The Last Supper
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The Last Supper

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"The Last Supper determined to dig in at every corner of the globe — ON THE TOWN"


Peter Walker's passport will get used a lot in the next few years.

The Sault Ste. Marie native, and his rock band, want to set a world record for performances in the most countries ever by a group.

The Last Supper has already performed in 16 nations. The quartet wants to double that number to 33 by year's end. Their ultimate goal is 100 countries by December 2012.

"(It's) just a number we picked to basically blow everybody else out of the water," said Walker during a recent telephone interview from Smiths Falls, Ont.

The Last Supper's tour stops already include Egypt, South Africa and Swaziland. Walker met another Sault native, Philip Baker, during a stop in the capital city of Mozambique. Baker is Canada's High Commissioner in the southeast African country. A Middle Eastern tour, with shows in about a half-dozen countries, including Israel, Jordan and Turkey, is planned for later this year.

The band is in talks with five international broadcasters to air a reality show,Band Without Borders,based on their global touring. Eight episodes, financed by their shows and a landscaping business back in Canada, are complete. The shows were drawn from about 250 hours of raw footage.

"ThinkAmazing Race meets Big Brother,"said lead vocalist Dan Shwetz of the show's premise. "We're trying to keep it real. That's how our band's been going the last 15 years. Sometimes it's really good for us and sometimes it's really bad . . . We don't want to be flashy because it's not always flashy being a musician. Lots of times it's not what everybody thinks it is."

The travel does boast its rewards. The Last Supper has shared bills with acts ranging from Britain's Alan Parsons and Uriah Heep to American industrial metal band Ministry, and heavy metal act Queensrhyce. Walker, who plays guitar, and his bandmates are especially keen to meet local musicians.

"The band's always really been about going out and travelling," said Shwetz.

"We've found we really meet a lot of interesting people. We really want to highlight the culture (in the show)."

Walker and company hope dates in 100 countries, accompanied by the television series, will raise their profile and allow them to make music full-time.

The Sir James Dunn collegiate graduate returns home for his group's first local performance since a 2003 date at the now-demolished O'Aces Bar and Grill. The Last Supper plays March 5 and 6 at Algonquin Hotel's Rock- StarBar.

There'll be an even split between new material (Within Reach, Anthem, Getting By)and old favourites (Lifeline, Mary, RDS).

A new album is due out this summer. Demos were completed in January. The band wants to work with a "big dog" producer after Shwetz handled the group's first four albums. A downturn in compact disc sales has lowered a hired gun's asking price. "You could never afford anybody like that 10 years ago," said Shwetz.

"On an indie budget it just wasn't possible."

On the web: www.bandwithoutborders.com - The Sault Star, Sault Ste. Marie, ONT


"Rock band plugs into world record"

Peter Walker's passport will get used a lot in the next few years.

The Sault Ste. Marie native and his rock band want to set a world record for performances in the most countries ever by a group.

The Last Supper, which calls Smiths Falls home, has already performed in 16 nations. The quartet wants to double that number to 33 by year's end. Their ultimate goal is 100 countries by December 2012.

"(It's) just a number we picked to basically blow everybody else out of the water," said Walker.
The band is well known in Kingston, having played many shows here over the years and even having called Kingston home during the summers, where the group had an apartment on Earl Street.

The Last Supper's tour stops already include Egypt, South Africa and Swaziland. Walker met another Sault native, Philip Baker, during a stop in the capital city of Mozambique. Baker is Canada's High Commissioner in the southeast African country.

The band is in talks with five international broadcasters to air a reality show,Band Without Borders, based on their global touring. Eight episodes, financed by their shows and a landscaping business back in Canada, are complete. The shows were drawn from about 250 hours of raw footage.

"ThinkAmazing RacemeetsBig Brother,"said lead vocalist Dan Shwetz of the show's premise.

"We're trying to keep it real. That's how our band's been going the last 15 years. Sometimes it's really good for us and sometimes it's really bad ... We don't want to be flashy because it's not always flashy being a musician. Lots of times it's not what everybody thinks it is."

The travel does have rewards. The Last Supper has shared bills with acts ranging from Britain's Alan Parsons and Uriah Heep to American industrial metal band, Ministry and Queensrhyce.

On the web: www.bandwithoutborders.com
- The Kingston Whig Standard


"'Band Without Borders' launches world tour"

Almost everyone has dreamed of being a rock star. Making a career out of travelling the world is a privilege that, for most people, is never more than a fleeting dream. But for the Last Supper, a band formed by a group of Western alumni, the goal isn’t just getting out on the road, but staying out there.

Formed in 1996, the band takes a no-gimmicks approach to rock ‘n’ roll. Vocalist Dan Shwetz’s smooth moans and roars drape over the thunder of Frankie Biggz’s drums, which is accompanied by percussionist David Baines and bassist Scott Herndon. Completed by the swimming whine of Peter Walker’s guitar and the result is a mid-’90s alternative rock sound.

Aside from the Last Supper’s interesting sound, what is equally notable is its latest project, “Band Without Borders.” The band plans to produce a reality TV show that highlights a 33-month trip across 100 countries, setting a world record. As if the project isn’t ambitious enough, the band plans on making the entire tour carbon neutral.

While this is obviously the largest tour the band members have embarked upon, it won’t be the first time that they have travelled overseas. The group has a long history of travelling, often citing it as one of the main reasons for starting the band in the first place.

Walker says another reason for the tour’s length is the opportunity to observe the commonalities between different cultures.

“It’s really cool to go to places in the Middle East and hear Metallica on the radio,” he says.

When asked why they decided to make the tour carbon neutral, Walker describes the disturbing realities of pollution.

“Some cities are so clouded by smog that you have to hold your fist over your mouth while you walk.”

“With so much new technology coming out, it only makes sense to be taking advantage of some of it,” Baines adds.

The decision to record and broadcast the tour was an easy one as the band has traditionally recorded most of what goes on while on the road anyway.

“We’re not getting any younger and with the state of the music industry right now, it’s just something that’ll get us out there more,” Walker says. Moreover, televising the tour would accomplish the band’s aim of exposing others to unfamiliar cultures.

The Last Supper is currently negotiating with a number of broadcasters and intends to start the tour in June. Walker hopes the show will successfully promote the band’s music, the cultures of other countries and its environmental goals.

“The plan is to record each spring, edit the show over winter and air the show the following spring,” Walker explains.

In addition to touring, the Last Supper also recorded its latest album, Order from Chaos, in a number of cities, including Los Angeles, Cairo, Ottawa, Montreal and finished it in London, Ontario at EMAC Recording Studios. The band will continue writing and recording on its tour, eventually releasing a live album from its shows.

The “Band Without Borders” tour will begin in Europe and, while currently there are no plans to play here in London, the Last Supper says a London date is certain.

“This is where everything started,” Walker says. “We’ll definitely do a show in London. We’ve gotten so much support from the area.” - The Gazette, London, ONT


"Itinerant rock band aims for world record, reality television show"

A local indie rock band is dreaming big - and far.

The Last Supper, a Smiths Falls-based group that has been playing together for more than a decade, is
trying to set the world record for the most countries toured by a music group.

The band hopes to hit 100 countries in three years in a project it is calling Band Without Borders - also the
title of a reality TV show it is pitching based on the experience.

"We just thought it was a nice high number," lead singer Dan Shwetz said in a telephone interview.
"Rock and roll music is indeed a common language throughout the world."
The band hopes to set out on its journey this summer and has already booked dates in 10 countries, mostly
in Europe but also Turkey, Egypt and South Africa, said Shwetz.
They hope to hit as many large music festivals as they can and do a lot of camping, keeping the whole thing
"carbon-neutral," he said. The philosophy since they got serious about the project has been: "If we're doing it on a moped, then we're doing it."
Shwetz, 35, met his bandmates while at the University of Western Ontario. The group has lived in California and Toronto before moving back to this area six years ago.

The core of The Last Supper is the trio of Shwetz, lead guitarist Peter Walker and David Baines, who plays
percussion but whose main job is on the management side. Together they run their own indie label, Vamp
Records. Also on board are drummer Frankie Biggs and bassist Scot Herndon. (Randy Orr, of the local duo
Healy and Orr, has also played with the group off and on.)
The Last Supper has put out four albums and Shwetz describes its sound as classic rock.
The band is already used to global travel.

In 1999, it took on the challenge of shipping its tour bus across the Atlantic, touring Europe and winding its way to Egypt to be at the pyramids for the millennium, an experience the members caught on film, said Shwetz.

"(We) just wanted to do something different for the millennium."
Over the years, it has made enough contacts overseas to get three European partners for Band Without
Borders, said Shwetz.

The group is negotiating with "major" international broadcast networks for the project, he said, adding the
network people like the indie, bar-band angle.
And while the show will follow band members around in a Big Brother-type format, Shwetz wants a lot of
it to be "unscripted" interviews with young music fans in the various countries the group visits.

The goal, said Shwetz, is to produce three seasons, starting with a tour this coming summer and fall and the
following winter, with a first season airing in the summer of 2009.

While they're dreaming of making millions, the trio must still find more mundane ways of paying for the
trip in the here and now.
During the summer, they operate a landscaping business, Stone Builders Landscaping, and this will be the
first summer they're out playing, not digging.

They are also looking for sponsorship deals and hope they have enough of a fan base in the countries
they've toured before to make a bit more cash.
Spanning the globe and the airwaves is an ambitious project, but Shwetz said that as they prepare for their
launch, they are meeting with interest overseas and the momentum is growing.
"People said there's no way we could ship our bus to Europe and go to the pyramids, but we did it," he said.

In the meantime, people can catch The Last Supper much closer to home than Egypt. The group is playing
at the Lee Tavern in Smiths Falls on Friday night.
- The Recorded & Times, Brockville, ONT


"News"

Canadian rockers The Last Supper have embarked on what they hope will be a record-breaking tour, playing more countries than any other band. They will be filming their adventures for a documentary. You can follow their progress at www.lastsupper.ca

http://www.bandwithoutborders.com/articles/Classic_Rock.pdf
- Classic Rock Magazine


Discography

Zero degrees - Order into Chaos

Photos

Bio

For those with an appetite for substance and deft musical style, The Last Supper delivers hard-driving tracks on Zero Degrees - Order into Chaos, the group’s newest release for VAMP Records. Bassist Scot Herndon and drummer Jason Woodley provide a solid foundation for Shwetz’s searing vocals and Peter Walker’s weaving guitar. While guided by a range of musical influences from hip-hop, to blues and rock, the recording is flavored with the Egyptian spice of percussionist Diaa Tass. Renowned in the Middle East, Tass adds an exotic fragrance to many tracks.

Founded by Shwetz and Walker in 1994 while attending the University of Western Ontario. Classmate David Baines joined them shortly afterwards as manager and would later play percussions along with Diaa Tass in the band. The Last Supper was a name chosen to symbolize a gathering of friends which has led them on this cross world adventure.

The group has played more than 700 live shows across four continents, and played with acts including Iron Maiden, Joe Cocker, Peter Frampton, Thin Lizzy, Our Lady Peace, Slash’s Snakepit, The Tea Party, Ministry, and Queensryche. They have appeared at numerous famous rock clubs and European festivals including the Milkweg in Amsterdam, House of Blues (New Orleans), the Whiskey-A-Go-Go and Roxy (L.A), Download Festival (UK), and BosPop (NL). Various other international shows include a stadium benefit concert in Turkey in 2000, and dates in Sharm El Sheikh and Cairo, Egypt. They have recently returned from a European and African tour, and are scheduled to tour the Middle East, Africa and Europe this November and December. They also have been hard at work for the past year working on a new album which will be out in the spring of 2010, followed up by dates at various European festivals in the summer. The Last Supper was picked as one of the best 20 new bands on the planet for 2006 by Classic Rock Magazine from the U.K., and has been included on a compilation CD which was distributed by the magazine. The band has also become part of a reality television show called Band Without Borders. The new series features life on the road with The Last Supper as they attempt to set the world record for the most countries toured by a musical group. The band will be touring 100 countries over the next three years. Filming has already started on the project, with 16 countries completed so far and another 7 countries to be visited soon. Plans are in place to distribute the t.v series internationally in 2010. They are excited to have joined forces with Sellaband to help finish the B.W.B project. With thousands of offstage albums sold, media coverage in many countries, and the new reality show, The Last Supper feels it is finally ready to go mainstream in 2010 and make the band an international household name.