Craic The Lens

Calgary's Craic The Lens hope their blending of traditional Celtic music with rock and roll will inspire people to lift their pints and dance a jig as they gain a bigger audience for their upcoming full-length album.

Dateline: Calgary, Alberta, Canada, July 2, 2013.
Craic The Lens was formed Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2011. What started as a solo project for guitarist and vocalist, Justin Wilson, has now morphed into a full band. Wilson spent years playing in the punk and hardcore scene in and around Calgary. While that certainly seasoned him for a life on the stage, it apparently wasn't the end of his musical journey. It was a trip to Ireland in 2011, on a search for the origins of his family name, that Wilson fell under the spell of the Celtic music of his heritage. Wilson discovered that this Irish folk music was a great way to connect with audiences.

The first self-titled Craic the Lens EP was mostly recorded by Wilson. It wasn't until a St. Patrick's Day show was scheduled at Calgary's Mount Royal University that Wilson was compelled to recruit the other band members. Wilson brought Taylor Lang in on bass, piano and vocals and Aiden Dunne on drums and vocals. The new group wrote the final song for the album, thus cementing the group's line-up. A fourth member, Jake Hall, joined on banjo and mandolin in 2013.

Craic The Lens is looking to increase their exposure in Canada and beyond. They're off to a good start. They have recently been featured on the websites, www.hipsterworkout.com and www.yycmusic.com and have received airplay in Calgary on X92.9FM and have charted on University of Calgary's CJSW 90.0FM and CJAM 99.1FM broadcasting in Windsor, ONT and Detroit, MI. They've also received some spins on radio stations in Quebec City and Philadelphia in the States.

The band's music is influenced by Dropkick Murphys, Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly, Mumford & Sons and Jimmy Eat World. They've been compared to Dropkick Murphys, Gaslight Anthem and Great Big Sea. Justin is not just influenced by music, however. He is also influenced by Irish culture and his own journey to Dublin. He also finds inspiration in the Canadian landscape, nautical imagery and his late Grandfather who passed away on St. Patrick's Day in 2006.

The band is currently working on their next album. This full-length sophomore effort should be released sometime in the next 3-6 months and will be celebrated with a release show to be announced soon. They will also be releasing singles for "Tip Your Hat to Broken Crowns," "The Jig is Up" and "Drawn & Quartered." Catch Craic The Lens live July 5th at Vern's Tavern in Calgary, Alberta and August 2nd at Studio 82 in Calgary. In the future, they hope to tour throughout North America, specifically Eastern Canada and the Northeastern U.S.

Craic The Lens music is available through Apple iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, 24-7, Google Music Store, Rdio, Xbox Music, Emusic, Last.fm, Simfy, GreatIndieMusic, MediaNet, JB Hi-Fi. Physical copies are available from the band at all live events. Check out their video for "The Wrong Man's Urn".

Craic The Lens has recently signed with (Wifi PR Group) as a client. Company Info: WiFi PR Group, Los Angeles, CA. http://www.wifiprgroup.com

About Craic the Lens Music:

Craic the Lens, Released: July 2012 (Independent)

The Wrong Man's Urn single (Independent)

Waiting in the Water, single (Independent)

Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/craicthelens

Official Twitter Page: http://twitter.com/craicthelens

Official YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/craicthelens - Wifi PR Group

This St Patrick’s Day, stop by The Ship & Anchor (534 17 Ave SW) at noon to see Craic the Lens! Craic the Lens are a local Celtic/Alternative rock who we got the opportunity to meet with on Thursday. Featuring Justin Wilson, Taylor Lang, Aiden Dunne and Jake Hall, the guys will be playing their one-year anniversary show. That night they will also be playing a show at Studio 37 (1690 37 Street SW). The show at Studio 37 is at $5, and they’re giving away copies of their album, so make sure you stop by! Doors are at 7:00pm.

We met up with the band at the James Joyce pub downtown and chatted about their music, what’s coming up for them this year, and also about their favorite places to play in Calgary. Check it out….

Tell us about your band – what makes you unique:

Justin: The thing that makes us unique is that there’s not a lot of bands in Calgary that are combining the Celtic and alternative rock scenes. Celtic music is it’s own culture, and in Calgary there’s not really a scene for it, and that’s what makes us stand out.

Taylor: I think the fact that all of us have really different musical tastes also lends something.

Aiden: I’m from Newfoundland where Irish music is just rampant, and you hear this in almost every bar.

Taylor: All of it together really helps.

What motivates you, and who are your greatest musical influences?

Justin: I like being on stage because I don’t think I’m the same person up there. I have the guitar in front of me and I get to do whatever I want. My biggest influences are Flogging Molly and Gaslight Anthem.

Aiden: The best part of being in a band is when you first finish a song and you get that ‘ah, yea!’ moment, when everything works out randomly. Being on stage is also super fun. It’s funny because I hate every second before being on stage, but they second you’re up there it’s amazing. My influences are mainly drummers from prog rock and heavy metal bands. Like Nicko McBrain of Iron Maiden and Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree.

Taylor: For me it’s being able to play with people who actually know what they’re doing and aren’t just failing. There are alot of people who say they want to be in a band and they want to make good music but then they flake and they don’t deliver. It’s good to play with people who do. My influences are probably The Arkells, City and Colour, and then like 60's and 70's bands.

What are your plans for this year?

Justin: An album. We have enough songs to do a full length album and at this point we’ve just got to do it.

What do you love about Calgary and the Calgary Music Scene?

Aiden: Calgary’s amazing. I come from St John’s, and it is super small, so this is the land of opportunity. I’m not to familiar with the music scene yet, but it just seems like there’s so many venues and a lot of opportunities to play.

Taylor: What I like is that you can find those people who are super into your shows. There’s usually someone who’s just the most enthusiastic person you’ll ever meet. We have people that dance around and it’s nice to see people who get so into it even though we’re not playing massive sold out shows. It’s good to see them enjoying themselves.

Justin: I’ve been playing in Calgary for a long time, and there are a lot of good promoters who are doing their job well, making sure there are places to play. Also, there are good venues that just seem to be getting better.

What do you feel the Calgary Music Scene is missing?

Justin: Mid-sized venues.

Taylor: If anything, I’d say that it’s almost disorganized the way you have to book shows. You have to go back and forth, and sometimes everything’s out of date. You often have to work around everybody.

What would be your favorite moment as a musician?

Taylor: Mine would be seeing people who have our disc and are singing along.

Justin: I saw Flogging Molly in Dublin and I got to hang out with them after the show, which was pretty much the peak of my musicianship.

Aiden: The best part is the connectivity between musicians and getting to chill with different musical minds. I opened for the Arkells in St John’s, and we got to play with those guys and they were really fun, nice guys. It’s really refreshing when bigger acts come and they’re down to earth, and they’re really nice. They share experiences and stories, it’s a lot of fun.

What are your favorite venues in town to watch and to play at?

Aiden: Flame’s Central is an amazing venue to be at to watch. I’ve only been there once for one show, but it just changed my life. Amazing.

Taylor: I think Mac Hall is one of the best ones, at the university. I’ve seen a lot of good shows there through the years and they always have pretty good sound.

Justin: I think the Palomino. The Palomino for watching bands, and I think playing, Dickens.

Taylor: I would say Dickens too.

Aiden: Yes, Dickens is pretty sweet.

What are your favorite places to eat in Calgary?

Taylor: Smuggler’s Inn o - Hipster Workout

Calgary Celtic / Folk / Rock band ‘Craic The Lens’ released their first live music video this week. It was filmed at Dickens Pub for their premier CD release party.

Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/b4d3_dEfmkU

If you like what you hear, become a fan on Facebook so you can make it out to one of their live shows. You can also request their music on CJSW 90.9 or x92.9. - Jenavive.com

Calgary Celtic / Folk / Rock band ‘Craic The Lens’ released their first live music video this week. It was filmed at Dickens Pub for their premier CD release party.

Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/b4d3_dEfmkU

If you like what you hear, become a fan on Facebook so you can make it out to one of their live shows. You can also request their music on CJSW 90.9 or x92.9. - Jenavive.com