Lineup 2011
The Town Heroes
Inverness, Mabou, Nova Scotia
The Town Heroes are a Halifax based alt-rock power duo crafting catchy, lyrical, hard-hitting and anthemic songs that sound like a party you wish you were at. They were voted as the Best New Artist, 1st Runner up for Best Local Album (Birds and Fear) and 2nd Runner Up for Most Likely to Make it Big in The Coast’s 2010 Best of Music. Although minimalist in terms of numbers, their sound is anything but that.
Self described as “The most noise two Cape Bretoners can make”, that noise is a cascade of passion, urgency and belief in their songs. On stage they move like intense caricatures – soaked in sweat, pushing every chord, note and beat to the limit. A structured wall of sound emerges; familiar yet distinctive. The Town Heroes have fully embraced the ideals of a 2- Piece rock band. Camaraderie shows in their musicianship, the song-writing highlights what they are: Two friends, playing music for the love of it, in it for the long haul. Their songs are an honest approach to the trials and tribulations of life, taking into consideration small town values, coming of age, intriguing people encountered, friendship, hope and the various conflicts that arise from a jobless island and its steady outflow of people.
Following a consistent string of gigs throughout Eastern Canada and garnering accolades for their passionate, energetic live show, they shared the stage with acts such as The Ataris, Slowcoaster, The Jimmy Swift Band, Carmen Townsend, Grand Theft Bus, The Stanfields, Carleton Stone Drives the Big Wheel and Three Sheet.
The Town Heroes released their first full length album “Birds and Fear” in May, 2010. The Album is a 13-song collection of clever, well-crafted songs about home, leaving and what you see once you’ve left. It has received extensive radio play throughout the Maritimes and was highlighted in specials with CBC Radio Mainstreet, New Glasgow’s East Coast FM, Port Hawksbury’s The Hawk, and Halifax’s Q104. The album has been nominated by Music Nova Scotia as New Artist of the Year and Alternative Recording of the Year. They were selected to showcase alongside international touring group, Wintersleep, during Music Nova Scotia Week. Their first single, “Hit Potential”, reached number 3 on the Eastern Canada charts and stayed in the top 10 for 8 weeks. It was selected as number 9 single of 2010 by Atlantic Beaver K-Rock, chosen to appear on an ECMA Compilation Disc to represent east coast artists, played on TSN during the two week broadcast of The Canada Games 2011, and Mike Ryan (as the writer of Hit Potential) was selected as the winning songwriter for the Nova Scotia Region of the Radio Star Songwriting Competition 2011. The band recently performed at the coveted “Enter The Tiki” stage for Canadian Music Week 2011 and showcased on the Rising Star Stage at ECMA 2011.