Manitoba Live Music Event

About

Smells Like Wet Dog is here! Solhounds will be releasing their first studio EP March 20th at The Cavern with Ralph and Moon Tan. Like most nights at the Cavern it is sure to be packed so come early or else you will have to wait in line!

Solhounds

Solhounds is a funky psychedelic garage rock group from the prairies, based in Winnipeg Manitoba. Compelled by the power of the riff, and guided by the groove, Solhounds create songs to make you move. Inspired by groups from the 70's, 90's & 2000's, they seek to tap into the energy that they got (and still get) from listening to records and seeing live shows. That same energy that acts as a light through dark times, illuminating the comedy in the tragedies of life. It allowed them to laugh at the madness, heal from the heartaches, deal with life's losses, face it's challenges and get on with the celebrating the good times.

Although relative newcomers to the Winnipeg music scene, they sound as though they've been jamming together for years. That chemistry shows on their debut EP "Smells Like Wet Dog", recorded in Brandon, Manitoba, at Garageland Studios with producer/engineer Mike Posthumus. On each of the 6 songs Solhounds showcases their musicianship and versatility, as well as their love of fusion, with funk-rock, reggae and metal flirtations, and dashes of psychedelic and club music here and there. You can catch them peddling their wares, and performing live around Manitoba at local festivals, and various bars and venues throughout Winnipeg and surrounding areas.

Solhounds started with brothers, Sean and Ian Clements, jamming, writing and recording music together, in their basement apartment with acoustic guitars and unorthodox percussive set-ups. Fast forwards a few years, and find the brothers now living in a house, in the basement, jamming out on electric guitars, and drums, surrounded by a wall of amps, and the floors covered with criss-crossing cables, pedals, and pedal boards. If you look around you'll notice guitarist Ed Durocher and lead bassist (yes, lead bassist) Morgan Davis, have joined the party, adding their own flavour to the mix. Together with the power of funk & rock they make their escape into psychedelic realms of fiction & fantasy, & invite you to come along for the trip…

Ralph

As much an explosion of personality and passion as the word is itself, Ralph is an unstoppable trio creating music with the zeal and tenacity of a Japanese banzai charge. As listeners dig their teeth into the many frequencies Ralph exudes, they will heave, question, and chunder one's cookies at the energetic live performance and delve deeper into the facets of what Ralph truly is.

Moon Tan

Energetic. Funky. Progressive. Vintage. Rock n’ Roll. These are a just few elements that have forged together to create a unique yet very familiar sound, one that is cleverly harnessed by Winnipeg’s newest power trio known as Moon Tan.

Initially drawn together as a cover band, it wasn’t long before the group discovered their natural talent for creating catchy melodies and grooves. The trio –consisting of drummer Nicholas Kula, Guitarist Brady Mitchell and Bassist Adrian Dyer– soon amassed a large catalogue of instrumental material, but this music demanded a voice. After hunting throughout the city in search of a front man, Adrian decided to take the torch and undergo vigorous vocal training. The group hasn’t looked back since.

Very active in Winnipeg’s nightlife scene, Moon Tan never fails to turn heads during their dynamic live performances. What truly makes this sound unique is the technical expertise intertwined in their eclectic and electric sets. With funky, driving bass lines that lift you from your seats, beastly-intricate drum beats that draw you to the dance floor, piercing vocals and soaring-melodic guitar licks cleverly woven into the mix, this power trio packs a punch. “We enjoy dabbling in unconventional time signatures while still maintaining a common sound ground with our audience,” says front man Adrian Dyer. “Whether you’re into dance tunes or math rock, we’ll have a little something to catch your ear.” This is evident on Moon Tan’s track “Medieval Dance”, which lures you in as it transforms from a dance pop number into a psychedelic, jazzy breakdown, and then ties back neatly together at the end.

The group released their self-titled debut EP November of 2013 under the guidance of Ron “Obvious” Vermeulen, a pioneer in the recording industry. Ron’s experience was honed during the emergence of punk in the 80’s, working with Loverboy and constructing several recording studios, including “The Warehouse Studio” for Bryan Adams. Ron was keen to bring the uniqueness of the band’s sound to the studio, and has since collaborated with Moon Tan on the production of a live performance video “The Cure”.

Moon Tan followed up the release of the EP with a thematic video around “Medieval Dance” and then worked the local Winnipeg scene during the winter of 2014 before launching their Western Canadian Tour in June. The band rocked the scene across the prairies all the way to Vancouver Island on the West Coast, bringing their unique sound to new Canadian fans. Never to rest on past work, Kula, Mitchell and Dyer launched their album "New Age Renegade" on Feb.6th, 2015. The trio were recorded and produced by Dale Penner of Paradise Alley Studios, known for his work with Nickleback, Matthew Good Band and Take Me To The Pilot. They intend to support this album with a new music video, followed by a tour in March 2015.

“Our sound reaches back to the roots of Rock and Roll, but infuses it with new creative influences,” says Adrian Dyer. “We strive to make Moon Tan not only a great live band, but also an experience.” The band takes its cue from the energy of our fans.” If the rave reviews Moon Tan received from past live performances is any measure, new audiences will drive this band to even greater heights.