been around long enough that we’ve made a little bit of a name for ourselves in Kingston. “We’re so stoked we have Magic Jordan [at the show tonight]. They’re kind of our style and we can dance to them. … We haven’t had any other that we can relate to,” she said. “We’re excited we can dance to each others’ music.” Pelt play with Horses, Magic Jordan and The Sleepless Night and Alex Leggett tonight at Ace’s Top Card, 35 Cataraqui St. at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8. - Queen’s University Journal

Posted By Kyra Walker Pearson
August 2008

Feel like dancing on the long weekend? Pelt, a local punk rock dance band and Kingston’s Bandslam winners, will heat up the Toucan Sunday, Aug. 3. Pelt members are Genene Maurice (vocals), Moira Demorest (keys, vocals), Laura Simpson (drums, vocals), Denise Steenburgh (bass) and Chris Wood (guitar, vocals). They have played across Ontario and shared the stage with Bedouin Soundclash, Chris Koster, Tokyo Police Club, the Golden Dogs and Saint Alvia Cartel.

Demorest has a classical music background. She attended Queen’s University for music and teaches piano. “We all formed Pelt first as friends,” she says, “and fun has always been the backbone of our music.” The band writes songs that are inspired by dancing and other bands. “Someone might have an idea,” says Demorest, “but the song never comes together without the input of everyone. We really feed off each other, that’s probably why our songs are pretty distinct and people find it hard to classify our style.” Pelt’s latest album, “Static In the Attic,” follows their debut EP, “Vacancy.” “It’s pretty bare bones,” says Demorest. “It’s not too produced or anything, so the tone of the album is new, the songs are easy listening
and reflect the fun we’ve had writing them.” Pelt wants their music to be easily accessible to their audiences. “We’re still young as a band,” Demorest admits. “We’re still getting our feet wet and our latest CD is a little like that, too.” - Kingstonthisweek.com