Top rock act releases disc
Ottawa's Stone Melodies set to support new release
The "Best Band in Ottawa" is back - and with a new reason to prove why they hold the title.
Stone Melodies, a local rock quartet that gained local and national fame when they beat 88 other local acts to win the Ottawa portion of the Emergenza International Music Festival in 2003 and then won the Ottawa songwriting contest in 2005, celebrated the release of their new album with an intimate crowd of about 50 close friends and fans at the trendy Mercury Lounge on Feb. 23.
The evening, which marked the first day of the album's sales, was meant as an appreciation night for the band's dedicated fans. The band will celebrate the album's official release with a CD release party at Barrymore's Music Hall on Apr. 1.
"We're very excited about it," said drummer Jamie Urie of the album's release. "It's been a long time coming."
The band hopes that this release will mark the beginning of many good things to come for them. They are looking forward to being able to start touring in the coming months and hope the new album will draw attention from labels interested in signing them.
And they seem to be off to a good start in accomplishing these goals. The band already has a mini-tour scheduled in the United States for March. They plan to hit major cities like Chicago and will be accompanied through the tour by Bottle of Justus.
Despite the success these rockers have seen in recent years, they have managed to remain grounded and concentrate on their music.
"I think we all settled into it quickly because we'd all been in battle of the bands competitions before," said frontman Ben Cooper. "None of us were really overwhelmed by it.
"It's something to live up to," he added, referring to the media having called them the best act in Ottawa after winning the songwriting contest. "But I don't look at it that way. You can't really judge art."
But they don't deny the impact the exposure has had on their collective musical careers.
"There have been a lot of changes," said guitarist Jarrett Lee. "The best thing was getting the song on the radio and meeting a producer, which allowed us to get the album finished."
The 10-track album combines recordings of crowd favourites like "Typical" and "What Were You Thinking" as well as newer material, such as the song "Beautiful Place."
And it's exactly the type of record that will make it hard for any other act to steal their well-deserved title from their grip.
Related Links:
Stone Melodies - Official Website
Stone Melodies - Extra Pictures
Stone Melodies - Blog
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