Sights & Sounds' Monolithic Debut Album

05/20/09 5:25pm

by Shawn Despres (CHARTattack)

Sights & Sounds are heading out on the road for nearly six weeks in support of their Monolith full-length debut.

The bulk of the band's shows will see them perform alongside Misery Signals, Haste The Day, Dead And Divine and Architects on the Weight Of The World Tour. They'll also share stages with Carpenter and Propagandhi before they wrap things up in late June with an appearance at the S.C.E.N.E Music Festival in St. Catharines, Ont.

Guitarist/keyboardist Adrian Mottram is hoping to strike a balance between the unusual and the practical on the trek.

"Besides the sacrificial goat's head and deer blood ceremony, I want to make sure I have enough underwear and Ernie Ball guitar strings to last at least half the tour," he jokes.

Monolith will come out through Smallman Records on May 26. Vocalist/guitarist Andrew Neufeld (Comeback Kid) and his drumming brother Joel Neufeld (Sick City) both work with the Winnipeg-based imprint through their other groups, which makes it a natural fit for Sights & Sounds. The label also issued the band's 2007 eponymous EP.

Sights & Sounds began working on Monolith two years ago. But with the group members spread across Canada, the disc's wonderfully dense, post-hardcore cuts were crafted in several cities. The entire group made their way to British Columbia to record the album in Vancouver and the coastal town of Gibsons with producer Devin Townsend (Darkest Hour, Bleeding Through).

"We had an awesome experience in the studio," says Mottram. "Since leaving the studio, we have grown even further as a band and as individuals.

"The EP was the first glimpse of the songs as we were writing them, and it was just a quick demo to get our ideas down. Monolith is such a huge step up because it's finally an accurate representation of what we are trying to achieve at this point in time."

Monolith is being streamed in its entirety on Sights & Sounds' MySpace page. Their live shows will focus on Monolith along with two tracks from the EP. They're scheduled to play first on the Weight Of The World Tour, so Mottram advises all attending to "get there early."

Sights & Sounds will log plenty of hours in their van this month and next. While some groups may tire of each other after spending so much time together, Mottram is excited about the opportunity to catch up with his friends and begin plotting Sights & Sounds' upcoming endeavours.

"We usually just crank tunes and talk about what we've been up to since we were last together. We are all very lucky in that we have lots going on in our lives when we aren't together as Sights & Sounds.

"We spend quite a bit of time talking about new song ideas, live show concepts and future artwork. We share tons of music ideas back and forth and just plan the next stages for the band."

Here are Sights & Sounds' tour dates:

May 20 Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
May 21 London, ON @ Call The Office w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
May 22 Whitby, ON @ Johnny B's w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
May 24 Burlington, ON @ The Legendary Red Rooster Cafe w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
May 25 Sudbury, ON @ The Jubilee Centre w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
May 28 Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick Centre w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
May 29 Regina, SK @ The Exchange w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
May 30 Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
May 31, Grande Prairie, AB @ Better Than Fred's w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 3 Vancouver, BC @ Richard's On Richards w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 4 Victoria, BC @ Sugar Nightclub w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 5 Nanaimo, BC @ Nanaimo Royal Canadian Legion w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 6 Courtenay, BC @ Avalanche Bar And Grill w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 7 Whistler, BC @ Garfinkel's w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 9 Calgary, AB @ The Warehouse w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 10 Lethbridge, AB @ University Ballroom w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 11 Saskatoon, SK @ Louis' Pub w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 13 Thunder Bay, ON @ Black Pirates Pub w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 15 St. Catharines, ON @ L3 w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 16 Milton, ON @ St. Paul's United Church w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 17 Montreal, QC @ Underworld w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 18 Quebec City, QC @ The Casbah at The Imperial Theatre w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 19 Ottawa, ON @ Babylon w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 20 Kingston, ON @ Time To Laugh Comedy Club w/Misery Signals, Architects, Haste The Day and Dead And Divine
June 21 Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah w/Carpenter
June 24 London, ON @ Call The Office w/Carpenter
June 25 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre w/Propaghandi and Strike Anywhere
June 26 Windsor, ON @ Chubby Pickle w/Carpenter
June 27 Sarnia, ON @ Trinity Lounge w/Carpenter and The Flatliners
June 28 St. Catharines, ON @ S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival