After two solid years on the road in a cover band, Matt Folk decided that if he was going to tour for almost no money it would be in an original band. So he moved to Toronto armed with a guitar and some catchy songs where he put together a band of some of the best musicians in the city. Unfortunately, that band didn’t work out so he found some other people and the Coal Mine Canaries were hatched. Now Matt, Rachel, Dan, Marcus play in their basement for their moms who think they are “not too bad”. Actually, the Canaries have played such venues such as the Horseshoe Tavern, Now Lounge, Clinton’s, and Club 279 in Toronto and other venues all around Southern Ontario and Quebec. Their mission is to expose as many people as possible to their brand of music which they have named their first full length album after – Bad Flavoured Bubblegum Rock!

The more the Canaries play live the more fans they acquire with their strong melodies and intelligent lyrics. The band has acquired new fans after being featured during an hour long special on the Artist First World Radio Network, podcasts, and online radio shows from as far away as New Zealand’s “Brave New Frontiers”. The Vernon Gazette reported that the Coal Mine Canaries debut CD, “Bad Flavoured Bubblegum Rock” bears an “uncanny resemblance to music” while the Canadian Magazine for the Deaf stated in their September 2005 issue that they found little to chose between the Coal Mine Canaries and other great acts such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Nirvana whom they have also never heard. They went on to say that people in the crowd seemed to really enjoy the way the soft female harmonies highlighted the more aggressive male lead vocals and the way the instrumentation changed throughout the set to include acoustic and electric guitars as well as keyboards keeping every song fresh.

In addition to having fun playing their music the Coal Mine Canaries are also an environmentally conscious band. They donate a portion of all merchandise sold to the Sierra Club of Canada, an environmental advocacy group. The Canaries are currently looking for other “green bands” who would be interested in donating their time to do a benefit show for the Sierra Club in Toronto later this year.


Cheers,
CMC