The Mag Boys

Sometime in early May 2006, The Boys come to the realization that: they and they alone, must play music together. Initially they didn’t intend on continuing as a two-piece band, but have since remained one without a suitable candidate to fill a third position. They continued making music with the mentality that “if you build it, they will come,” but no one came and they have accepted that. They have generated a sound to fit this two-piece dynamic. Their very first show was at Central High School’s Battle of Bands playing a very short 3 song set; which they won by unanimous vote. This was a great boost for the band, resulting in a desire to play many more shows and write many more songs.

By the summer of 2007 they organized a pivotal show with longtime friends and band Sandman Viper Command, who were also playing their first shows. The show was at Formac in Burlington and would go down as their highest paying gig to date, as well as their longest set ever played [over an hour of continuous playing with very little covers]. They have since played roughly every venue in Burlington, as well as various venues in Guelph, Hamilton and Toronto.

The Mag Boys have a very unique genre of sound. Some have described it as punk, electro, dance and good old fashioned rock. The boys have experimented with many types of instruments ranging from guitars to synthesizers; however have always kept the focus on songwriting. Their sound has also been described as raw and full of energy, which translates well in their live performances. Think of two people putting as much energy as they can into entertaining their crowds, and you will have envisioned a Mag Boys show. Emerging from the Burlington music scene, they are one of few Burlington bands to move beyond the emo-hardcore scene that has oversaturated many parts of Southern Ontario, and come up with their own unique sound.

Presently The Mag Boys and Sandman Viper Command seem to be inseparable, playing nearly every show within the last few months together. This tightly knit group of musicians love playing together and feed off each others’ energy, creating an unbelievably energetic and enjoyable live show.

Phil and Rob originally began playing music because they enjoyed it. They obviously still love performing and writing music, and as people have begun to share that enjoyment they have been playing more often and at better sounding venues. Ideally, the boys would like to be able to travel while playing music with their close friends, and if it so happens that they have enough fans to pay for a tour so be it. Regardless, the Mag Boys will one day tour the world.

For the future the Mag Boys and SVC are working towards getting a summer tour throughout Southern Ontario to gain better exposure in the Canadian music world.. The boys are also hoping to acquire studio time to put together another demo or EP sometime in the near future.