Jane Emerick
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Squamish and the Sea to Sky Family Festival are set to present the Armchair Cynics next weekend in what organizers are calling an "awesome" show.
"They are on the brink of making it big," said Stacy Harding, who is involved with bringing the band to Squamish. "They are the type of band, where six months from now people will be saying, 'Hey, I paid $12 to see them play for Totem Hall.'"
The Victoria-based group is also being joined by local bands, Genocide and DMV. The show is set for Totem Hall on Saturday April 29, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all ages show are $12 dollars in advance or $15 at the door and are available at the Funky Monkey on Cleveland Avenue or at the Squamish Adventure Centre.
The evening will kick off Youth Week in Squamish starting May 1 and is designed to generate interest in the bigger, Sea to Sky Family Festival taking place this September.
"The Sea to Sky Festival will be the largest scale event to come to Squamish, since Johnny Cash came to town 14 years ago," said Harding. "We are trying to get these bigger bands to buy into the community and make them see it is worth participating in."
The Armchair Cynics have worked with producer Chad Kroeger of Nickelback and have music described as explosive, finely crafted, and as having memorable riffs. After winning a West Coast battle of the bands, Armchair Cynics independently released the EP Coffee Shop Confessions in 2003.
"We want to be part of the new generation of Canadian rock bands following Our Lady Peace and the Matthew Good Band," said Kenn Coutu, who plays vocals and guitar for the band, on his website. "Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were my role models when I got into music. The great thing about those bands is that there was nothing sex, drugs and rock'n'roll about them. They were real bands made up of real people. They had integrity. That's our departure point as well."Following national touring and more recording, Armchair Cynics plan to release a full-length album by early 2006. Harding said people in Squamish would appreciate the sound system at the performance.
"I don't think Squamish has seen production like this before," she said. "To use a word from the '80s, it will be a really awesome show."
