SLAVE to the SQUAREwave brings back the fun in live performance ? think 1983 coming back to kick you in the ass. Theirs is a unique, clever mix of all the best of the 80s ? from Devo to Van Halen to Talking Heads ? driven by a mean funky bass line and hard-hitting drums. An infectious dance beat brings all of this up to date for today?s audiences. Add a giant square head and the sexiest, most riveting front man since Bowie and you end up with a stage show that?s out of this world.
BIOGRAPHY
CIRCLE OF A SQUARE
In 1999, the rave scene officially ended. The electronic buzzes and deep grooves silently faded away by its own repetition. Two music fanatics were looking for a change. Standing in the middle of an Oakville farmers field, ex- ravers, Rob Stuart and Colin Troy, shook hands and struck up a conversation. "We talked about how much we loved 'old School' artists like Kraftwerk, Bowie, Talking Heads", remembers Stuart. "The idea of melody, creativity and uniqueness seemed to be lost". After realizing that they lived blocks away from one another, they decided to exchange their own pop demos. "I wasn't looking for a band at the time", says Colin. "I was really writing songs for a female singer, but we definitely had a creative spark!" “Plus were both tired of meaningless, shoe-gazer beats, that music needed a desperate kick in the bollocks”
After 8 months of writing, recording and producing in Rob's tiny living room/ kitchen studio, SLAVE to the SQUAREwave was started and an impending, self titled 16 track CD was released. "After listening to the recording, we knew it had to be put on its feet", says Colin. With the help of ex-drummer (Don Williams) we recruited Andrew Starr. “Andrew came to the first rehearsal and blew me away with his guitar playing", says Colin.
Two months later, on October 26th, 1999, SLAVE to the SQUAREwave debuted at the legendary Lee's Palace in Toronto, Canada in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd of 15 to 20 people. “The show left people speechless”, recalls Colin. "People stood there stunned at first but by the 2nd or 3rd song, everyone was grinning and tapping their feet", recalls Andrew. “After the show we all looked at each other and realized that we had something very special and unique happening”, says Rob. Repeated shows polished the band to the point of a highly demanded 2nd CD. With a wave of new material, they went back to Rob's living room and recorded 'The future is SQUARE'.
MIDDLE OF A SQUARE
"2003 was a such a successful year for us, It was a big turn around", says Rob. During that year SLAVE to the SQUAREwave won international acclaim by beating over 300 bands to win the title of “BEST CANADIAN BAND” in the 'Emergenza Worldwide Battle of the Bands contest. This honour gave them the opportunity to represent Canada in Rottenburg, Germany, where they played to over 10,000 concert goers who responded with dancing, cheering and a ten minute ovation; proving that the band had international appeal.
Successful tours of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and a spring tour of Florida soon followed. Opening for legendary artists such as The Fixx, Gloria Gaynor, Honeymoon Suite, Teenage Head and Loverboy, further exposing the band to a much wider audience. After 2 more years of gigging in Ontario, Quebec, Florida and Michigan, SLAVE to the SQUAREwave had more than enough material for a 3rd CD. With the help of newly recruited ex 'Tristan Psionic' super drummer, Doug Lea, the band returned to Rob's living room to record their new release '12 TOP HITS'. "It's one solid album", states Doug. "I'm extremely proud of what we've recorded, it’s square in all the right places".
2005 broke their music into broader media with songs featured on TV shows such as 'Fashion Television' and 'Degrassi: The Next Generation', they have become favourites with Canadian iconic DJ Dave Marsden of 94.9 fm and hit international airwaves on www.Pulveradio.com
FUTURE OF A SQUARE
12 TOP HITS is loaded with one catchy song after another", says Rob. "Lyrically, this album is about 'Post university graduate blues', states Colin. “The album was written about the frustration of the middle class. It's about humans being eaten alive in suburbia...and sex too!"
"My goal is to have everyone in the world realize that their heads are as SQUARE as mine", says a grinning Colin.