July 27th; Band News.

The stripped back version of The Rebel Wheel has confirmed its first booking. We are scheduled to play at The Rainbow with Toronto band, The Mod Villains on September 15th. We are also tentatively booked at a few other venues before and after that but are awaiting final confirmation of dates and support acts so we won't post anything until we're sure.

July 12th; Band News.

The band is down to a three-piece now as Guy Dagenais, Aaron Clark and I keep the torch burning. Ange is of course home with her new-born and unable to re-join the fray. The idea of her re-joining us is still very much a possibilty but in the mean-time the band is functioning as a three-piece and we are all quite excited about it. Finally, after several gruelling months of rehearsals, we are agreed we are performance ready and are now actively seeking gigs around the area. Very exciting!

June 18th; It's a Girl!!!.

Congratulations to Rick and Ange on the birth of their daughter Amy! Very good news and much anticpated. We wish you all the best.

June 16th; Album Release.

Well the album is released today; June 16th. Originally it was scheduled for a June 8th release but due to shipping problems it wasn't actually in the stores until the 15th so the 16th became the official release. I'd like to thank 10T records for all their support and all the people who have reviewed the album in its pre-release status. While the album is NOW officially released, it was also available as a pre-order and sales of that have done incredibly well. Here is a blurb from 10T's site:

Three Back-to-Back Bestsellers

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 by 10TRecords

We are proud to announce that our three most recent releases are setting sales records! The new CDs by From.uz (Seventh Story), The Rebel Wheel (We are in the Time of Evil Clocks), and Mars Hollow (Mars Hollow) have proven to be big sellers, in addition to garnering a ton of internet chatter on the progressive rock forums and newsgroups. Additionally, all three releases have been moving above normal quantities through our distribution networks, even though two of the titles have yet to have their official street date release!

And so here we are at the official day of release!

May 2010; More Reviews.

Here are some more reviews as we await the official release of the new album on June 8th 2010 . As well we have a few concrete pieces of information about the CD for those who are having difficulty trying to figure out exactly who does what .

We also have been busy writing new stuff and have posted a few demos of the new tunes on our blog .

We would also like to say hello to Ange who is taking a wee sabbatical to give birth to she and her husband Rick Barkhouse's 1st child (so far named Niblet but I assume that will change). In the interim Guy Dagenais, Aaron and I are continuing on as a three piece and intend to do a shit-load of local gigs as a "sweaty-prog" unit. Phew.

April 2010; Reviews.

The album has been getting a fair bit of attention lately and that's very gratifying. Last night the CD was featured on Mark Keil's Infinite Ceiling and then today I was made aware of some reviews. Check them out here Evil Clocks Reviews .

I'd like to thank Mark, Tommy, Kerry and Jon for their kind words.

April 2010; Art stuff.

The album is out and for pre-sale at 10T Records and I have been answering questions about the concept as well as the art. The concept question has been fielded many a time already and perhaps the best place to find out more is our blog .

As for the art work it has been done by a series of people. First and foremost is a really good friend of mine and an amazing artist, Francis Dupuis. I gave Francis the basic outline of what I was looking for. In some cases I kind of art-directed him (the idea of a body on the floor, a clock with 13:13 glowing and some malevolant erie glow outside the door, was an early idea I had which Francis whipped up for the back cover) and in others I simply showed him some ideas and he went to town. For instance, I showed him Roger Woods's clocks (more on HIM later), the pages from Scott's text "The Discoverie of Witchcraft" and some war-torn cities and he designed the front cover and the CD art itself from all of that. We knew early on we wanted a 13 o'clock clock face but everything else came out of Francis' twisted head. Very cool. You can get the hi-res stuff here .

Roger Woods is a Toronto based artist/clock-maker whose work fascinates me. I asked him early on if he would let me use his designs as the starting point of the album art. He said he would be delighted and sent me down some hi-res photos. Francis took some and built out little warring 13 o'clock monster from that. I am going to send Roger a final album soon and I'll post his response (assuming that is a positive one).

Socar Myles is a Vancouver based artist whose work I admire as well. The album features an Epic tune (The Discovery of Witchcraft) whose title I borrowed both from Reginold Scott's original treatise as well from Canadian author Robertson Davies' book "A Mixture of Frailties". I wanted some art that would suit those ideas and Socar's stuff was exactly what I wanted. I saw a piece of hers called Invitation To the Dance which I promptly bought and used on the album.

So...that's it really, the rest of the art work is stuff I licensed and played around with but the main thrust of the art is really from Francis' imagination.

I'd also like to point out some sub-sections of the site. We have a fairly extensive section about live stuff which includes a list of gigs and the posters therefrom. We even have some live mp3s and for those who are thinking of booking us, a stage plot section.

Febuary 2010

Guy Dagenais, Aaron and I have been working through the material getting it ready for a onslaught of trio gigs. Guy came out to a rehearsal this month and after 1 bar it was obvious the band had found the musician we have long been looking for. Not only has Guy chops galore, but he also has great feel and he Aaron and I share a similar time-feel. The music flows naturally and there is a joy to the playing. I am very excited to welcome him as a permanent member of the band and look forward to the music well be writing and performing this year. Yahooo!!!!

Oh yah. The album is done and the pre-release is now on sale We Are In The Time Of Evil Clocks. I'd like to thank the band for a great job and although bassist Claude has left since, his playing is a large part as to why the album kicks ass. Aaron changed his grip through-out the album and he says he can hear the difference among the tracks. While I understand what he means, I think he did an amazing job with this material. It is difficult stuff with literally hundreds of meter changes through-out and Aaron was more than up to the task. The fact that there is a sonic difference between the songy-type tunes (where he played with his old grip) and the aggressive rockers (where he switched over to a more powerful matched grip) just lends it more credibilty in my ears.

The album of course features Ange far more than the last and she did a stellar job through-out. Her vocal performance on hags 1, 2 and 3, brings out the nuances of the songs so well. Wordplay is a real shining moment for her both as a lead vocalist as well as a co-writer and as always, her sax playing is top-notch. We have receieved a lot of requests to feature her more so I expect her fans to be quite happy with this new CD.

I am proud and delighted to have such talented band-mates, and am equally excited about the new phase the band is entering. Welcome aboard Guy!

December 2009

Well Claude is out and Guy is in! Bassists come and go around here it seems. Claude did the album but couldn't commit to more than that and Guy Dagenais has agreed to fill-in as we do fulfill our gig obligations.

In other news....Ange is PREGNANT!!! Congratulations Angie and Rick, we are all very happy for you. It looks like the band will necessarily undergo some changes as a result but I can't imagine a better reason for that. We are all very excited and wish the two of you well in your upcoming trials and tribulations (this is of course coming from someone with three kids). Good news and good luck!

October 2009

Well Progtoberfest went swimmingly and the band delivered. There were a few moments where we had some gear hiccups, but considering how detailed the actual use of gear is (quite a lot of juggling as we switch instruments around constantly and have every member on keys at one point or another) we actually succeded in making the very complicated stage dance look quite simple. The event was a success and kudos have to go to Mark Keil and Rick Barkhouse for their hard work and dedication in doing this festival.

I'd also like to extend a hearty than-you to the other bands on the bill; there was a sense of cameraderie that was a pleasure to see. All of the bands stuck around to hear each other and were very complimentary.

For my part I played in both The Rebel Wheel and Nathan Mahl so it was quite a lot of work that day, but getting a chance to hear the other bands was totally worth it. The other bands: Ambisonic, Nathan Mahl, and probably the hit of the event, Orco muto. All in all it was a great gig.

August 2009

Guy Dagenais had agreed to play fretless bass and 5-string bass on the title song of the new album and accordingly delivered his amazing parts to david today. Wow! The album is progressing quite well and features some very strong guest performances. More on that later.

In other news we are asked to play at Progtoberfest to replace a band who had just dropped out. We are very excited to take our new line-up and our new material out live and test the waters!

June 2009

Bassist Claude Prince has decided to joing the band. He is an ex-Nathan Mahl bassist and was part of their famous Nearfest line-up. Claude brings solid chops and some amazing parts into the fray and we are honoured and proud to welcome him to the band.

In other news we have just finished our contribution to 10T's project Undercover , which features their roster re-interperating cover songs from bands that influenced them.

We chose to do "Cross-Eyed Mary" and it features David on bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals. Ange on sax and vocals and Aaron on drums.

April 2009

The band is busy recording their new CD "We Are In The Time Of Evil Clocks" and have parted company with long-time bassist Gary Lauzon. The plan is now to finish the album with David on bass and perhaps use the expertise of other bassists as we go along. Meanwhile the sessions are going smoothly and some great tracking is taking place.

March 2009

Right now our label 10T records, is offering 25 percent off of our release "Diagramma". You will need to enter the proper code in the discount Code box when prompted (there is a box that allows you to type in your discount code on the Order Options page during the checkout process). The code is 25OFF and must be typed exactly that way (ie all caps, no spaces).

Of course this discount also applies to all the other bands they have, so check it all out at 10T Records .

January 2009 Part 2

So we have been busy tracking tunes, making rough videos, mixing stuff and generally forging ahead on the new CD. The art-work is in the final stages and the band is busy rehearsing all the keyboard parts for the large epic. As Aaron has recently had knee surgery, we won't be recording anymore drums for around 6 weeks, but in the mean-time we are preparing all the other things we need to.

I just posted a video of Aaron on youtube doing the drum tracking for Mad Night . It is a take we didn't use but the arrangement is the same and the feel (live off the floor ie) is pretty close to what it will end up being.

We now are all accounted for in the online world with our new pages at Reverbnation and Facebook . The pages look awfully lonely so stop on by and give us some feedback. Tune in to our Rebel Wheel Blogspot , as I tend to update that more than anything else (which isn't saying much really.)

Soon we'll have an online gallery of studio shots and album cover art-work (the bare-bones Ideas I took to Francis and the final art he came up with), It is quite a undertaking.

January 2009 Part 1

Lots of news in The Rebel Wheel camp. We have started recording at Shattered Wings and have already got four songs in the can as far as tracking goes. We have to mix them yet and put on some finishing touches, but we have taken a large step forward. We video taped a good deal of the recording and also have an extensive photo collection growing so we will post those as soon as we get them all sorted.

In the meantime Francis Dupuis has been working very hard on the design and graphics of the new CD. Everything is going well in that regard and we will have some teasers out soon as well.

We just updated the site and now have an extensive live section built. We have done so many gigs last year we have lots of soundclips and posters etc. so go to our live section to see whats up. We have a gallery of posters, a slew of live tunes, and also some new reviews

December 2008

Well we are getting ready to enter Shattered Wing Studio next week and start recording our second CD for 10T Records. Titled "We Are In The Time Of Evil Clocks" it is going to be a fairly huge undertaking. We have around 40 minutes of shorter pieces (of course being a prog band that means around 4-8 minutes) as well as a 35 minute sprawling epic called "The Discoverie of Witchcraft". Whew! For more infor about the album check out our blog.

The band is looking forward to working with engineer Matthew Thomas again. He did an excellent job with our first Cd so were are delighted and excited to bring the project through his studio.

October-November 2008

Well we just came home from the Toronto Nuance Festival. What a great time. We met lots of good people and heard lots of good music. Our set was the last one of the day and was scheduled after the much-needed dinner break. To the band's delight, all of the audience came back for our set (the other bands didn't but that's another story).

Although the festival is prog-oriented many of the audience had never actually heard us before and didn't know what to expect. We had been doing a lot of gigs this year and we are a rehearsal-intensive band. That really paid off for us as we got a great reaction from the crowd and won over some new fans. Thanks to Mike Clasen and his store Records On Wheels, we even found the perfect brick and mortar shop for selling our first CD "Diagramma", which until now has sold mainly in the USA .

Suffice to say, the gig was a blast, the people were super and The Rebel Wheel played our best gig so far.

Here is a review from attendee Doug Leblanc:

The last band up at the NUANCE festival was 'Rebel Wheel'. I had heard of them, but had I had never heard their music before. I, and all of us, were in for a real treat! Unfortunately, the only flaw in the show was that there was no lighting at all on the stage! I had to check the web site to see what they looked like! Other than that, Rebel Wheel simply blew me away! Intricate melodies weaved through amazing arrangements that soared through the the night! They had a touch of King Crimson with a taste of Mostly Autumn in their sound, and I could give no higher praise. However, they really do have a sound all their own, and they are an absolute delight to listen to! This is what great prog music is; fantastic playing at breakneck speed, with intricate facets of each piece shining like a diamond!

For those who get a chance to see this incredible band live, do not hesitate to do so! They are an absolute delight to watch and listen to. A great set, and a great ending to another fantastic NUANCE show.

Doug LeBlanc

The band of course would like to thank the talented and dynamic Wilton Said for organizing the festival and providing us with the great gig. Thanks Wilton.

June 2008

Well we have been very busy doing gigs with our solidified line-up. We did the Avant-Garde Bar gig on June 14th. As this is one of our favorite places to gig we were really looking forward to it, and we came in with all guns blazing. Our good friends Poligraf opened for us and kicked ass so we had a great time doing the gig .

Shortly before our 14th gig, we did a radio interview where we played live at CKCU's excellent weekly show Ottawa's Live Music. We have done this before in a similar ensemble (Casse-Tete) and it went swimmingly, so we went into this with great expectations. All in all the show went well and we played pretty well although we have lots of gear and it was difficult to squeeze us all in the smallish studio. We had a few technical difficulties too (Gary broke a bass string and took a long time finding a new one) Fortunately, in the interim, David regaled everyone with more information than anyone could possibly care to know about the band and its history. All in all it was a fun and a slightly harrowing gig.

In late June we landed a gig opening up for t@b at the Rainbow Bistro . As our band has become a much louder act than we were, and t@b is basically an acoustic duo, we all decided to have The Rebel Wheel go on second. t@b is a very very cool band and the members are super-talented and super-friendly. They did an excellent set to a pretty good crowd and wrapped up their tour across Canada. We were delighted to share the gig with them.

The Rainbow Bistro is a blues club primarily, and the t@b gig was the evening before Canada Day. The venue is in the heart of the Bytown Market, and there are literally thousands of people milling about the streets. We had some reservations as more and more people came in, as we are far from a blues act. Regardless, we went on and did our thing. The stage was large and accomodated all our gear (we have become a little unwieldy), and the soundman was excellent. We kicked ass and probably did the best gig we had done up until then. The crowd was very receptive and we got a few encores. All together it was a very exciting and rewarding night and we thank t@b for letting us be part of it.

May 2008

We are a fickle lot. After much discussion a mutual decision was made to pare our band down to a four-piece. Kenny Kanwisher joined in early 2008 and lent his considerable talents to the fray. We did the Avant-Garde gig in march and it went exceptionally well but during the rehearsal period we learned that were technical as well as scheduling issues that had to be addressed.

Kenny is a busy, in-demand session player and we are a rehearsal-intensive band so scheduling became a little hectic. While we certainly aren't an exceptionally loud band we were too loud for the nuances of the cello. It was mutually decided that we should try our hand as a four-piece instead. That meant that David and Ange had to cover keyboard parts again. So far so good.

We have done two gigs as a four-piece since then and the dynamic and sound is very very cool. There is some keyboard juggling and technical elements that still aren't as graceful as we'd like, but all in all we feel that band is finally coming into its own.

We were invited to play at Rosfest this year, not on the main Keswick stage, but at the after hours party at the Holiday Inn. It was a blast! Before our set, the room was filled with non-prog partiers who were ball-room dancing to a dj. It was somewhat of an upscale pick-up bar scene and we were a little disconcerted as we knew when we hit the stage that part of the evening would certainly come to a quick and painful end. As it turned out we were barely able to set-up before the after-hours prog crowd showed up and took over the room. Our first song was our sound check and some of the sound issues we had never really got ironed out, but the band was eager to play and all in all it was a pretty strong set played for folks who had been listening to prog all night but still seemed pretty happy to hear some more.

A week later we were in Quebec City playing with our friends Poligraf. Quebec is a beautiful city, perhaps one of the most gorgeous in North America. It has an ambience that is quite unique. We played at a small bar in the old section of town and opening up for Poligraf (who in turn has agreed to open for us in Ottawa in June), needless to say we had a great time and the crowd was really responsive. Prog is pretty popular in Quebec and the audience was gracious and appreciative. Poligraf was the headliner and they came out with all guns blazing; a very cool very tight band.

So...we have a lot of gigs coming up. We are playing again at the Avant Garde Bar bar (a favorite place of ours), we are doing a live radio broadcast at CKCU on June 12th and then there are a few unconfirmed gigs at various bars in Ottawa. We have some gigs in Perth after those and a festival in Ottawa in August. In the fall we are in Toronto playing the Nuance festival. Through-out this period we are writing and rehearsing our follow up CD on 10T. We have a new blog about the process so you check that out to see the travails of that little endeavour.

Go here for more details about our past and upcoming gigs.

March 2008

Well we have some good news and we have some bad news. The bad news is that drummer Alain Bergeron and guitarist-keyboard player Paul Joannis have both left to pursue other projects. They will both be missed and the work that they have done with the band will always be appreciated. We wish them luck with their other projects and thank them for their strong creative contributions to the Diagramma CD.

The good news is that we have two new members and the band has expanded its sound as a result. Drummer Aaron Clark brings a fresh attitude, great chops and a unique modern sound to the band and the brilliant keyboardist/cellist Ken Kanwisher adds another new dimension allowing us to expand and explore some different composition and arrangement ideas. Both members are strong players and right now the band is working hard rehearsing and writing new material for the followup CD on 10 T records.

Something else on the good news side; we also have some more reviews. We have posted them in our reviews section.

The new line-up is debuting at The Avant Garde Bar on March 22nd 2008. We are pretty excited about the gig and we have Hunter Eves opening up for us. For more info go here .

November 2007

Well the CD has been out a little more than three months now and has been selling steadily and getting some pretty good reviews! Go to our new reviews page to read them.

We have just finished a spate of live gigs culminating with the annual Ottawa prog fest Progtoberfest. It went really well and we had a lot of fun. Thanks to Chuck Ho and his pals, we have a dvd and a lot of pics from the gig. We will post them soon.

Right now the band is taking a wee hiatus as we develope music in our respective corners and catch our breath for the next stage of rehearsals and gigs. The momentum is very inspiring and we have some fairly big changes in store. Stay tuned.

Following a recent debate at Progressive Ears, we have decided to give away a new tune. It is a little less staid than the other tunes on the Diagramma CD, and uses a series of 12-tone rows that David wrote. It is a fair indication of some of the newer material we are working on and will be included on the new CD in a partially altered form. Go to Mad Night to hear it.

June 2007

The Rebel Wheel signs to 10T Records

We are very proud and excited to be a part of 10 T records roster and are releasing our second CD Diagramma with them. The CD contains seven songs ranging from the quiet pastoral 12 string of Three Valley Gap to the raucous and modern sonics of the epic suite, Diagramma. It is a blend of modern production techniques, solid playing and writing and a definite nod to "traditional" classic prog. Below is a copy of the official press release, or go here to see the original 10 T Release

THE REBEL WHEEL Signs with 10T Records, Releases “Diagramma”

10T Records is excited to announce the signing of The Rebel Wheel and the release of the band’s second full-length CD, “Diagramma.” Containing a total of seven tracks totaling over an hour of music, with the largest piece (the 20 minute epic "Diagramma Suite”) in the middle, acting as the fulcrum, “Diagramma” is dark, cinematic and dense; a complex slice of modern progressive rock that never sacrifices melody while sustaining unrelenting waves of mounting tension and euphoric release. Angular twists and riffs morph into ambient soundscapes with soft, emotional vocals seamlessly binding the diverse elements together.

Owing as much to modern influences as progressive legends of the past, The Rebel Wheel’s sound on Diagramma is unique and urgent, blending cutting-edge production techniques with diverse musicality and technical precision. “Diagramma” features tracks alternating between hard-edged vocal tunes, and instrumentals that range from the quiet pastoral 12-string of "Three Valley Gap,” to the hard-edged fusion of "Tempra".

Originally formed in 1991 as a fusion-based midi ensemble, the floating lineup of The Rebel Wheel has gradually solidified to the current five piece featuring guitars, keyboards, sax, drums and bass, and the music has focused more on modern, genre-blending Progressive Rock. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, the band consists of producer David Campbell on guitars, keyboards and vocals; Alain Bergeron (formerly of Nathan Mahl) on drums, percussion, and keyboards; Paul Joannis on guitars and keyboards; Gary Lauzon on bass, bass pedals, and keyboards; and Angie MacIvoron on saxes, vocals, and keyboards.

“The Rebel Wheel is very excited about our deal with 10T Records. We were searching around for a label that specializes in progressive rock but also one that was modern sounding and innovative. When we realized that some of our favorite bands were on the same label, we sought 10T out specifically,” says bandleader David Campbell. “We feel being on the label is a perfect fit as 10T is artist-run and puts a premium on artistic creativity and band autonomy. It also has an incredible roster of artists who have fused progressive rock with modern technology and production techniques.”

10T Records president, Steve Carroll, says, “We instantly fell for The Rebel Wheel’s unique blend of old and new school progressive rock. The more we listened to it, the more we clicked with it. I’m really glad that we’ve been able to not only expose this great band to a wider audience, but also that we were able to expand the release with even more great music.”

“Diagramma” is available for immediate pre-order through the 10T Records website. All orders received between now and the official release date will ship by the end of the week prior to the official release. Additionally, all tracks from “Diagramma” are available to listen to in their entirety HERE.

After August 14, “Diagramma” will be available at your favorite retail outlet for immediate purchase.

Go to Diagramma to hear some clips and to order.

It is very exciting to release this album in its newer 7 song form as it gives us a chance to highlight our newest member, Angie MacIvor on saxophones, vocals and keyboards. Angie is a strong player and after one rehearsal with the band it was obvious we had found our newest member. She lends another element to our music and her personality fits in perfectly. We are currently writing new songs with our new lineup in mind.