The Bloodshots
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The Bloodshots

Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2013

Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada
Established on Jan, 2013
Band Rock Grunge

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"Bloodshots hit the right notes With Rock Music fans"

By Kara Famakinde
A grunge rock band formed in Selkirk continues to build up their solid hometown following. The name of the band, The Blood-shots, was born through the songwriting process of their single “Bloodshot.” “Lying in bed I just had this riff in my head that I kept building on,” said the band’s lead vocalist CJ Loane. “I eventually went outside and spent hours structuring and forming the song, and when I came back inside and looked in the mirror my eyes were completely bloodshot.” This song was to become the first single the band wrote in the summer of 2013, and it “released a lot of feelings, like therapy,” Loane added. Loane and Cody Widrick on drums and vocals are the head songwriters of the group. Keith Skazyk on guitar and vocals, along with Garett Evans on bass came together to create in-spired and relatable lyrics that have attracted the attention of Canadian producers, radio stations, and other artists due in part to their lyricism, high energy performances, and tight-ness in their playing. All of the band members were drawn to music and instruments at a young age, influenced by the likes of Guns ‘N Roses, Metallica, The Ramones, and Motley Crue. The band says they’ve recently finished producing in Winnipeg working alongside Canadian producer Dale Penner, who has produced talents such as Nickelback, Matthew Good, and Econoline Crush. When asked about the music making process Loane said “we send ideas of songs ahead of time, and just get into the studio and start collaborating and recording.” The band also caught the attention of renowned rock band Finger Eleven through a radio contest on 92 Citi FM. Hundreds of local bands sent demos and applied, hoping to achieve the winning prize, opening up for Finger Eleven. Cody said the pool of applicants was narrowed down to the top five entries by voters, and the final winner was chosen specifically by the members of Finger Eleven. There they performed “Breaking Down” in front of thousands of fans, a pivotal moment in their music career. The Bloodshots have also performed across Canada, mostly in the western provinces, and are often featured on the Winnipeg based online radio station “204 the Hitz” and on Wolf 104.9 with the likes of Metallica and the Foo Fighters. Loane said their hit song “Breaking Down” touches on themes of expectations and failure, life, depression, loneliness and disillusionment are present, combined with a heavy metaphorical feel, creating an interesting balance between the emotionality and hostility of their sound. Unfortunately, the rock environment in Winnipeg and Selkirk is diminish-ing. Venues are shutting down, artists are no longer able to book shows in the area, leaving little opportunity for local artists of this genre. The Merch has taken on the role of becoming a refuge for these types of artists who just want to perform. “Since about April 2016 we’ve been going full board with live music,” The Merch owner Dean Peterson said. “Lots of venues are dropping off and we’re trying to fill that gap. “We have so many bands calling, re-questing to play here due to the lack of venues in our area. Artists as far as Brazil, Europe, and The United States are requesting to perform here.”Peterson said they are working on creating a better atmosphere for patrons by investing in major renovations while promoting live music, a friendly atmosphere and integrating fresh ideas. One of which is an open mic night hosted every Friday night, welcome to all types of artists.To keep up with The Merch’s upcoming events follow them on Facebook at “The Merch.” -


"Meet the Bloodshots. The band opening for Danko Jones"

Meet The Bloodshots. The Local Band Opening for Danko Jones
Winnipeg, MB, Canada / POWER 97 - WINNIPEG'S ROCK
Kristin Marand
April 16, 2017 02:25 pm
I like going to shows early. I like to watch the opening bands. This is where you can find out about new music and show some love to local talent.

Opening for Danko Jones on April 17th at Nashville’s are The Bloodshots. They’ve been playing since 2013 and it’s possible you’ve seen them and didn’t even know it. They’ve opened for Gob, Head of the Herd and Finger Eleven to name a few.

Thanks to the song below, The Bloodshots were hand-picked by Finger Eleven for that opening slot in 2015 and it’s been a steady rise ever since. They recorded their debut EP The Bloodshots in 2016 with Steve Rizun who has produced records by The Flatliners and NOFX. That EP is now up for Rock Album of the Year at the 2017 Indigenous Music Awards. The awards will be held Friday May 19th. Good luck boys!

They’ve already recorded a follow-up single, Liability, with acclaimed Canadian producer Dale Penner who’s worked with The Mathew Good Band, Econoline Crush and Nickleback. They also have a second EP on the way – hopefully it will be finished and available later this year.

So go early on Monday night and check out The Bloodshots. Tickets are $20. Doors are at 8.

Or, if you can’t make it Monday but your interest in piqued, check them out at the Park Theatre on June 10th with Dangercat and CKY. - Kristin Marina - Power 97


"What's up - The Bloodshots"

In October 2015, local grunge rock band the Bloodshots won the chance to open for Finger Eleven after being chosen by the band themselves from a pool of five finalists.

Apart from the performance itself being one of, if not the biggest, gig the band has had to date, the contest win has been parlayed into a consistent string of other career opportunities.

"There’s a ton of bands out there, but it was like our faces are out there now, and it just helped in that way. It got us onto a lot of shows; we ended up getting onto a tour with a band from Australia called the Lazys. Emails started coming in after that contest," says band member CJ Loane.

The Bloodshots released their first EP, The Bloodshot!, last year, and it has recently been nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2017 Indigenous Music Awards (formerly known as the Aboriginal Peoples’ Choice Music Awards).

They followed up the EP release with a new single, Liability, just a few weeks ago, and Loane says it will likely fall onto their next EP, which he hopes will be out later this year. The band enlisted the help of producer Dale Penner (Nickleback, Matthew Good Band) for the single and will continue to work with him this year.

"He actually took three parts of three songs and turned them into one song. It was kind neat seeing how somebody like that works and can just change everything," Loane says of Penner.

The Bloodshots have a few local shows coming up, but your first chance to see them will be as openers for Danko Jones at Nashville’s on Monday, April 17. Tickets are $20 and doors are at 8 p.m.

— Erin Lebar - Erin lebar - Winnipeg Free Press


"THE BLOODSHOTS ARE LEARNING FROM SUCCESS Local rock band discovers thrills and challenges of levelling up"

THE BLOODSHOTS ARE LEARNING FROM SUCCESS
Local rock band discovers thrills and challenges of levelling up

MEG CRANE ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

FEBRUARY 16, 2017 0

Creating music is a whole new game when you start getting big. At least, that’s what Manitoba’s modern grunge-rock band The Bloodshots have experienced.

“When you get in with a real, acclaimed producer, it’s a different process, eh? Where he might offer up ideas like, ‘Let’s cut this part of the song out, and let’s try doing this part instead and maybe try this note,’” CJ Loane, member of The Bloodshots, says. “You’ve got to be able to roll with that and not take offence to somebody kind of Frankenstein-ing one of your songs.”

He says The Bloodshots were open to producer Dale Penner’s feedback and have now released their first single with him, called “Liability.”

“Having that super professionally recorded and produced single out for people right now is great, and we’re getting lots of positive feedback about it,” Loane says.

The track became Song of the Week on the Manitoba Music website and is being played on FM radio stations in Regina and Saskatoon, Loane says.

The band formed in 2013 and started to get more recognition after winning a contest to open for Finger Eleven in October of 2015.

“It was cool. We got to the venue early, and we got to see them do their soundcheck, and then they watched us do ours, and then we talked about music with them,” Loane says.

He says that opened doors for them, including being asked to go on tour with Australian rock band The Lazys, which they did.

Loane says when they opened for the band in Regina, a promoter came up to them and said, “You know what you guys sound like: if somehow Rise Against, Billy Talent and Nirvana had a baby, and then that baby really liked Guns and Roses.”

With increasing success has also come a lot of lessons, Loane says.

“We had a higher-profile manager for about a year, and we were getting on some shows that he was doing the work for.”

However, because they weren’t a big enough band, Loane says they didn’t feel like they were getting enough attention from their manager. After an amicable breakup, Loane has taken over the job.

“It’s been like a full-time thing, trying to contact venues and contact promoters and everything, but it’s gone really well,” Loane says.

He’s secured some high-profile gigs for 2017, but nothing’s been announced yet, so he can’t divulge the details.

What Loane says The Bloodshots have been struggling with most is getting into Manitoba festivals and onto mainstream radio.

“We would love to get into the active rock charts of Canada, but it’s all a process. That’s tough,” Loane says.

Despite not having widespread play on mainstream Canadian radio stations, Loane says their music is accessible. It’s available on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. - MEG CRANE ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR - The Uniter


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

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Bio

The Bloodshots are a loud catchy melodic welcome to music hungry ears. With the punchiness of acts like Billy Talent and Rise Against and sing along song feels of Nirvana and The Ramones, This Canadian four piece is ready to take the world by storm. With possibly the most energetic live performance going these days, The Bloodshots are here to save the rock n roll lifestyle. Check em out http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1175829580?ls=1&app=itunes
http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1175829580
http://facebook.com/thebloodshots204/

Band Members