The Waking Eyes
Encyclopedia
The Waking Eyes is a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg and Steinbach
, Manitoba
.
from Steinbach and Novillero
from Winnipeg. In 2002 The Waking Eyes released a full-length album, Combing the Clouds. This was followed up by their 2004 album, Video Sound
. The line up in the band changed when bassist Russ Duerksen left and Joey Penner was introduced.
The band has been on several tours, having traveled all across Canada, as well as into the United States and to overseas locations such as Germany for POPKOMM's
"Kick it like Canada". In 2005 the group was nominated for a Juno Award
for New Group of the Year
but lost to Alexisonfire
.
The Waking Eyes spent the better part of 2006 holed-up in their Winnipeg jam space, writing and demoing songs for their next album. Pre-production took place in Winnipeg during February 2007.
The band recorded the follow-up to Video Sound in a Winnipeg studio in May 2007 with producer/engineer John Paul Peters (formerly of The Undecided
).
The Waking Eyes' new record, Holding on to Whatever It Is, was released digitally via iTunes on July 1, 2008. The band released the record on vinyl in September 2008, and CD copies became available November 4, 2008.
, a soul-pop band he formed with Winnipeg singer Marti Sarbit. Their debut CD, Temporary Resident, was released in early 2011.
Meanwhile, Peters released the debut album by his other band, Royal Canoe, on July 6, 2010. Titled "Co-Op Mode," the CD was written and recorded in 2006 and features collaborations, co-writes and performances with all of the members of The Waking Eyes, as well as Nathan Blanchard, Jo Snyder, David Wiebe, Andy Freund and Tom Keenan. Royal Canoe's current line-up includes Peters (vocals, keys, guitar), fellow Waking Eye Joey Penner (bass), Bucky Driedger (guitar), Matt Schellenberg (keys), Jeff Bruce (drums), Michael Jordan (drums) and Derek Allard (drums). The band is working on new material, as evidenced by the new demo "Exodus of the Year."
Other Waking Eyes side projects include Terrier (Matyas' solo material), The Mothers Brothers Band (Matyas' collaboration with Ewan Currie of Saskatoon's The Sheepdogs
), Milk (a joke hip-hop act featuring Matyas and Peters), [Racket] and The Lesser Baldwins, a rumored collaboration between Peters and Winnipeg actor/musician Tom Keenan.
Peters is also heavily involved in Winnipeg's music scene, writing, recording and/or producing for/with The Liptonians, Slattern, Demetra, Ruth Moody, This Hisses and Triunfo do Gato.
Steinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach is a city of approx. 13,500 people in the southeast corner of the province of Manitoba, Canada, a short distance from the capital Winnipeg. Steinbach is the largest community in the Eastman region of Manitoba. The city is located in the R.M. of Hanover and bordered to the east by the R.M...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
.
History
The band formed after the break-up of two other Manitoba bands, The PetsThe Pets
The Pets is an indie-rock band from Steinbach, Manitoba. The members of The Pets were Chris Peters, Matthew Peters, Myron Schulz and Stephen Senkiw. They released the album Love and War on Endearing Records in 2000; the album had considerable success on college radio in Canada. Members of the Pets...
from Steinbach and Novillero
Novillero
Novillero is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 1999 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their musical style has been dubbed "mod-pop".Novillero formed in 1999 out of the ashes of Winnipeg lounge pop darlings Transonic, picking up Rod Slaughter , Dave Berthiaume , and Rusty Matyas along the way...
from Winnipeg. In 2002 The Waking Eyes released a full-length album, Combing the Clouds. This was followed up by their 2004 album, Video Sound
Video Sound
Video Sound is the second release of the Canadian rock band The Waking Eyes. The album was produced by Arnold Lanni who is known for his work with many Canadian bands such as Our Lady Peace, Simple Plan, Thousand Foot Krutch and Finger Eleven.-Tracks:...
. The line up in the band changed when bassist Russ Duerksen left and Joey Penner was introduced.
The band has been on several tours, having traveled all across Canada, as well as into the United States and to overseas locations such as Germany for POPKOMM's
Popkomm
Popkomm is an international trade show for the music and entertainment business, and also integrates a congress and festival. It is held in Berlin but has had entries from at least 55 other countries. Popkomm is organised by Popkomm GmbH, Berlin.- History :...
"Kick it like Canada". In 2005 the group was nominated for a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for New Group of the Year
Juno Award for New Group of the Year
The Juno Award for the New Group of the Year has been awarded since 1974, as recognition each year for the best new group or band in Canada. The award was originally known as Most Promising Group of the Year, and from 1994–2002 it was known as Best New Group.-Most Promising Group of the Year...
but lost to Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
.
The Waking Eyes spent the better part of 2006 holed-up in their Winnipeg jam space, writing and demoing songs for their next album. Pre-production took place in Winnipeg during February 2007.
The band recorded the follow-up to Video Sound in a Winnipeg studio in May 2007 with producer/engineer John Paul Peters (formerly of The Undecided
The Undecided
The Undecided was a Christian pop punk band from Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada. The group released one independent album before releasing two albums for Tooth and Nail Records. They released The Undecided in 1999 and More to See in 2001. They were the first Canadian group to be signed by Tooth and...
).
The Waking Eyes' new record, Holding on to Whatever It Is, was released digitally via iTunes on July 1, 2008. The band released the record on vinyl in September 2008, and CD copies became available November 4, 2008.
Discography
- Combing the Clouds (2002)
- Video SoundVideo SoundVideo Sound is the second release of the Canadian rock band The Waking Eyes. The album was produced by Arnold Lanni who is known for his work with many Canadian bands such as Our Lady Peace, Simple Plan, Thousand Foot Krutch and Finger Eleven.-Tracks:...
(2004) - Holding On to Whatever It IsHolding on to Whatever it IsHolding On To Whatever It Is is an album by The Waking Eyes, released in 2008.It was released on July 1, 2008 on iTunes, and a physical CD was released in stores on November 4, 2008.-Track listing:# "Holding On To Whatever It Is"...
(2008)
Music videos
- "Watch Your Money"
- "The Beginning"
- "On a Train"
- "But I Already Have It"
- "Taking the Hard Way" (With scenes showing their live shows)
- "All Empires Fall"
- "Wolves at the Door"
Radio singles
- "Watch Your Money"
- "The Beginning"
- "On a Train"
- "If You Know Why"
- "All Empires Fall"
Side projects
As of July 2010, The Waking Eyes are on hiatus, allowing the members of the band to concentrate on other musical projects. Matyas is currently touring with Imaginary CitiesImaginary Cities
Imaginary Cities is a Canadian indie pop band. Based in Winnipeg, the band consists of multi-instrumentalist Rusty Matyas, formerly of The Waking Eyes and a sometime collaborator with The Weakerthans, and vocalist Marti Sarbit....
, a soul-pop band he formed with Winnipeg singer Marti Sarbit. Their debut CD, Temporary Resident, was released in early 2011.
Meanwhile, Peters released the debut album by his other band, Royal Canoe, on July 6, 2010. Titled "Co-Op Mode," the CD was written and recorded in 2006 and features collaborations, co-writes and performances with all of the members of The Waking Eyes, as well as Nathan Blanchard, Jo Snyder, David Wiebe, Andy Freund and Tom Keenan. Royal Canoe's current line-up includes Peters (vocals, keys, guitar), fellow Waking Eye Joey Penner (bass), Bucky Driedger (guitar), Matt Schellenberg (keys), Jeff Bruce (drums), Michael Jordan (drums) and Derek Allard (drums). The band is working on new material, as evidenced by the new demo "Exodus of the Year."
Other Waking Eyes side projects include Terrier (Matyas' solo material), The Mothers Brothers Band (Matyas' collaboration with Ewan Currie of Saskatoon's The Sheepdogs
The Sheepdogs
The Sheepdogs are a Canadian rock band from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, consisting of Ewan Currie on vocals and guitar, Leot Hanson on guitar, Ryan Gullen on bass and Sam Corbett on drums....
), Milk (a joke hip-hop act featuring Matyas and Peters), [Racket] and The Lesser Baldwins, a rumored collaboration between Peters and Winnipeg actor/musician Tom Keenan.
Peters is also heavily involved in Winnipeg's music scene, writing, recording and/or producing for/with The Liptonians, Slattern, Demetra, Ruth Moody, This Hisses and Triunfo do Gato.
External links
- The Waking Eyes official site
- "From the Ground Up" – A November 2006 article about The Waking Eyes
- Interview with Matt Peters – October 15, 2008