As “the funnest 10 person band ever” (Chris Kelly, CBC Radio 3), Saskatoon’s Carbon Dating Service has a lot more going for it than just a clever name. Their ambitious and sprawling self-titled debut, released in June 2006, earned the band a comfortable seat on campus and community radio charts nationwide, while the taste-makers at Fluxblog affectionately described their sound as “layers of warm, gentle instrumentation piled on like blankets”. This cozy atmosphere of triumphant pop symphonies, quiet country gems and raucous club bangers provides a perfect arsenal for doing battle with the shivering winters of their hometown.
One year later, Saskatoon’s spring thaw flooded Carbon Dating Service out of the basement with Polyentendrii, an album that bobs on its very own raft built of duct-taped trombones, flugelhorn, harp, viola, synthesizers, thumb piano, banjo and whirligigs. Exploring their backgrounds in classical, jazz, cute things, lo-fi indie rock and Dungeons & Dragons, Carbon Dating Service spent the winter feverishly disassembling and reassembling songs like malfunctioning electronic appliances. The result is eight unforgettable compositions, with loving attention paid to Masterpiece Theatre flourishes, arm-linking choral interludes, catchy baroque canons and the odd snow-melting explosion.
The eight-member “geek rock” orchestra will travel in its trademark school bus to venues across Eastern Canada in the summer of 2008. The group will be debuting songs from its upcoming third album Victory, Triumph and Glory. Included in the tour will be a CBC Radio 3 In-Session performance to be recorded in Toronto and made available online at a later date.
About Ride ’Til Dawn
We all went to Highschool together. Let that be known. Lots of people get careers and marriages and new lives, and other people don’t. I suppose we would all fall into the latter category. In the ominous period when shit starts getting real, drifting between highscool and into our early 20’s, we found ourselves immersed in new cities, different bands, shitty jobs, the occasional girl, growing record collections, playing the goof, lengthy busts into the wild, growin’ up, and, most of all, hanging out and trying to make things happen. During this time Mitch was honing his songwriting chops, piecing together an expansive songbook that evolved form downbeat, hurtin’ times country-folk to upbeat, good times Rock N’ Roll. Over the years a lot of folks have played in the band, but only a few stuck. Greg first slapped the skins when the group was known as “A Horse Called Murder” (also featuring Laramee from “Golden Smoke”). Fraser played with Ian in the dance-rock turned MC5 thunder of “Parades Against Parades.” When, during the oh-so-cold winter that was ’07, we found ourselves together once more, living in Saskatoon, we decided to start rocking out together in a jamspace that was as tiny as it was filthy, and things, well, they just started a-happening (because it’s a happenin’ thing, baby). With Fraser Bedlam taking the bottom end with a rumble to loosen the shit of the most uptight, Greg-Gravy Reese livin’ in the laid back beats of Ralph Molina, Mitch Grier hanging up the old acoustic in favour of a sparkling tele, and Ian Potts laying down hot licks, sweatin’ and makin’ the ladies swoon, and that’s the band: Ride Til Dawn. And just in case you were wondering, . . . we get our rocks off via The Replacements, Saskatchewan livin’, good brews, Badfinger and love (and all that it brings, be it hurt, pain or bliss). -The boys. About Taberfucks
either a joke disguised as a band, or a band disguised as a joke…..i can’t remember