Artist description Powerful, melodic, rock 'n roll.

Music Style Punk / Emo / Rock

Musical Influences Dashboard Confessional, Get Up Kids, Grade, Hot Water Music, Saves The Day, Deftones, Elliot,

Similar Artists Saves The Day, Samiam, Third Eye Blind

Artist History Since October of 2000, Western Canadian rock band Wishing Well, have managed to tour across Canada six times and record their most recent release "Intervals" (Spawner/FAB). Having played well over 200 self-booked shows in the space of less than a year, Wishing Well is beginning to garner an intense national following. While their hectic touring only really began in 2000, the band has been playing and performing together since 1996. The group’s on-the-road success has been largely attributed to their shockingly high-energy performances and catchy up-tempo songs. Wishing Well sound has been compared to recent American successes, such as New Found Glory, Saves The Day and Jimmy Eat World. Wishing Well’s sound comes across, however, as surprisingly darker, in theme and feel. The band’s vocalist and main lyricist, Justin denBok, writes, not so much about girls and unattainable love, but of more vague, angst-ridden subjects, such as struggles with depression, spirituality and loss of trust. There is, of course, the occasional girl-breakup song, but denBok tries to keep things balanced in his lyrics, and will usually try and keep things deeper and multi-layered, in meaning and feel. Wishing Well has been able to truly savor any successes they have had, no matter how small due mostly to their strong “indie” work-ethic, which has given them a deep appreciation of how far they’ve gotten on their own. From designing their CD layouts, to booking all of their own headlining tours, maintaining their website and mailing lists, taking care of merchandise designs and orders and even sending out press-releases and promo photos to local papers across the country, the band savors every sweat-bead and missed meal. The constant touring has made the four members, Justin denBok (vocals), Stephan LaCasse (guitar and vocals), Scott Ross (drums) and Kevin Bruce (bass), as tight-knit a group as there is. Wishing Well’s first full-length release “Choices Made, Lessons Learned” was recorded and released independently in December of ‘99, and immediately caught the attention of Vancouver indie-label Spawner Records, who requested a copy after seeing the band’s energy-charged live-show. Spawner Records (Complete, Tim, Burden) re-pressed the CD, which went on to sell just under 1000 copies in a year-and-a-half. By the time the band’s second release “Intervals” (2001) came out there were many new fans itching to hear the songs that the band had been playing live. The CD quickly sold out of it’s first pressing within the first tour supporting it. “Intervals” received the same success on it’s subsequent tour across Canada and back. Songs from “Intervals” began appearing on many compilations and began to receive airplay from various college radio stations and even a couple commercial radio stations across Canada. During tours, the band appeared on various cable-access TV shows, were interviewed on a few college radio stations, headlined large festivals in Qu�bec, were granted a Pacific Music Industry Association tour grant and overall managed to draw an average of 200 per show, which is nearly unheard of in the underground “indie/all-ages” music scene. Internet sales have given the band a chance to market their sound the world, and have been lucky enough to get CDs all over including Italy, Japan, China, Germany, France, Brazil and of course, the USA. The four band-mates who went to high-school together in the small Okanagan-Valley city of Vernon in British Columbia hooked up in 1996 as a young, local band that was excited to practice in their spare time and play the occasional local hall gig. There was, however, always an understanding that the band would continue on as a career after high-school. During this period the band went through a couple “lead” guitarists. Recently, the band has returned to it’s status as a four-piece, preferring to simplify their sound for a bolder, more lyrical feel. Wishing Well is now based in the Calgary, Alberta. They recently made the move after feeling frustrated with the limitations of being based in a smaller centre. The members, who range in age from 19-23 are finally in a position where they feel they can explore musically and grow creatively while maintaining a strong and loyal fan-base, locally and nationally. Future plans for the band are to write and test out new material in Calgary over the Spring and Summer and to release a new CD in time for touring in September. This long break from touring will surely be an awkward adjustment from the exciting life on the road. Fall touring will definitely be a comprehensive journey covering Canada again and hopefully most of the US, and maybe, depending, some overseas touring, since fan interest has not limited itself to traditional borders. The band has found themselves hitch-hiking to a show three hours away with a couple guitars and a pair of drum sticks. They have frequently sustained minor injuries on stage (LaCasse once accidental hit his head with his guitar at a concert in Kamloops, BC, and needed to get seven stitches, after the show, of course), they’ve blown trailer tires on the notorious Coquihala highway in the middle of the winter, they’ve been blown off the highway in the Prairie’s during a record snowstorm, they’ve taken fairies to show up for canceled concerts, they’ve played shows for 3 people and have played shows for 1000 people. The band has gotten to see the sunrise over the Rockies while driving through them, they’ve gotten to see red, yellow and orange trees in Qu�bec, they’ve gotten to see the tide of both coasts and have experienced the massive sky in Saskatchewan. So whether or not Canada has any idea who Wishing Well is, Wishing Well is very well acquainted with Canada, and will soon enough be familiar with places they only imagined they would know.

Group Members Justin-vocals Stephan-guitar and vocals Scott-drums Kevin-bass

Instruments bass,guitar,drums, vocals, vocals,

Albums Intervals, Choices Made Lessons Learned, and various comps

Press Reviews Review of Wishing Well - Choices Made, Lessons Learned from PunkRockReviews.comMelodic and poppy, this band changes tempos multiple times during almost every song, which adds a degree of originality to a overcrowded genre. From accoustic breaks, to breakneck skate punk riffs, theydo it well. Lead vocals are good and fit in well with the music. (...) 14 highly infectious poppy masterpieces plus a hidden accoustic track. Personal lyrics dealing with lost loves, broken hearts, andeverything that follows. "Springtime" and "Far From It" are now 2 of my favorite pop punk songs. Wishing Well is the best band I've heard out of Canada in a long, long time. Hybrid of fast skate punk,melodicore and good old pop punk that truly works. Fans of many genres (emo, pop punk, melodicore and skate punk to name a few) should all find something about this release to love. Be it the personallyrics, energetic melodies, or well adapted lead vocals. This album is sure to be appealing to a wide branch of punk rock followers.

Location Calgary, Alberta - Canada

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