Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker
Encyclopedia
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker (USS) is a musical duo that began working out of Parkdale
, a neighbourhood situated in the west end of Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. The band is composed of vocalist, guitarist and erhu
player Ashley Buchholz (aka Ash Boo-Schultz) and turntablist
/hype man
Jason "Human Kebab" Parsons
.
The USS sound is a mixture of drum and bass
beats, grunge
-like guitar riffs and 2-step
rhythms. "We like to call what we do the campfire after-party," Ash said, "It's like you're at Nirvana Unplugged but there's a drum and bass party and glow sticks all around you."
, Ash being from the town of Markham
and Kebab from the adjacent town of Stouffville
. They met in 2004, while stocking the beer fridge and discussing music when they worked at a golf course; the pair hit it off instantaneously. A couple of months later, Ash's sister was looking for someone to DJ at her upcoming wedding and Human Kebab was suggested for the job. "It was love at first scratch
" Ash said, who later moved into Kebab's parents' basement to begin experimenting musically.
The band's name came about when Ash sketched out map of exactly who he wanted to be in life. At the top of this life-plan he wrote, "Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker." Although this title was to become the band’s moniker, the duo says that the name is for everyone: “It's singular — it's the title of a characteristic, not the title of two guys”, Ash said.
“Opportunity exists as a result of what you’re putting out to the world,” said Kebab.
By July 2008 they began to perform live, and they released their first independent EP
, Welding the C:/ later that same month.
They hadn't predicted the success that was to follow the EP’s release. The band parted ways to pursue different avenues; Kebab went west, to the province of Alberta
to work on an oil pipeline
and Ash went south, to the US, on an emotional pilgrimage
. Everything changed when a friend of Kebab's called to report that Toronto radio station 102.1 The Edge had put their first single
, Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole, into heavy rotation. The duo then returned to Toronto, to shoot their first video for Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole which was soon featured across Canada on the MuchMusic
channel.
, on the Canadian section of their 1UP! Tour.
Shortly after the destruction in Haiti
took place, Toronto's alternative performers came together on Feb. 2, 2010, at The Sound Academy, for the 102.1 The Edge sponsored Toronto Plays For Haiti benefit. USS headlined the event, alongside Choclair
, The Salads
, Die Mannequin
, The Trews
and Moneen
. That evening, on impulse, Human Kebab played DJ to Canadian Hip-hop legend, Maestro Fresh Wes. (Round two of the USS/Maestro mash-up happened at Wakestock 2010, in Collingwood, Ontario
.)
March/April was all about the Highway to Health tour. USS headlined Western Canada, from Barrie
to British Columbia
, with The Stables, a Durham Region band, along for the ride as direct support.,
USS brought home their second consecutive COCA Award (Canadian Organization of Campus Activities) for Emerging Artist, (Winner of Emerging Artist Award 2009/2010), on June 25, 2010.
In September, Smirnoff
launched their most ambitious “Be There” campaign ever, the Nightlife Exchange Project. The countries that participated, Canada
, USA, Great Britain
, Argentina
, Australia
, Brazil
, Germany
, India
, Ireland
, Lebanon
, Poland
, South Africa
, Thailand
and Venezuela
all exchanged their culture with another country, and on Nov. 27, the world partied "together." USS were named as the Canadian curators, to deliver Canadian nightlife to India.
Human Kebab explains, "To truly experience Canadian nightlife, you need a curator that's all about its awesomeness, and we are honoured and proud to be asked by Smirnoff to accept this role. Having toured our great nation from coast to coast we have rocked hard with Canadians nightly for many years now, so we're stoked to fill our crate with every inch of our country and show our exchange city how it's done."
In October, mid-campaign, USS flew to Mumbai, India to truly experience the culture. Human Kebab spoke to Eye Weekly
about the experience: “We started off by going to a few really well-known spots in Mumbai, like the Indus restaurant in the Hotel Diplomat, right beside the Taj Mahal Hotel, which of course was attacked by terrorists in 2008. We also saw the Leopold Café and Café Mondegar, which are their own version of what you might see here in North America. For the sake of the United Kingdom, we got to go to the Manchester United bar. And then we went to a club, a real hot spot for dance music called the blueFROG where you have to go through metal detectors to enter the bar, which was amazing and strange.”
USS merged their progressive dance-folk flavour with eastern bad-boy Ashley MacIsaac
’s fiery story-telling fiddle, and in November, USS released the single "Mavericks", a lyrical throwback to the notoriously dangerous big-break wave in Northern California
. The single is riddled with underlying metaphors, asking the listener to realizing their own impossible task; "Mavericks" is Jeff Clark
’s dream, applied to your own life (Clark is famous for surfing the wave for 15 years before it was widely discovered),.
The stand-alone, "Mavericks," featuring Ashley MacIsaac
, is available on iTunes
and their merchandise website.,.
USS earned two spots on 102.1 The Edge’s top songs of 2010, with Anti-Venom at #26 and 3 Purple Butterflies at #74.
The wide scale audience singalongs and dancefloor pandemoniums are sure to continue. USS are singing and scratching up new storms, alongside producer Tawgs Salter
(Lights, Elliot Yamin, Josh Groban
). The studio's secluded sanctuary allows for frequent intermissions of wandering the woods, wishing on stars, and quiet moments of self-reflection.
, released by 2K Sports
, includes USS' second single from Questamation, Anti-Venom.
USS’s new single, N/A OK, released on February, 14, 2011 - Valentine’s Day – across Canada
. 102.1 The Edge, in Toronto
was the first to jump on the trail, with legendary DJ Alan Cross
once again supporting the band.
In an interview with Eye Weekly, Human Kebab elaborates on what USS has been working on:
“It’s amazing. We’re working with Tawgs Salter
, who’s done records with Lights, The Midway State
and Josh Groban
, and he’s been helping us define what the new USS is, from a songwriting perspective. We’re free to be quirky, acoustic, singer-songwriter, electronic turntable-based music, but in a bigger sounding format that has global aspirations. We’ve returned more to the minimal that we showed on our first EP, Welding The C:/, but we’re doing it with the right producer, to make it sound as big and powerful as we can be. At the start of the year we did a song with Ashley MacIsaac
, and we followed that with what’s hopefully going to become our new EP.”
In an interview with Niagara Music Scene, Ash explains the EP's title: "Approved, because it seems like everyone has issues of self-worth. YOU'RE ALL GOOD ENOUGH! Most of life is just overcompensation for not feeling like you are good enough. APPROVED!
The new EP entitled, “USS Approved,” was released digitally worldwide on May 3, 2011, the day of the album release party at Toronto's MOD Club + the kick-off date for the "USS Approved" Spring/Summer Cross-Canada tour. The physical copy is available exclusively in Canada
, at the merch booth on tour.
On Saturday August 20th, USS played at Budweiser Canada's fifth annual Bud Camp.
On September 21st, USS revealed their official live drummer, Matthew Murphy, at their Kingston, Ontario show.
, Welding the C:/
, was released July 30, 2008 and became a hot seller across Canada. After the video for Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole started airing regularly on MuchMusic, the band was offered a music video production grant from VideoFACT
to do a partially animated video for the follow-up single, 2 15/16 - which also found its way onto the MuchMusic charts.
On May 30, 2008 the band headlined 102.1 The Edge's Next Big Thing Concert Series, to a record-setting capacity crowd of over 2600 people. The pair performed at the 2008 World Electronic Music Festival
and were also the opening act on the main stage of the annual new-music festival, Edgefest
, held by 102.1 The Edge. August 2008 saw the duo opening at the Cutting Edge Music Festival in Grand Bend Ontario.
On Sep 16, 2008 the duo performed live on MTV Canada
. By October 22, 2008, USS won both of the CASBY Award
s for which they were nominated: Best New Artist, and Best New Single, for the song Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole. In winning the 'as voted by fans' awards, USS bested the likes of Bedouin Soundclash
, Sam Roberts
, Die Mannequin
and Tokyo Police Club
.
The duo also signed a worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing
later that October.
Hollowpoint was featured on the 13th edition of EMI
's Big Shiny Tunes
('Sniper Hyperbole' was commonly publicly dropped, due to pronunciation issues).
Welding the C:/ track list:
, through their independent label, Smashing World Records, on Mar 9, 2009. For the recording, USS teamed up again with Matthew Von Wagner (Crystal Castles
, Alpha Galates) for production and engineering, while Chris Davies and Charles Topping 'aided musically'. Music engineer Bob Ludwig
was recruited to master
the original album in Portland, Maine
. James Black of Finger Eleven is featured playing guitar on "P.S. I Can Change".
The CD packaging was based on the patented Z-CARD design, folding out much like a map. USS was the first band in North America to adopt this design for their album packaging.
Parallel to the album release, USS created the video for Laces Out, which followed onto MuchMusic in March 2009
USS won the award for Favourite Group/Duo at the CMW Indie Awards on March 14, 2009 in Toronto
. During their performance, the duo lit up the stage with a high-energy set, complete with handstands and full-size cardboard cutouts of Barack Obama
and Einstein. The duo sat down and talked to Gene Simmons
of Kiss
in Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern after meeting at a local radio station.
During the holiday season of 2008, USS found themselves touring the Western provinces for a second time. Come March 18 and 19, 2009, USS crossed the border to showcase in the RedGorilla Music Fest, in Texas
. USS made their way to Los Angeles
to play the Viper Room
March 31, 2009 and continued on to New York City
's Mercury Lounge
on April 6, 2009. Between April 14–25, 2009, the duo returned to play Western Canada, this time performing at the TELUS
World Ski & Snowboard Festival, April 21 in Whistler, British Columbia
.
In honour of the Questamation album, USS hosted their 'Let's Get Weird' concert to a variety of artists at Toronto's Sound Academy on May 1, 2009. Describing the evening, Human Kebab said, "It's our official hello to the world." Up first were The Good Times, contest winners from Etobicoke, Ontario, followed by 15-year old rockers from the US, Crooked X
. Blackie Jackett Jr's set was next featuring James Black and Rick Jackett from Finger Eleven
. USS finished the night with singing, smoothies and a volcano.
Below is the track listing of Questamation:
Parkdale, Toronto
Parkdale is a neighbourhood and former village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, west of downtown. The neighbourhood is bounded on the west by Roncesvalles Avenue, on the north by Queen Street. It is bounded on the east by Dufferin Street from Queen Street south, and on the south by Lake Ontario...
, a neighbourhood situated in the west end of 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...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, 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...
. The band is composed of vocalist, guitarist and erhu
Erhu
The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles...
player Ashley Buchholz (aka Ash Boo-Schultz) and turntablist
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
/hype man
Hype man
A hype man in hip hop music and rapping is a “backup rapper/singer who is also responsible for increasing an audience's excitement with call-and-response chants” according to The Hilltop and author Grant Barrett....
Jason "Human Kebab" Parsons
Jason "Human Kebab" Parsons
Jason "Human Kebab" Parsons is a DJ, emcee, producer, writer and voice actor. Raised in Stouffville, Ontario Canada, Parsons currently resides in Toronto. He forms one half of Canadian alternative rock musical act, USS...
.
The USS sound is a mixture of drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
beats, 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...
-like guitar riffs and 2-step
2-step garage
2-step garage, or simply 2-step, is a typically English style of modern electronic dance music, and a relatively popular subgenre of UK garage.A transcription of this article is available as a PDF file.-Characteristics:...
rhythms. "We like to call what we do the campfire after-party," Ash said, "It's like you're at Nirvana Unplugged but there's a drum and bass party and glow sticks all around you."
History
USS hails from the outskirts of the Greater Toronto AreaGreater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
, Ash being from the town of Markham
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
and Kebab from the adjacent town of Stouffville
Stouffville, Ontario
Stouffville is the primary urban area within the Town of Whitchurch–Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. It is centred at the intersection of Main Street, Mill Street and Market Street.-History:...
. They met in 2004, while stocking the beer fridge and discussing music when they worked at a golf course; the pair hit it off instantaneously. A couple of months later, Ash's sister was looking for someone to DJ at her upcoming wedding and Human Kebab was suggested for the job. "It was love at first scratch
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
" Ash said, who later moved into Kebab's parents' basement to begin experimenting musically.
The band's name came about when Ash sketched out map of exactly who he wanted to be in life. At the top of this life-plan he wrote, "Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker." Although this title was to become the band’s moniker, the duo says that the name is for everyone: “It's singular — it's the title of a characteristic, not the title of two guys”, Ash said.
“Opportunity exists as a result of what you’re putting out to the world,” said Kebab.
By July 2008 they began to perform live, and they released their first independent EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Welding the C:/ later that same month.
They hadn't predicted the success that was to follow the EP’s release. The band parted ways to pursue different avenues; Kebab went west, to the province of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
to work on an oil pipeline
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
and Ash went south, to the US, on an emotional pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
. Everything changed when a friend of Kebab's called to report that Toronto radio station 102.1 The Edge had put their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole, into heavy rotation. The duo then returned to Toronto, to shoot their first video for Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole which was soon featured across Canada on the MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
channel.
2010
Just before the New Year, in Nov. of 2009, USS directly supported illScarlettIllScarlett
IllScarlett is a Canadian rock and reggae band.Their sound can be defined as pop infused rock reggae. They have made a name for themselves in the Canadian music scene and are making their name known throughout the United States and around the world...
, on the Canadian section of their 1UP! Tour.
Shortly after the destruction in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
took place, Toronto's alternative performers came together on Feb. 2, 2010, at The Sound Academy, for the 102.1 The Edge sponsored Toronto Plays For Haiti benefit. USS headlined the event, alongside Choclair
Choclair
Kareem Blake, better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He helped develop Canadian hip hop in the 1990s, as a member of the Circle.-Career:...
, The Salads
The Salads
The Salads are a punk rock band from Ontario, Canada, with strong reggae tendencies. They are currently signed to their own label, Maui Wowie Records, after having been signed to Kindling Music, a sub-division of Warner Music Canada.- History :...
, Die Mannequin
Die Mannequin
Die Mannequin is a punk rock band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are fronted by 23-year-old guitar player and singer Care Failure . They played the "Next Big Thing" Stage at Edgefest 1 in 2006, have toured across Eastern Canada several times on their own as well as opening for Buckcherry on...
, The Trews
The Trews
The Trews are a Canadian rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, consisting of vocalist Colin MacDonald, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald, bassist Jack Syperek, and drummer Sean Dalton...
and Moneen
Moneen
Moneen is an indie rock band from Brampton, Ontario, Canada.-History:The band formed in 1999 after the dissolution of another band, called Perfectly Normal. Moneen's original bass player, Mark Bowser, was replaced by Chris Slorach, who left the band after the release of The Theory of Harmonial Value...
. That evening, on impulse, Human Kebab played DJ to Canadian Hip-hop legend, Maestro Fresh Wes. (Round two of the USS/Maestro mash-up happened at Wakestock 2010, in Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...
.)
March/April was all about the Highway to Health tour. USS headlined Western Canada, from Barrie
Barrie
Barrie may refer to:* Barrie, city in Ontario, Canada* Barrie , Canadian federal electoral district* Barrie , provincial electoral district* Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford, former Canadian electoral district...
to British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, with The Stables, a Durham Region band, along for the ride as direct support.,
USS brought home their second consecutive COCA Award (Canadian Organization of Campus Activities) for Emerging Artist, (Winner of Emerging Artist Award 2009/2010), on June 25, 2010.
In September, Smirnoff
Smirnoff
Smirnoff is a brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo. The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov , the son of illiterate Russian peasants. It is now distributed in 130 countries.Smirnoff products include vodka, flavored...
launched their most ambitious “Be There” campaign ever, the Nightlife Exchange Project. The countries that participated, 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...
, USA, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
all exchanged their culture with another country, and on Nov. 27, the world partied "together." USS were named as the Canadian curators, to deliver Canadian nightlife to India.
Human Kebab explains, "To truly experience Canadian nightlife, you need a curator that's all about its awesomeness, and we are honoured and proud to be asked by Smirnoff to accept this role. Having toured our great nation from coast to coast we have rocked hard with Canadians nightly for many years now, so we're stoked to fill our crate with every inch of our country and show our exchange city how it's done."
In October, mid-campaign, USS flew to Mumbai, India to truly experience the culture. Human Kebab spoke to Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid.-...
about the experience: “We started off by going to a few really well-known spots in Mumbai, like the Indus restaurant in the Hotel Diplomat, right beside the Taj Mahal Hotel, which of course was attacked by terrorists in 2008. We also saw the Leopold Café and Café Mondegar, which are their own version of what you might see here in North America. For the sake of the United Kingdom, we got to go to the Manchester United bar. And then we went to a club, a real hot spot for dance music called the blueFROG where you have to go through metal detectors to enter the bar, which was amazing and strange.”
USS merged their progressive dance-folk flavour with eastern bad-boy Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
’s fiery story-telling fiddle, and in November, USS released the single "Mavericks", a lyrical throwback to the notoriously dangerous big-break wave in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. The single is riddled with underlying metaphors, asking the listener to realizing their own impossible task; "Mavericks" is Jeff Clark
Jeff Clark
Jeff Clark is one of the most noteworthy and respected big-wave surfers, famous for surfing Mavericks alone for 15 years before it was widely discovered by the big-wave surfing community....
’s dream, applied to your own life (Clark is famous for surfing the wave for 15 years before it was widely discovered),.
The stand-alone, "Mavericks," featuring Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
, is available on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and their merchandise website.,.
USS earned two spots on 102.1 The Edge’s top songs of 2010, with Anti-Venom at #26 and 3 Purple Butterflies at #74.
The wide scale audience singalongs and dancefloor pandemoniums are sure to continue. USS are singing and scratching up new storms, alongside producer Tawgs Salter
Tawgs Salter
Thomas "Tawgs" Salter is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer and recording engineer. His extensive body of musical work includes a vast array of artists ranging from Josh Groban, Lights and Lenka to Chantal Kreviazuk, Fefe Dobson, Midway State and USS. Salter has also worked alongside...
(Lights, Elliot Yamin, Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
). The studio's secluded sanctuary allows for frequent intermissions of wandering the woods, wishing on stars, and quiet moments of self-reflection.
2011
In March 2011, the soundtrack to MLB 2K11 Major League Baseball 2K11Major League Baseball 2K11
Major League Baseball 2K11 or, in short, MLB 2K11, is an MLB licensed baseball simulation video game published by 2K Sports. MLB 2K11 is available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, and Wii.-Commentators:The commentary is delivered by...
, released by 2K Sports
2K Sports
2K Sports is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. It comprises a single development studio, Visual Concepts, which was purchased from Sega in the year 2005. 2K Sports mainly develops and publishes American sports video games such as NBA 2K series...
, includes USS' second single from Questamation, Anti-Venom.
USS’s new single, N/A OK, released on February, 14, 2011 - Valentine’s Day – across 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...
. 102.1 The Edge, 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...
was the first to jump on the trail, with legendary DJ 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...
once again supporting the band.
In an interview with Eye Weekly, Human Kebab elaborates on what USS has been working on:
“It’s amazing. We’re working with Tawgs Salter
Tawgs Salter
Thomas "Tawgs" Salter is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer and recording engineer. His extensive body of musical work includes a vast array of artists ranging from Josh Groban, Lights and Lenka to Chantal Kreviazuk, Fefe Dobson, Midway State and USS. Salter has also worked alongside...
, who’s done records with Lights, The Midway State
The Midway State
The Midway State is an alternative rock band from Toronto, Canada. The band is signed to Remedy Records worldwide and to Universal Publishing for the world outside North America. The band released their debut album Holes in 2008...
and Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
, and he’s been helping us define what the new USS is, from a songwriting perspective. We’re free to be quirky, acoustic, singer-songwriter, electronic turntable-based music, but in a bigger sounding format that has global aspirations. We’ve returned more to the minimal that we showed on our first EP, Welding The C:/, but we’re doing it with the right producer, to make it sound as big and powerful as we can be. At the start of the year we did a song with Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
, and we followed that with what’s hopefully going to become our new EP.”
In an interview with Niagara Music Scene, Ash explains the EP's title: "Approved, because it seems like everyone has issues of self-worth. YOU'RE ALL GOOD ENOUGH! Most of life is just overcompensation for not feeling like you are good enough. APPROVED!
The new EP entitled, “USS Approved,” was released digitally worldwide on May 3, 2011, the day of the album release party at Toronto's MOD Club + the kick-off date for the "USS Approved" Spring/Summer Cross-Canada tour. The physical copy is available exclusively in 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...
, at the merch booth on tour.
On Saturday August 20th, USS played at Budweiser Canada's fifth annual Bud Camp.
On September 21st, USS revealed their official live drummer, Matthew Murphy, at their Kingston, Ontario show.
Welding the C:/
The band's EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Welding the C:/
Welding The C:/
Welding The C:/ is the first EP released by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker. The album garnered USS a fan base when the first single "Hollow Point Sniper Hyperbole" gained popularity and play on alternative radio stations across Ontario...
, was released July 30, 2008 and became a hot seller across Canada. After the video for Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole started airing regularly on MuchMusic, the band was offered a music video production grant from VideoFACT
VideoFACT
MuchFACT is a Canadian fund that provides grants to Canadian recording artists to help them produce music videos. FACT stands for Foundation To Assist Canadian Talent...
to do a partially animated video for the follow-up single, 2 15/16 - which also found its way onto the MuchMusic charts.
On May 30, 2008 the band headlined 102.1 The Edge's Next Big Thing Concert Series, to a record-setting capacity crowd of over 2600 people. The pair performed at the 2008 World Electronic Music Festival
World Electronic Music Festival
The World Electronic Music Festival is an electronic music event held annually in Southern Ontario over a period of three days. It was run by Destiny Productions out of Toronto. In summer of 2008 Destiny put on what was said to be their last WEMF in Madawaska, however the event has returned in...
and were also the opening act on the main stage of the annual new-music festival, Edgefest
Edgefest
Edgefest, a yearly outdoor rock concert festival that primarily promotes Canadian rock music, began in 1987 as a thank-you gesture to the listeners of Toronto radio station 102.1 the Edge and as a birthday party to commemorate both the station's tenth birthday, and the coinciding Canada Day...
, held by 102.1 The Edge. August 2008 saw the duo opening at the Cutting Edge Music Festival in Grand Bend Ontario.
On Sep 16, 2008 the duo performed live on MTV Canada
MTV Canada
MTV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel devoted to talk, lifestyle and documentary programming.MTV is owned by Bell Media, with its name licensed from the American channel of the same name, which is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom.The channel launched as talktv...
. By October 22, 2008, USS won both of the CASBY Award
CASBY Award
The CASBY Award is a Canadian award for independent and alternative music, presented annually by Toronto, Ontario radio station CFNY, currently branded as 102.1 The Edge. The name CASBY stands for Canadian Artists Selected By You....
s for which they were nominated: Best New Artist, and Best New Single, for the song Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole. In winning the 'as voted by fans' awards, USS bested the likes of Bedouin Soundclash
Bedouin Soundclash
Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band currently based in Toronto. Their sound can be described as reggae and ska.-History:The band's current lineup consists of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, and bassist Eon Sinclair with Sekou Lumumba on drums. Their debut album, Root Fire, released in 2001...
, Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.-Life and career:...
, Die Mannequin
Die Mannequin
Die Mannequin is a punk rock band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are fronted by 23-year-old guitar player and singer Care Failure . They played the "Next Big Thing" Stage at Edgefest 1 in 2006, have toured across Eastern Canada several times on their own as well as opening for Buckcherry on...
and Tokyo Police Club
Tokyo Police Club
Tokyo Police Club is an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It consists of vocalist and bassist David Monks , keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook , and drummer Greg Alsop ....
.
The duo also signed a worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a music publishing company co-owned by The Michael Jackson Family Trust and Sony. The organisation was originally founded as Associated TeleVision in 1955 by Lew Grade. In 1957, ATV acquired Pye Records as a wholly owned subsidiary...
later that October.
Hollowpoint was featured on the 13th edition of EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's Big Shiny Tunes
Big Shiny Tunes
Big Shiny Tunes is a series of rock albums featuring Various Artists compiled and released by the Canadian music television station MuchMusic, beginning in 1996. The best-selling album of the series was Big Shiny Tunes 2, which was certified Diamond in Canada by the CRIA on March 25, 1998...
('Sniper Hyperbole' was commonly publicly dropped, due to pronunciation issues).
Welding the C:/ track list:
- "2 15/16" (3:34)
- "Hollow Point Sniper Hyperbole" (3:43)
- "Drop Around The Clock" (3:12)
- "Form Onederful" (3:19)
- "Pornostartrek" (4:16)
- The original version of the EP contained the song "Turquoise 1:11", but later versions have "The Honeypot".
Questamation
USS released their first full length album QuestamationQuestamation
Questamation, released on Mar 9, 2009, is a full-length semi-programmed album by Canadian band Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker, alias USS, consisting of Ashley Boo-Schultz on guitar and vocals, and Jason Parsons, aka Human Kebab, on turntables and programming...
, through their independent label, Smashing World Records, on Mar 9, 2009. For the recording, USS teamed up again with Matthew Von Wagner (Crystal Castles
Crystal 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...
, Alpha Galates) for production and engineering, while Chris Davies and Charles Topping 'aided musically'. Music engineer 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....
was recruited to master
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
the original album in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. James Black of Finger Eleven is featured playing guitar on "P.S. I Can Change".
The CD packaging was based on the patented Z-CARD design, folding out much like a map. USS was the first band in North America to adopt this design for their album packaging.
Parallel to the album release, USS created the video for Laces Out, which followed onto MuchMusic in March 2009
USS won the award for Favourite Group/Duo at the CMW Indie Awards on March 14, 2009 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...
. During their performance, the duo lit up the stage with a high-energy set, complete with handstands and full-size cardboard cutouts of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and Einstein. The duo sat down and talked to Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
of Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
in Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern after meeting at a local radio station.
During the holiday season of 2008, USS found themselves touring the Western provinces for a second time. Come March 18 and 19, 2009, USS crossed the border to showcase in the RedGorilla Music Fest, in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. USS made their way to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to play the Viper Room
Viper Room
The Viper Room is a nightclub located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. It was opened in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp until 2004. The club became known for being a hangout of Hollywood elite, and was the site where actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose on...
March 31, 2009 and continued on to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Mercury Lounge
Mercury Lounge
The Mercury Lounge is a club/music venue, in the Lower East Side section, of New York City. The structure, at 217 East Houston Street, housed the servants to the Astor Mansion, connected to it by an underground labyrinth of tunnels...
on April 6, 2009. Between April 14–25, 2009, the duo returned to play Western Canada, this time performing at the TELUS
TELUS
Telus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...
World Ski & Snowboard Festival, April 21 in Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
.
In honour of the Questamation album, USS hosted their 'Let's Get Weird' concert to a variety of artists at Toronto's Sound Academy on May 1, 2009. Describing the evening, Human Kebab said, "It's our official hello to the world." Up first were The Good Times, contest winners from Etobicoke, Ontario, followed by 15-year old rockers from the US, Crooked X
Crooked X
Crooked X is a Christian hard rock band from Coweta, Oklahoma, USA, consisting of members Kevin Currie , Jesse Cooper , Boomer Simpson , and Bradd Johnson .-Biography:...
. Blackie Jackett Jr's set was next featuring James Black and Rick Jackett from Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven is a Canadian rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1989. They have currently released five studio albums, with their album The Greyest of Blue Skies bringing them into the mainstream...
. USS finished the night with singing, smoothies and a volcano.
Below is the track listing of Questamation:
- "Cloudboy" (3:56)
- "Laces Out" (2:33)
- "P.S. I Can Change" (4:49)
- "Anti-Venom" (3:47)
- "Neurochemical Warfare Gas Masquerade" (4:19)
- "Stationery Robbery" (2:58)
- "Better Living Centre" (1:14)
- "3 Purple Butterflies" (3:31)
- "Stranger to Myself" (4:15)
- "Man Makes The Zoo" (5:08)
- "Visionary Science Patrol" (4:37)
- "Me vs Us" (19:03) *11 minutes of meditation included.
USS Approved
The newest album released by USS. The band released their 2nd full length album on May 3, 2011. Below is the track listing:- “Yo Hello Hooray (Everyday)” (3:47)
- “Damini” (4:07)
- “Heaven on Mars” (3:20)
- “Prefontaine” (3:32)
- “Minus Me” (3:15)
- “N/A OK” (3:22)
- “K.I.T.” (4:10)
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart peak | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
CAN Alt Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
CAN Rock Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
|||||||
| 2008 | "Hollow Point Sniper Hyperbole" | — | — | — | Welding the C:/ | ||||
| 2009 | "Laces Out" | — | — | — | Questamation | ||||
| "Anti-Venom" | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2011 | "N/A OK" | — | 8 | 30 | USS Approved | ||||
| "Yo Hello Hooray (Everyday)" | — | 8 | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||