The Suppliers

“Danni, you a heavy drinker? If you are you probably want to get in on this.” Rob Cortez of The Suppliers is calling me over from the bar to do a drop shot called the Gold Russian: it’s vodka and 11% beer. We are killing time waiting for the other three members to arrive. Considering that photo on their Facebook page has the four of them shotgunning beers beside an old camper van, I am in no way surprised by this gesture, but, rather, kicking myself in the ass for driving to the interview.

The Suppliers are a four-piece, Calgary-based, heavy-handed rock ‘n’ roll group featuring Cortez (bass), Ashtyn Beaudette (vocals), Sean Friend (drums) and Kirill Telichev (guitar), that just won the X92.9 Xposure Contest. “I was surprised when we got the phone call. I mean that’s not self-deprecating in any way. There are a lot of bands that honed in on their craft and worked hard like we did this year. We really weren’t expecting to win this year. A big surprise and we are very thankful,” Telichev explains over a pint of Grasshopper. Cortez chimes in, “We kind of got dubbed the Cinderella story. We played a lot of shows and thought we were doing our part. It was unexpected recognition and it will be well met.”

Cortez and Friend have been best buds since they were 11 years old. The two bonded over music after Cortez’s uncle had given him a bass guitar, Rush’s 2112 and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Soon after, Friend took up guitar and they started writing together. Over time, he got into playing the drums. “We are on such a similar level. We’ve played in hardcore, industrial and punk bands together. Then we met Ashtyn and Kirill, they are just so different mentally and in their sense of song writing. You put that together and it makes something completely unique. It has this really hard energy and expectable overtones.” Both Friend and Cortez wanted to have a thrash metal band before, while Telichev and Beaudette were looking in another direction. The thrasher boys got polished up and the tasteful two had a little thrash put into their step. “Kirill is a fucking brilliant songwriter. Absolutely brilliant. Ashtyn has the sexiest, hardest and raspy voice I have ever heard. Sean is a super hard drummer, he plays like an animal,” enthuses Cortez. He is keen on the group of friends with whom he has embarked on this journey and it shows.

In 2010, Telichev had been working with Beaudette’s previous band, Take a Shot, in the basement studio where he, Friend and Cortez live and felt that her voice could be applied to different type of music. Cortez had been listening from upstairs while Telichev was working on a track with Beaudette, Friend filling in on the drums. “It came together fucking beautifully. I happened to be the guy that lives upstairs that played bass.” From the dynamics of the four, Cortez is the heart, Telichev is the mastermind, Friend is the rock and Beaudette is the energy.

“We fit together perfectly, musically. A lot of time that isn’t the case. It’s not enough in a band. You put a band in the studio for a straight week and you could be looking for a new member by the end. But, so far, so good for us,” says Telichev. It is apparent that he puts a lot of thought into how he feel about The Suppliers and that they are very proud of what they have accomplished, as well as excited to see what the future holds.

While the Suppliers have come together quickly and seamlessly, Beaudette had some reservations when she first met Cortez. “Tell her what you thought of me when we first met,” says Cortez, goading Beaudette.

“I didn’t like Rob for the first month after we met, but now we are good friends,” she says. I push a bit further and Cortez interjects, “I am an unsavoury character.” He leans back and grabs his chest, “as I grab my breasts.”

“It was things like that,” she continues. “I am a lot younger than them.” She isn’t able to buy a drink in the US, if she wanted, being only 20 years old, “It didn’t compute with me. I just thought, ‘This guy is weird.’ Now, I can embrace your weirdness and I love you for it,” she says, looking at him.

“Sorry, what did you say about razor burn?” he pushes her buttons pretending he misheard what she said to get a rise out of her. Cortez wasn’t too fond of Beaudette initially, either, going as far as blocking her on Facebook in a drunk haze one night. But they both now look back on those days with a laugh.

Calgary’s music scene is healthier than it has been in years. It’s become more about helping and encouraging your peers to rise up, instead of winning the race. This has a lot to do with local artists putting together shows that showcase Calgary’s talent and The Suppliers have their hands in it as well. Telichev’s studio just did The HighKicks’ new album, for instance, and you can tell they all have a serious love for this city. “There’s a lot of great talent in this city, and people pushing the envelope. Calgary’s music scene feels more wholesome agai - BeatRoute Magazine

“Danni, you a heavy drinker? If you are you probably want to get in on this.” Rob Cortez of The Suppliers is calling me over from the bar to do a drop shot called the Gold Russian: it’s vodka and 11% beer. We are killing time waiting for the other three members to arrive. Considering that photo on their Facebook page has the four of them shotgunning beers beside an old camper van, I am in no way surprised by this gesture, but, rather, kicking myself in the ass for driving to the interview.

The Suppliers are a four-piece, Calgary-based, heavy-handed rock ‘n’ roll group featuring Cortez (bass), Ashtyn Beaudette (vocals), Sean Friend (drums) and Kirill Telichev (guitar), that just won the X92.9 Xposure Contest. “I was surprised when we got the phone call. I mean that’s not self-deprecating in any way. There are a lot of bands that honed in on their craft and worked hard like we did this year. We really weren’t expecting to win this year. A big surprise and we are very thankful,” Telichev explains over a pint of Grasshopper. Cortez chimes in, “We kind of got dubbed the Cinderella story. We played a lot of shows and thought we were doing our part. It was unexpected recognition and it will be well met.”

Cortez and Friend have been best buds since they were 11 years old. The two bonded over music after Cortez’s uncle had given him a bass guitar, Rush’s 2112 and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Soon after, Friend took up guitar and they started writing together. Over time, he got into playing the drums. “We are on such a similar level. We’ve played in hardcore, industrial and punk bands together. Then we met Ashtyn and Kirill, they are just so different mentally and in their sense of song writing. You put that together and it makes something completely unique. It has this really hard energy and expectable overtones.” Both Friend and Cortez wanted to have a thrash metal band before, while Telichev and Beaudette were looking in another direction. The thrasher boys got polished up and the tasteful two had a little thrash put into their step. “Kirill is a fucking brilliant songwriter. Absolutely brilliant. Ashtyn has the sexiest, hardest and raspy voice I have ever heard. Sean is a super hard drummer, he plays like an animal,” enthuses Cortez. He is keen on the group of friends with whom he has embarked on this journey and it shows.

In 2010, Telichev had been working with Beaudette’s previous band, Take a Shot, in the basement studio where he, Friend and Cortez live and felt that her voice could be applied to different type of music. Cortez had been listening from upstairs while Telichev was working on a track with Beaudette, Friend filling in on the drums. “It came together fucking beautifully. I happened to be the guy that lives upstairs that played bass.” From the dynamics of the four, Cortez is the heart, Telichev is the mastermind, Friend is the rock and Beaudette is the energy.

“We fit together perfectly, musically. A lot of time that isn’t the case. It’s not enough in a band. You put a band in the studio for a straight week and you could be looking for a new member by the end. But, so far, so good for us,” says Telichev. It is apparent that he puts a lot of thought into how he feel about The Suppliers and that they are very proud of what they have accomplished, as well as excited to see what the future holds.

While the Suppliers have come together quickly and seamlessly, Beaudette had some reservations when she first met Cortez. “Tell her what you thought of me when we first met,” says Cortez, goading Beaudette.

“I didn’t like Rob for the first month after we met, but now we are good friends,” she says. I push a bit further and Cortez interjects, “I am an unsavoury character.” He leans back and grabs his chest, “as I grab my breasts.”

“It was things like that,” she continues. “I am a lot younger than them.” She isn’t able to buy a drink in the US, if she wanted, being only 20 years old, “It didn’t compute with me. I just thought, ‘This guy is weird.’ Now, I can embrace your weirdness and I love you for it,” she says, looking at him.

“Sorry, what did you say about razor burn?” he pushes her buttons pretending he misheard what she said to get a rise out of her. Cortez wasn’t too fond of Beaudette initially, either, going as far as blocking her on Facebook in a drunk haze one night. But they both now look back on those days with a laugh.

Calgary’s music scene is healthier than it has been in years. It’s become more about helping and encouraging your peers to rise up, instead of winning the race. This has a lot to do with local artists putting together shows that showcase Calgary’s talent and The Suppliers have their hands in it as well. Telichev’s studio just did The HighKicks’ new album, for instance, and you can tell they all have a serious love for this city. “There’s a lot of great talent in this city, and people pushing the envelope. Calgary’s music scene feels more wholesome agai - BeatRoute Magazine

The Suppliers in demand
Calgary rockers enjoying Exposure boost
By Ellen Keeble

It’s been a demanding few months for local rockers The Suppliers.

Fresh off their Exposure win the band released their debut self-titled album to a crowded house at Dickens and have found their name attached to more and more bills heading into fall.

“The trick right now is to really work hard to keep this momentum going,” says guitarist Kirill Telichev.

“Bottom line, (X92.9) didn’t really have to play every band as much as they did, but they really put everybody on rotation for a good three months.”

The radio play and sharing a stage with the likes of Linkin Park, fun., and MuteMath at X-Fest boosted the band just in time for their CD release with long-time fans waiting two years for the disc.

Drummer Sean Friend, who co-produced the album with Telichev, says over the years they went through three drafts to get it right.

“The songs kind of morphed and developed more depth,” he says.

The result is heavy rock driving – but never overpowering – Ashtyn Beaudette’s raw and raspy voice. Beaudette has a push-pull power that avoids sounding strained as melodic riffs spur her to the edge. Forceful drums, high tempo guitar and Robito Cortez’s bass line settle deep and rattle bones. There’s a hint of thrash peeking through on tracks like (Going) Down that will get heads nodding if not banging.

Rock 'n roll power

“We try to take as much rock and roll power as we can and stuff it in this pretty package of pop sensibility,” says Telichev.

“Just a sprinkle, of pop,” adds Friend.

“I think female vocalists, especially in rock, a lot of the time, they fall into a pattern of being thinly disguised pop,” says Telichev.

“The first time we heard (Ashtyn), we were just blown away and really wanted to apply it to heavier, more complex material.”

Operating out of Friend’s recording studio, Screw-Wave Sound, Telichev said they heard potential in Beaudette’s voice and approached her with some songs he had stashed away.

Friend recorded some drum tracks and with Cortez moving back to the city from Vancouver, The Suppliers were unboxed in a few short weeks.

“Kirill and Ashtyn came up with the name despite Rob’s f------ attempts to change it,” laughs Friend.

“Let’s talk about Rob’s titles instead,” says Telichev. “Bitched Whale, Hepatitis 7 and then Rob and the Fancy Boys.”

“He’s the wildcard in the band that’s for sure,” says Friend shaking his head. “This is the guy who’s currently at the zoo looking at primates.”

Monkey business aside, with the guys all living under one roof, Friend says the band house environment helps keep them motivated.

“We see each other all the time, so we can jam whenever we want,” he says. “And Ashtyn practically lives there.”

Crowded house
With a $25,000 cheque cut for their Exposure win, Friend says they used some of the cash for their album, but already got most of it back after their release party at Dickens.

“The management afterwards, they were talking to us and it was apparently one of the biggest CD releases at the bar,” says Telichev. “Mallard and Acidjac played with us. It was tons of fun.”

Their release party drew just more than 300 people to the bar.

“It was pretty insane, for a rock show with a local band, that’s double what we would normally get,” says Ambor Sheppard, general manager at Dickens, adding local releases hit 150 to maybe 200 people coming through the doors.

“It’s extremely rare for that type of show.”

As a producer in the local scene, Friend says he’s proud of how accurate their sounds translate from album to stage.

“There’s no backing tracks, no autotune,” he explains. “But we’re louder and more aggressive live.”

Friend says they’re working to get the album up digitally on iTunes and will be touring through Alberta in the fall with eyes on travelling to Vancouver and hopefully out east in the spring for NXNE and Canadian Music Week.

The Suppliers will play SAIT’s The Gateway Oct. 6.

Check out their page at www.facebook.com/thesuppliersband for more. - The Calgary Sun

The Suppliers in demand
Calgary rockers enjoying Exposure boost
By Ellen Keeble

It’s been a demanding few months for local rockers The Suppliers.

Fresh off their Exposure win the band released their debut self-titled album to a crowded house at Dickens and have found their name attached to more and more bills heading into fall.

“The trick right now is to really work hard to keep this momentum going,” says guitarist Kirill Telichev.

“Bottom line, (X92.9) didn’t really have to play every band as much as they did, but they really put everybody on rotation for a good three months.”

The radio play and sharing a stage with the likes of Linkin Park, fun., and MuteMath at X-Fest boosted the band just in time for their CD release with long-time fans waiting two years for the disc.

Drummer Sean Friend, who co-produced the album with Telichev, says over the years they went through three drafts to get it right.

“The songs kind of morphed and developed more depth,” he says.

The result is heavy rock driving – but never overpowering – Ashtyn Beaudette’s raw and raspy voice. Beaudette has a push-pull power that avoids sounding strained as melodic riffs spur her to the edge. Forceful drums, high tempo guitar and Robito Cortez’s bass line settle deep and rattle bones. There’s a hint of thrash peeking through on tracks like (Going) Down that will get heads nodding if not banging.

Rock 'n roll power

“We try to take as much rock and roll power as we can and stuff it in this pretty package of pop sensibility,” says Telichev.

“Just a sprinkle, of pop,” adds Friend.

“I think female vocalists, especially in rock, a lot of the time, they fall into a pattern of being thinly disguised pop,” says Telichev.

“The first time we heard (Ashtyn), we were just blown away and really wanted to apply it to heavier, more complex material.”

Operating out of Friend’s recording studio, Screw-Wave Sound, Telichev said they heard potential in Beaudette’s voice and approached her with some songs he had stashed away.

Friend recorded some drum tracks and with Cortez moving back to the city from Vancouver, The Suppliers were unboxed in a few short weeks.

“Kirill and Ashtyn came up with the name despite Rob’s f------ attempts to change it,” laughs Friend.

“Let’s talk about Rob’s titles instead,” says Telichev. “Bitched Whale, Hepatitis 7 and then Rob and the Fancy Boys.”

“He’s the wildcard in the band that’s for sure,” says Friend shaking his head. “This is the guy who’s currently at the zoo looking at primates.”

Monkey business aside, with the guys all living under one roof, Friend says the band house environment helps keep them motivated.

“We see each other all the time, so we can jam whenever we want,” he says. “And Ashtyn practically lives there.”

Crowded house
With a $25,000 cheque cut for their Exposure win, Friend says they used some of the cash for their album, but already got most of it back after their release party at Dickens.

“The management afterwards, they were talking to us and it was apparently one of the biggest CD releases at the bar,” says Telichev. “Mallard and Acidjac played with us. It was tons of fun.”

Their release party drew just more than 300 people to the bar.

“It was pretty insane, for a rock show with a local band, that’s double what we would normally get,” says Ambor Sheppard, general manager at Dickens, adding local releases hit 150 to maybe 200 people coming through the doors.

“It’s extremely rare for that type of show.”

As a producer in the local scene, Friend says he’s proud of how accurate their sounds translate from album to stage.

“There’s no backing tracks, no autotune,” he explains. “But we’re louder and more aggressive live.”

Friend says they’re working to get the album up digitally on iTunes and will be touring through Alberta in the fall with eyes on travelling to Vancouver and hopefully out east in the spring for NXNE and Canadian Music Week.

The Suppliers will play SAIT’s The Gateway Oct. 6.

Check out their page at www.facebook.com/thesuppliersband for more. - The Calgary Sun

As far as warm-up and rehearsal shows go, this one ranks right up there.

On Friday, local band The Suppliers are releasing their debut full-length with a show at Dickens, one of the city’s more prominent mid-size original rock clubs.

So, what better way to make sure they’re ready for the big event than trying out the material and getting up to speed in front of an intimate crowd of, oh, say 4,000 people.

“The timing was impeccable on that one,” says bassist Robito Cortez of the quartet’s appearance at this year’s X-Fest at Fort Calgary, opening the show for the likes of Linkin Park, Silversun Pickups and Mutemath. “It’s a nice momentum boost going into the CD release party.”

That, really, is something of an understatement. It and their recent win of the alt rock radio station X92.9’s Xposure contest — not to mention the $25,000 cheque accompanying the win — have helped propel the band into the ranks of the scene’s more prominent buzz bands after slogging it out in the trenches for two typically tough years.

“All of the sudden people are interested,” Cortez says. “We’d play the same bars with 30 or 40 friends and now all of a sudden attendance increases. . . .

“Calgary’s a big city and getting people to pay attention to local music is great.”

In the case of The Suppliers, it’s attention that’s duly deserved. The band, which also features vocalist Ashtyn Beaudette, guitarist Kirill Telichev and drummer Sean Friend, are a powderkeg packed with melodicism and lit with the spark of raw, rock intensity, that draws inspiration from acts that range from Blondie to Nirvana and The Black Keys.

Their eponymous debut, which was co-produced by Telichev and Friend, is a confident and focused showcase of that sound, something that belies how they entered into the recording of it.

“It definitely took us awhile to come up with a sound,” admits Telichev, who supplies the band with most of its material. “The trick with the album was generally what a lot of bands face, trying to channel power with a bit of pop sensibility and I think it turned out pretty well.”

The Suppliers' Simple Man by mrbell23

Helping steer that direction that Telichev says he writes around the vocals of Beaudette, a dynamo who owns a spectacular set of rock pipes that are part Tegan and Sara, part Courtney Love, part Darby Mills, and even, oddly, at times displays elements of country divas such as Shania Twain or Faith Hill.

“She really does,” Telichev agrees. “And she’s young too, she’s just 20 . . . and as good as she sounds I think she’s got years of development.”

“She plays with the big boys,” Cortez chimes in. “She’s good — she rips it up hard. Every week she gets better and better.”

But, it should be asserted, Beaudette is just one of the elements in the mix. It’s a mix that came together almost effortlessly, they explain, forming from the long friendship between the rhythm section, with Telichev entering the picture due to his having attended production school with Friend, and Beaudette bing plucked from her former band by Telichev who had been recording them.

“It somehow came together magically,” Telichev says of the process. “All of the coming together happened extremely naturally and over a week’s time.”

“And we got a show with six songs written,” his bassist says. “It was a pretty good show, too, we ended up having to write songs the day before just to fill out the set. A couple of the songs made the record, too.

A big part of the ease, they both say, is the non-musical connection they all have, with all four of the personalities meshing together, to the point that three of the members live together.

That, in turn, translates to the musical personalities, which, while perhaps on paper are entirely different, translate to common sonic ground when they hit the stage or studio, with all parts pulling in the same direction.

As Telichev says, “Every member in the band you could pick them out of a lineup of 100 people in terms of the uniqueness of their playing.”

“It would be a huge detriment to lose anybody at this point,” Cortez agrees. “Everyone is so unique in their playing style.”

Well, there’s little chance of anyone jumping ship, with another album planned, thanks, in large part, to that contest cheque, and their exposure high thanks to that X-Fest spot, which, leading into tomorrow’s release gave them a pretty great boost and furthered their confidence in the direction The Suppliers are headed.

“The feedback has been really good from everyone,” Telichev says.

And the momentum continues to build.

mbell@calgaryherald.com

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/music/Calgary+band+Suppliers+deliver+their+debut+album/7232693/story.html#ixzz29UfGUmE0
- The Calgary Herald

As far as warm-up and rehearsal shows go, this one ranks right up there.

On Friday, local band The Suppliers are releasing their debut full-length with a show at Dickens, one of the city’s more prominent mid-size original rock clubs.

So, what better way to make sure they’re ready for the big event than trying out the material and getting up to speed in front of an intimate crowd of, oh, say 4,000 people.

“The timing was impeccable on that one,” says bassist Robito Cortez of the quartet’s appearance at this year’s X-Fest at Fort Calgary, opening the show for the likes of Linkin Park, Silversun Pickups and Mutemath. “It’s a nice momentum boost going into the CD release party.”

That, really, is something of an understatement. It and their recent win of the alt rock radio station X92.9’s Xposure contest — not to mention the $25,000 cheque accompanying the win — have helped propel the band into the ranks of the scene’s more prominent buzz bands after slogging it out in the trenches for two typically tough years.

“All of the sudden people are interested,” Cortez says. “We’d play the same bars with 30 or 40 friends and now all of a sudden attendance increases. . . .

“Calgary’s a big city and getting people to pay attention to local music is great.”

In the case of The Suppliers, it’s attention that’s duly deserved. The band, which also features vocalist Ashtyn Beaudette, guitarist Kirill Telichev and drummer Sean Friend, are a powderkeg packed with melodicism and lit with the spark of raw, rock intensity, that draws inspiration from acts that range from Blondie to Nirvana and The Black Keys.

Their eponymous debut, which was co-produced by Telichev and Friend, is a confident and focused showcase of that sound, something that belies how they entered into the recording of it.

“It definitely took us awhile to come up with a sound,” admits Telichev, who supplies the band with most of its material. “The trick with the album was generally what a lot of bands face, trying to channel power with a bit of pop sensibility and I think it turned out pretty well.”

The Suppliers' Simple Man by mrbell23

Helping steer that direction that Telichev says he writes around the vocals of Beaudette, a dynamo who owns a spectacular set of rock pipes that are part Tegan and Sara, part Courtney Love, part Darby Mills, and even, oddly, at times displays elements of country divas such as Shania Twain or Faith Hill.

“She really does,” Telichev agrees. “And she’s young too, she’s just 20 . . . and as good as she sounds I think she’s got years of development.”

“She plays with the big boys,” Cortez chimes in. “She’s good — she rips it up hard. Every week she gets better and better.”

But, it should be asserted, Beaudette is just one of the elements in the mix. It’s a mix that came together almost effortlessly, they explain, forming from the long friendship between the rhythm section, with Telichev entering the picture due to his having attended production school with Friend, and Beaudette bing plucked from her former band by Telichev who had been recording them.

“It somehow came together magically,” Telichev says of the process. “All of the coming together happened extremely naturally and over a week’s time.”

“And we got a show with six songs written,” his bassist says. “It was a pretty good show, too, we ended up having to write songs the day before just to fill out the set. A couple of the songs made the record, too.

A big part of the ease, they both say, is the non-musical connection they all have, with all four of the personalities meshing together, to the point that three of the members live together.

That, in turn, translates to the musical personalities, which, while perhaps on paper are entirely different, translate to common sonic ground when they hit the stage or studio, with all parts pulling in the same direction.

As Telichev says, “Every member in the band you could pick them out of a lineup of 100 people in terms of the uniqueness of their playing.”

“It would be a huge detriment to lose anybody at this point,” Cortez agrees. “Everyone is so unique in their playing style.”

Well, there’s little chance of anyone jumping ship, with another album planned, thanks, in large part, to that contest cheque, and their exposure high thanks to that X-Fest spot, which, leading into tomorrow’s release gave them a pretty great boost and furthered their confidence in the direction The Suppliers are headed.

“The feedback has been really good from everyone,” Telichev says.

And the momentum continues to build.

mbell@calgaryherald.com

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/music/Calgary+band+Suppliers+deliver+their+debut+album/7232693/story.html#ixzz29UfGUmE0
- The Calgary Herald

THE SUPPLIERS
pushing beyond the sonic threshold
By Erin A. Burke

Any band willing to invite the media into their home to do an interview is either borderline crazy or extremely comfortable with their music and themselves as a band. Calgary band The Suppliers is a mix of both, it would seem.

The four-piece, comprised of singer-songwriter Ashtyn Beaudette, lead guitarist Kirill Dictator, drummer Sean Friendo and bassman Rob Cortez, fed me chicken and beer in an attempt to win at interviews, which they did. All joking aside, however, The Suppliers brought more to the table than delicious barbecue and hoppy beverages. They chatted easily about their album, touring and themselves as a band.

The foursome came together almost accidentally, calling Cortez, their then-upstairs neighbour, down to do a photo shoot with them because he had a bass, bringing the photo together a bit more. The Suppliers couldn't be happier with the result. They've been together for just over a year, bringing forth a mix of fast, strong rock riffs, smooth, extraordinary vocals and definitive punk undertones. Their self-titled debut is set to be released in late February or early March.

"We've been busy for sure," explains Cortez. "We've already been working on some new material. We've figured a lot of stuff out from this album. It feels good!"

"We needed to figure out what everyone could bring to the table and I think we really accomplished that." elaborates Beaudette.

"We don't really argue that much. We all come from different musical backgrounds, but it just all works really well. It all kind of fell into place perfectly," says Dictator.

"We're just tweaking a few things now. We'll have it in our hands by next month and we want to get it out there ASAP. We're really going to be pushing ourselves this year," offers Cortez.

A post-CD release tour is in the works, naturally, but booking hasn't started just yet, so you'll have to keep your eyes and ears open for some tour dates toward the summer months. According to the bassist, they plan to start the booking process very soon.

Best known for being fast, upbeat and loud, The Suppliers already have a few Alberta touring stories under their belts.

"We almost got kicked out of the Canmore Hotel when we played there. We were illegally loud. We were up there to play for two nights and after the first night, we almost couldn't play again," Cortez reminisces.

"We were over the legal limit by, like, three decibels!" follows Beaudette with a laugh.

"They didn't want the fine!" he adds, also laughing. "We toned it down the second night, though, and it went really well."

The group has grown comfortable together and it shows in the way they play as a whole. On stage or at home, The Suppliers have the same energy and an obvious love for the music they play.

"We're all friends," says Friendo, "I think that's why it works so well. We're all ourselves around each other."

One of the most remarkable things about their sound, though, is Beaudette's singing voice. It's what gives that extra dash of spice to an already talented group of musicians.

"I haven't had any musical training," she says and, with another laugh, adds, "I tried to learn guitar, but then I was like, 'Kirill could play this so much better!' so I got lazy and gave up on it."

The Suppliers have come a long way in their year as a group and have developed a sound that is unique and exciting. So, if you haven't seen them play, I recommend doing so, and if you have, you should probably go again. After all, if the world ends this year, it would suck to have missed out on a great bit of local talent. - BeatRoute Magazine