HARD-FI

The first time rising British band HARD-FI were supposed to play in Canada, their bus broke down in Pocono, Pennsylvania, and they ended up spending the night in a bar getting drunk.

"We taught the Americans how to drink," jokes cheeky drummer Steve Kemp, 27. He's sitting in Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern alongside guitarist Ross Philips, 24, during the soundcheck for their first and sold-out Canadian gig. Led by 29-year-old singer/songwriter Richard Archer, Hard-Fi burst onto the British music scene out of the small working class town of Staines. Their debut LP, Stars of CCTV, shot up the charts with its collection of catchy, energetic songs synthesized from a variety of influences, including The Jam, The Specials and The Clash. Within six months of CCTV's release, Hard-Fi were nominated for Best British Band at the Brit Awards (other nominees: Coldplay, Kaiser Chiefs, Gorillaz) and they were nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize. As of this writing, they are also number one in the UK on iTunes.

"It seems like a really overnight success," says Steve, "but we put a lot of years into getting to this stage. One thing about us is that we didn't do gigs without already having our set down. We knew what we were doing when we started. We didn't release any singles or albums until we were really happy with them and until we thought they were done to the best of our abilities. Because we got it right a long time beforehand, it moved really quickly from there."

Though the band is enjoying playing to crowds of 2,000 people and upwards back in their native England, in Canada Hard-Fi are just building a following, playing to audiences one-tenth of that size, but they enjoy it equally. "It's brilliant," says Steve. "We started off playing venues smaller than this in England. I like small gigs because you're right up close to the crowd and you can really interact with them."

Mostly, the band is just happy to have been able both to give up their day jobs and get off the dole in order to make their living making music. And it has released them from feeling stuck in their sleepy hometown, which Steve describes as "a satellite town. There's not really anything culturally going on there. It's boring. There's nothing to do in Staines, which is what a lot of the songs are about, that kind of frustration."

"At this time, last year," adds Ross, "I was working in a hi-fi shop. I'd probably still be in the shop where I was" if not for the band.

Ironically, that day job opened up the door to Ross's eventual success. A frequent visitor to the shop was bandleader Richard, who used to pretend to be shopping for equipment so that he could hear his demos played on the store's electronic wares. "He wasn't going to buy something. He was just wasting my time," he laughs.

When asked to describe their bandleader, his band mates display their sense of humour. "Tight," says Ross.

"Slimy. Smooth. Bossy. And very clever," adds Steve. The two break out laughing when Steve says, "He is talented, we will give him that."

It is clear that the two musicians are appreciative of their opportunity to play with Archer, about whom, when they do get serious, they speak glowingly. "It's really hard to write a simple pop song. Richard is a really great songwriter. He just sits down and plays a song an acoustic guitar and it sounds great. He's the whole idea behind the band. The music comes from Rich. Without Richard, it would be nothing, but he's not a bandleader who says, 'Do this and do that'."

Poised for international success in 2006, the members of Hard-Fi are enthusiastic and excited to continue their musical travels. "I'm looking forward to more touring and gigs, this year," says Ross. "I'm looking forward to playing Reading."

"Touring is brilliant," says Steve, "but I really hope that we can make the next album this year because I can feel my creative juices flowing."

Pamela Chelin

KILL CHEERLEADER

On their debut album, All Hail, Toronto metal quartet KILL CHEERLEADER are ready to slay their victims, eat them up and spit them out. They're like 100,000,000 shots of Jägermeister and speed. A lethal combination for us mere mortals, but, hey, Kill Cheerleader aren't mere mortals. They're metal gods bringing back the '80s with a vengeance.

"I wanted to form a band that would be a new take on the attitude of early Guns N' Roses," says Ethan Deth (vocals, bass), who started the band with friends Tony's War (vocals, guitar), Chad MacKinnon (lead guitar) and Kriss Rites (drums). "It took years to find the right people because no one was listening to '80s metal at the time."

When Deth found the 'right people', it turned out that he, War, MacKinnon and Rites had lost their virginity to the same girl, hence the band name. That common denominator was one thing that brought the band together. Metal was another.

"Heavy metal is freedom, power, beer," says Deth, with conviction. "We're different because we mix in '70s punk and Neil Young-style ballads." Don't let the timid-looking unicorn on the cover of Kill Cheerleader's debut fool ya. The upsidedown crosses are a dead giveaway that the foursome isn't 'hailing' Mary, that's for sure. You could say, though, that with tracks like 'Sell Your Soul', 'Don't Call Me "Baby", Baby' and 'Bad Habit', that they're screamin' 'Bloody Mary', with heroin shooting through their veins. After being kicked off the bill for being ten minutes late for a gig, the band smashed the door of Toronto's Bovine Sex Club and have been banned from there ever since. Some of them use pseudonyms in place of their real names because they've had "people" seek them out at their homes. "That was not cool," says Deth.

They've already been 'hailed' by the Ace of Spades himself, Lemmy from Mötörhead, as "the greatest rock & roll band since Guns N' Roses." And they've been big-upped by Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe - one of the bands at the top of the list of Kill Cheerleader's 'most influential'.

"There were some great bands in the '80s," says Deth, who also claims that Canadian Idol is the worst possible thing in the galaxy. "But we don't look up to any of them. We are influenced by the attitude of the first Mötley Crüe record and the first Guns N' Roses record. Chad is influenced by Iron Maiden."

After becoming disillusioned with the Toronto music scene, the band toured and lived in LA for brief periods of time, from 2002 to 2004, resulting in more recognition there than in their own hometown. "We went to LA on a whim," explains Deth. "We became more popular there than we are here. That's why we'd rather be there."

While they continue to work hard for their money to get the band a van to take them to the City of Angels, Kill Cheerleader have harnessed DFA 1979's Jessie Keeler to produce their UK release. In between Kill Cheerleader gigs, Deth also plays bass in the much-hyped Toronto trio Die Mannequin. But he says that's no threat to the stability of Kill Cheerleader. "It doesn't affect anything. There's lotsa people in more than one band... Make as much noise as you can."

Anastasia Silva

MORNINGWOOD

"MORNINGWOOD is a musical direction," declares Chantal Claret, 24. Morningwood's black-clad singer-songwriter is sitting at a booth in downtown Toronto's Hard Rock Cafe.

"It's a beautiful-sounding word that evokes what is natural," adds bassist/songwriter Pedro Yanowitz.

"We thought it was charming and that it had a sweet side to it, but it is also a little naughty, like our music ultimately," says Chantal.

"Unicorns and glitter," adds Pedro.

"Not glitter!" interjects Chantal.

Along with Beastie Boys percussionist Alfredo Ortiz on drums and guitarist Philip Shouse, this is New York's Morningwood. Like their name, they are playful, sexy and in your face, with a whole lotta raunch and sass goin' on. They've just released their self-titled debut record, produced by the legendary Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters). The record is catchy, upbeat, infectious, sexy, melodic rock that is sweet like candy but with clever lyrics that provide nourishment for the mind and soul. On record, Chantal sounds like Courtney Love on vacation with Kim Deal and Shirley Manson. Interestingly, however, Chantal cites Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holliday, Tina Turner and Nina Simone as her biggest female musical influences, and admits to a penchant for Elvira Mistress of the Dark.

Morningwood's first single, the catchy, poppy 'Nth Degree', which sticks like adhesive to your brain, was broken by Atlanta radio station 99X, who preferred the song to the single 'Jetsetter', which the band had chosen. "We were in a unique situation where radio decided what our first single would be," says Pedro. "And then we had to turn around and rush and make a video for it. We owe them a lot. Originally, Chantal hated the song, but I said, 'Come on, we need this song!'"

The jocular pair met at Sean Lennon's birthday party. Chantal was a film student who didn't have any musical aspirations, while Pedro was a musician who had been in The Wallflowers, Money Mark and Natalie Merchant's band. When a drunk Chantal sang a song that she had written when she was 16-years-old, Pedro pulled her aside and said she should collaborate with him. One phone conversation later, Morningwood was born. "I still am a director," says Chantal. "But now I direct crowds."

At their liveshows, Chantal is known for captivating audiences. The night before, at a private gig, she taunted and teased the audience, yelled at them for talking during the band's set, and ran off the stage up to the venue's balcony and performed from the depths of the crowd. Further, during their song 'Take Off Your Clothes', she pulled a very obliging woman onstage and played with her breasts and buried her face in the woman's legs.

"A lot of people ask me if I'm bisexual offstage," says Chantal. "I'm not. Offstage, it's purely a sausage factory. Onstage, I'm an equal opportunist."

It is clear that Chantal enjoys her womanly powers and happily embraces her sexuality. "I get away with a lot of what men can't do. For example, molesting a woman onstage, pouring champagne on her breasts and getting her to eat a banana. A guy doing that is not going to be able to get away with it. I do it with men, too, and I'm not putting anyone down so I get away with it.

"Sometimes," she concedes, "people do have a problem with seeing a woman exert her sexuality and being open and honest about it, but that is fine because it opens up a forum for discussion."

It is not surprising that, in speaking with a band called Morningwood, no matter what the topic, the conversation continually turns tosex.

"I've been on a hormonal roller coaster since I was three!" boasts Chantal.

"She lost her virginity when she was four," adds Pedro.

Chantal: "No, I didn't!"

When asked to describe their collaborative songwriting process, Pedro says, "We put our hands up each other's musical skirts."

There's not much that these two can't turn sexual in an instant. But, hey, that is rock & roll, and leave it to Morningwood to rock hard and, er, keep it up.

Pamela Chelin

PSYCHOTIC 4

With their ages ranging between 19 and 25, the members of PSYCHOTIC 4 are a bit young to remember the '80s glam metal days, but they still know how to kick it Crüe-style.

"We're not trying to change the world," says singer Diamond Dean. "It's about making catchy tunes, wearing sexy pants, waking up in the morning hung over, wearing spandex and vinyl, and sliding all over the bed."

On the eve of the release of their debut album, Lightning, the band seems content playing gigs and videotaping unsuspecting people from their car while doing interviews by cell phone

"We are gigging around. We try to play twice a week in the meantime to keep in the loop and tight. We also love road trips. When we haven't slept in the longest time, we get incredibly rude and disgusting," says Dean.

The Montreal-based band has been together in various lineups since Dean and bass player PJ were 16 (they are both now 24). They released the EP Unlocked, Unleashed and Unzipped, and its lead single, 'No Sorry', went into rotation at MuchMusic, MuchLoud and MusiquePlus, where it went to the top of the English countdown. They toured with Nashville Pussy and did gigs with Andrew W.K., Simple Plan and Sum 41, and made an appearance on the Vans Warped Tour.

The band lost their drummer to Melissa Auf Der Maur, and, while they were looking for a replacement, said to themselves, "'Let's kill some time and find another guitar player'," laughs Dean. They added Dave Ablaze as a third axeman, who added a speed metal sound to the band, rounding out Jimmy J's lead guitar and Dean's rhythm. The band counts Judas Priest, The Ramones, Cheap Trick and, of course, Kiss among their influences. (Their press release says Psychotic 4 wears "more make-up than your sister but [is] still f*&%*ing her.")

Their rock & roll teeth were cut as their singer has died twice (once for "narcotic consumption," and the other time after an encounter with a notorious Canadian biker gang that the band asked not be named). Dean stopped moving and breathing, but says he's doing okay now. "I live day to day, baby," he laughs.

Lightning contains a lot of rocking songs that sound like they would be at home on the Sunset Strip circa 1987. 'I Want It All' is a classic rock anthem in the vein of Twisted Sister's 'We're Not Gonna Take It', while 'Never Been Good' is a textbook power ballad, written about a dead girl.

"I'm a huge fan of monster ballads, power ballads - I love all that stuff," says Dean. "It came together as a guy being in love with a dead chick, a romantic ballad of a guy who wishes she was still alive... It's a love ballad about necrophilia... I'm also a big horror and Alice Cooper fan."

The band has a dedicated following despite only modest touring around Canada and the US. "It's not like we are the biggest band, but the fans we have are incredibly great. They would probably die in the name of Psychotic 4."

As for the future, Dean says, "We're going to rock & roll 'til we die, which may be soon. There's no real plans except for busting our balls and doing what we do."

Kim Edwards

THE AWESOME TEAM

Don't think that indie-rock celebrity has gone to THE AWESOME TEAM's head just by the sound of their name. "It sounds like we are bragging, but we are really all humble guys," says lead singer and guitar player Joey Clement. A friend of his came up with the moniker, which evokes '80s action hero cartoons. "I thought it was campy, funny and a little on the ironic side.

"Even without major-label backing, The Awesome Team has been a fixture on the Toronto music scene for some time, and has toured extensively. They won the 2002 Spirit of the North Competition, the 2002 Long & McQuade Competition, were the Canadian winners of the Sobe Ultimate Altitude Buzz in 2003, and the Paragon Band Finals in 2003. They have also showcased at Canadian Music Week for the past three years.

Clement describes the rock band's music as a "kind of organized chaos. It doesn't follow too much of a formula." The songs on the indie band's self-titled EP are self-assured, guitar-based rock. Clement describes the band as being "in the vein of Weezer, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, with maybe a little Beatles influence as well."

He thinks that The Awesome Team is an example of a "new breed" of rock bands currently coming out that are "a little off centre.

"It's kind of nice. Alternative rock is coming back again. For a while the radio got saturated with the same kind of stuff. It was kind of annoying. I don't think rock will ever die. I think we are getting back on track in the indie scene again, slowly but surely." The video for their single, 'The Last of My World', was on rotation on MuchMusic for ten weeks and is currently playing on MuchLoud.

Three of the band's members (Clement, 27; guitarist Geoff Major, 23; and drummer Dan Beeson, 23) hail from northern Ontario, and bassist Morgan Smith, 26, is from Burlington, Ont. Clement says that, in his hometown of Kirkland Lake, "there wasn't much else to do," other than music.

Clement, Major and Beeson formed their first punk rock band in elementary school and played locally together regularly in their late teens and early twenties. They recruited Smith and moved to Toronto two years ago, playing venues like the Horseshoe Tavern and The Opera House regularly. A few months after moving to Toronto, Major and Beeson were mugged at gunpoint. A few weeks later, Major had his car stolen. Clement says that these events were "a scary introduction to Toronto." However, it didn't deter them from moving together into a west end recording loft/studio to live and work. They are currently working on new songs and plan to either make their current EP into a full-length album or record a new album this year.

"It's nice to have that EP out there, but I think the people deserve more. You don't get the full Awesome Team experience with only six songs. We want to give fans at least six or seven more songs, or maybe record a totally different album."

Kim Edwards

SHE WANTS REVENGE

SHE WANTS REVENGE has more friends than you. As of this writing, the LA-based duo of Justin Warfield and Adam 12 have 46,118 friends to be exact. Of course they don't know all their friends personally - these are MySpace figures after all - but it gives you an idea of just how appealing their brand of gloomy but danceable pop music really is.

Credit Adam 12 (real name Adam Bravin) for that impressive figure. The multi-instrumentalist started the She Wants Revenge MySpace page on May 27, 2004, and spent hours searching profiles and hitting that "Send Message" button. "If they looked like they would like our music, I'd send them a message saying 'I've read your profile, I see what you're into. Maybe take a listen if you have a minute'."

Many of them did, and from there was born a fanbase. Given all the difficulties facing new bands these days - illegal downloading, fear within the record business, the rise of the video game industry - Bravin, a DJ by trade (this is his first band), thinks that taking a direct hand in his band's future is a necessity.

"It's different these days. When we grew up, all we had was radio and MTV, and that was kind of the only way for us to experience new music. But the Internet is so huge now and kids can just click a couple of times and pretty much get to where they want to go in a matter of minutes. We get requests daily now from hundreds of kids trying to add to be our friend. I was just speaking with our manager about this this morning, how completely important MySpace has been to this whole process. It's such a big thing. It's helped us out immensely."

Online reaction to She Wants Revenge hasn't been completely positive. Several critics and bloggers question the band's sincerity (Warfield and Bravin both come out of hip hop and DJing) and accuse them of ransacking the music of their influences - Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order and Suicide most obviously - in order to make accessible pop hits. The most vitriolic comment I found online slagged off their new single 'Tear You Apart' by saying "wow, this new Interpol song is kinda catchy." Ouch.

In some ways it's a fair cop. Several tracks on She Wants Revenge do recall the better moments from those bands - especially 'Out Of Control' (Depeche Mode) and 'Red Flags and Long Nights'(Suicide) - but there is no denying the duo'sway with a hook, and the sum total is unique enough to qualify as original. Warfield's lyrics, all of which revolve around the tug-of-war between men and women, are alternately frank, cheeky and awkward; he's no Martin Gore (the Depeche Mode songwriter is a key SWR influence) but his work is unique. (Unique enough for DM to invite them to open their upcoming North American tour this spring.) Bravin's own opinion of the naysayers seems to hang somewhere between weariness and amusement.

"The reason we made this record was because we felt like we're those kids who go to the record store and buy records, and we've always been those kids. We just kind of felt likethereweren't any albums out there that made us feel the way that we felt putting on [The Smiths'] The Queen Is Dead, [Prince's] Purple Rain or [Depeche Mode's] Black Celebration or Some Great Reward; those albums that meant so much to us growing up."

Bravin is even less patient with the 'retro '80s' tag. "We grew up listening to that type of music," he acknowledges, "but we grew up listening to all kinds of music. A lot of times people may base those opinions on listening to a few songs, but if you've got a wide enough musical vocabulary and you really sit and listen to the album a couple of times, you'll pick out a lot more stuff than just Eighties or what they call quote-unquote new wave. There's hip hop in there, there's classical in there, there's a little bit of jazz in there. There's all kinds of stuff. I think we can just end that one there." Let's do that.

Sean Plummer