Sébastian Hell

The band actually started out as ''Unknown People'' in September 1993 at College Notre-Dame, playing to fellow students at school events and parties until members individually started receiving praise and offers for something better. A 2-year hiatus helped them get into and kicked out of some of the best-known Montreal bands at that time. Then everybody was without a band again. A few phone calls later, a decision was made.

In 1998, the three (remaining) members set sails for New York City. It worked for ''Me Mom & Morgentaler'', why couldn't it work for us, right? Luckily, band leader Sebastian Hell is Irish, and a mighty drinker. A night out at the Limelight Bar helped him befriend (and drink under the table) a man known as much for his own fame than his contacts within the club scene, who got our Montrealers a weekly gig at his bar, paving the way for 1000 fans every Sunday night to enjoy the fresh sound of distorted broken blues riffs from the Great White North.

One thing often leading to another, 2 other such gigs were added elsewhere per week, making Hell's boys play to upwards of 3000 people per week!

That lineup however, apart from Mr. Hell, stayed in NYC doing jazz, but the main guy stays at it with a drummer as the other band members, thus inciting comparisons to Jon Spencer blues Explosion and the White Stripes - but rarely are the comparisons said in a negative way.

Hell has a record due out in September, and 2 books before the year's over and is now the sole chief of UnPop Montreal, devoted to bringing free live shows to Montreal.