Last Bullet

During the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championships, TSN recently ran a highlight reel intro and chose to use our song "State of Confusion"

The intro was broadcast live to every home across Canada, as was the game, in which our Canadian boys did what they do best and brought home the gold.

We'd like to thank TSN, the IIHF and Team Canada for choosing to use our music, putting on a great tournament and bringing the cup back to Canada. - TSN

The song "State of Confusion" was used for a UFC based promo by acclaimed editing company FlyWin Evolutions involving one of the most anticipated rematches of all time between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. - FlyWin Evolutions

The song "State of Confusion" was used as the soundtrack and menu music for a popular Soccer game in Brazil designed by the Brazilian company Z8Games. - z8Games

Last Bullet performs "State of Confusion" on Toronto's Talent. - Rogers TV

By Kerry Doole - New Canadian Music

By Kerry Doole - New Canadian Music

By Brian Basher - Hard Rock Nights

It's finally here, INtune Magazine Issue 1! In this issue we caught up with Last Bullet, Andrea Godin and many other great artists as well as cover events that happened in fall 2012 such as the Toronto Independent Music Awards and Indie week! - INtune Magazine

Last Bullet's new video was recently featured on the Russian TV station "Nika TV". The host Valentin also had some rather nice things to say about the band.

The clip is of the segment featuring Last Bullet and the video for their track "Forget The Rest". - Nika TV

If there’s one thing the boys in Last Bullet know how to do, it’s how to rock. And that’s exactly what they did Friday night at Toronto’s Tattoo Rock Parlour.

Bryan Føntez (Vocals), Brenden Anthony (lead guitar), Michael Silva (rhythm guitar), Will Shannon (bass) and Leo D (drums) have been making music together since 2009. In Toronto’s indie music scene their brand of balls to the wall rock and roll may not quite fit in, but they couldn’t care less. Testosterone filled, sex driven and beer drenched, Last Bullet’s music is undeniably hard rock, and they match their sound with a high energy and crowd pleasing live performance.

It’s easy to tell that the boys in Last Bullet came of age in the late nineties and early 2000s. Post grunge era rock was all the rage back then, and the influence of that time is clearly heard in every Last Bullet song. Velvet Revolver’s “Slither” earned a live tribute, the cover being the first song the band played together. The hard rock ballad in “What is meant to be” slowed things down momentarily, but Last Bullet shines when they’re not taking themselves too seriously. Power rock anthem “Rock Til’ We die” brought things back around as the crowd sang along, Føntez blasting the mic with his vocals. Silva and Shannon carried each song and had a blast doing it. Drummer Leo D couldn’t keep the smile off his face, especially during “Girl’s Gone Wild”, a song clearly meant to get the ladies in the room in the mood to party. But the star of the show was clearly guitarist Brendan Anthony, channeling Slash, a blur more that he was still on the stage, ripping riffs from his guitar as he thrashed it through the air.


Last Bullet may not be everyone’s brand of whiskey, but in the end, any drinker will do the shot that’s put in front of him. Last Bullet sounds like everything you’ve ever heard before, and that’s exactly what they want. They love music, they love to play live, and they love to please a crowd. When a song seems familiar, even when it’s not, you’ll still tap your foot, bang your head, dance and even sing when you start to get a sense of the words. It’s that universal appeal, combined with a devil may care attitude becomes part of this band’s charm. If this is the first time you’ve heard about Last Bullet, chances are it won’t be the last.



- Nadia Elkharadly of www.examiner.com

Last Bullet are a 5 piece band from Toronto, Canada
Rock n’ Roll


Introduce yourself and what you do in the band?
My name is Brian Fontes and I am the Frontman/Lead Singer

For those who have not heard of you, how would you describe your music?
High-energy, Balls-to-the-wall, No bullshit, Bad-ass Rock N’ Roll.

What are your top three essential items to take on tour?
We have yet to go on tour seeing as we’re a fairly young band in terms of the time that we’ve been together. But if I had to speak on behalf of the band I’d say… A bottle of Jack for sure, maybe a case of beer, and some other stuff I can’t talk about in an online interview.

What upcoming bands are you rating at the moment?
There’s a lot of bands that we like right now, some bigger than others. We’re all big fans of Airbourne, we’re pretty interested in a small band from the states called The Parlor Mob, they’re really cool…
To be honest we’re interested in and have the utmost respect for any band trying to do what we do, which is not just to keep rock n’ roll alive but bring it back to the forefront of music.
At the end of the day we have much more to offer than Katy Perry, The Stereo’s and Rebecca Black. The music industry is taking a dark turn for the worse and we want to help give it a kick in the ass, by reminding people what real music sounds like.

This or That

Read minds or predict the future?
I’d rather read minds, that way you could forge your own future.

Be rich and ugly, or poor and good looking?
I currently enjoy being poor and good looking so I’ll keep it that way. People will use you for money, but rarely will they use you solely for looks.

Snooki or JWoww
The whole band seems to watch this stupid show, including myself. Everyone always has nice things to say about Snooki but I’ll take Jwoww.

Barack Obama or The Queen?
Hmmm… Interesting. The queen seems really boring, but she share’s the blood of an empire and is a royal monarch of Canada/UK/Australia. Obama seems interesting and I’d have a whack load of questions to ask him… So I’ll say Obama.

Be gossiped about, or never talked about?
I’d say be gossiped about, because no matter how good or bad the things being said are… at least you’re being talked about and getting your name out there. Which becomes an advantage in the long run.

Missing finger or extra toe?
I need my digits to be a good musician so I’d rather have an extra toe… Plus I’m sure that would be advantageous in some sort of scientific way.

Xbox or Playstation
For actual games? Xbox. But for hardware? Playstation by far.

“The Hangover” or “Anchorman”?
I love Will Ferrell and the band practically worships him like a comedic god, but as a film I’d have to say The Hangover. Zach Galifianakis always makes me die.

If you could trade places with another band member for one show, who would it be, and why?
Our lead guitarist Brenden, simply because he has two things I envy… His badass long hair, and an insane talent on the guitar. Oh and I can’t forget his insane freak metabolism of an 8-year old gymnast… Guy can eat whatever he wants and stay shredded.

What TV show would you like to see your music featured on?
That’s actually a really good question… I’d love to see our song played at or before Leaf games, but if not then anything on Spike. Manswers, 1,000 ways to die, UFC, Deadliest Warrior, any of those would be badass.

Musically, what is your guilty pleasure?
Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls… Dead serious. I loved the Spice Girls.

What is the best thing about being in Last Bullet?
We all make it our personal vendetta to entertain THE HELL out of any audience in front of us, whether it’s 5 or 5,000.
No matter how good you are… No band that we’ve met can match our energy and charisma on stage, and that’s a great feeling.

If you could do any one thing before the end of the world what would it be?
Ughh… Soo many things. I’d wanna go to space to be honest. I’ve always wanted to do that. But on the other hand playing in front of the largest audience in human history would be absolutely amazing. Sooo that!.

What is next for Last Bullet?
We have A LOT of cool stuff coming up this year, first off we’ve just released our first self-titled studio recorded EP. You can purchase the tracks or the entire album on iTunes for only $4.95 startinggg…. NOW.
We’re planning a small tour which may happen by the end of the year or next and we’re currently waiting on a promising opportunity that may see us flown to Portugal to play in a big annual festival called Angra Rock.
We’ll be playing in Brampton and Toronto in the coming months so check out our pages/sites and make it out to a show. Your jaw will drop and you’ll be glad you came.
We’ll also being playing random acoustic sessions downtown this summer so keep your eye’s open

- Speakers blown

With recent reviews of Prince, Queen and Deftones, I thought it was only right we take a step away from mainstream media and, instead, take a step towards supporting local music. Showcasing and supporting local talent is very important to me, so, check out what I thought of a local band!


This past month, I had the honor of supporting local talent and came across a band named Last Bullet. A straight rock ‘n’ roll band from Toronto, Last Bullet is a band you do not want to miss!

They’ve been together with their current five members for about a year now, but it wasn’t always like that. Drummer Leo Defina and guitarists Brenden Anthony and Mike Silva met in school, forming a friendship I’m sure they didn’t expect to reach such heights! A while later, when forming their band, they were in search of a talented bass player. Responding to a Craigslist advertisement, Will Shannon was introduced to Last Bullet. But something was missing. So, about a year ago, Brian Fontes, their lead vocalist, auditioned and was added to form the five member family that exists today.

When I found out the members of Last Bullet were inspired by the likes of Motley Crue, Lenny Kravitz, Sound Garden, Metallica, Led Zeppelin and Guns N Roses, I was not surprised. These are some talented members! Vocalist Brian Fontes, 24, has been singing for about half his life. It’s no big shock Mike Silva, 23, is so great at playing his Gibson SG rhythm guitar – he has been playing since age 13. What does surprise me however, is that Leo Defina, 23, has been perfecting his skill on the drums for about four years now, while bassist Will Shannon, 24, has only five years under his belt with his gorgeous Ernie Ball Stingray. And the amazing skill Brenden Anthony, 23, demonstrates on his Gibson Les Paul has been honed in just three short years!

When I sat down in a small bar in my hometown, Last Bullet looked like any other struggling small town band. But the moment their first track began, a smile appeared on my face and my heart starting racing. There are very few bands out there who make you forget where you are when you’re listening to their music, and Last Bullet were able to accomplish that within the first three minutes of their set!

Sound is the base of all bands, and Last Bullet has a sound like no other! The lyrics of their songs are about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll but their tracks and lyrics are all but cliche and boring. They often convey stories of distrust, adultery, living life to the fullest, and love. And their look is just as exhilarating as the music they produce. Each with their own style, Last Bullet comes together to form the perfect rock ‘n’ roll image.

Last Bullet’s active performance radiated energy and excitement. With guitar and drum solos, audience interaction, and exciting facial expressions and body movement, their performance has all their fans with smiles on their faces and feet tapping on the floor. So, with so much excitement on stage, what takes place just beforehand to hype them up? Well, according to Last Bullet, simple relaxation and good ol’ guy time helps them get prepared for a show. Then, to top it all off – they toast the end of every set with 5 fresh shots of Jack Daniel’s. Not too bad of a routine, if I do say so myself!

With a farfetch’d goal of ”total world domination” and a much more realistic goal of becoming “the biggest band in the world”, Last Bullet’s members are surprisingly humble. When asked who they would thank if they won a Grammy tomorrow, I was shocked by some of their answers! Some thanked parents, fans, and music teachers for giving them the passion they have for music today. Meanwhile, Leo Defina would take the time to thank all those who said he wouldn’t make it. Will Shannon, however, gave me the most surprising answer. “Myself”, he said. The band and I all looked at him in unison, laughed and thought he was joking. Then, he went on to explain he would thank himself for having the strength and determination to persevere through all the difficult times. The band agreed and wanted to pass that same advice on to any up and coming bands: “Keep playing, no matter what” they said. Being a band, trying to make it, is a difficult goal, and you need to be ready to “go big or go home”, they warned.

To demonstrate their perseverance and determination, the band shared a unique story with me. Last Bullet was performing at a venue that, to put it lightly, didn’t have their shit together. Halfway through a song, the organisers shut off the power to the vocals. While most bands would just give up and leave the stage, they, instead, remained on stage and finished the song for their fans – even having the fans join in!

Although determination and skill are required, it also takes an objective mind to be great at music. After every set, the members of Last Bullet retreat to their respective homes. But the thoughts of that performance, and future performances do not quickly fade - www.worldofmeh.com

Last Bullet - Emerging Artist Spotlight

March 29 2012 - Slacker Canadian Music Week (CMW) 2012 happened in Toronto from March 21st to the 25th. CMW is a music festival, conference, exhibition, and even a film festival all rolled into one. It is also billed as “Canada’s Largest Music Festival” and aims to bring exposure to Canadian music of all genres and in general to support the Canadian music industry. Over 900 artists from 40 countries in 60 venues converge for 5 nights in Toronto and this puts us on the map in terms of large artistic and creative gatherings. Having just come back from the fabled South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, we are very pleased that Toronto will host CMW and we are certain that CMW will grow in both number of attendees and stature in the music industry (much like Toronto’s International Film Festival has). You can read a recap of some of the festival’s highlights here for March 21st, here for March 22nd, here for the 23rd, here for March 24th, and also recommendations for the whole festival here.

We weeded through all the bands bios found here and narrowed it down to the ones that were of interest to us musically. From there we quickly listened to a sample of their songs found on the same page and were left with a handful of bands that we were interested in finding out more about. We approached those bands and offered them to appear on our Emerging Artist Spotlight feature series. So far our CMW spotlights featured TimeGiant from Toronto, Grain from Edmonton, Matt Groopie and The Bandits from Richmond Hill, Beta from Mexico, In My Coma from Toronto, One Bad Son from Vancouver, Floor Thirteen from Winnipeg, Louder Than Love from Vancouver, and Breaching Vista from Kitchener. We now set our focus on a band from Toronto named Last Bullet. All bands we talked to are asked similar questions to each other so we can get to know them better. The description on Last Bullet’s CMW page reads:

A breath of fresh air from all the synthetic and computerized pop music currently on the radio, Last Bullet are a relentless, hard-hitting group of real musicians, with a bluesy style of high-energy rock, that you’ll be hard pressed to find in Toronto and possibly even Canada.

Looking to make a serious statement in the Toronto Music scene this 2011, Last Bullet have just recently released their first official studio album self-titled the “Last Bullet EP” and have already booked a solid line up of exciting and beneficial performances leading into the summer.

Last Bullet’s sound is a unique mix of both newer and classic hard rock, fusing the timeless, blues-influenced, energy-driven creativity of the 70’s and 80’s with the newest and highest quality methods of recording and production. They are directly influenced by bands like Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin.

Here is what they had to say to us:

1. Hey Last Bullet, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. Let’s start off with the obligatory introductions. Who’s in the band and what instrument does everyone rock?

Bryan Fontez – Vocals
Brenden Anthony – Lead Guitar
Michael Silva – Rhythm Guitar
Will Shannon – Bass
Leo Defina – Drums

2. We found you as we were searching through the mountain of artists being featured at the 2012 Canada Music Week. How important is CMW for bands fighting to get noticed and the exposure you can gain from it?

Last Bullet: CMW is extremely important and any band looking to be taken seriously, should not only know about CMW, but should be fully participating in all of the events and conferences associated with it.
If you have any intentions of turning Music into a career, than it would be wise to take the week off work, check out the schedule and explore every single corner of the Royal York Hotel during this week.

3. Not sure if you read the recent interview with Dave Grohl on Billboard, but the interview title was “Why Rock Will Never Die & Why 2011 Was His Best Year Ever”. So tell us your thoughts – Why do you believe rock will never die?

Last Bullet: Music is in a constant state of confusion, it’s always cycling and changing and morphing, but no matter what changes it incurs, the two sides locked in an eternal debate will always be organic vs electronic. If you look carefully, that battle has been going on for decades. The Beatles, The Doors, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppellin and so on, all began to fade slightly in the popular music market, which is when disco, funk, soul and R n B started to make a big splash, which led to synthesizers and loop machines used by artists like, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Depeche Mode, etc. Then bands like Aerosmith, The Cult, Guns N’ Roses and others took back the spotlight, with many to follow such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and more. The industry then reverted again to electronics when Hip-hop, house and pop music made a HUGE comeback with artists like the Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Britney Spe - http://www.tmakworld.com

An impromptu checklist was required before this article could be completed

High Energy
Sex
Ripping Guitar
Leather
Beer
Inflated sense of self importance

Well, the first five can be checked off. But the ego maniacs can keep the latter. Bryan Fontez, singer/songwriter with Last Bullet, is definitely not that guy.

Now, imagine if you will, convulsing in your underwear with a pseudo microphone, in this particular instance a TV remote, while you hear your song played for the first time ever on FM radio. Meet Bryan Fontez. He definitely is that guy!

In light of this, Fontez could possibly be described as a little over reactive, however, in band camps this is probably more common than is admitted. Fontez, along with band mates; Brenden Anthony – lead guitar, Michael Silva – rhythm guitar, Will Shannon – Bass and Leo D – Drums, are some of the more honest ones.

So it seems that hearing your first record on the radio is pretty mind blowing. Fortunately Fontez was not driving when this happened.

“100.3 The Bear in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is the first FM station in the world to play our independent record, Girls Gone Wild,” Fontez enthuses. “We approached Lochlin Cross, who is the music director with the station and he must have really liked it. He took it to a station meeting and it is now being played pretty regularly, it really is amazing.”

Social networking site Twitter has played a big part in this recent media occurrence for the band. Roy Galpin, a friend and self-proclaimed Publicist for the band has pushed Last Bullet tweets on every radio station, rock fan, topless cyber sexers and egg on the site. Not in vain it would appear. Not un-noticed by Fontez and his band mates either. “We still find it amazing that people will use their own time and resources to promote us and expect nothing in return. We don’t expect it. We don’t ask for it. Roy is great, he has had so much input into where we are at right now, especially with getting us airplay.”

That must be pretty humbling, but the music speaks for itself in that respect. People want to help because the music deserves it! The sound is fresh, raw and addictive. Last Bullet are catchy riffs, pulsating bass, heavy percussion and a singer who, were he singing for his supper, would never starve.

The music is Fontez. You can hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes and smell it on the sweat infused leather he wears. But none of those things would be apparent if it were not for a High School teacher. “If it were not for that guy, I honestly would not be here talking,” Fontez is very serious. “He taught me passion, honesty and inspiration. It really was quite late happening for me.”

Better late than never and when music finally lured he chose well when it came to further inspiration.

“Chris Cornell from Soundgarden is definitely in my top three vocally. Even now he can still hit all the notes and Dave Grohl, still a humble guy, overwhelmed when he played Wembley stadium even after all the success he has had. I am also a drummer; I have been playing for twelve years,” Fontez makes the connection.

So, with the recent airplay and more coming, is there also a tour on the horizon? “We would love to play shows outside of Toronto. We recently opened here for Uli Jon Roth (Scorpions) and Bleeker Ridge and we have a show coming up with Faster Pussycat. We are doing the Toronto take over February through March 2012, but it really would be great to play in other places.”

This is where being independent quells the flow. Last Bullet has so far financed themselves in everything, from promotions to production of the Last Bullet EP (engineered and produced by Chris Snow and Harry Hess) to photography and flyers.

“At this time, I think it is really important to get the message out on social networking sites,” Fontez is adamant. “We need to show the record companies that we can get large followings, that way they know it’s real. We need to get follows, on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, Reverbnation, all those sites.”

So, by the time recording of the new songs start in April 2012 and they are released in May/June 2012, Last Bullet will doubtless have many more followers and the radio play will have shot them a little closer to rock stardom.

In the meantime the hard work and self-promotion continues, with the help of those who believe. With spirits a little on the low side after having just lost out in the second round, of a live contest in the Hard Rock Rising, Battle of the Bands 2012, Last Bullet issued this press release on Facebook immediately after the decision was announced.

”We didn’t win, but we’re not upset and you shouldn’t be either! We gotta go through things like this in order to truly appreciate success when it finally comes. A huge thank you for all the time, votes and support you’ve all shown and given us. We appreciate everything you do. Thank you very much! And get ready for hu - Karen Graham

Reviewed by Olivier for Sleaze Roxx - Sleaze Roxx

Show Date: June 15, 2013
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Venue: The Opera House
Reviewer: Olivier
Photographer: Vic Shadow from N-Tycing Productions
Band Website: www.lastbulletmusic.com - Sleaze Roxx

Issue - September 2013
Pg - 46-47 - The Portal Magazine

Performance Recap

August 13 2012
Last Bullet: A Rock Band To Love

Last Bullet put on a show to remember in front of a packed house on Aug. 11, at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Ont.

The 5-member rock band held their Love Lust and Illusion CD release party at the Horseshoe Tavern on Aug. 11, and they made sure fans didn’t leave disappointed. With the lights dimmed low and bells ringing, the boys suddenly kicked things off in high gear by opening up with one of their new songs, Cowboy.

Lead singer, Bryan Fontez got the crowd into it right from the very start and lead guitarist Brenden Armstrong, was given a chance to show off his incredible talent, with a three minute guitar solo.

Aside from playing songs off Love Lust Illusion, Last Bullet performed songs from their EP including, Care Free, Girl’s Gone Wild, and Rock ‘Til We Die.

Their performance was loud, engaging, entertaining, and you could definitely sense something special was happening on stage.

The Toronto boys closed off the night by performing a cover of Elvis Presley’s Jailhouse Rock.

Visit www.lastbulletmusic.com and follow them on Twitter: @LastBulletMusic - Radio Nation

Okay, so I never really understood why the American thanksgiving festivities are in November. Are there still turkeys involved? And apparently there’s also a lot of football? Well, in honour of our American friends, this week’s blog features straightforward Canadian rock 'n’ roll from the province of Ontario. Why Ontario? BECAUSE I DROVE ALL THE WAY OVER THERE TO CHECK THINGS OUT (not literally... I mean in my head... so figuratively...)! Why straightforward Canadian rock, especially in the context of my recent rant about the music industry, where I compared it to a three-legged coyote? Am I a hypocrite? Well, because we Canadians got something to prove! We can rock, and rock hard and ride free we do/will!

So, the first thing I decided to do was check out the explore function. I searched the words “NICKELBACK, CANADA” and came up with Toronto’s Last Bullet. But they are far from a Nickelback soundalike band. Kinda weird! Who tagged them with “Nickelback”? I want names (just kidding)! But they do have some great classic rock riffage and some hooky choruses. I actually think what REALLY sets these guys apart is their bluesy lead guitarwork. Folks, this is meat and potatoes rock a la AC/DC or Motley Crue or something... This would be great in a bar whilst I slam back a Pil, eh? But can this stuff transcend that? I don’t care, because I like it! Now buy me another drink, damnit! Make it a "Canadian"!

Next, we have Kingston, Ontario’s Revmatic. At first I thought I had made a wrong turn and ended up at a vacuum cleaner website. But then I opened my eyes and saw the profile of this band staring back at me. And besides, these guys obviously don't suck! But I gotta ask: Why is that guy's hand on the other guy’s shoulder? As far as the music goes, these guys aren’t going to break any records for the amount of mixoflobulian scales played in one song or how many locrantankerous licks they can rip out of one guitar, but they will entertain you with very straightforward song structures. Simple riffs, catchy choruses, and pulsating basslines to get your toes tapping is the order of the day for Revmatic.

Finally, I did promise to be in the Sarnia/London area so I present Brother My Enemy. I have always wondered aloud to myself (when thinking about this band) that if the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then what about my second cousin twice removed? And how does my mother figure into this? Don’t ask! Let’s just talk about the band and not get all Oedipal, okay? I know, I did bring it up... But I got momentarily confused by the name, which is something that always seems to trip me up. A pet peeve of mine I guess... But I digress... The band Brother My Enemy is a bit different than the other two that I have presented here today. As J-Roc would say (Trailer Park Boys reference) this band is pretty pimp tight, yo. They got a solid vocalist, great song structures that go beyond the simplistic rock vibes and into the realm of the big arena friendly domain with their gang vocals that are ripe for singalongs, and the big-sounding heavy riffs with the high note leads. Why ain’t they signed yet? They have to be one of THE most well produced bands on SMT!

Honourable mention: I would be remiss if I didn’t also talk about another Kingston band in this week’s blog: Nero Zero. They actually claim that they are the “kings of rock city.” Methinks them's fightin' words! But all that aside, again another well-produced, straightahead rock band designed for airplay. These groups seem to be in abundance in Canada, right? The proof is in the the pudding: Roadrunner Canada has decided to have regular showcase concerts in Toronto. Good luck to all those bands making the pilgrimage to “Canada’s Centre of the Universe.” I remain, as always, in my frosty domain, comtemplating bands and life from that eccentric Northern perspective. I don’t mean the “Palin” way, mind you. When I spit it still lands in my vast, rugged country - perhaps inadvertantly hitting a moose or beaver, but that would be purely accident and I would apologize to said animal after...
•Jack Canada
- P.D. Freeman

Okay, so I never really understood why the American thanksgiving festivities are in November. Are there still turkeys involved? And apparently there’s also a lot of football? Well, in honour of our American friends, this week’s blog features straightforward Canadian rock 'n’ roll from the province of Ontario. Why Ontario? BECAUSE I DROVE ALL THE WAY OVER THERE TO CHECK THINGS OUT (not literally... I mean in my head... so figuratively...)! Why straightforward Canadian rock, especially in the context of my recent rant about the music industry, where I compared it to a three-legged coyote? Am I a hypocrite? Well, because we Canadians got something to prove! We can rock, and rock hard and ride free we do/will!

So, the first thing I decided to do was check out the explore function. I searched the words “NICKELBACK, CANADA” and came up with Toronto’s Last Bullet. But they are far from a Nickelback soundalike band. Kinda weird! Who tagged them with “Nickelback”? I want names (just kidding)! But they do have some great classic rock riffage and some hooky choruses. I actually think what REALLY sets these guys apart is their bluesy lead guitarwork. Folks, this is meat and potatoes rock a la AC/DC or Motley Crue or something... This would be great in a bar whilst I slam back a Pil, eh? But can this stuff transcend that? I don’t care, because I like it! Now buy me another drink, damnit! Make it a "Canadian"!

Next, we have Kingston, Ontario’s Revmatic. At first I thought I had made a wrong turn and ended up at a vacuum cleaner website. But then I opened my eyes and saw the profile of this band staring back at me. And besides, these guys obviously don't suck! But I gotta ask: Why is that guy's hand on the other guy’s shoulder? As far as the music goes, these guys aren’t going to break any records for the amount of mixoflobulian scales played in one song or how many locrantankerous licks they can rip out of one guitar, but they will entertain you with very straightforward song structures. Simple riffs, catchy choruses, and pulsating basslines to get your toes tapping is the order of the day for Revmatic.

Finally, I did promise to be in the Sarnia/London area so I present Brother My Enemy. I have always wondered aloud to myself (when thinking about this band) that if the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then what about my second cousin twice removed? And how does my mother figure into this? Don’t ask! Let’s just talk about the band and not get all Oedipal, okay? I know, I did bring it up... But I got momentarily confused by the name, which is something that always seems to trip me up. A pet peeve of mine I guess... But I digress... The band Brother My Enemy is a bit different than the other two that I have presented here today. As J-Roc would say (Trailer Park Boys reference) this band is pretty pimp tight, yo. They got a solid vocalist, great song structures that go beyond the simplistic rock vibes and into the realm of the big arena friendly domain with their gang vocals that are ripe for singalongs, and the big-sounding heavy riffs with the high note leads. Why ain’t they signed yet? They have to be one of THE most well produced bands on SMT!

Honourable mention: I would be remiss if I didn’t also talk about another Kingston band in this week’s blog: Nero Zero. They actually claim that they are the “kings of rock city.” Methinks them's fightin' words! But all that aside, again another well-produced, straightahead rock band designed for airplay. These groups seem to be in abundance in Canada, right? The proof is in the the pudding: Roadrunner Canada has decided to have regular showcase concerts in Toronto. Good luck to all those bands making the pilgrimage to “Canada’s Centre of the Universe.” I remain, as always, in my frosty domain, comtemplating bands and life from that eccentric Northern perspective. I don’t mean the “Palin” way, mind you. When I spit it still lands in my vast, rugged country - perhaps inadvertantly hitting a moose or beaver, but that would be purely accident and I would apologize to said animal after...
•Jack Canada
- P.D. Freeman

Okay, so I never really understood why the American thanksgiving festivities are in November. Are there still turkeys involved? And apparently there’s also a lot of football? Well, in honour of our American friends, this week’s blog features straightforward Canadian rock 'n’ roll from the province of Ontario. Why Ontario? BECAUSE I DROVE ALL THE WAY OVER THERE TO CHECK THINGS OUT (not literally... I mean in my head... so figuratively...)! Why straightforward Canadian rock, especially in the context of my recent rant about the music industry, where I compared it to a three-legged coyote? Am I a hypocrite? Well, because we Canadians got something to prove! We can rock, and rock hard and ride free we do/will!

So, the first thing I decided to do was check out the explore function. I searched the words “NICKELBACK, CANADA” and came up with Toronto’s Last Bullet. But they are far from a Nickelback soundalike band. Kinda weird! Who tagged them with “Nickelback”? I want names (just kidding)! But they do have some great classic rock riffage and some hooky choruses. I actually think what REALLY sets these guys apart is their bluesy lead guitarwork. Folks, this is meat and potatoes rock a la AC/DC or Motley Crue or something... This would be great in a bar whilst I slam back a Pil, eh? But can this stuff transcend that? I don’t care, because I like it! Now buy me another drink, damnit! Make it a "Canadian"!

Next, we have Kingston, Ontario’s Revmatic. At first I thought I had made a wrong turn and ended up at a vacuum cleaner website. But then I opened my eyes and saw the profile of this band staring back at me. And besides, these guys obviously don't suck! But I gotta ask: Why is that guy's hand on the other guy’s shoulder? As far as the music goes, these guys aren’t going to break any records for the amount of mixoflobulian scales played in one song or how many locrantankerous licks they can rip out of one guitar, but they will entertain you with very straightforward song structures. Simple riffs, catchy choruses, and pulsating basslines to get your toes tapping is the order of the day for Revmatic.

Finally, I did promise to be in the Sarnia/London area so I present Brother My Enemy. I have always wondered aloud to myself (when thinking about this band) that if the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then what about my second cousin twice removed? And how does my mother figure into this? Don’t ask! Let’s just talk about the band and not get all Oedipal, okay? I know, I did bring it up... But I got momentarily confused by the name, which is something that always seems to trip me up. A pet peeve of mine I guess... But I digress... The band Brother My Enemy is a bit different than the other two that I have presented here today. As J-Roc would say (Trailer Park Boys reference) this band is pretty pimp tight, yo. They got a solid vocalist, great song structures that go beyond the simplistic rock vibes and into the realm of the big arena friendly domain with their gang vocals that are ripe for singalongs, and the big-sounding heavy riffs with the high note leads. Why ain’t they signed yet? They have to be one of THE most well produced bands on SMT!

Honourable mention: I would be remiss if I didn’t also talk about another Kingston band in this week’s blog: Nero Zero. They actually claim that they are the “kings of rock city.” Methinks them's fightin' words! But all that aside, again another well-produced, straightahead rock band designed for airplay. These groups seem to be in abundance in Canada, right? The proof is in the the pudding: Roadrunner Canada has decided to have regular showcase concerts in Toronto. Good luck to all those bands making the pilgrimage to “Canada’s Centre of the Universe.” I remain, as always, in my frosty domain, comtemplating bands and life from that eccentric Northern perspective. I don’t mean the “Palin” way, mind you. When I spit it still lands in my vast, rugged country - perhaps inadvertantly hitting a moose or beaver, but that would be purely accident and I would apologize to said animal after...
•Jack Canada
- P.D. Freeman

What is your name? Jack Antonio

What is your quest? Regular rotation on as many FM stations as I can muster!

What is your favourite colour? Blue no... green... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

Hahahahaha! You see what I’m getting at? For so many of us, getting any kind of station to drop your tune in the middle of their overly crowded regular rotation is like a grail quest. It takes a lot of time, and a lot of patience and a lot of enchanters named “Tim”. Can you handle rejection? Have you climbed the ladder from internet radio to campus radio to the point where you think you are a legit contender? What does it even mean to be “radio friendly”? There are many great unsigned bands out there with really great songs that aren’t so “run of the mill” like many of us seem to equate the term “Radio Friendly" with. Here are a few such bands that I have encountered on SMT:

Last Bullet is a band that keeps coming up on my facebook feed lately. They have managed to get on rotation on an Edmonton station for their track “Girls Gone Wild”. They have a great straight ahead rock sound that really tips the hat to the past but also has just enough of something new to not be rendered irrelevent. And these guys wanna know how to improve musically in order to get even more rotation. Let em know!

Dreams of Reason is a Calgary act that I have talked about before. They have gotten a fair amount of play in North America and in Europe. In fact, word has it that they funded one of their discs almost entirely from royality earnings. Crazy, right? They are heavy and punchy and have very catchy lyrics. So I say “cheers" and wave my glass full of oil in their direction! Great stuff boys!

Okay, so the above bands I already know... What about these guys: Long Story Short. When I went into “explore” and searched “Canada, Radio” these guys showed up. Their bio claims that they have gotten some accolades for songwriting. They have an acoustic rock type feel with a bit more of a pop orientated punch kinda like Jars of Clay. I could easily see this being played during peak hours because it is catchy but not overly “heavy”. Check 'em out.

So, I continue the quest. The Jack Antonio Project is attempting what many would have seen as impossible a few short months ago when those original handheld demos dropped on SMT. But things are picking up. Jack having mixed and professionally mastered tracks means that he ain’t shit anymore. And I have been busy constantly fielding emails and buttering up DJs that are old enough to be my kids in some cases. Will “Jack” make the jump to the big time? Find out on the next episode of the “Twilight Zone”. Until then, enjoy the tunes from the above bands!
- P.D. Freeman

This five track self-titled EP from Last Bullet is their first studio EP and kicks off with “Can’t Move On”, heavy on the guitar riffs from start to finish with husky, probably more rock style, vocals fitted to heavy music. There is an excellent guitar solo towards the end and energy just exudes from the track as an unstoppable force.


Next up is “Carefree” which starts off a lot slower than the first track, which in some ways is a bit too much of a break from the opening track. Carefree also has a much more rock feel than the previous track so for fans of the harder and heavier music style, this probably won’t be the track for you. There are again some good guitar sections but keeping with the theme of the track even they are softer and more melodic. While executed well, it’s not one of my favourite tracks on the EP.

So onto track three “Girls Gone Wild” starting off with a heavier, more distorted guitar sound than the previous track and the guitar solos are faster in this track. The smoky vocals still keep the track on the hard rock/classic metal border, but the music is heavy underneath and the energy from the first track makes a reappearance.

“Rock Till We Die” starts off with a real classic metal intro, heavy on the guitar with a simple beat behind it before picking up the pace. The vocals are almost spoken through the first verse and are a lot simpler through the rest of the track. Less heavy than the previous track, it feels like it lacks a bit of… something throughout most of it, although the chorus does kick in nicely and the guitar solos which are consistently good through the EP don’t disappoint here either. The group vocal section supported by clapping towards the end is a little cheesy on the EP but should translate really well for a live performance.

Finally, “What is Meant to Be” starts off with a slow simple guitar sound with layers of music gradually building up around the prominent guitar sound. The more melodic vocals and sound get a bit heavier and darker towards the middle of the track, but this is definitely a different tempo to most of the EP. That being said, although a softer track, I think this works a lot better than “Carefree”.

Fans of Classic Metal and Hard Rock should go ahead and get this album, but for those with heavier tastes it will probably leave a little something lacking. Overall, the production, mixing, and quality of the EP is particularly good for a debut EP and there is no doubt Last Bullet are definitely good at what they do. The music is heavier than the EP seems at first listen but the rock vocals keep a softer edge over the whole EP.The EP is worth a listen even for the fans of the heaviest of heavy metal. We all need a little something softer at some point and Last Bullet could be the band to watch out for in this genre. - emurg.com