Music
Press
PRESS - QUOTES
“ . . . Montreal's red hot luminaries . . . “
Mirror Magazine
"The Spins are power played gently"
Brigette Wayland - Wavelength Concert Review
"Bring your good time head - you'll need it.... Two guys, two girls, bass, guitar, drums and laptop are the basis of The Spins, who can walk you as well as rock you, which they will do with guests Sonido at Casa del Popolo, Feb. 21, starting at 9 p.m.... "
Jamie O'Meara - the Hour Magazine, Locals at Large, Feb 19th, 2004
"This 4 piece made some waves at the recent Pop Montreal festival. Their mellow pop hooks combined with post-rock guitar and glitchy laptop explorations form the basis for vocal songs that have the tendency to sneak up and grab your ear. "
Matt Lederman - Moondata Productions, Press Release
"Frontwoman Flo (Starbean, S.H.A.G, Solo & Inch, Blanche White) brought a hush over Sneaky Dees with the simple intensity of her voice and basslines, most memorably on Cracked. Guitarist Cheryl Conroy's infectious grin spread to the back of the bar, even when she ‘went all Crazy Horse’ on a wryly named new song, Cougar"
B. Wayland - Wavelength Concert Review
"It (cd- This Mile's End) reminds me of the Lost Highway soundtrack”
Isabelle Fleurien – Canadian photographer
- Quotes
Wavelength Toronto concert review
The Spins
August 24th, 2003
The Spins have been compared to Jale, Tortoise, Beat Happening, Pole, Bedhead, Tangerine Dream and the Breeders, but the one thing they truly are is refreshing. Too cool to be cutesy, too relaxed to rush things, the foursome won over the Wavelength crowd in their own sweet time. Frontwoman Flo (Starbean, S.H.A.G, Solo & Inch, Blanche White) brought a hush over Sneaky Dees with the simple intensity of her voice and basslines, most memorably on Cracked. Guitarist Cheryl Conroy's infectious grin spread to the back of the bar, even when she "went all Crazy Horse" on a wryly named new song, Cougar. Throughout, drummer Ron Woo (Fidget, The Good Cookies) ably kept up the groove. Samples maestro Dave McLaughlin quirked out on Another Encore with a wonky laptop solo. Clearly having a good time with song structures and arty silences, the Spins are power played gently.
Don’t miss the Spins' next show, when they'll be pairing up with ambient electronica from Tectonic Plates and energetic improv from the Sevens Project, presented by Moondata Productions. November 28th, 9 p.m., at Montreal's premier indie venue, Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent).
- Bridget Wayland
- Wavelength
Chart Attack
Montreal Buzz: The Dears' Last Stand, The Stills' Secret And Dorkestral Maneuvers In The Light
Friday November 28, 2003 @ 04:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
The Stills
Is it just me, or are all the sweet local shows packed into the weekends these days? Maybe it's strategic planning to draw school kids on their off days, maybe the musicians are school kids on their off days, but these competing gigs are crowding in like pigeons on old toast.
There are no less than four enticing options for hot, homegrown musical entertainment tonight, Friday, November 28:
Rufus and Martha Wainwright play second of their two shows at the Spectrum (8 p.m., $25.65).
Moondata Productions presents a characteristically eclectic bill at Casa Del Popolo (10 p.m.), featuring the ambient, astral sounds of Tectonic Plates, rounds of electropop with The Spins and "cinematic post-jazz rock soundscapes" by The Sevens Project, a supergroup featuring Patrick Watson, Matt Lederman and members of Parkside Jones, Bell Orchestre and Jason Badaja's band, among others.
And for those of you who've yet to check out Pasalymany's, a small venue renowned for its easy atmosphere, cheap booze and resident drunken heckler lady, tonight is your last chance. The joint's final show (10 p.m., free) features right-angle rockers Crackpot, Cozmos Quazar and Cinema Chocolat.
And finally, The Stills are throwing a party to mark the recent release of their debut album, Logic Will Break Your Heart. This hipster-style, semi-hush-hush event (10 p.m., $7) is their second hometown show (the first took place at a fashion magazine launch last spring), but a proper gig is imminent. As for the location of tonight's gig, a few informative flyers are floating around town and anyone who frequented this year's Pop Montreal festival after-hours can guess where it's happening. Guests are DJ Carlos D from Interpol and "a Dear friend."
Ahem, The Dears play tomorrow night, Saturday, November 29, and anyone who's missed their shows this year should note that it's (probably) their last local appearance until 2005. The band will spend most of next year touring the States and Europe and recording their third album. So come on down to Cafe Campus (8 p.m., $11.50) and get caught in the lunar fog of openers The Besnard Lakes (who also share a bill with tidy punks Kiss Me Deadly at Casa Del Popolo on Friday, December 5).
There's nothing like fresh meat, so those with open ears and limited budgets may want to check out the debut gig by Koo Starck, a slick new synth-pop act on the local scene. That's also tomorrow night, November 29 at the Sablo Kafe (8 p.m., free).
So how do you spend Sunday afternoons? Watching sports? Scrubbing floors? Masturbating to informercials? Well, you can shake up your routine this weekend with an all-day CD launch at SAT on Sunday, November 30 (2-9 p.m.). There'll be visuals by BeeWoo and music a-plenty from The Dorkestra (a.k.a. DJ Luv), whose "beatsophrenic" record — Merry Tales and Fractured Melodies, out on the CocoSolidCiti label — lays uber-eclectic samples and experimental electronic stylings over a bed of soulful, melodic hip-hop. Now that's a tea party.
Chances are, you don't need to think through six degrees of separation to find someone in your life who's afflicted with breast cancer. An upcoming variety show at La Sala Rossa on Sunday, December 7 benefits the Montreal chapter of the breast cancer support organization, Gilda's Club, named after the late American comedian Gilda Radner. Her well-known take on Barbara Walters ("Baba Wawa") inspired the name of the event, the WAWA show, which also stands for We Are Woman Artists. Some of the ladies involved are musicians Amanda Mabro & The Cabaret Band, Nancy Snipper, Katie Sevigny, La Baronne, Nicka and T.O.'s Lily Frost, spoken word performer Nikki Brown, as well as painters, photographers, filmmakers and other viz artists who will display their wares. Tickets cost $8 in advance, $10 at the door.
Bear in mind that The Unireverse and Lesbians On Ecstasy's split 12-inch launch is happening on Thursday, December 11 at La Sala Rossa, and The Unireverse get back on stage at Petit Campus the following night, Friday, December 12, opening for hip-hop chemist Sixtoo. The event is also a launch, but not for new product by either act. No, there's a new Distroboto in town, the city's third art/music vending machine and Petit Campus will be its home. Feel free to bring a housewarming gift, but no plants, please — they're bad for the circuitry.
—Lorraine Carpenter
- Chart Attack - Lorraine Carpenter
SEVENS PROJECT
featuring Patrick Watson & members of Bell Orchestre and Parkside Jones
THE SPINS
TECTONIC PLATES
- - - - -
3 very unique Montreal groups will be taking the stage at Casa del Popolo as part of Moondata Productions ongoing mission to deliver music that is alternately weird and wonderful: not your everyday rock and roll, but music that is fresh and full of sponteneity.
First on stage will be Tectonic Plates....
Next up is The Spins. This 4 piece made some waves at the recent Pop Montreal festival. Their mellow pop hooks combined with post-rock guitar and glitchy laptop explorations form the basis for vocal songs that have the tendency to sneak up and grab your ear. The band is comprised of Flo, Cheryl Conroy, Ron Woo, and Dave McLaughlin. Flo got her start by playing in Starbean, S.H.A.G, Solo & Inch, Blanche White. Cheryl is a diction teacher yet oddly does not sing in the band. Ron Woo you may know from Fidget, or The Good Cookies. Dave is kind of new to all this music performance stuff. All together they seamlessly combine an indie-rock innocence with high-brow lap-top technology....for the "can you compare them to somebody" people in the audience...how about...Beat Happening if only the girls sang meets Pole if they were both from Chicago but really lived in Montreal....
Finally, the Sevens Project ... - Moondata Productions
Discography
Released EP - Laptop Solo
Released Compilation - NUVO, Montreal's Radical Pop Underground (Robosapien)
Semi-Released Full-Length - This Mile’s End
Released - September 2007 - There is No Them
New Release coming soon - Producer Brian Paulson
Radio/Streaming airplay on CBC's Bande Aparte, Sirius, College Radio
Photos
Bio
*** PRESS RELEASE *** (French version to follow)
Benefiting two funds at Dawson College
Proceeds of Spins new CD to promote non-violence
Montreal / April 14, 2009 – Icebergs Moving through Open Plains is the second full-length album for Montreal band, the Spins. All proceeds from the sale of the first 1,000 CDs sold will benefit two funds at Dawson College.
The Gwyne Frayne Fund was established in honour of a former teacher in the Social Service program to help struggling students complete their studies, rather than dropping out due to financial crises.
The Inspire fund at Dawson College was established in the wake of the shooting tragedy in 2006 through the Quebec Association of Adult Learning to support projects that promote non-violent solutions to personal and social problems through educational initiatives and programs.
The album launch will take place on April 25 at O Patro Vys (356 Mont-Royal Est) at 9 p.m. The Spins will perform with special guests (including Dj Andy Williams of The Goods). CDs will be in stores as of April 30. Check out myspace.com/thespinsmtl for more information.
Founded in 2001, this musical project embraces three main values: kindness between people, the importance of nurturing creativity, and dedication to quality. Founders Flo and Cheryl Conroy have steadily moved forward with their musical project, tempered by the tides of their respective careers as educators.
When a troubled soul walked into Dawson College and committed a devastating act of violence, the demands of work and emotion increased for Flo, but with Cheryl’s support, the music became a place of refuge and rethinking for both.
“We discovered that the purpose of the music needed to be integrated with our mandate as educators, rather than as educators leading double lives as musicians,” says Flo.
Simultaneously, initiatives emerged at the College to heal and transform the terror into wisdom and change. The resilience demonstrated by the student body and staff was inspiring.
The Spins, working with world-renowned producer Brian Paulson, felt they had been given a gift to work with a man of such talent, so they decided not only to share the experience with a large number of talented musicians, but to help the helpers whose work prevents violence before it happens and to contribute to the collective effort to foster a non-violent community.
“Creating communities free from violence… this may feel like an impossibility, but isn’t it a big, beautiful one?” asks Flo.
- 30
*** COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE ***
Une aide financière pour deux fonds au Collège Dawson
Les profits du nouvel album du groupe the Spins serviront à promouvoir la non-violence
Montréal / 14 avril, 2009 – Iceberg Moving through Open Plains est le deuxième album du groupe Montréalais The Spins. Tous les profits provenant de la vente des 1 000 premiers albums seront remis au Collège Dawson pour supporter deux bonnes causes.
Le fonds Gwyne Frayne a été créé en l’honneur d’un enseignant maintenant retraité du programme de Services Sociaux pour supporter les étudiants en difficulté financière et ainsi éviter qu’ils abandonnent leurs études pour cette raison.
Le fonds Inspire du Collège Dawson a pour sa part été créé suite aux événements tragiques de 2006. Mis sur pied conjointement avec l’Association québécoise pour l’éducation des adultes, ce fonds supporte les initiatives et les programmes éducatifs qui mettent en valeur des solutions pacifiques aux problèmes personnels et sociaux.
Le lancement de l’album est ouvert au public et aura lieu le samedi 25 avril au O Patro Vys (356 Mont-Royal Est) à 21h. The Spins offrira une performance pour présenter les pièces de leur nouvelle création. Des invités spéciaux, dont le DJ Andy Williams de The Goods, complèteront la soirée. Le nouvel album du groupe sera disponible en magasin à compter du 30 avril. Visitez le site myspace.com/thespinsmtl pour des détails supplémentaires.
Fondé en 2001, The Spins supporte trois valeurs fondamentales: gentillesse entre les personnes, l’importance de nourrir la créativité et le dévouement pour la qualité. Les fondatrices, Flo et Cheryl Conroy, ont su évoluer en marge de la scène artistique montréalaise tout en poursuivant leur carrière respective d’éducatrice.
Quand une âme tourmentée est entrée au Collège Dawson et a commis cet acte gratuit de violence, la demande de travail a augmenté drastiquement pour Flo, mais avec le support de Cheryl, la musique et les projets du groupe sont devenus un échapatoire et un refuge pour le ressourcement.
“Nous avons compris que notre musique devait être intégrée à notre mandat d’éducatrices au lieu de mener une double vie de musiciennes et d’enseignantes.” de souligner Flo.
Au même moment, des initiatives ont émergé au Collège Dawson afin de transformer la terreur en sagesse. La compréhension et la résilience démontrées par les enseignants et par les étudiants ont inspiré le groupe.
Dans le cadre de ce projet mu
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