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St. John’s rock band The Awake, make their stunning debut with A Necessary Means. The 11-track, adrenaline-powered album is hard-hitting and filled with ragged edges and odd detours through a captivating journey of heavy melodies and tightly-crafted licks. For a debut album, the record is abrasive delivering several knockout punches in a propulsive and stylish revival of alt-rock. The album kicks off with an introduction leading into the track “Heart of the Bigland,” which provides a cascading low-rider groove that builds into a powerful hook-laden chorus with itchy rhythms and sweet soul vocals. Other tracks like “Head in the Stars” and “The Sky is Falling,” embrace distorted guitars and ripping progressions that rely more on melody and texturally varied arrangements. Dave Brinston’s riveting guitar and monstrous riffs combine with the big sounding drums and percussion wizardry of Gylnn Power and the thick rhythmic foundation from Steve Tilley’s swaggering bass lines. Together, they churn out a powerful arsenal to back up Matt Carpenter’s study and potent vocals that packs the occasional scream. The result is a tuneful brew of catchy hooks, sonic textures, crunching chords and ambitious song structures. The album’s gripping intensity is underscored by a real sense of passion and sensitivity on tracks like “On Your Behalf” and the album single “Awake,” which highlights the caressing, softer side of Carpenter’s voice. These songs anchor the heavier moments of the band’s interplay. As the album name suggests, The Awake’s breakthrough record is “a necessary means” for reviving the raw intensity of good, hard alternative rock. The record is ambitious and memorable, delivering musically and emotionally and is a staple for fans of bands such as Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam and the like. A Necessary Means is wide awake with aggressive sound, intelligent lyrics and a willingness to break away from traditional alternative rock conventions.
- Jon Carpenter
Discography
A Necessary Means (Debut full length record) - Released November 28th, 2008
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Bio
The Awake is a fresh, edgy hard rock band located in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Founding band members Dave Brinston (guitar) and Steve Tilley (bass) first began creating music together in 1996 with plans to eventually record original material. After two years of writing, they were forced to put the project on hiatus as both members wanted to pursue their education before launching their music careers.
In the interim, Tilley began playing with now defunct Silverseed and embarked on a successful stint until Silverseed disbanded in 2005, while Brinston played with various cover bands in St. John’s. In September 2006, they decided it was time to return to their plan of recording fresh and original hard rock. The duo began writing and recording new riffs with the use of digital home recording.
The next step for the band was to bring in a solid front man to contribute vocally and lyrically. They approached Matt Carpenter with a proposition of laying down some vocals on their new tracks. Carpenter had spent the past seven years writing and playing accoustic-based folk songs. His style and influences brought a completely new dynamic to the writing process, contributing compelling lyrics and smooth, catchy melodies.
Once Carpenter officially joined the band, they began recording demos as a trio until they decided it was time to incorporate a drummer and begin rehearsing and playing live. In 2007, the band signed on with drummer Glynn Power who had previously played with Tilley in Silverseed as well as other St. John’s groups including Madman Orchestra.
In September 2008, the The Awake was awarded funding from MUSICNL to master and manufacture their debut album, A Necessary Means. The album is available at music stores in St. John’s and online at Amazon and iTunes.
Since then, the band has been consistently performing on the local music scene, working hard to build a solid fan base and proving night after night why they are one of the province’s must-see bands.
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