William the Conqueror
Gig Seeker Pro

William the Conqueror

| SELF

| SELF
Band Rock

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Twowaymonologues Reviews the EP"

Comerford’s vocals sound equally as captivating soft or heavy; it’s a clean voice with just enough gruffness that leaves no need for a lyrics sheet. To my ear, they are playing music that combines a lot of the trendy, artier elements of indie music right now by including unexpected instruments in unique arrangements, while harking back to the type of music that took the radio by storm in the mid-to-late nineties. It’s funny how if a certain type of music stops being played, you forget why you like it in the first place, but WTC are here to remind us.

The song to watch out for from this outfit is “Around”. Most of the time, when a band has a violinist, it all feels a touch superfluous to me -- “Oh, we have a violin player, we must be artistic and serious!” -- but then when you listen to the record, you can hardly hear the strings. That thought process is eliminated when you press play on this EP because “Around” opens with a load and clear declaration of just how key the violin is to WTC. It’s a bold way to open your EP, but it’s a bold song. Comerford’s vocals are mixed so high that you can’t possibly not pay attention to them, but they’ve struck a balance where the other instruments are never hidden. If this song gets the right exposure, it literally has no limits. - twowaymonologues.com


"Torontoist About WTC"

"William the Conquerer may have been a great tactician and a bit of a bastard, but we're not quite sure if he was a talented musician.

William the Conquerer (the band), however, is a talented musician. Five of them, actually. If you haven't heard their stuff, you should. They're a a buzzing mix of indie-rock and classical training, a blending of instruments and a quasi-seductive husky voice that makes you want to get up and show off your dancing skills (or lack thereof)."

-Torontoist.com - www.torontoist.com


"Twowaymonologues Reviews WTC"

"...They are super polished, and definitely have the potential to explode to mainstream radio, Muchmusic, etc... They have a lead singer in Ryan Comerford that makes it pretty impossible not to get into what they are doing.

Add to that one of the most exuberant and entertaining keyboard players in Toronto this side of Andrew Ennals (Beth in Battle Mode), and occasional trumpet and saxophone usage and its hard not to think they are onto something. That something, might lead them down a path different than most bands I champion on this site but it’s probably more lucrative than their paths as well.

They went through much of their newer material which shows a band who is still growing, and gaining confidence and momentum along the way.

If you are on the lookout for a superslick local band, that has music that could eventually be playing at stadium, festivals and such rather than at the back of the Rivoli then you should jump on board now. So long as they keep making the right decisions, they’ll go far."

-Dan Wolovick
http://www.twowaymonologues.com/live-reviews/thursday-jan-10th-the-hots-and-william-the-conqueror/ - www.twowaymonologues.com


Discography

William the Conqueror - The Science of Who You Are (2008)

Acoustic EP - Summer 2007.
*Features a stripped down, unplugged rendition of some of WTC's best songs. Dripping with energy and attitude, despite the organic aesthetic.

Photos

Bio

The indie folk-rock six-piece formed in the summer of 2007, creating what is known today as William the Conqueror. Bonded by a mutual love of music, pianist Scott Christian, singer Ryan Comerford and guitarist Colin Brisbois conceived the band in a musical orgy in Ryan’s basement. In the following fateful conversation on the front porch, the newfound band made a mandate to focus on making good music, unrestricted to genre.

Having met each other at the University of Toronto faculty of music, more talent was pulled from the pool of disenchanted music school kids and added to the roster. The most notable finds were violinist Kiki Dube, bassist Tim Smith and drummer Aaron Spink.

The band’s very first show was at the legendary Lee’s Palace, one of Toronto’s more famous, albeit slightly tumbledown, rock venues. Confident about the chemistry and sound of the band, William the Conqueror began to focus on establishing itself as the next big thing.

The band released its inaugural recording, a self-titled Acoustic EP, to a full house at the Hard Rock Cafe in October. Over the next six months, William the Conqueror played gigs all over the city of Toronto, including the Opera House, the Rivoli and the Horseshoe Tavern.

The band spent two months at the end of a blustery Canadian winter in Q Studios with producer and engineer Robert Sibony recording its first full-length album, The Science of Who You Are. The band is planning the album’s release for June 2008, paving the way for the next phase of William the Conqueror.