Eccentric and Electric: Colour Revolution Brings An Off-Kilter Flair to Manitoba's Rock Scene

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Colour Revolution

Manitoba Music has teamed up with Fresh Radio for a new monthly spotlight on local music, dubbed Manitoba Fresh to introduce audiences to a stellar slate of buzzworthy local artists emerging on the Canadian music scene. Featuring on-air segments and online performances via Fresh Radio, and in-depth band profiles right here on manitobamusic.com, Manitoba Fresh continues this month with rock outfit Colour Revolution. Tune in to 99.1 Fresh Radio and stay tuned for so much more...


By Jillian Groening

Some bands can’t help but fit the classic rock’n’ roll mold. Colour Revolution is one of ‘em.

From the disheveled uniform of denim and fur-collard coats to the laid-back, blasé attitude towards all things except the music and the vibe,  Colour Revolution is bringing the TV-smashing times to sleepy Winnipeg.

“Rock’n’ roll is in my blood,” lead singer and guitarist Micah Braun proclaims. “From the day I heard ‘Eruption’ [one of Eddie Van Halen’s influential guitar riffs and possibly one of the greatest guitar solos of all time] I knew it was the job for me.”

A 12-year veteran of the Winnipeg music scene, Braun’s been in bands with drummer Jeff Bruce since the salad days. From the hard-hitting Castrati to the '60s mod pop-influenced group The Nods to the catchy rock outfit Jicah, Braun and Bruce have kept their ears tuned to the sways and pulses of the quickly changing rock climate. Now under the moniker Colour Revolution and joined by Marciej Haczur on guitar and Moog, David McLean on keyboards and guitar, and Joey Penner on bass, Braun and Bruce will be delivering anthemic tunes to pump your sweaty fist and splash your beer on your neighbour to.

When asked what prompted the name change, Braun offered up a nebulous little anecdote.

“A man in a shining white suit flashed his Sonny Bono smile and said he saw big things from us if we did this one little thing,” Braun explains. “Oh sorry, that’s not the story about changing the name. That’s about why we wear three piece suits.”

Quirky banter aside, these gents have been hard at work playing gigs at all the usual downtown hotspots and recording material for their debut album due out in the summer of 2016.

Recorded at various resonant spots within the city on the simple tool called a laptop, Colour Revolution cites the experience as “exhilarating, exacting, and exhaustive”. Creativity is a hard job. Especially when it comes to finding that first-time charm.

Like a true pro, Braun handles both the stresses of recording and the reality of a career in music with the same brash attitude.

When asked what some of the challenges of forging a career in the music industry have been, Braun responds “to begin with…everything”. But no one can deny the powers of live performance.

A supernova on stage, Braun possesses that enigmatic energy that you either have or you don’t.

“The moment it all sinks in and everyone on stage and in the audience feels the same thing [is the best part about performing],” Braun says. “A rare occurrence but the times it has gone down makes you chase that dragon. Luckily it’s a slay-able dragon. Hard, but slay-able.”

A benefit of spending the majority of your life in bands and on the road is that you acquire a certain charming particularity about your personal needs. It can range from the extravagant to minimalistic oddities, but everyone has them and they are always fascinating.

“I love discovering new types of junk foods [when I’m on the road],” Braun states. “With Penner it would be finding new creams and balms, for Haczkur it’s those bathroom vending machines with strange colognes and enhancers, Bruce likes to buy fancy sweaters, and McLean just wants to meet everybody’s cats.”

Up next, Colour Revolution will be playing the Big Fun Festival alongside local favourites Ghost Twin, Sc Mira and the Manitoba Music showcase on January 29 at The Good Will.

Apart from the record release and a tour through Canada and the states, Braun’s goals are simple.

“I just wanna play on Conan, man.”

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