Tireless Sedans

I've always felt a sort of vague enmity flowing out of Moncton, New Brunswick. It all goes back to my childhood days as a fan of the (then) Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League. Games against the Moncton Hawks always seemed to go badly, with lots of fights and Majors, Match Majors and Game Misconducts always coming in the way of victory. The Wings left Glens Falls, NY many years ago, but that vague sense of unease has remained. I am happy to say that the Tireless Sedans have given me something positive to think of when I ponder Moncton. Their debut, Parts + Labour EP, is a pleasurable alt-country/rock mix with some quirky personality traits.

The musicality of Wilco is there, with the depth and jangle of Sloan, and a bit of unusual song construction ala Ed Robertson. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Rahmer is supported by a strong cast of fellow musicians. Mark McGinnis keeps it lively and thriving on skins and whatever else falls into his hands while Chad Lifford helps to nail down the rhythmic heart of the band. Jenna Gallant brings a vintage guitar sound to the band while kicking in some great background vocals. The EP opens with Old Home Town Pain, a song about returning home with the figurative tail between your legs, and finding out it perhaps wasn't as bad as you'd always thought, yet not what you'd hope. Alberta is a quirky whine set to a killer guitar riff about a relationship gone bad.

Stretch is aptly named. Thus far on Parts + Labour Tireless Sedans have shown strong musicianship and songwriting, but on Stretch Rahmer shows an ability to craft lyrics that are not only intelligent and clear but also subtle and profound. The chorus is perhaps a bit predictable, but the verses show some real creative spark as a word smith. Even The Sheep is a wonderfully quirky guitar oriented bit of Americana/Rock with an early Chicago-Style horn section thrown in. This is the most sonically interesting piece on the CD, playing around with progressive song construction and some interesting guitar fill work playing tag with the vocal line. Foreword serves as an instrumental introduction to Can't Move Forward, which has the energy and melody to be a Lo-Fi pop/country single.

Parts + Labour EP is a strong introduction to Tireless Sedans. Rahmer and crew show real promise as a band, crafting alt-country nuggets that will have you hitting re-play many times over. Between the strong musical lines and intelligent lyrics lay a spark of magic that is neither describable nor forgettable. They're not flashy, but Tireless Sedans will get inside your head.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5) - Wildy's Worls

Fans of live music should make an effort to catch The Tireless Sedans at The Capital Bar on Saturday night.

This will be the band's first show in the capital region, but they've been busy playing gigs in Moncton for about a year.

Dave Rahmer, who sings and plays guitar with the group, said he's hoping this weekend will be the beginning of something special.

"We're just starting to branch out now," he said. "We played Saint John a couple of months ago and I've been playing some acoustic shows around the province, but this is the beginning of some wider touring."

Rahmer, who moved to New Brunswick from Ottawa a couple of years ago, said the acoustic shows have been fun because they've taught him a bit more about the province.

"All these little towns are so new to me, and they've got this romantic notion to them," he said.

"When I went to play in Sussex, it was the first time I'd stepped foot in Sussex. And it was awesome because I didn't know what I was getting into. It turned out to be a pile of energetic people looking to have a good time."

The band will be sharing a stage with the beautiful-sounding Broadcast Radio. That Montreal-based band is currently touring in support of its latest release Hallways of the Twenty-First Floor.

The show is scheduled to start at about 10:30 p.m. - The Daily Gleaner

Moncton indie band in it for the love of art
A10
Alec Bruce

Dave Rahmer is clear-eyed about his music career.

"I have no dreams of hitting it big one day," says the transplanted Ottawa native who moved to Moncton half a decade ago. "Frankly I don't even know what that means anymore."

It's not an admission of failure, or a concession to the forces fate throws in the way of ambition. For the 34-year-old singer-songwriter - whose indie-rock band, Tireless Sedans, releases its sophomore CD, Score One For The Underdog, at the Manhattan night club in downtown Moncton on February 12 - it's just a practical way of declaring his priorities.

"We're in this for the music, the art, the fun," he says. "Everything we earn from live shows and CD sales goes back into the band. We're not taking a cent from this project."

By "we" Rahmer means himself, of course (vocals, guitar), Mark McGinnis (drums), Chad Lifford (bass), and Jenna Gallant (vocals and keyboard). Fans and critics describe the music as reminiscent of Wilco and Sloan.

"Between the strong musical lines and intelligent lyrics lay a spark of magic that is neither describable nor forgettable," says the blog Wildy's World. Adds www.jamband.ca, "Beautiful acoustic melodies and Rahmer's unassuming vocals and joyous guitar solo will go over well on a country drive with the windows down and not a worry in the world."

Score One For The Underdog picks up where the band's 2008 Parts Labour EP left off: an indie-folk, alt-country vibe combined in the insouciance of prog influences. From the crisp acoustic opening of The Lattice to the soulful groove of Ironic Twists, the twang of Let You Down to the shredding guitar licks that bring Another Song No One Will Hear to a close, this album draws inspiration from long New Brunswick winters.

The recording features good books, growing older, love, loss, and - as a natural result of the aforementioned - searching for love and validation at the bottom of a bottle.

Speaking of the launch party, Rahmer - who studied classical guitar and jazz and worked as a session musician and member of several southern Ontario bands before his East Coast reincarnation - promises a few "visual surprises." But, he insists, "[B]asically it will be a rock show, pure and simple."

Spoken like a man less interested in making it big than making his music well.

The Tireless Sedans play The Manhattan, Moncton, Feb 12. Tickets $6. Show starts at 10.

http://herenb.canadaeast.com/music/article/951185 - HERE Magazine

Moncton’s Tireless Sedans are a beautifully crafted assembly of Jenna Gallant, Chad Lifford, Mark McGinnis & Dave Rahmer. Each member has a love like no other as you can hear each vocal and instrument melding and laying a path to tell a story from where they are from and how that transpires into their writing. Since the winters are painful out in New Brunswick the alt country lyrics mirror the cold and slow verses and long and deep guitar solo efforts. Although listening further on you will get a kick and notice a bump up with a bit more danceable melodies much like some local danceable rock acts. Even The Sheep is the highlight of this Parts + Labour EP. The soft and mellow dramatic roots guitar and furious drumming sync and pair up with the rest of the bands energetic side. With only 6 songs to showcase it will be a delight to see them roll through town and see what kind of shows they can put on live. [Oxide]

http://www.urbnet.com/review.asp?cdid=2118 - URBNET.com

[HERE] magazine
http://herenb.canadaeast.com/news/article/1017830

Moncton band Tireless Sedans finally get around to following up their 2008 EP with ten songs that, while beautifully played, see the record start off a wee on the subdued side. Having heard comparisons to Wilco and Sloan (a broad range, I know), I was expecting a little more punch right off the bat. The trio of songs that start the record compliment the simple arrangements and Dave Rahmer's voice rather nicely. Things pick up with the tracks Planning My Escape and Half As Great; the album's momentum continues upward from there.

Wildy's World
http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-tireless-sedans-score-one-for.html

On February 9, 2010, Moncton, New Brunswick’s The Tireless Sedans returned with their sophomore effort, Score On For The Underdog. The follow up to 2008's Parts & Labour EP is a dynamic step forward, maintaining the rootsy magic and distinctive musical style the Tireless Sedans have become known for while maturing both the sound and the outlook of the band. Moncton, New Brunswick's favorite sons might just bust out of their Province and go national in Canada with an album that's certain to be an early favorite in 2010.

Tireless Sedans come into Score One For The Underdog with a very different energy and approach than on Parts + Labour; a more melancholy and introspective feel exists here. The Lattice is a rumination on interconnectedness and it's strengths in a world where we are ever driven apart even as we are brought closer together by technology. Vocalist Dave Rahmer assumes the role of disaffected observer here. Sonically the song is interesting but the energy is a bit flat. Underdog follows a similar path; I don't mind the more introspective approach or the lower key approach musically, but the energy that Tireless Sedans exuded in the past seems to have taken a breather here. Half As Great finds the blood rushing back to Tireless Sedan's extremities in a song, ironically, about the impending death of a beloved pet.

Tireless Sedans mix things up a bit on Planning My Escape, a near-six minute guitar-driven opus that effectively mixes Prog and Pop in the process. Let You Down is a fine example of how to approach the more mellow sound Tireless Sedans seem to be playing with while maintaining the bright energy that has suffused their past work; it's one of the better overall songs on the album. Whose Leg was a split decision for me. I didn't get a lot out of the lyrics or melody, but I thought the instrumental work on the song was phenomenal, particularly the guitar. Things get interesting on Nightly News, alternating between an almost pensive plodding vibe and an aggressively classic rock feel in a guitar-led instrumental that's a real treat. Score One For The Underdog closes with Another Song No One Will Hear, a song that strips the act of making music down to what's truly important: the act of creation and release for the artist. The song seems to imply that the Tireless Sedans would be making music even if no one was listening.

Clearly, the heart of Tireless Sedans is in the right place. Score One For The Underdog gets off to a slow start but finishes nicely. Tireless Sedans perhaps entertained the idea of changing things up a bit on Score One For The Underdog, but their personality as a band, that slightly-unkempt brand of good-natured garage rock with a ken for pop melodies, reasserts itself and reigns supreme. Score One For The Underdog winds up being aptly named.

Cosmos Gaming
http://www.cosmosgaming.com/articles.php?id=2602&articletype=review

Tireless Sedans is one of those bands that is really hard to categorize. On the one hand, these guys offer elements of traditional rock ‘n roll and progressive rock while on the other they have some jazz, folk, and country influences as well. The group recently released their sophomore effort Score One for the Underdog which attempts to take all of these various styles and combine them into one cohesive sound. And while they have certainly succeeded, for some reason it isn’t until the halfway mark that this album really hits its stride and that could deter some listeners.

When the album first begins, it is clear that Tireless Sedans has taken influence from a wide variety of different genres but it feels as though they are just scratching the surface of what each one has to offer. The riffs and melodies are different, but they are a little too similar to some of the other acts out there and don’t have a real clear hook that will grab listeners right from the start. But once you hit the halfway mark and the instrumentalists really start blending the progressive rock, rock ‘n roll, and jazzy elements together things really start to click. It almost seems as though when the band settles too far into one style that they get a little too comfortable, as their most interesting songs are the ones where they are spontaneous and mix several genres into one. If the group can expand on this blending of styles they could certainly be one to watch.

Lead singer Dave Rahmer has a very mellow voice that is well suited to the type of music that Tireless Sedans creates. Although the more noteworthy tracks tend to feature extended instrumental jams and don’t always focus on the vocals when Rahmer is given the spotlight he is able to demonstrate that his voice has some interesting nuances to it. Occasionally two of the other band members provide backing vocals but this is done in such a manner that it enhances the lead vocals and because of this some people might not even realize that they are even there. Perhaps the band could let these backups play a slightly bigger role down the line, as I get the feeling that all three members have wonderful voices.

Score One for the Underdog is a genuinely enjoyable album, but the first couple of songs are a little bland and that could turn some people off before they really experience all this group has to offer. If you’re interested in this style of music, give this disc a spin and stick with it until the end before you really make up your mind. There’s definitely potential for this act though, and if they can expand on it a bit more their next effort could be something special. - various

If you like your music tinted with shades of country then you’re going to love For The Sake Of The Song this week. The weekly Friday evening concert offers three fantastic and original musicians to kick off the weekend in true folk fashion.

Dave Rahmer is the former guitarist for the Ottawa band Ferriswheeler. He moved to New Brunswick in the summer of 2004 and can now be found fronting the Monction band Tireless Sedans. His music has been described as roots rock.

Jon Hines is a singer-songwriter from Cape Breton who once opened for Grammy and Juno award winner Gordie Sampson. He has been described as a “technically skilled and soulful player with expressive vocal melodies”.

Lincoln Ortega is a Saint John singer whose posters boast of “honky tonk and caterwaulin”. He will also appear at Thandi’s Restaurant at 8 pm.

For The Sake Of The Song begins at 6:30 pm. Admission is free. Back Street Records is located at 124 Germain Street. Refreshments will be served.

- http://serfcitysj.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/for-the-sake-of-the-song/

Review by David Ball

Parts + Labour, the debut release from Moncton indie rockers Tireless Sedans finally got to me in a big way. Initially, I didn’t know what to make of ex-Ferriswheeler guitarist Dave Rahmer’s new project. The unlikely marriage of typical Canadian folk themes - travelling, past loves and small town living - mashed together with progressive rock makes for a challenging listen. But the six-song collection’s success – and appeal - lies in this uneasy relationship. It’s a classic case of grower versus shower, and it ain’t boring folks.

The terrific “Old Home Town Pain” finds Tireless Sedans exploring mid-tempo roots rock before veering off into intricate chord changes and inspired soloing reminiscent of mid 70’s Grateful Dead. “Alberta” gets pretty proggy with flashy guitar runs and complex rhythms, but Rahmer is still a folky at heart. “Stretch”’s beautiful acoustic melodies and Rahmer’s unassuming vocals and joyous guitar solo will go over well on a country drive with the windows down and not a worry in the world.

Parts + Labour is an impressive effort and best of all, it only gets better the more you play it.

February 18, 2009 - Jambands.ca

Blurb about the CD release on East Coast Noise:

http://www.eastcoastnoise.com/2009/02/17/tons-of-ecma-news-nb-happenings-and-more/

Moncton band Tireless Sedans will release its debut, Parts + Labour EP, this weekend at Doc Dylan’s in Moncton with Fredericton band Tuque (formerly Jellyroll) opening.

The debut is self-produced and released by independent label Superbob Records. It’s a six-song collection of folky, alt-countryish rock.

The band is made up of Dave Rahmer, Mark McGinnis (original drummer for the Ditchpigs, guitarist/singer in the Villanovans and Super Dickie 66), Chad Lifford and Jenna Gallant.
- East Coast Noise