Backwoods Justice-Local Band Profile
July 12, 2007
Backwoods Justice is an art rock quartet based in the city of Toronto. Three members hail from Owen Sound and one from St. Catherines. Backwoods Justice chumed around schools and rock clubs until they decided to write, sing, and perform about shared and personal experiences. They will be playing on August 3rd, 2007, under the Meet & Greet tent for Owen Sound’s 150th anniversary Homecoming celebrations.
Their music is a powerful and passionate blend of styles and ideas that shows their love and concern for the people and the world around them. Now, you can see them play at various clubs around Toronto. In 2006 they released “Flowers Grow around the Stones”, a self-recorded E.P. and are on the verge of releasing their follow up, “Earthquake Feet”.
Although starting as a three piece band, Rob Blank (guitar, vocals), Tim Carson (guitar, bass, vocals), and Tyler Wagler (bass, guitar, vocals) have recently added a fourth member, Christian Inglevics, to play the drums and sing.
Listen to Backwoods Justice’s Tracks
Track 1: Precious Cargo
Track 2: Florence Promenade
Backwoods Justice’s Influences
Friends and centuries of great music from all over the world!
Backwoods Justice’s Links
Many thanks to the Backwoods Justice folks for sharing their tracks and biographical information with us! If you would like to explore more local music or perhaps sign up for a profile of your own, you can do both at our Local Musician page.
Tyler Wagler-Local Musician Profile
July 12, 2007
Tyler Wagler is a versatile bassist/guitarist/composer, raised in Owen Sound and currently living and working in Toronto. Wagler started playing guitar (obsessively) at the age of seven studying The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and most of the classic rock repertoire. At the age of thirteen he had the opportunity to attend the Kincardine Summer Music Festival, a week long camp where he jammed and took lessons from legendary blues guitarist Mel Brown. The experience was life-changing and he left the camp with a newfound passion for the blues to go with the newfound confidence he had gained from Mel Brown’s encouragement. After seeing Brown throw down an incendiary live show Tyler decided that his life would henceforth be devoted to music. Wagler spent most of his adolescence exclusively listening to and playing blues music, forming the blues band Jive On Rye with class mates Nick Barkley, Marty Sinclair and Joel Morelli.
Near the end of high school, Wagler discovered singer/songwriter Tom Waits and promptly abandoned his devotion to pure blues music. Realizing that the appeal of Tom Waits’ music was the attitude that one could incorporate any style of music and make something beautiful out of it, Wagler began to diversify his playing and composing, taking up bass and mandolin. Following the break-up of Jive On Rye he focused on being a singer/songwriter as well as being a sideman to Joel Morelli and others. Wagler can be heard playing bass, mandolin and guitar on Morelli’s second album, Live At The Roxy. Wagler also performed as a sideman to Morelli at the Summerfolk festival, where in later years he would also accompany Lars Jensen and David Sereda.
After completing high school, Tyler moved to Toronto and enrolled in the Jazz Bass Performance program at Humber College where he continued to diversify his playing and writing. During this time he almost completely abandoned the guitar, while focusing primarily on the upright bass and jazz composition. Wagler had the opportunity to study with bass virtuosos Mike Downes, Pat Kilbraide and most importantly multi-instrumentalist/composer Don Thompson. Equally important was the chance to meet and jam with classmates, some of the most talented, diverse and inspiring young musicians in the city.
After receiving a three-year diploma in Jazz Performance from Humber, Wagler continued to live in Toronto, teaching privately, playing jazz and forming the art-rock trio Backwoods Justice with Tim Carson and Rob Blank. Songwriting is shared equally within the band and Tyler plays upright and electric bass, acoustic and electric guitar live with the band as well as keyboards and percussion in the studio. After playing together for nearly two years they have added Christian Inglevics on drums and are about to release their second self-released EP Earthquake Feet. During this time, Wagler also joined the jazz quintet Sploink with Don Buchanan, Jason Hunter, Rob Gasidlo and Bruce Campbell. Their debut album is being released in summer 2007 and features all original music including five of Tyler’s compositions.
Wagler is currently living in Toronto, teaching privately, playing gigs with a wide variety of bands, composing and rededicating himself to the guitar after five years being exclusively a bass player. He has just joined the band Dan Fournier and The Pill as a guitar player after playing bass on their second album. Wagler will spend the summer of 2007 running rock and jazz camps in Toronto, releasing albums by Sploink and Backwoods Justice as well spending time in Owen Sound performing in David Sereda and Joan Chandler’s production of “Tom”, a musical based on the life of iconic painter Tom Thomson. Music from this production will be performed at the owen Sound art gallery at 8 p.m. on July 25th.
Listen to Music Composed by Tyler
Track 1: A Mid-Summer Night’s waltz (performed by Sploink)
Tyler’s Discography
Jive On Rye – Arbitrary Name – guitar, co-writer
Joel Morelli – Live At The Roxy – sideman – guitar, bass, mandolin
Backwoods Justice – Flowers Grow ‘Round The Stones – guitar, bass, co-writer
Backwoods Justice - Earthquake Feet – guitar, bass, organ, percussion, co-writer
Sploink – self-titled - upright bass, composer
Dan Fournier & The Pill – self-titled – upright and electric basses
Tyler’s Collaborators
Lars Jensen, Joel Morelli, David Sereda, Trevor McKenzie, Friendly Rich &The Lollipop People, Dan Fournier & The Pill, The Legendary Platters, Don Buchanan, Kara Harun, Yvonne Moore.
Tyler’s Influences
Radiohead, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Charles Mingus, Tom Waits, John Coltrane, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, Miles Davis, Don Thompson, Burning Spear, Broken Social Scene, Fela Kuti, Radiohead, James Jamerson, Jaco Pastorius, The Beatles, Kenny Wheeler, Hawksley Workman, Beck, The Roots, Medeski, Martin & Wood.
Thanks to Tyler for sharing his music and bio with us for this profile. If you would like to see other local musicians, or if you would like to have a profile created for you, just visit our Find Local Musicians page.
Clock Strikes Music-Local Musician Profile
June 19, 2007
Clock Strikes Music are based out of Ottawa, Ontario, and have been rocking the nation’s capital for the last four years. With the captivating sound of their soon-to-be released CD in combination with their countrywide tour this summer, 2007 is sure to be a breakout year for the band.
Born primarily a punk rock band, over the last couple of years the group has quickly diversified themselves by incorporating reggae, rock, two-tone ska and afrobeat. Their unified sound features technical rhythms, upbeat guitars riffs, and refreshingly intelligent lyrics that command the attention of all types of music lovers.
Not long after beginning to perform in Ottawa they began to garner the attention of audiences and promoters as diverse as their music. Their energetic, passionate, high-octane performances have enabled them to share the stage with varied acts such as Belvedere, Ari Up and the True Warriors, Greg MacPherson, Smoke or Fire, and The Queers. The band has also had the opportunity to play all types of venues and shows as well as being involved in fund raising and charity events.
In the summer of 2006, Clock Strikes Music had the opportunity to try out their touring legs, taking a jaunt across Ontario. This gave the band a first hand look at the
sacrifice and dedication required for life on the road as well as a chance to calibrate their live show. More importantly, it provided the fire inside to keep on writing and touring their music.
The band will be seeking label support for the release of their new full length album which is to be released in the spring of 2007 and will give listeners over an hour’s worth of music. The album promises to bring together fast and furious punk rock, infectious organic reggae, and wall-of-sound guitar jams that will surely cater to their eclectic group of fans.
With this as their most exciting recording to date, expect to hear more from this young group of ambitious artists.
Listen to Clock Strikes Music’s Tunes
Track 1: Litigation Mania
Track 2: Foundation
Band Members
Clock Strikes Music’s Influences
PROPAGANDHI, FELA KUTI, THE CONGOS, THE GLADIATORS, REFUSED, BAD RELIGION, BOB MARLEY, KING TUBBY, ANTIBALAS, HENDRIX, THE HERBALISER, NEIL YOUNG, SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND, HELLA, JAMES BROWN, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, TEN FOOT POLE
Upcoming Shows
Clock Strikes Music’s Links
A big thanks out to the Clock Strikes squad for letting us post their rockin’ tuneage, and a reminder that it’s easy to find more local musicians or create profiles at theOwen.com!!
Brian Moniz-Local Musician Profile
June 18, 2007
Brian Moniz has Owen Sound in his blood. His musical vision has grown out from the area, but the Sound can unquestionably be heard in his sound. Even when singing strident protest songs about American foreign and domestic policy his voice embraces the life of good friends and good times that is so important to him. He is fiercely loyal to his hometown and the friends and family who populate it. Brian sings gut-wrenching songs peopled with underdogs, innocent criminals and Machiavellian authority figures. He is genuinely moved to write songs by a belief in the sanctity of human life and the rights and freedoms of the individual. This theme in his music is so strong that it lead him to name his soon-to-be-released CD “Outlaws & Underdogs”.
Brian describes the first moment he knew he wanted to play guitar and sing taking place on the old Clarenville ship and restaurant that used to float in the Owen Sound inner harbour. As Brian and his family ate dinner Larry Jensen filled the air with sweet sound. Brian got his start writing songs with Billy Moore, Mike Morris and Troy Mills in the mid-1980’s. By the late ’80’s he was in his first band, a project called “Life Sentence”. He played around Owen Sound for years. It was he and Pam who instigated the amazing open stage at Jazzmyn’s which has become a long-standing tradition in town and is still going strong on a Wednesday night.
His first recordings explored the counter-culture of the Yorkville scene circa the late 1960’s, inspired by the discovery that his biological mother had been deeply involved in this movement. These songs built his reputation as a songwriter with a poetic sensibility. This exploration of a moment in musical history led to his playing at benefits and festivals with the likes of Teenage Head, Sylvia Tyson and Kenzington Market. He has also been honoured to play with local blues band, “Darafuzz”, and to open for the likes of April Wine, Bobnoxious and Gord Bamford.
His latest recording project, “Outlaws & Underdogs” is to be released on July 1st 2007, with a CD release party scheduled for Friday July 13th at Jazzmyn’s. There will be special appearances by many of the musicians who appear on the album, including Pete Devlin, Joel Morelli, Tommy Gilham, Paul Farrow and also appearances by Neil Towers, Adam Reese and more.
Pete Devlin and Neil Towers will also be accompanying Brian when he travels down to Covington Kentucky on August 26th to play the “Concert for Freedom”, a festival of musicians posted on Neil Young’s “Living With War” internet site. Brian’s video, “Ghosts of 9-11″ peaked at number three and was in the top ten on that site from February to June. Currently this video sits at number 13, above Kris Kristofferson, Roger Waters, Pink and Pearl Jam. His single, “Godspeed”, is currently sitting at number 103 in a list of 1897 songs. We are proud to be able to present to you two tracks from Brian Moniz’s new album, including “Ghosts of 9-11″. Catch this singer/songwriter at a cozy local venue while you still can. We’ve listed his upcoming gigs below, and you can also find them on our live music listings.
To conclude we’ll leave you with some of Brian’s own words: “I’m proud to hail from the mighty Owen Sound. We have some of the finest musicians and songwriters around, from Larry Jensen to Joel Morelli. We got it all right here,right now”.
Listen to Brian’s Tunes
Track 1: Ghosts of 9-11
Track 2: Once in a While
Watch Brian’s Video
Brian’s Collaborators
Paul Farrow (Producer),Pete Devlin, Tommy Gilham, Joel Morelli, Paul Farrow, Neil Towers.
Brian’s Influences
Van Halen, Neil Young, Hank JR, Bob Seger, Tesla
Brian’s Links
Thanks out to Brian for sharing his music and video, and a word to the wise that it’s easy to find more local musicians or create profiles at theOwen.com!!
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