The Rising Few

MONTREAL — Historically, St-Laurent Blvd. has been both beacon and bastion for newcomers to Montreal, the entry point, literally and figuratively, for many an immigrant with hopes and dreams of a new beginning. Apparently, that’s still the case. Sort of.

“I came from outside of Canada straight into the sandbox, straight into St-Laurent Blvd.,” says Karim Terouz, singer, guitarist and songwriter for rock and pop five-piece The Rising Few, who have just released their debut album, Sinners on St. Laurent.

“It’s by far the most interesting street in the Plateau area of Montreal because of all the bars and busboys, barmaids, bouncers and bikers. How can a writer see all these characters …”

And all that potential to get into the best kind of Montreal trouble.

“Of course!” Terouz says with a laugh. “(How could a songwriter) not want to catalogue that experience? That was the first youthful experience I had after arriving here.”

Terouz, who emigrated from Cairo in 2008 at age 25, fell hard for Montreal, and not just for its allure, but also its promise. And one other thing that might seem head-checkingly ludicrous to anyone who’s lived in Plateau-Mont-Royal, Canada’s most densely populated borough: its privacy.

“Montreal tells you that you can dream,” Terouz says with a passion that infuses all of his conversation. “There aren’t a lot of people, you can easily find a job, so you’ve got no excuse not to start what you want to start. I come from a place where there are 100 million people in the country, 25 million in Cairo alone. Good luck finding some privacy to try to get a private thought through your head, y’know?

“But over here, you can grab your guitar, walk around in a banana suit if you want, and nobody’s going to judge you. You can do what you want to do.”

Terouz is quick and unequivocal when asked if Montreal has even the teeniest, tiniest smidgen of anything in common with Cairo.

“Nothing whatsoever,” he says with a laugh.

This also applies, he says, to Cairo’s nascent independent music scene.

“There’s a music scene in Cairo that started right after the revolution, because after every great demise comes a rebirth of art, but of course it’s Arabic-oriented. I’m someone who grew up with Phil Collins and The Beatles and the Bee Gees through my parents, so I wanted to write songs in English, and that was not going to happen for me over there.”

It wasn’t long following his arrival that Terouz began immersing himself in the music of his new home in the hopes of assembling a band. Terouz’s search for like-minded musicians took him “to every open mic possible, from the Irish pubs to the French bars. But it was three years before I ran into (Rising Few guitarist) Hubert Tremblay.”

Tremblay, a veteran six-stringer and in-demand hired gun for the likes of Corneille and Sylvie Desgroseilliers, recalls his first impression of Terouz.

“I thought he had a different voice,” says Tremblay. “He had something old school and something new school about him. Old school voice, old school way of singing songs, but an urgency and a desire to do something new.”

Indeed, The Rising Few are kind of like the bride on the big day, bringing something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue to the proceedings. And they’ve married into a proud pop music tradition: combining elements of folk and blues, their artfully constructed, narrative-driven, melodic rock writing unabashedly echoes that of inspirations like Bruce Springsteen, Cat Stevens and The Tragically Hip, to name a few.

While writing Sinners on St. Laurent, the band knew that songs like the title track, I Want You Now and Date in Montreal would require a production treatment worthy of their influences. So they recruited internationally renowned producer/mixer Glen Robinson (Dave Grohl, Keith Richards, The Ramones, AC/DC, and on and on), though they explain his involvement was more of a happy accident.

“It was purely circumstance,” says Tremblay. “We won a band contest, the LME (artist development) showcase, and Glen was one of the jury members. We looked at his resumé. …”

“And it looked like a Coachella lineup,” says Terouz. “(Robinson) really gets us. He came to us after the competition and gave us some good advice. He really got where we were going, and not where we were. He brought rawness. He’s such a master and such a human.”

Together a year and a half, The Rising Few — completed by Isaac Gesse (trumpet), Harvey Biename (drums) and Andrew Sudlow (bass) — are a diverse group of talents with diverse backgrounds that make for a quintessentially Montreal mosaic.

“I always dreamed of having a band that represents where you come from,” says Terouz. “You have Hubert who is a native French Quebecer, Andrew who’s an anglophone, I’m the person from the east, Harvey was born in France and Isaac who’s Haitian. That’s basically Montreal!”

With Sinners on St. Laurent, The Rising Few have immersed themselves in the stories of Montreal, and in so doing, are becoming one as well. On the topic of stories, there’s an amusing one behind the video for I Want You Now.

“It’s for every single guy who ever went to a bar and was swept away, head over heels, by the barmaid,” explains Terouz. “Yes, including yours truly. I Want You Now describes a healthy kind of lust, and unlike the movies, it doesn’t end up with the hero going home with the girl … (A female bartender) has likely seen and heard it all, and the best way to grab her attention is probably by being on your best behaviour.”

Or by writing a song about her and asking her to be in the video.

“That is another way!” he says with a laugh.

It’s a sharp and entertaining piece of videography featuring Terouz playing himself and the shall-remain-unnamed bartender (who, it might be noted, bears an uncanny resemblance to Law & Order SVU’s Mariska Hargitay) graciously playing her real-life role as the object of his affection.

“She agreed to be in the video,” says a grateful Terouz, “and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because of the song, but because we respect each other.”

And it never weirded her out at any point?

“I’m pretty sure it did,” he says, laughing. - The Gazette

(Radio interview)
http://www.cbc.ca/player/AudioMobile/All%2Bin%2Ba%2BWeekend%2BMontreal/ID/2439923386/ - CBC music

First ever appearance of The Few on LIVE National TV.
watch ut right here!
http://www.musiqueplus.com/videos/the-rising-few-entrevue-27-juin-2014-1.1267710 - MUSIQUEPLUS – TOP MUSIQUE

Après Red Rhino Sessions Vol. 1, un premier EP paru en 2013, la formation montréalaise The Rising Few se lance et révélera l’album Sinners On St.Laurent, le 25 mars prochain, de manière indépendante. Le groupe nous offre aujourd’hui, en primeur, le vidéoclip de la pièce titre de son album.

The Rising Few, c’est Karim Terouz, un expatrié du Caire, illustrateur de métier et maintenant chanteur au sein d’une formation à cinq têtes. C’est alors qu’il faisait ses preuves sur les scènes des bars, lors de soirées «open mic», que Terouz rencontre Hubert Tremblay (guitare) et Andrew Sudlow (basse). Isaac Gesse et Harvey Bienaime s’ajoutent ensuite au lot, pour former The Rising Few, un groupe mélangeant folk, blues, rock et pop.
Si on peut reconnaître les influences de groupes tel que Cat Stevens, The Tragically Hip et Bruce Springsteen, de même que l’héritage égyptien de Terouz sur les morceaux plus R&B et soul, c’est avec plus de 30 spectacles derrière la cravate et une première place à la compétition LME que le groupe lancera son premier album complet, Sinners On St.Laurent.
Réalisé par Glen Robinson - qui a entre autres travaillé sur des albums de Probot (le projet de Dave Grohl), The Ramones, The Steve Miller Band, David Bowie, AC/DC, Gwar, Annihilator, Keith Richards, Queensryche, The Tea Party, The Headstones, Grim Skunk, Ringo Starr, The Beach Boys, etc. -, cet album s’inspire de la nuit montréalaise, que Terouz connaît bien par son travail de barman et serveur qu’il occupe depuis son arrivée en sol montréalais. L’album est principalement une série d’observations d’un nouveau venu, sur la scène nightlife de Montréal. - Voir

Illustrator Karim Terouz left Tahrir Square and found himself in Montreal, bartending on St. Laurent. With his five-piece The Rising Few, he paints a convincing tribute to the beautiful losers on “Sinners On St. Laurent”. The song he describes as a “tribute to…” is from The Rising Few’s March 25 debut album, produced by Glenn Robinson, the NYC soundman whose credits read like an oversized Coachella line-up. Self-managed and unsigned, it can only be a matter of time before the weasels sniff this one out. - FYI music

The Rising Few

Sinners On St.Laurent

While already playing various live shows and already taking home a first place finish in the LME Showcase Event The Rising Few are about to release their debut album Sinners On St.Laurent.

The Rising Few have fused together the sounds of Jazz, Pop, Rock/Blues, and Folk to create their first album Sinners On St. Laurent.

Their debut album begins with the title track “Sinners On St. Laurent” you will be quickly taken away by the smoothing vocals of Karim Terouz. Karim’s smooth and slick sounding Jazz/pop vocals graciously flow throughout the song. As well as the vocals the lyrics are quite cleverly written by Karim as well, the lyrics come straight from the visual exposures from which Karim has taken in while living in Montreal. The instrumental aspect of the song goes perfectly hand in hand with the vocals as well. . If you are intrigued by lyrics such as I am you will be delighted with the full composition and arrangement of the song. My ears were drawn quite regularly to the acoustic guitar in the song as I listened to the song over and over again. The overall mixing with the song is put together quite nicely, a small but a rather large impact in the songs sound was the addition of the trumpet in the song. If you have time you should check out the music video they recorded as well.

Following “Sinners On St.Laurent” there is another feel good upbeat song titled “I Want You Now”. Now don’t judge this song with what you hear in the first few seconds, as the song starts off with a solo Doo Wop vocal intro with a guitar being slowly strummed to follow suit. After about twenty five seconds the song kicks into a total different sound, as the trumpet takes the lead in what I would call the second intro. It might seem a small gesture for some people but I really enjoyed the hi-hat sound which is placed in the background of the song also the extra lead electric guitar work is quite striking as well. Karim’s vocals again are one of the most prominent sounds in the song. As I listened to the lyrics it was quite evident that Karim strained close to the previous song either being his own experiences or ones that he witnessed as he was working in the nightlife of Montreal. The mixing of the song is really put together quite nicely; the levels between the instruments and vocals are well received.

Now there are extra bonuses on the album as well, with the studio version of “Sinners On St.Laurent”, and extra acoustic versions of “Date In Montreal”, “The Start” and “Tomorrow’s Lullaby”.

You can pick up your copy of Sinners On St.Laurent by visiting www.TheRisingFew.Com - KINGSTON MUSIC REVIEWS

‘The Rising Few’ est un tout nouveau groupe alternatif nous venant de Montréal. Leur premier album, ‘Sinners On St. Laurent’, va sortir le 25 Mars, dans deux semaines!

Ils ont déjà sorti deux morceaux pour donner un aperçu de leur album.



Le groupe a été formé par Karim Terouz, un dessinateur professionnel égyptien qui décida de changer de vie et qui s’installa à Montréal afin de pouvoir poursuivre sa passion pour la musique et trouver d’autres musiciens, lors de soirées ‘open mic’, qui partagent sa vision.

Leur son combine plusieurs styles de musiques: pop rock, blues, soul et folk, qui rappellent le son de plusieurs artistes des années 90. J’aime le contraste de certaines chansons, dans des mélodies douces et posées, et la voix rauque mais envoûtante de Karim, le chanteur principal. Les éclats de trompette et de tambourin sont de belles additions aux bons rythmes de la batterie et aux riffs accentués de la guitare et de la basse.



‘Date in Montreal’, la quatrième chanson de l’album, est une belle chanson qui évoque l’amour et la vie, avec des paroles en français et en anglais, référence au bilinguisme de Montréal, comme cette phrase festive “en faisant la fête à la bonne franquette!”. Plus tard dans l’album, on découvre des chansons plus rock’n’roll comme ‘Not This Time’ et ‘Soleil’, et des morceaux plus sentimentaux et calmes, comme ‘A Little Longer’ et ‘Tomorrow’s Lullaby’.

Ce qui est certain, c’est que ‘The Rising Few’ donne un sentiment réellement Montréalais! Entre leurs paroles anglaises et françaises, les mélodies dynamiques et sereines et les paroles parlant d’amour et de solitude, on peut imaginer les petits cafés du plateau, les bars animés de St. Laurent et les rues vives et pleines d’énergie de Montréal!

Si vous aimez ce que vous entendez, pensez à acheter l’album lors de sa sortie bientôt!

http://therisingfew.bandcamp.com/track/sinners-on-st-laurent-radio-edit - MONTREAL EN MUSIQUE:THE INDIE BLENDER

What is there to do on a rainy Tuesday evening in Montreal? How about some art and music to get you in the mood and out of the house. Montreal’s own The Rising Few put on a show to launch their debut album entitled “The Sinners of St. Laurent” (produced by Glenn Robinson) and if you were expecting to hear some heavy head banging mosh pitting 1000 decibel music then stay home. These guys are here to sing their intimate folk rock, heart and soul out to the audience and dedicate their music to the city and the people they love in Montreal.
Karim Terouz (Vocals, guitar) came to Montreal from Cairo in search of a new life, a new career and a new passion and he found this roaming, enjoying the crazy nights out on Montreal’s St. Laurent street and Plateau district. Members of The Rising Few include Hubert Tremblay (Guitar), Isaac Gesse (Trumpet, backing vocals), Harvey Bienaime (Drums, Cajon), Andrew “Sudzie” Sudlow (bass). Tonight this quintet gave the audience a soulful look into the heart of being a Montrealer.

The Rising Few launch their album, “The Sinners of St. Laurent” at Gallery 203
They’ve done a few shows and tours before but this is my first time seeing The Rising Few play live and if I can summarize one word for what I’ve seen tonight, it is passion. Karim’s voice is a mixture of his own personality with a hint of Springsteen influence. Slightly rough but powerful, Karim’s vocals was carried along side melodic trumpet and harmonies from Isaac Gesse and the pounding rhythm of Hubert Tremblay on guitar. With songs entitled “Date in Montreal”, “Soleil” and “Sinners of St. Laurent” their whole first album pays homage to the city Karim calls home today. The launch was hosted at the art gallery, Gallery 203 on 203 Notre Dame street. The bands performance was surrounded by beautiful works of art and rightfully so and after the first song the crowd stood and delicately moved to the beat of the music for the rest of the night. The hour long set left the audience clamouring for an encore, which the group most gracefully did.
If you consider yourself a true Montrealer, then you definitely have to check out The Rising Few. Like how Springsteen is New Jerseys favourite son, Karim is making his way into becoming Montreal’s favourite adopted son. The Rising Few is bringing back what Montreal is lacking, a musical voice to our great city.
You can find our more about The Rising Few HERE. - Montreal Music Scene

OUR OVERALL VERDICT
"EXCELLENT" - Bucketlist Review