A Primitive Evolution
Encyclopedia
A Primitive Evolution is an alternative rock
band based in Toronto
, Canada
.
and The Creepshow
.
In 2007, The band self-produced the video for "Death on Wheels" alongside Frankenstein cheerleaders as part of the 2007 L'Oréal
Fashion Week, which was voiced by the late, Martin Streek
. "Death on Wheels" would initiate, The Death Girls, cheerleaders and super-fans that dance and sing at A.P.E events, sometimes by joining the band on stage. Notable Death Girls include Canadian model, Madaline Zanni as well as models from the adult website Suicide Girls. A Primitive Evolution would later appear on the adult news channel, Naked News
. "Death on Wheels" was also featured on Alan Cross
's "Five Songs You Gotta Hear Today".
In 2008, A Primitive Evolution played a Canadian Music Week
showcase at The Bovine Sex Club
. In 2008 the band continued writing and recording their debut album and worked on another music video for the song "Beyond True". In May they posted a demo for the song "Empty Holes", which would later also have a corresponding music video. Brett said in a 2010 interview that during these early years the band worked "just writing and figuring each other out".
In the spring of 2009 the group founded the music festival VIVA LOS MUERTOS (2009 line-up featuring The Birthday Massacre
, for whom Brett had performed live keyboards for during their Fall 2004 tour). The festival included "Major merch sales, dancing Playdead mascots and an eclectic long-weekend crowd that collectively offered plenty for the live eye”. The festival had an "overwhelmingly good response", according to the band, hoping to further secure the creation and maintenance of a dynamic "Death Rock" scene in Toronto. Playdead Cult's "Moop", would continue to be the bands mascot and can be seen dancing on stage during the bands live performances.
Later on in 2009, the band’s self-produced debut video for “Death on Wheels”, voiced by the late veteran Toronto radio DJ Martin Streek, caught the attention of the production crew for the vampire musical movie Suck
. This film debuted at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
featured the likes of Iggy Pop
, Alice Cooper
and Henry Rollins
The film consequently utilized the band’s rehearsal space as a set for several scenes in the film. Finally at the end of 2009 the band would release their self-titled debut album.
February 16, 2010, the band released their debut album digitally for worldwide distribution. In the summer of 2010, Adm Shedden, formerly of The Birthday Massacre and currently of Hunter Eves, joined to perform on live violin for acoustic shows. In 2010, the band continued playing shows in Toronto, Hamilton
, Niagara Falls
, Kitchener
and Barrie
.
On February 15, 2011, the band posted on their Facebook
profile that Scott Carruthers (Brett's cousin), would replace Dimitri Anastasakis on guitar. In 2011, the band recorded a new acoustic album, co-produced by John Wozniak
, and welcomed back their friend, Adm Shedden for violin. The band encouraged fans to participate in its development by listening to rough mixes. The band documented the recording process with video, MP3
's and photo updates on their official website and also announced that 20% of the proceeds would be donated to ShelterBox
. In July, the band performed at Trash Fest USA, in Philadelphia, PA. A Primitive Evolution was recommended by George Stroumboulopoulos
for Canadian Music Week 2011 in his Top 3 Buzz Bands out of the 800 that performed.
, Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
, Alpha Galates) and Brett Carruthers. Wagner has worked alongside the likes of Joe Barresi
and Bob Ludwig
. A.P.E., according to the band, is grounded on a few common themes: “the single Death on Wheels draws inspiration from classic grindhouse
horror films, while others like Dead End are thinly veiled love songs. War B. explores political undertones and the Western view of war. Other songs on the album like "Beyond True" explore the romanticism
of human interaction. Alan Cross
has referenced the band to sound like Radiohead
and Nirvana
and would go on to call them the Offspring
of Grunge
in his May 21st 2010 ExploreMusic podcast. (searchable on iTunes)
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Formation
Formed in the fall of 2007 out of band Lye (and before that Aphasia), vocalist Brett Carruthers and bassist Stephany Seki began jamming with drummer Stu Dead, founder of Playdead Cult, a clothing brand and creative lifestyle house located in Toronto. Playdead’s involvement in horror culture lead to inviting the owner of Darkside horror shop’s Dimitri Anastasakis to jam along on guitar. With this line up, they first publicly performed for Toronto’s Queen Street Fire fundraiser alongside Billy TalentBilly Talent
Billy Talent is a Canadian post-hardcore band from Streetsville, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with Ben Kowalewicz as the lead vocalist, Ian D'Sa on lead guitar, bassist Jon Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk ....
and The Creepshow
The Creepshow
The Creepshow is a band from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. The band formed in 2005 when the four original members got together with the purpose of starting a psychobilly band. The Creepshow writes the majority of their songs about horror films....
.
In 2007, The band self-produced the video for "Death on Wheels" alongside Frankenstein cheerleaders as part of the 2007 L'Oréal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
Fashion Week, which was voiced by the late, Martin Streek
Martin Streek
Martin Streek was a Canadian radio DJ known for his work on CFNY-FM in Toronto, Ontario. His on-air duties included hosting the Thursday 30, live-to-air from the Phoenix Night Club, and live-to-air from the Velvet Underground. He committed suicide on July 6, 2009.-Youth:Streek grew up in the...
. "Death on Wheels" would initiate, The Death Girls, cheerleaders and super-fans that dance and sing at A.P.E events, sometimes by joining the band on stage. Notable Death Girls include Canadian model, Madaline Zanni as well as models from the adult website Suicide Girls. A Primitive Evolution would later appear on the adult news channel, Naked News
Naked News
Naked News, billing itself as "the program with nothing to hide", is a subscription website featuring a real television newscast. The show is prepared in Toronto and runs daily, with 25-minute episodes 6 days per week. The female anchors read the news fully nude or strip as they present their news...
. "Death on Wheels" was also featured on Alan Cross
Alan Cross
' is a Canadian radio broadcaster and a writer on music. Alan’s obsession with music began at age six when his grandmother gave him a transistor radio—an old Lloyds—which spawned an all-consuming fascination with things that came over airwaves...
's "Five Songs You Gotta Hear Today".
In 2008, A Primitive Evolution played a Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week is an industry conference and music festival held over four days in various venues throughout Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
showcase at The Bovine Sex Club
Bovine Sex Club
The Bovine Sex Club is a bar on Toronto's Queen Street West strip. In operation since January 1991, the Bovine Sex Club has at various times found itself at the forefront of Toronto's rock, punk, alternative, and rockabilly music scenes.A haven for independent musicians and artists since day...
. In 2008 the band continued writing and recording their debut album and worked on another music video for the song "Beyond True". In May they posted a demo for the song "Empty Holes", which would later also have a corresponding music video. Brett said in a 2010 interview that during these early years the band worked "just writing and figuring each other out".
In the spring of 2009 the group founded the music festival VIVA LOS MUERTOS (2009 line-up featuring The Birthday Massacre
The Birthday Massacre
The Birthday Massacre is a synthrock band, based in Toronto, Canada. The band formed in 1999, known then as Imagica...
, for whom Brett had performed live keyboards for during their Fall 2004 tour). The festival included "Major merch sales, dancing Playdead mascots and an eclectic long-weekend crowd that collectively offered plenty for the live eye”. The festival had an "overwhelmingly good response", according to the band, hoping to further secure the creation and maintenance of a dynamic "Death Rock" scene in Toronto. Playdead Cult's "Moop", would continue to be the bands mascot and can be seen dancing on stage during the bands live performances.
Later on in 2009, the band’s self-produced debut video for “Death on Wheels”, voiced by the late veteran Toronto radio DJ Martin Streek, caught the attention of the production crew for the vampire musical movie Suck
Suck (film)
Suck is a 2009 rock-and-roll vampire comedy film starring, written and directed by Rob Stefaniuk. Stefaniuk stars alongside Canadian actress Jessica Paré, Malcolm McDowell and rock legends Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, Moby and Alex Lifeson of Rush. Production took place in and around...
. This film debuted at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
featured the likes of Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
The film consequently utilized the band’s rehearsal space as a set for several scenes in the film. Finally at the end of 2009 the band would release their self-titled debut album.
February 16, 2010, the band released their debut album digitally for worldwide distribution. In the summer of 2010, Adm Shedden, formerly of The Birthday Massacre and currently of Hunter Eves, joined to perform on live violin for acoustic shows. In 2010, the band continued playing shows in Toronto, Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
, Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
and Barrie
Barrie, Ontario
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, approximately 90 km north of Toronto. Although located in Simcoe County, the city is politically independent...
.
On February 15, 2011, the band posted on their Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
profile that Scott Carruthers (Brett's cousin), would replace Dimitri Anastasakis on guitar. In 2011, the band recorded a new acoustic album, co-produced by John Wozniak
Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak , Dylan Keefe , and Shlomi Lavie . The band is best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy".-Early years:...
, and welcomed back their friend, Adm Shedden for violin. The band encouraged fans to participate in its development by listening to rough mixes. The band documented the recording process with video, MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
's and photo updates on their official website and also announced that 20% of the proceeds would be donated to ShelterBox
ShelterBox
ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides portable refuge to disaster victims around the world. Since 2001, it has worked in more than 45 countries, supplying aid to more than 600,000 people, and delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by...
. In July, the band performed at Trash Fest USA, in Philadelphia, PA. A Primitive Evolution was recommended by George Stroumboulopoulos
George Stroumboulopoulos
George Mark Paul Stroumboulopoulos is a Canadian television and radio personality, best known as the host of CBC Television's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight and being a VJ for Canadian music television channel MuchMusic...
for Canadian Music Week 2011 in his Top 3 Buzz Bands out of the 800 that performed.
A.P.E.
The band’s debut album A.P.E., released in early December 2009, was produced by Matthew Von Wagner, (Crystal CastlesCrystal Castles (band)
Crystal Castles are an experimental electronic band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of producer Ethan Kath and lyricist and vocalist Alice Glass. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and their lo-fi home productions. The duo released many limited EPs between 2006 and...
, Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker is a musical duo that began working out of Parkdale, a neighbourhood situated in the west end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, Alpha Galates) and Brett Carruthers. Wagner has worked alongside the likes of Joe Barresi
Joe Barresi
Joe Barresi is an American record engineer and producer who has worked with bands such as Kyuss, The Melvins, Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Coheed and Cambria, Tomahawk, L7, The Jesus Lizard, Parkway Drive and Bad Religion.-Biography:...
and Bob Ludwig
Bob Ludwig
Bob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
. A.P.E., according to the band, is grounded on a few common themes: “the single Death on Wheels draws inspiration from classic grindhouse
Grindhouse
A grindhouse is an American term for a theater that mainly shows exploitation films. It is named after the defunct burlesque theaters located on 42nd Street in New York City, where 'bump n' grind' dancing and striptease were featured.- History :...
horror films, while others like Dead End are thinly veiled love songs. War B. explores political undertones and the Western view of war. Other songs on the album like "Beyond True" explore the romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
of human interaction. Alan Cross
Alan Cross
' is a Canadian radio broadcaster and a writer on music. Alan’s obsession with music began at age six when his grandmother gave him a transistor radio—an old Lloyds—which spawned an all-consuming fascination with things that came over airwaves...
has referenced the band to sound like Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
and Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
and would go on to call them the Offspring
Offspring
In biology, offspring is the product of reproduction, of a new organism produced by one or more parents.Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way...
of Grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
in his May 21st 2010 ExploreMusic podcast. (searchable on iTunes)
Tracks
- War B (4:40)
- Beyond True (4:19)
- Death on Wheels (4:02)
- Just Begun (4:59)
- Dead End (3:59)
- Still Waiting (4:26)
- Coming and Going (3:03)
- Show Me (4:41)
- Train Wreck (4:45)
- To Be Lost (5:17)
- Empty Holes (4:27)
Members
- Brett Carruthers – Lead Vocals, GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(2007–Present) - Scott Carruthers – Lead GuitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(2011–Present) - Stephany Seki – Backing Vocals, Bass, CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
(2007–Present) - Stu Dead – Drums, Percussion (2007–Present)