Local band Perpetuate celebrate CD release
By Alanna Magri
Lance Writer
March 29, 2011
“Is she hot?” is usually the first response people give when they find out local metal band Perpetuate is actually a female-fronted band, says guitarist/vocalist Jamie Hush.
While Hush thinks it’s “a great change in pace to have a female singer compared to the magnitude of metal bands who only scream,” singer and keyboardist Kim McInnis wants to see “more female singers in heavier bands so we can get rid of this ‘female-fronted’ tag. Nobody calls a band male-fronted.”
Even though Perpetuate came together a little over a year ago, they already have many memories, accomplishments, and even an upcoming record to share.
In the fall of 2009, Hush found himself posting flyers for band members on any surface he could find. After receiving a few phone calls and having to change two members, the final five consists of Hush, McInnis, Chris Rafinski (guitar, vocals), Michael Wiznuk (drums, vocals), and Calvin Love (bass, vocals).
Hush is influenced by bands like Trivium, Kamelot, Nine Inch Nails, Opeth and Streetlight Manifesto and admits that they didn’t start listening to female-fronted metal bands until McInnis joined.
Their songs are described as “a mix of classic ‘80s-metal song structures with the detuned guitars of modern metal,” said Hush. The keyboards create a giant texture while the guitar leads sometimes take on a bit of inspiration from Van Halen.
As for their lyrics, McInnis’ interest in sci-fi and epic poetry is apparent in her songs but she urges people to interpret the lyrics about disillusionment, self-actualization, and coming-of-age in their own way.
Being from the small city of Windsor, individuals like Jay Soulliere (Gateway Productions), David Silveira (Sinnastarr Entertainment), Craig Newman (CDN Records) and Adam Marz (Marz Media) have helped Perpetuate’s success and the success of the Windsor music scene as a whole.
In the short time they’ve been together, some memories include a sold out show at the Coach and Horses with London band Battlesoul and opening for Oshawa band-on-the-rise Hail the Villain.
McInnis remembers ditching the real instruments and trading them for plastic ones during Caesars Windsor Rock Band video game tournament last May, where they made it to the final round, winning enough money to cover the cost of recording their first demo.
When asked about the future of Perpetuate, Hush and McInnis gave two very different, but aspiring, ideas. Hush is thinking more local by trying to promote Perpetuate in other Canadian cities such as Hamilton, Chatham, and Kitchener, while McInnis is thinking more global with a symphony backing them up in Europe, which in her eyes is, “the ultimate goal.”
But as of right now Perpetuate is preparing for their CD release party at The Blind Dog on Friday, April 1.
After an interesting, fun, and sometimes difficult past year or so in a band, Hush has these last words to say: “Start a band. It doesn’t matter how far you get, you’ll meet some of the most interesting people of your life and gain a million more cool stories than you would sitting at home and playing XBox all day.”
Visit www.myspace.com/perpetuateband for more information about their CD release. |
