Second Pass
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Second Pass

Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF

Toronto, Ontario, Canada | SELF
Established on Jan, 2013
Band Rock Hard Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Second Pass Interview"

t.rox: Tell me a bit about Second Pass?

Steve: Second Pass are: Yours truly, Steve Pass on Guitar; Andrew Buntain plays Bass; Rich Rizzo on kit; and the very lovely and talented Veronica McNamee front and centre on vocals. Andrew and I started the band in 2008. It was an on and off project for about two years with several different lineup changes highlighted by the recording of an EP.

Andrew: After launching the EP, the vocalist and the drummer bailed. We didn’t want to give up on the band because we knew we had a good thing going. So, I invited Rich to join us on drums. I had played with Rich in a prog rock band before and knew he’d be a good fit.

Steve: We continued jamming, but as tends to happen when things aren’t perfect, we went on hiatus. Meanwhile, we continued our search for a vocalist. It took about two years to find perfection. I was playing with a blues group when Veronica McNamee walked in. I was so blown away I begged Veronica to do “just one” gig. Veronica’s first jam was on January 22, 2013.

sp2 Veronica: Yep. January 22nd. Something happened in that jam session. It was unreal. We just gelled. It was as if we had been playing together forever. The connection was immediate and just perfect.

Rich: Since Veronica joined, we recorded a kick-ass EP called
“Fragments” in August 2013; performed on a lot of stages; and began
getting radio play in Australia, Bolivia, Argentina, and Spain.

t.rox: How would you describe Second Pass’ sound?

Steve: We’ve described ourselves as Dirt Rock – Down and dirty, hard rock. It’s funny, really. We’ve received so much feedback since the release of “Fragments”. We’ve been told that we remind people of the great 1970’s arena rock bands. Others have said 1980’s metal and others have said the 1990’s Seattle Grunge bands. We think it’s great that we have a different effect on different listeners! Ultimately we are deeply influenced by all of those eras, but we don’t think we sound like anything other than hard rock.

t.rox: Tell us a little more about your musical influences?

Steve: Each of us brought our own unique background to the band. I have hard rock influences in my guitar work, but also have a deep love of the blues. Andrew began in jazz and funk genres to go with his love of hard rock. Rich played with various bands from metal to progressive rock…but his passion is prog rock. Veronica is widely diverse, but has sung a lot of jazz in South America.

t.rox: What was your craziest gig?

Veronica: We’ve had a few, but destroyed most of the evidence. One
night we ended up playing at 1 a.m. on a Sunday night. We figured
nobody was going to show up but we “thrive on live” so we said yes. As it turned out, the bar was packed and rocking. Sorry I can’t divulge any more details but it was just an epic night.

t.rox: What’s up next for the band?

Veronica: We have some live performances coming up that we are very
excited about including opening for the Misfits and Vixen We are currently working on a music video for our song “Biting My Tongue” in collaboration with the Bolivian filmmaker, Jesus Villca Madeni. We are also looking forward to returning to the studio with some new songs. 2014 looks like it’s shaping up to be an exciting year. - Torontorox


"Interview with Second Pass"

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In an interview with Matt Green Media, Second Pass members Andrew Buntain, Veronica McNamee, and Richard Rizzo talk about their experiences since McNamee joined the band in January.

Buntain and Rizzo have been playing together for ten years. They previously played together in a progressive rock band called Wilton Said.

“We both grew up on an appreciation of odd time signatures, and complicated passages and, we did that for a number of years.”

Since then, Buntain and Rizzo have stayed in touch.

When lead guitarist Steve Pass founded Second Pass, Buntain thought about bringing in Rizzo because of their experience playing together. “I’ve had such a good experience with him before and he’s a pretty level headed guy. But he’s a rock solid drummer and for me that’s really important, to keep a groove.”

In January of this year, McNamee joined Second Pass. Her first jam was on January 22. McNamee reflects on how she met Buntain. “I was jamming with a blues group and that’s how I met Steve. So then Steve asked me if I was interested in doing one gig. Just one.”

Rizzo talks about the change McNamee brought when she came in.

“Just to put it in to perspective, Steve, Andrew, and myself met another guy before and there was really no oomph in to the band. When Veronica came on board just for the one gig, she brought a new energy to the whole thing. Just one gig led to many gigs.”

McNamee’s presence positively impacted the band after a lack of chemistry with past bandmates.

Buntain states that there were struggles with previous bandmates. “Nothing was jelling and nothing was happening.”

“When Veronica first came in, I remember she just came in the room – ‘Hi everybody!’ Grabs the mic – halfway through the song we were all like, ‘F***, this is great!’ For a lot of singers, “Outshined” is hard to do, and to hear a woman pull it off to the note – we were basically begging her to join the band. We did Alice in Chains. She could do it all, and that’s the thing. There’s nothing she can’t do. That’s the whole point. When you have a great singer who’s really good on stage, keeps the audience engaged, that makes the world a difference.”

McNamee describes jamming with the band for the first time.

“That fist jam, it was interesting because it doesn’t happen every day. I’ve worked with other musicians, I’ve done some different kind of music – jazz – but it doesn’t happen every day when you walk in to a jam – you don’t even know these guys – you’ve never played with them. It was just so immediate; it just felt so incredibly right; it just felt so good, so right. This was only in January.”

McNamee said the connection has been growing and getting better since she joined the band. “We’ve recorded an EP; we’ve written original songs; we’ve performed a lot, and it hasn’t even been a year.”

Second Pass have since had radio play in Bolivia, Argentina, and Spain. “It’s interesting what is going on in such a short period of time,” McNamee adds.”

McNamee said that they play because they love it; it doesn’t matter if people listen to them or not.

“This is who we are; this is what we do. We have a lot of fun and we just hope that everybody else that is watching us and listening to us is feeling what we’re doing, and so far they have.”

Buntain said that each band member likes each other as people. “We’re all good at what we do in terms of our instruments and our ability, but we all get along.”

Despite playing with each other for less than a year, each member of Second Pass supports each other as time goes on.

“It just gets better every time we’re together,” Buntain said. “We’re really jelling in to something that is really outstanding, and regardless of how a night goes. We have each other’s back. Whatever happens to any of us, there’s this professionalism. There’s this professionalism that is really amazing that we achieved in such a short period of time, because it really is a short period of time. We haven’t really had a lot of rehearsal.”

Because they are so comfortable on the stage, they don’t even use a set list anymore.

McNamee claims it’s hard to find that comfort level as a band, especially with the fans. “If you go off, you know they’re going to hold you up. It’s neat and it’s so difficult to get to that. It’s so hard to find that connection.”

Second Pass has created a ritual that they do before every show, whether it be for a meal or a drink. It’s a ritual that has allowed them to bond as friends and as a band.

“We’re all together without worrying about going on stage in five minutes,” Buntain explains. “Relaxed, having a bite to eat and just talking. And that I think brings us together as people. The more often we’ve done that, just the better you jell as individuals and human beings, and it’s for good experience so that’s our little ritual now. To get together, chat either among ourselves or with a friend.”

Rizzo adds, “I think an experience we all wen - Matt Greene Media


"Second Pass nominated for nominated for best song by an international band or solo artist in the Stereo97 music awards Boliva"

Estamos nominados en la categoria CANCION GRUPO O SOLISTA INTERNACIONAL de los premios Stereo 97!! Realmente nos sentimos INCREIBLE!!! - Pagina siete


"Second Pass - 'Fragments'"

Canada, a country that has given us such acts as Bryan Adams, Rush, and Neil Young. Dig deeper than the maple leafs that surround this vast landscape and you will discover a more grittier, more energetic, and all together more in your face musical scene.

Hailing from Toronto, Second Pass are a high-energy hard rock band drawing influences no too dissimilar from our hero's of the Seattle Grunge scene such as Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam. Fronted by vocalist Veronica McNamee who's melodic tones instantly take you back to the Led Zeppelin era, this band combine mid seventies sounding production with an aggressive modern day guitar attack.

'Fragments' is our first and rather short introduction to Second Pass. Seven songs of straight up hard rock and groove. Opening with the metal stomp of Biting My Tongue, the album follows suit through tracks such as Confession and Broken Life before slowing ever so slightly into the doom laden riffs of Why. What follows is a grunge-esque hook of a bass line in Doesn't Matter and an angst driven rage of a song called Last Man which begs to be played one louder. Ending with the up beat The Universe, you can tell that Second Pass are on to something, it may be nothing completely new or different, but who wants that right? - Unsigned Bands On-Line


Discography

Fragments - EP August 2013
Damned Poet - EP July 2014

Photos

Bio

Hailing from Toronto Canada Second Pass are a high energy hard rock band from Toronto, Ontario, comprised of Veronica McNamee (vocals) Steve Pass (guitar), Andrew Buntain (bass) and Kevin Costa (drums).

The band formed in 2008 with different members. After an extend hiatus the band reformed with the addition of Ms. McNamee on vocals in 2013. Since Ms. McNamee's addition, the band has released 2 EPs - Fragments in August of 2013 and their latest effort The Damned Poet released in June of 2014.

The band has a penchant for straight up hard rock that grooves. Second Pass has received FM radio play in Australia Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Honduras and Spain. In December 2013 the band was nominated for best song by an international band or solo artist in the Stereo97 music awards Bolivia and the band was nominated for Best International Artist.

As an interviewer recently wrote; "Drawing influences no too dissimilar from our hero's of the Seattle Grunge scene such as Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam. Fronted by vocalist Veronica McNamee who's melodic tones instantly take you back to the Led Zeppelin era, this band combine mid seventies sounding production with an aggressive modern day guitar attack."

Second Pass has opened for bands such as  The Misfits, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, LA Guns, Texas Hippie Coalition and more. In July 2014, Second Pass joined the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with headliners Avenged Sevenfold and Korn in Saratoga Springs NY, Burrgettstown PA, Toronto ON, Hartford CT and Darein Lake NY.

Second Pass continues to write and perform. For booking please contact Steve Pass at secondpassband@gmail.com

Band Members