Broken By Fire
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Music
Press
Vancouver alt-rockers Broken By Fire recently sent us an email and we might never have heard of them otherwise. Back in April of this year they released a self-titled EP and now that we’ve had the opportunity to check it out, we want to share it with you. - The Indie Machine Blog
Broken By Fire is an alternative rock group from Vancouver BC. They are not to be confused for the American band by the same name. The Canadian version is much more uplifting and catchy. Check out Little Sinners from their self-titled EP. - Ride The Tempo Blog
Listening to the debut EP from this Vancouver quartet is almost like playing a game of guess the influences. The guys of the band have obviously listened to quite a bit of music, and their sound changes at least slightly from song-to-song.
“Little Sinner” starts off the EP in a somewhat traditional alt-rock style. The electric guitar takes the forefront with bass and drums forming the backbone. It’s a good song to start off with and is one that can easily become quite catchy. - Grayowl Point Blog
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Not long ago, "Someone" (who chooses to remain anonymous) knocked a mammoth red hot coal onto their bare foot while attempting to stoke up the fire at our rehearsal space. During the ensuing frantic panic dance, a misplaced wine glass was shattered and, mysteriously, a tannin-soaked distortion pedal went berserk. The aforementioned "Someone" was of the mind that the fire was somehow responsible and that, hence, the glass and the pedal had been "broken by the fire". Somewhere between then and now, some recordings were produced, an EP released and a collective, creative journey was embarked upon.
Broken By Fire is a Vancouver-based alternative rock quartet whose music is best described as sounding like "Jack White, Smashing Pumpkins and Badly Drawn Boy sitting around the campfire playing Beatles tunes after a fine surf trip". Their core sound is reminiscent of early seventies rock music with a subtle infusion of the rawness and edge characteristic of nineties grunge. Concise lyrics, simple arrangements and catchy, melodic hooks permeate the essence of Broken By Fire and connect a growing body of work that spans an array of musical genres. Their songs are as dynamic and diverse as the individual ethnicities, life experiences and musical influences of the band members themselves. Ultimately, these four sonic crusaders are on a mission to create and perform original music that will rekindle the excitement you felt as a child when you finally found the prize at the bottom of the Crackerjacks box.
Broken By Fire's debut effort opens with the unforgettable and anthemic, driving pop-rock perfection of "Little Sinners" and then comfortably slides into the hook-driven, jazzy, rock-reggae fruit of "Take A Chance". "The Nihilist" is a dark and hollow rocker that is reminiscent of Smashing Pumpkins Gish-era releases. The ride continues with a ''70s blues rock-styled number, "Hard To Sleep', and then culminates with the sweet, melodic pleasantries of the Feist-inspired, folk-rock gem, "Less Is More".
After the first listen, one cannot help but notice the broad range of subject matter, diversity of influences and genre-hopping tendencies of the material. Michael Monk, the principal singer/songwriter and frontman of the band explains:
"I think the overall diversity is deeply rooted in each of the band member's different ethnicities, life experiences, individual interests and corresponding musical influences. I was born in Canada, but grew up in Germany where my primary, formative exposures to music were from what my parents were listening to - stuff like The Beatles, ABBA, Elvis and Neil Diamond, and the pop-rock stuff that I heard on MTV Europe at the time. Oliver (percussion) was born in Toronto to immigrants from Indonesia. He grew up surrounded by a very different culture and tends to gravitate towards the lighter synth sounds of '80s pop. Keiran (bass) is British and so, naturally, he favors loud & dirty rock played in dingy pubs. Mac (lead guitar) was born in Montenegro and only recently immigrated to Canada with his young family. He has been strongly influenced by a combination of big name acts like U2, Rush and Foofighters and the Eastern European indie music scene.
The band is currently focused on promoting their unique brand while improving their live performance and broadening their fan base with a calendar full of local gigs and plans for a regional tour during the winter. The relentless studiophiles are also slowly forging a new record to follow up last year's release of their debut EP.
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