By Adam Brazeau
CORNWALL, Ontario – If a hard dose of rock-and-roll is what you want, the old-school feel and heavy sound of Coldrift won’t disappoint.
The Cornwall foursome is premiering their music video ‘Long Time Coming’ at Vu NightSpot (113 1/2 Pitt Street) on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m.
“The final product is beyond what I thought and expected,” said Jean Beaulieu, on lead guitar and vocals. “I’m excited for the launch.“
Directors Derrick Casselman and Matt West shot the video on an antique yacht in late July. Besides their fans, expect to see cameos from Jordan Sien and crew, from Ride The Wake, as well as the 1000 Islands jet ski team.
Although the track is off their 2012 independent debut album ‘The Smoke After Sex,’ they’re working on a new 12-track offering.
“Right now we’ve got half the album written,” said Beaulieu. “There’s no set theme yet. The first album had a lot of variety on it, but this one will have a little more direction.”
Meet the rest of Coldrift: Marty Boutros (rhythm guitar and vocals), Matt Vachon (bass), and Dan Gadbois (drums).
Boutros and Beaulieu formed the band in 2011. The pair have been playing music together (writing not performing) for almost a decade. They composed Coldrift’s first album and Beaulieu wrote the lyrics.
The Cornwall connection runs deep on The Smoke After Sex with production by Marc Muir and Steph Maclear on drums.
Former Fathom Ties members Vachon and Gadbois, who also drums for local rock-fusion band BoozeHound, were able to pick up where they left off.
FT split after their big win at the Paragon Online.ca’s Band Clash 20/20 finals at the Opera House in Toronto in 2009.
“I played guitar – and now I’m playing bass which is an awesome change,” said Vachon. “It’s a totally different style of music, it’s a little bit more mainstream.”
Alternatively, it’s a new experience for Boutros and Beaulieu despite playing guitar most of their lives.
“Our first show in front of an audience was at our record launch in 2012,” said Boutros.
Whether he’s performing live on stage or jamming in a garage, it’s about the excitement of creating something as a band.
But Gadbois, like Beaulieu, loves the energy of a crowd.
“It’s all about being in a live atmosphere, having the adrenaline from all the people watching you,” said Gadbois.
The band credited fellow rockers Winston Marley, Elly May, and Trench Town Oddities (TTO) for helping to make noise about the local music scene.
“We want to be ambassadors for Cornwall – go out there and play and get people to come back and see us in our hometown,” said Beaulieu.
But before they can start entertaining crowds in the region, as well as in Ottawa and Montreal, the band is building their brand and searching for proper management.
“It’s difficult to get out there and get gigs when there’s really nothing to show them. Once the video is out, that will give us a little bit of momentum,” said Beaulieu.
All four members enjoy crafting a song from scratch as showcased in Long Time Coming, which belongs on a soundtrack for a high-speed chase on a sun-soaked highway.
“We’re not a cover act,” said Gadbois. “We get offers all the time to do these three-hour gigs, but it’s not what we want.”
The band has all their music available for free on coldrift.com and SoundCloud.
“We sell the CDs for the hardcore fans,” said Beaulieu. “But going out to shows and buying the merchandise is how we get supported.”
The show kicks off with Elly May at 8:15 p.m. and the video will play several times throughout the night.
