The Dyeing Merchants

There is something dark lurking beneath the music of The Dyeing Merchants. Tempest Roar has submerged me into a dream of wolves and wanderlust, with songs like ‘Cast Away’ and ‘Beached Heart’ echoing behind me. It’s definitely an adventure. The Dyeing Merchants don’t seem to be the type to make music for a simple frolic, no, it’s much more than that. It goes deeper. One of those journeys where you come out stronger and smarter. Just take on look at the album cover. That kind of twisted feeling that you get in your stomach, the feeling of excitement and nervousness fuels your desire to listen to every second of every song. I’m ready for something a little darker than what I’ve been becoming accustomed to. I’m definitely ready. @LeahLovecat - Dingus

(translated from dutch)
With "Tempest Roar 'are The Merchants Dyeing from Victoria to their third album. They honor the DIY ethic and took their album at the Fifty Fifty Arts Collective, a nonprofit organization run by volunteers and provides a platform for independent artists.
The Dyeing Merchants bring catchy songs, full of energy, where you do not can remain silent. They are difficult to classify a particular genre, but bring with experimental indie rock influences. With its smoky voice brings Jzero Schuurman inspiration while the guitar and drum sophisticated dialogue. Their music fits in the intimate context of a dark pub, where the lure of the night (and excessive ethyl alcohol) many troubled souls. The Dyeing Merchants are living proof that simplicity is. On their website http://thedyeingmerchants.com/ you can enjoy a preview. Their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dyeing-Merchants/ keep you informed of upcoming performances. - Music Zine

Victoria’s king pin post rockers bring their dark guitar reflections to Edmonton this Saturday at Wunderbar. With an album that sounds as live as it does cavernous, I expect the show to excel in all aspects. Their poetic bays, chants, and moans are redolent of druids at midnight. Come prepared for poetry, aural baths of guitorgan, and three paradoxically POP openers: Doug Hoyer, Service:Fair, and Ghost Cousin (who’ve all gotten love from this same blog). - ARGUE JOB

A Calgarian transplanted to Victoria, Jzero Schuurman started the Dyeing Merchants with his girlfriend Renee Crawford. After playing around the West Coast, the lo-fi texture mongers are bringing the show on the road behind the group's debut self-titled album. - VUEweekly

How do songs come about, hey? Yes, yes – that’s hopelessly vague as far as opening queries go, I know, but bear with me.

As someone who has always failed horribly at writing songs – an admission which almost wholly explains vicarious activities like, say, writing about a new band every day – this has always proven an awful puzzle.

Where do songs come from? How do you start writing one? How do you decide which bit is the verse and which is the chorus? Do you have to write middle eights for yourself or is there an App that does that for you now?

Such concerns are of no mystery to The Dyeing Merchants, for whom – if All In All is anything to go by – the songwriting process is as organic and steadily encompassing as a vine creeping up a garden wall.

In fact, take note BBC documentary makers, because All In All could happily soundtrack a time-lapse film of a seed’s struggle from soil, to green shoot, to flower and back again, so redolent is the song of the ebb and flow of life itself.

Guitar bands have an unenviable task in front of them – they are committed to tackling the same four-minute-pop-song task as every other band has been doing for the last 60 years, and it’s hardly a surprise when they end up grinding out the same old ditties.

But occasionally a band manage to shift their angle of attack by a thousandth of a degree – and the effect is palpably different. It’s just a hunch, but in songs like All In All, The Dyeing Merchants may be doing exactly this. - anewbandaday.com

Soon after the Loose Cannons left the stage, the Dyeing Merchants took over; it was the first time I have ever seen or heard a “Guitorgan” (see picture), which gave the band a full, unique sound.

(note from the Dyeing Merchants; funny thing is, the Guitorgan has been broken for months. It actually wasn't working at this show.) - Monday magazine

This Victoria indie band shows a refreshing honesty. Their self-titled CD is a pleasingly low-fi blend of upfront guitars, synth sounds, and vocals soaked in ambient room noise. - The Province

This Victoria indie band describe themselves as shoe-gazers on their Myspace page, showing a refreshing honesty. Their self-titled CD is a pleasingly low-fi blend of up-front guitars, some synth sounds, and vocals soaked in ambient room noise. With guests Earlstown Winter and The Stolen Organ family Band.
- The Province

Sadly, the chances to see the Summerlad live is slim to none. Earlier this year, just days before they were set to release their next album Gang Lions, the CD release party was cancelled and it was revealed that the group disbanded. Something tells me Gang Lions won’t see the light of day until the year 3333.

Lastly, after moving to Victoria, Jzero Schuurman (formerly of Calgary’s GutterAwl) has teamed up with Rob Coslet, Renee Crawford and Fraser MacGillvray to form the Dyeing Merchants. Dubbing themselves “alternative, anthemic, experimental indie noise pop”, they’ve just released their self-titled debut (which you can get here for the low low price of, you name it!). The album is a great collection of laid back atmospheric songs that sound like a rehearsal space jam session. Songs like “Tides”, “Forget” and “Walls” make me feel like I’m hanging out with some very talented friends just relaxing on a Friday night. That’s the Dyeing Merchants. - Chris Andrade "Off The Dial"