The Afterbeat

Message in a bottle. When it comes to getting the word out, The Afterbeat couldn’t have picked a bigger platform. In February, the Winnipeg band appeared in a Budweiser Canada commercial which premiered during the Super Bowl.

"We have a publicist in Toronto (Vapor Music Group) and they help us with licensing, selling songs to TV and video games," says Mike Reis, 27, vocalist and guitarist in The Afterbeat. "All those Budweiser commercials you see with the rules, those are done by a company from Toronto. They approached our publicist, said they were looking for an upbeat, party vibe kind of song, he threw gave them 30 or 40 CDs, they heard our song and decided to test it."

Shot in Los Angeles, the commercial features The Afterbeat playing its song Rude Boy to a packed club — so packed that a server can’t deliver her pitcher of Bud. Not to be denied suds, the intended recipients motion to the band to bring it down a notch. The crowd calms, the brew is served, the band returns to rocking and the tagline reads "Rule #26: There are no small victories," a fitting phrase for The Afterbeat.

"Those guys hooked us up with a really nice opportunity," says Reis, who is joined in The Afterbeat by guitarist Dustin Jackson, trombonist Denis Gaudry, saxophonist Scott Brewer and drummer Chris Ferguson. "Things have become a little more accessible for us. We’re a little more familiar now, as opposed to just being that band from Winnipeg you kind of forgot about. It shot us back to where we were five years ago."

Five years ago, The Afterbeat followed up its 2003 debut The Balls Out EP with Personals, its first full-length album. Adding punk, pop rock and soul to its ska sound, the record was a natural progression for the band, but commitment issues and lineup changes hindered further headway. Nonetheless, the band persevered and The Afterbeat goes on.

On Dec. 18 at the Pyramid Cabaret, the band releases the result of its resolution, a self-titled seven-song EP recorded in Vancouver and Langley, B.C., with Hedley bassist Tom MacDonald. Reis says Macdonald was very helpful when it came to song structure.

"In pre-production he was really interested in helping me be a better writer," Reis says. "When you write music, there’s always that thing of integrity, the concept of ‘Do you want to play music as a living? Do you want to be on the radio?’ but there’s ways you can go about things without compromising yourself and I think he showed me that.

"I was really worried when he first approached us. ‘I want to do your record.’ Well, we don’t sound like Hedley but, after meeting him and working with him, he taught me some really cool things in terms of song structure. Like writing a short story, he helped me get from my introduction to my conclusion with a lot more direction than before."

Also involved in the recording process was engineer Dean Maher (AC/DC, Bryan Adams, Slayer, Rise Against). Reis says Maher drew on his wealth of experience to get The Afterbeat the right sound.

"He used to work with GGG," Reis says, speaking of producer/engineer Garth Richardson, whose work includes The Melvins’ Houdini and Rage Against the Machine’s eponymous debut. "He worked with him for a long time and was around for all those big bands. We went to Richardson’s studio to get some editing done on the drums and there were gold records everywhere. It was pretty cool.

"That’s where Dean is coming from; he’s a very smart engineer. He started with reel to reel, so he’s not one of these guys that picked up Pro Tools a couple years ago and started engineering. He understands it. He’d always be in the room clapping, looking for good sound spots."

Reis says recording the EP was the most enjoyable moment of his music career. To celebrate, The Afterbeat will play not one, but two Saturday shows at the Pyramid.

"We wanted to play an all-ages show but everything was booked already. The West End Cultural Centre was booked, the Park Theatre was booked, so it was going to be a bar show again and that was bumming us out. Then Dave (McKeigan) at the Pyramid said they could do an all-ages show, the bar just has to be closed for a few hours between shows. It’s a little more effort, cost, production, but we were really interested in having an all-ages show. We’ve done a few more than usual this year, like Skate 4 Cancer, and younger people were giving us positive feedback so we thought we’d do two shows."

The shows go down at 4 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and $15 gets you entrance and the EP. You can also go to www.afterbeatonline.com and download The Afterbeat’s complimentary Christmas covers —?The Sonics’ Santa Claus and Phil Spector’s Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) — and a rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run.

Free songs? If you thought The Afterbeat sold out with a beer commercial, think again.

"I heard The Clash in a Levis commercial. After that, I was like, ‘OK whatever,’" Reis says. "If you want to give me money so I can continue to do what I enjoy doing, I’ll talk to you, unless it’s something absolutely ridiculous. You want me to dance and smile in front of something I drink regularly? OK, sure."

THE?AFTERBEAT?
Dec. 18, 9:30 p.m., Pyramid Cabaret
All-ages show at 4 p.m.

- Uptown Magazine

Message in a bottle. When it comes to getting the word out, The Afterbeat couldn’t have picked a bigger platform. In February, the Winnipeg band appeared in a Budweiser Canada commercial which premiered during the Super Bowl.

"We have a publicist in Toronto (Vapor Music Group) and they help us with licensing, selling songs to TV and video games," says Mike Reis, 27, vocalist and guitarist in The Afterbeat. "All those Budweiser commercials you see with the rules, those are done by a company from Toronto. They approached our publicist, said they were looking for an upbeat, party vibe kind of song, he threw gave them 30 or 40 CDs, they heard our song and decided to test it."

Shot in Los Angeles, the commercial features The Afterbeat playing its song Rude Boy to a packed club — so packed that a server can’t deliver her pitcher of Bud. Not to be denied suds, the intended recipients motion to the band to bring it down a notch. The crowd calms, the brew is served, the band returns to rocking and the tagline reads "Rule #26: There are no small victories," a fitting phrase for The Afterbeat.

"Those guys hooked us up with a really nice opportunity," says Reis, who is joined in The Afterbeat by guitarist Dustin Jackson, trombonist Denis Gaudry, saxophonist Scott Brewer and drummer Chris Ferguson. "Things have become a little more accessible for us. We’re a little more familiar now, as opposed to just being that band from Winnipeg you kind of forgot about. It shot us back to where we were five years ago."

Five years ago, The Afterbeat followed up its 2003 debut The Balls Out EP with Personals, its first full-length album. Adding punk, pop rock and soul to its ska sound, the record was a natural progression for the band, but commitment issues and lineup changes hindered further headway. Nonetheless, the band persevered and The Afterbeat goes on.

On Dec. 18 at the Pyramid Cabaret, the band releases the result of its resolution, a self-titled seven-song EP recorded in Vancouver and Langley, B.C., with Hedley bassist Tom MacDonald. Reis says Macdonald was very helpful when it came to song structure.

"In pre-production he was really interested in helping me be a better writer," Reis says. "When you write music, there’s always that thing of integrity, the concept of ‘Do you want to play music as a living? Do you want to be on the radio?’ but there’s ways you can go about things without compromising yourself and I think he showed me that.

"I was really worried when he first approached us. ‘I want to do your record.’ Well, we don’t sound like Hedley but, after meeting him and working with him, he taught me some really cool things in terms of song structure. Like writing a short story, he helped me get from my introduction to my conclusion with a lot more direction than before."

Also involved in the recording process was engineer Dean Maher (AC/DC, Bryan Adams, Slayer, Rise Against). Reis says Maher drew on his wealth of experience to get The Afterbeat the right sound.

"He used to work with GGG," Reis says, speaking of producer/engineer Garth Richardson, whose work includes The Melvins’ Houdini and Rage Against the Machine’s eponymous debut. "He worked with him for a long time and was around for all those big bands. We went to Richardson’s studio to get some editing done on the drums and there were gold records everywhere. It was pretty cool.

"That’s where Dean is coming from; he’s a very smart engineer. He started with reel to reel, so he’s not one of these guys that picked up Pro Tools a couple years ago and started engineering. He understands it. He’d always be in the room clapping, looking for good sound spots."

Reis says recording the EP was the most enjoyable moment of his music career. To celebrate, The Afterbeat will play not one, but two Saturday shows at the Pyramid.

"We wanted to play an all-ages show but everything was booked already. The West End Cultural Centre was booked, the Park Theatre was booked, so it was going to be a bar show again and that was bumming us out. Then Dave (McKeigan) at the Pyramid said they could do an all-ages show, the bar just has to be closed for a few hours between shows. It’s a little more effort, cost, production, but we were really interested in having an all-ages show. We’ve done a few more than usual this year, like Skate 4 Cancer, and younger people were giving us positive feedback so we thought we’d do two shows."

The shows go down at 4 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and $15 gets you entrance and the EP. You can also go to www.afterbeatonline.com and download The Afterbeat’s complimentary Christmas covers —?The Sonics’ Santa Claus and Phil Spector’s Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) — and a rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run.

Free songs? If you thought The Afterbeat sold out with a beer commercial, think again.

"I heard The Clash in a Levis commercial. After that, I was like, ‘OK whatever,’" Reis says. "If you want to give me money so I can continue to do what I enjoy doing, I’ll talk to you, unless it’s something absolutely ridiculous. You want me to dance and smile in front of something I drink regularly? OK, sure."

- Uptown Magazine

I've known Mike Reis from the Afterbeat for some time now. Long enough that if I ask him anything about his band or their upcoming CD Personals, he'll imitate me, laugh at me, and I'll crack another Molson Standard and forget what I asked. That's when I figured I'd just ask him to do this interview for the Nerve, (Mikey loves self-promotion!) and we could set a few things straight. In all honesty, Reis is one of the hardest-working people in the Winnipeg ska scene. His band tours the country a couple of times a year and he also co-runs Bacteria Buffet Records. You can catch their catchy, versatile set when they tour through Canada with Vancouver's the Furios this summer. Here's what we talked about:

NERVE: It's been two years since you put out your debut CD/EP so this CD has really been a long time coming. How is the Afterbeat different from back then? Would you say you've changed? Would you say you've grown? Or in the wise words of Peter Griffin, is that all just fancy talk for "sex-i-ma-fied"?
MIKE: Sex-i-ma-fied? I dunno about that. We still have the girls that guys love to drool over while we play. But seriously, if you look at the last two years, it's not so much a difference or change but in fact growth that has taken place. We have definitely become somewhat more of an aggressive band since the EP. There is a lot more energy and crunch to our live performance as well as the new release. I think it has actually been a natural progression though. Some of our more rock 'n' roll/punk influences are definitely having a say in how we write.

NERVE: With all the lineup changes, what have you determined are the most important characteristics you look for in a band mate?
MIKE: Yeah, there have been some line-up changes I guess. The biggest thing with playing music is that if you are trying to make it as a touring band, you must have the most patience and perseverance of anyone you know. If you ever stop for a moment to say, what's the point? Then you should stick to local gigs. We had some members recently who were more interested in saying they were in a band than being in the band. When they didn't want to say they were in a band anymore, it wasn't fun for anyone. The core is still intact but, if you've seen us before, you will notice a couple new faces. These new faces though actually want to be in this band - to play music - and things haven't been better.

NERVE: I remember shortly after your band started you opened for The Slackers at Ozzie's in Winnipeg. I also remember Dave Hillyard getting you worked up by accidentally calling you the Astrobeat (Ha ha! Poor Mikey!). What's the worst mangling of the name you've heard?
MIKE: That might have been the worst actually. I think the biggest mistake is always wanting to put a 's' at the end of it. Dave Hillyard got his though later that night. He definitely remembers our name now…

NERVE: Is Winnipeg really the centre of ska? Which scenes excite you the most?
MIKE: Jesus Christ, Phil! Is Winnipeg the centre of ska? What kind of question is that!!?? I think the pints are finally getting to your head. Seriously, ska has always had a very tight underground community that networks really well right across the country! Obviously, if I had to pick, Toronto would be my favourite place right now because I'm a huge fan of a lot of the bands we've been playing with out there. The Cheap Suits, Flatliners and Makeshift Heroes are all so much fun and I guarantee you will be hearing a lot about them soon!

NERVE: How is The Afterbeat going to win over the Nerve's binge-drinking, crotch grabbing readership when you play Vancouver with the Furios later this month?
MIKE: Very simple: we’re gonna be behind them all, lighting their farts for them! We don't exactly fit into any moulds that might have been made over the last 15 years regarding ska. We definitely rock and drink harder than your old man did Saturday nights when the NHL was around! We're full of energy and always ready for a great time - crotch grabbing or no crotch grabbing!

NERVE: What are your favourite songs on the new CD?
MIKE: We have a couple tracks on this disc that are gonna surprise some people. They're something you might not expect from us. I think I really enjoy those. And of course, any of them that I am flailing around aimlessly too. Aw shit, all of them, I like all of them!
- Nerve Magazine

The word ‘ska’ usually invokes images of bands with funny names and funnier hats. Or, perhaps Gwen Stefani, pre-bananas. Whatever your conception of ska music may be, you probably also think it has taken a back seat on the Winnipeg music scene. Enter The Afterbeat, Winnipeg’s very own ska sextet which is proving that ska is still alive and still very well, thanks, with the debut of its first full-length album, Personals. “There’s still a ska scene present in Winnipeg,” says Afterbeat trumpeter Jenn Agnew. “There’s still a tight community” band mate Mike Reis (vocals, guitar) agrees but admits that the ska scene has hit a bit of a recession. “All the bands are still there... SubCity Dwellers, The Barrymores, JFK & the Conspirators. We used to be able to sell out the West End, no problem, and get about 200 ska kids to a show,” Reis says. “Now we’re playing with bands of other genres, trying to attract other audiences.” Gaining a new audience is never an easy gig, especially with a genre as specific as ska. But Reis says that a growing appreciation of live shows is exposing new people to new music. “We’ve noticed that there’s been a resurgence in live music attendance. We’re trying to tap into that scene.”
The addition of some new places for scenesters to get their live music fix also helps. The first night of The Afterbeat’s CD release weekend is at Osborne Village’s brand-new hot spot, The Cavern, while the second night will be at the West End Cultural Centre with The Barrymores and Sick City. “We haven’t played a live show since April,” Reis says. “We wanted this to be huge.” “It’s a good opportunity,” Agnew adds. “We’re playing a bar show at a new venue, but we’re also having an all-ages show.” Trying to move on from being strictly a ska band with ska fans has translated to the band’s new album. Personals stays true to The Afterbeat’s old-school ska stylings, in that it’s infectiously danceable and boasts a healthy brass section. But the album also lets the band’s many influences — including punk, rock ’n’ roll and reggae — shine through, something which Agnew says is just part of being in a sextet. “Having six people makes influences interesting,” Agnew says. Having six people actually function together has also presented challenges for The Afterbeat. Working in the ever-incestuous Winnipeg music scene (Agnew also plays trumpet with Novillero while trombonist Denis Gaudry is in The Wedgewoods) means lineup changes and scheduling issues can be a pain.
“It’s hard to find people wanting to devote all their time to a ska band,” Reis admits.
When everyone in the band does get together, The Afterbeat is best-known for its energized live performances — Agnew and Reis say coming up with live show energy in the studio was a challenge. “It’s hard to put what you do live onto a CD,” Reis says.
But after a long year of recording, The Afterbeat finally has a finished album. “It’s been a long time coming,” Agnew says. “To have a finished project in hand and a booked CD release party — it’s really exciting and really relieving.” –Jen Zoratti-
- Uptown Magazine

Taken from Discorder Magazine May, 2009
By Tamara Lee
The Afterbeat Brings it Back
The scene was completely raw. The bar was dimly lit and smelled like the regulars who sat around in the shadows. I stood in front of a feeble attempt of a stage, only elevated about one foot higher than the floor. When I moved my feet I noticed they were sticking to some mystery puddles, of which I hoped was beer but at worst case maybe was- I try not to think about it.
This is Pat’s Pub and I am here to see The Afterbeat, a six piece ska/punk band from Winnipeg. They are playing their first show on a cross-Canada tour. As I survey the Pat’s crowd, I observe a strange mixture of punk-rock-seniors (still in skinny jeans and mohawks since the 80’s), some classic rockabilly folk (betty page pin-up girls and plaid 50’s greasers), and those trusty regulars, still enjoying their 2pm beer break. Pat’s has apparently reinvented itself as a show venue, but with an air of The Ivanhoe. This means bad carpeting and rickety wooden chairs, an over arching bathroom smell, and the only thing missing is random cheese sales by the customers. I can tell that this place has quite the history….again, I try not to think about it.
Thankfully, the whole sorted scene becomes completely unimportant once The Afterbeat takes the stage. The music begins with a slap to our collective cheeks, and within notes they manage to punch the entire crowd into a frenzy. At first verse, they lay out a high-energy foundation layer with a bouncing guitar line atop some funky base. The rhythm has a powerful reggae swing to it. Just when we are all bouncing on the balls of our feet, they kick it into double time and come over the top with the chorus, sweeping up anyone left who had not been moving. The lead vocals ring out about “rude boys” and “changing the system”, backed up by all the boys and their “woah oh”s. And the final icing is the sweetly added sounds of harmonic horns, energizing the chorus with bouncy trombone and trumpet.
And I think to myself, this is punk music in its purest form. It resembles nothing like what we are calling punk today…. no sign of Sum 41, Good Charlotte or Fall Out Boy. There is not the predictable mass marketed punk style, with its not-so-dangerous high school rebellions and angst about girlfriends and math 10. If we shed away all of today’s clichés, then were left with what is before me: something closer to the core roots of punk rock, like what we left behind in the mid 90’s.
Current day pop-punk has deviated so far from its roots that it is barely recognizable from its beginnings. Exactly where and when the punk rock’s first emergence took place is probably debatable. One could more specifically pin point which bands were some of the genre’s first pioneers. During the mid to late 70’s, The Sex Pistols and The Clash started making new waves in Britain. Concurrently, in New York, The Ramones and The Talking heads started to gain popularity around the scene. Though these bands showed a diverse range of sounds, original punk music commonly contained at least one of two key factors. These are:
It was Political. This began as a reactionary counter culture to the problems of the times. The songs contained social and economic commentary wrapped up in an angst ridden punk rock package. The music had OI factor. There was a certain bounce to it, usually accompanied by horns, and a little flavor of reggae. This was largely because right around the birth of punk rock in Britain, there was another political movement coming directly from Jamaica. That is Ska. Ska music was another socio-economic reaction, born in the sixties by a culture of rebels known as the Rude Boys. In the mid 70’s, this movement finally crossed water to England, running squarely in to the fresh punk scene. With similar roots and direction, this was a logical union, and a new sound began as artists re-released older ska classics in new punk-fusion style. Some well know artists on this scene were The Specials, The Beat and Madness. These influences also continued into newer styles as punk evolved into the late 80’s and 90’s. Ranging from heavy ska-styled sounds of Operation Ivy, Rancid and Reel Big Fish to bouncy Californian surfer punk, like NOFX, 311 and Sublime.
Throughout the years, punk rock music passed through many changes and styles. Through each reinvention, however, there remained some semblance of its origins. That is, until about the mid 90’s, when a final irreparable change took place. It might be harsh to say that The Offspring or Green Day is entirely responsible for this new turn, as they may have been on the crest of some inevitable wave. But in 1994, when Green Day’s album Dookie sold a record-breaking 15 million copies, the changes were certainly set in motion.
Imagine how the industry’s top dogs must have been salivating at these new prospects. An edgy, blue-haired garage band becoming the next mass-marketable goldmine. Before long, these sounds were in pop production. OI was lost to unoriginal power chords. Horns went back to their cases. Social commentary was smoothed over into safer topic matter and eventually we found “punk rock” filling the top 40 charts.
Nowadays it is challenging to find any punk music with the original styles and sounds, although it is out there. The Afterbeat is part of this small remaining tribe, and has toured with kindred bands, such as Bedouin Soundclash, Bad Brains, The Skatalites and Catch 22. They have also been recognized as a player on Ska-T’s famous CITR radio show.
I caught up later with Mike Reis, singer and guitarist for The Afterbeat. We talked a little about the birth of Reggae and Ska.
Reis – “..back in the 50’s in Jamaica, one drummer began to hit on the second beats of the rhythm instead of the first. It’s a simple change. But this emphasis on the off beats made a whole new sound entirely. Reggae was born and music was built around The Afterbeat.”
Their name is a suitable tip of the hat to the music that they clearly love. And this affection translates into producing great music of a genre. That is exactly what The Afterbeat gives us, wrapped into a fun, high-energy show.
Just when I had thought that punk music had been swallowed by giant record labels and spat out at teenage masses…. I am relieved to find that in some dingy bar’s shadows, original punk rock is still being born back into its pure form. Thank you Afterbeat.
- Discorder Magazine

Taken from The Winnipeg Sun Thursday, October 8th
Local Ska Punk Icons still waiting for that solar powered tour bus
"To write off The Afterbeat as just another soundalike bunch of off-time herky-jerks would be a grievous error!" claim these local ska-punks in their online bio. And it must be true -- since I apparently wrote it several years ago! So there you go. Guess it's time to catch up with singer-guitarist Mike Reis and his long-running outfit again. If you'd like to do the same, head over to the Royal Albert next Wednesday or download their new EP online for the very reasonable price of whatever you want to pay (see details below). Whatever you do, just don't write them off.
- Give us the history of the band in 20 words or less.
A ska, punk, rock 'n' roll and reggae-influenced band that has been around the block a few times!
- Tell us about your latest CD.
Recently released a free online EP through www.aralie.com. Basically, you can go to this website and download our songs for free or, if you see fit, pay any amount you feel the songs are worth to you. If you do pay, part of your payment is donated to a charity which changes each month. It's a win-win for everybody.
- Why should we buy your CD or come to your gig?
Because we speak to you through our music. We are not just some kids who want to say we're in a band. We are musicians who can't get through the day without playing any sort of music. What we do is genuine and sincere.
- If you're so great, tell us this: How does your music make the world a better place?
It's definitely a socially and politically conscious music that isn't necessarily negative when something angry is being spoken of. It's got tonnes of energy, it’s upbeat. On the other hand, at the same time, it’s a feel-good style to listen to and forget problems for a bit.
- What's your motto?
Balls to the wall and nothing less!
- Complete this sentence: This band runs on ...
Perseverance, determination and a little bit of luck ...
- Name a song you wish you had written and tell us why:
Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who. That song is the blueprint for anything epic that people are doing today!
- Name your favourite local musical acts?
Port Amoral, High Five Drive, The Blackout Brigade, The Wedgewoods, The Ripperz, Talk City, City Champs.
- Who would you be happy to be compared to?
Anything with musical merit that you want to analyse!
- Describe your ultimate fantasy gig. Don't hold back.
It would probably be a festival since there are six of us in the band with different musical tastes. It would have to be something where we played early so we could watch the other bands play. AC/DC, The Specials, Jimmy Eat World, Rancid, The Skatalites, The Who and The Rolling Stones would be a few of the acts playing.

- What's the best part of performing and/or touring?
Travelling to different cities where you are unheard of and being allowed 45 minutes to play music for a crowd of its citizens is a real high!
- What's the worst part of performing and/or touring?
There is no crappy part to performing. We are extremely lucky to able to do this. Touring can be gruelling, though. Homesickness and personal-space issues are two negatives.
- What is your current mode of transportation to gigs?
We actually got rid of our pig of a camper van and downsized to a mini-van with a trailer. The savings so far in gas have been astronomical.
- How would you like to travel? Limo, rickshaw, dirigible? Dream big.
A multi-floor tour bus that ran on solar power would be rad.
- Name one thing you want to do before you die.
Play a packed stadium.
- Pretend I'm a heckler at your next gig. I yell "You suck!" and throw an ice cube at you. What do you do?
Probably single you out for the rest of the show. We've got quite the repetoire of burns after touring for so long. We've heard it all and can dish it back no problem.
darryl.sterdan@sunmedia.ca
- The Winnipeg Sun

Taken from The Uniter (University of Winnipeg)
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
The ska(-mmunist) manifesto
Everyone can own new EP by local ska band, ‘cause it’s free!
by Ian McAmmond (Volunteer)
At a time when CDs are quickly becoming a thing of the past, local ska-rockers The Afterbeat decided to give the cyber world a try with the release of a free five-song EP.
“We released these songs digitally to get a little bit of a buzz in people’s ear,” Mike Reis, the band’s 29-year-old singer, said during a recent phone interview. “It seems that’s what the trend right now is… Records aren’t necessarily the best medium if the massive amount of fans aren’t there - we sell more hoodies and t-shirts than CDs on tours.”
Since the release of their last album, 2005’s Personals, the band has been playing around town and trying to get out of debt. Touring has had to take a backseat due to the soaring price of gas.
“It came down to the fact that we were broke. We were a band in the middle of Canada. With gas prices going up and the dollar instability, it’s hard to travel. You don’t see bands touring by themselves anymore. There are a lot of sponsored tours with a lot of bands that will bring a big audience. It’s getting expensive to travel and keep yourself afloat.”
Reis waits tables at a local Moxie’s Classic Grill. Working there allows him a lot of flexibility when it comes to playing shows, touring and recording. If he couldn’t get up and go, he would be unable to sing upbeat songs of social protest, like “Change System,” which appears on the new EP. He takes work seriously, but he also keeps everything in perspective.
“I use that job to get what I want - it’s a stepping stone. I gotta go through work to get to go touring, to play with my band.”
The songs on the new EP were written at a time when Reis was supposed to be doing the mature thing by voting in the federal election. As a new homeowner, property taxes and other issues were at stake and he had to fulfill his democratic duty - according to his mom. Reis stresses that people should think for themselves.
“You don’t have to follow that person in front of you. You can think for yourself. You can say what you think and say what you want to. I used to go to church every Sunday. Why? Because that’s what you did. Stop and realize that your capable of thought and decisions on your own.”
With the band heading out west in the spring, the EP is sure to be passed around by hipsters and ska fans across the nation, causing a buzz in advance of their arrival.
“We’re trying to get people to remember that there are people playing music here. Just because venues are closing doesn’t mean people have to go listen to their radio.”
See The Afterbeat Friday, Jan. 16 at Dylan’s on Pembina.
- The university of Winnipeg Uniter

Thu Feb 4, 6:30 PM
By Chinta Puxley

WINNIPEG - A Winnipeg ska band used to playing dark, intimate clubs is preparing to perform before an audience of several million football fans.

The high-energy band the Afterbeat is making its national TV debut in a Budweiser commercial set to air in Canada during the Super Bowl on Sunday.

For band members who have been slaving away the last few years at day jobs while trying to build on their loyal following of fans, the chance to play their song "Rude Boy" before millions could be the big break they've been hoping for.

Even if they're on screen for just 30 seconds.

"We're trying so hard to get our name out there," said lead singer and guitarist Mike Reis.

"Something like this is amazing. There's going to be something like four million people watching the Super Bowl. To have that many people see our faces, with our song for 30 seconds - how could you possibly ask for anything more effective marketing-wise than that?"

The commercial, which won't be seen by the Super Bowl audience in the U.S., was shot in Los Angeles last November and features the band playing to a wildly enthusiastic audience in a packed club. Several patrons order a pitcher of Budweiser but the waitress has trouble navigating through the writhing crowd.

When the band members are alerted to the difficulty, they slow the music down, quieting the crowd enough to allow the waitress to pass with her precious cargo.

"They get their pitcher of Budweiser and the drinking is saved," Reis said. "We go back into high gear and it goes crazy at the end again. And everyone's happy."

In the last year the band has focused on building a following over the Internet, Reis said. Their first album was released free online while the band tried to license out their music for TV, movies and commercials. The song "Rude Boy" caught the ear of a Toronto ad firm which, in turn, pitched it to Budweiser.

The idea snowballed from there, culminating in the band's starring role in the commercial.

"It was a surreal experience," Reis said.

Reis said many other musicians, including Moby and Canadian group Bedouin Soundclash, got their start on commercials before gaining widespread recognition.

With another album coming out this year, he said this exposure might help band members quit their day jobs and focus on their dream full time.

"Anything you can do nowadays to separate yourself from everyone else is worth exploring," said Reis who moonlights as a waiter at a Winnipeg chain restaurant. "The music industry is just so saturated right now. If you can do that little thing to step away from everybody, it's going to help you out so much. This Budweiser opportunity was definitely one of those instances."

The spot is set to air during Sunday's game between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, and will continue airing for several months afterwards. The band is planning to watch the game - and their commercial - at a bar and grill in Winnipeg with family and friends before playing a few live songs for the crowd.

Some fans have lamented that the group's talents won't be shared south of the border.

"Unfortunately, the Afterbeat will ONLY be viewed by a Canadian audience," commented one person online. "Sadly, the spot will not air on the U.S. coverage, thus denying the Afterbeat a U.S. audience. Still, this is a great thing for them, and will put them in the (Canadian) spotlight."
- Canadian Press