SHORTWAVE
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | MAJOR
Music
Press
When Shortwave released their debut EP breaker/breaker last summer they got a nice little surprise in their inbox - a fan letter from former Boys Brigade frontman turned Grammy-winning producer Malcolm Burn. It wasn't long before Burn extended an offer to the band to come down and spend a week recording at his Colonial mansion in the Catskills. Shortwave's answer: "Hell yes!"
Singer Ryan Johnson told me "in the room I was staying in there were eleven vintage guitars" as he lists all the gear Burn let them access during their time there. Every day the band got up, got going, started recording, ate dinner and then went back to recording - no pressure, no clock watching.
The end result of their week in the Catskills is their second EP which they're releasing this week. The sound is rich and full, and the songs are well-crafted. For an indie band, the sound is remarkably radio-friendly, except it doesn't suck like you'd expect when you hear the term "radio-friendly."
Talking to Ryan, I get the feeling he really treats the band like a family. I guess it helps when your brother Sager's playing guitar. The brothers have been playing with drummer Devin Jannetta since grade school. Shortwave is filled out by Nic Oliverio on bass and Cary Parker on keys. "It definitely has a family sort of vibe to it," claims Ryan.
At the release party this Saturday night at the el Mocambo (464 Spadina Avenue), the band will be joined by friends the Giant Baby and the Dunes. Ryan says they're "trying to surround ourselves with bands who we like and playing with friends." If Shortwave are a family, then the bands they like to play with become their extended family.
When I ask about what they're planning to do next, Ryan tells me that not only does Malcolm Burn want to record the band again, but apparently they also have a standing invitation to record with David Lowery (former frontman for Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven). I guess it won't be long before we can expect to see a full length album from them.
By the way, cover charge at the release party will also get you a copy of Shortwave's new EP. Not too shabby.
Steve Chatterton - blogTO
Discography
SHORTWAVE - The Skyline Verses - Feb. 2011
Shortwave - Jan. 2009
Breaker / Breaker - Spring 2008
So Long Weekend Spirit - Fall 2006
Photos
Bio
SHORTWAVE have been riding the wave of success since the release of their full length debut, The Skyline Verses (Feb.2011). Anthems of heartbreak and triumph that tug at the heartstrings and speak to the masses. Lead off single, The Sublime received rotation on MUCH Music and is in rotation and charting on College Radio and Commercial Radio from 100.5 FM The Peak out West to LIVE 105 FM out East.
Over the past two months the band has been touring relentlessly across Canada spreading their rock n’roll - and people are starting to take notice. SHORTWAVE we’re selected out of thousands of bands and featured in Glastonbury Emerging Talent 2011 as well as notable features in CHARTtAttack, NOW magazine and numerous blog reviews and accolades both at home and aboard. Recently headlining two Canadian Music Week showcases as well as playing alongside Cracker and Paper Lions. Partnering with EMI for Distribution and Radio, SHORTWAVE are set to release their second single It's Time, along with a new video, via EMI to coincide with their cross country summer tour. The band is also working on a remix EP, as well as an acoustic EP.
SHORTWAVE are in their element when the five members are on stage together. Their energy and swagger serve them well as they rollick through their catchy set. It helps that the band has been together as a unit for over 5 years and can trace their origins back to their childhood. Brothers Ry (vocals/guitar) and Sager Johnson (guitar) grew up in Toronto with Devin Jannetta (drums), forming various bands and sharing stages with artists like Big Sugar, Junkhouse and SuperFriendz.
Things started to galvanize for SHORTWAVE in the summer of 2008 when they were invite to New York to record at the home studio of expat and Grammy awarded producer Malcolm Burn. This is where their self-titled EP was born. Several tracks received licensing placements as well as airplay on 102.1 The Edge and CBC Radio 2. Their self-produced video for Stereo received rotation on MuchMusic and was also a featured video on MySpace. In 2009 SHORTWAVE was featured in the first episode of AUX TV's Master Tracks. Recording one song in a day at Metal Works Studio with producer's Moe Berg and Laurence Currie.
With the aid of seasoned producers Byron Wong (David Usher, The Crystal Method, Beck) and Jeremy Darby (The Trews, Billy Talent, The Tragically Hip) SHORTWAVE fuse together the warmth of vintage analog gear with the latest in studio technologies creating an album that is as contemporary and immediate as it is reminiscent and familiar. With a summer tour lined up and several television placements on the horizon, including Hockey Night in Canada, SHORTWAVE will be coming into the homes and towns of millions of Canadians in the very new future.
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