Music Style alternative rock

Similar Artists treblecharger, A New Found Glory, the Juliana Theory

Artist History rubbish is an alternative, five-piece band from Ottawa Canada. Since 1997, Rubbish has been playing around their hometown polishing up their skills and quickly becoming a local favorite and soon to be discovered by the rest of Canada. Childhood friends Mike Datson and Pat Gervais began playing music together in 1995. A year and a half later, they acquired Chris Wyllie for lead vocals and rhythm guitar. The trio spent two years sharpening their skills in whatever venues they could find. After working with a couple of bassists, the band teamed up with Ryan Berthiaume. Tristan Knott is the newest member of RUBBISH. He joined the band in early January of 2001. Dedication and hard work has helped the band break into the local scene. Rubbish released their debut CD “Us Against the World” on October 25th, 2000. This long awaited debut independent release sold over 300 copies in one week. The guys have done many interviews in various newspapers as well as web magazines. The growing popularity of the band led them to the Barrymore's stage in Ottawa Ontario, Canada on January 27th, 2001, opening for Ottawa greats Hydrofoil. The band’s debut single “Once In A While” has received lots of airplay on local and other college radio stations across Canada, and broke "Us Against The World" onto local college charts. rubbish returned to the studio in July of 2001 and recorded their latest release, an EP entitled "Home". Recorded with local production great Jay Ruston at Distortion Studios One, "Home" demonstrates the band's work at its finest. The band is hoping to solidify a recording deal before they graduate from high school so that when they do graduate, they can jump right into their recording career. The well-crafted songwriting talent of Pat Gervais , the unique and versatile vocal styling of Chris Wyllie, the roughneck riffs coming from Tristan’s guitar, the exceptional bass playing of Ryan Berthiaume and the thundering beats from Mike Datson create a tight and memorable sound. All these elements blended together will lead rubbish to become one of Canada’s premiere acts.

Group Members Chris Wyllie - vocals Pat Gervais - guitar Tristan Knott - guitar, backing vocals Ryan Berthiaume - bass Mike Datson - Drums

Instruments vocals, guitar, bass, drums

Albums "Home" (2001), "Us Against The World" (2000), "rubbish" (1999)

Press Reviews Barrhaven Independent (Newspaper - Dec 9, 2000) Local band Rubbish recently produced its first CD, and if it is any indication, the four piece group has places to go. The band was featured in the Independent on Oct. 14, just after they had finished recording Us Against The World in Chelsea, Quebec. The band is also scheduled to record a three-song EP at Nepean's Distortion Studios, which manager Kirk Ellard says will allow the band to polish their sound a bit more. "In recording this CD, they were able to learn a bit about recording. Now they can put it to use and produce an even better sounding recording," said Mr. Ellard, an established local recording artist. The words "even better" are significant here, as this CD is surprisingly good in terms of the sound quality and the songs themselves. It is all to easy to dismiss a band made up of four high school students as just another garage band, but Rubbish's sound hints at much greater things. The sound is pure power-pop, similar to the sound bands like Blink-182 and Gob have popularized recently. But the sound is not a rip-off. At first listen, the band's own musical style comes out: very strong pop melodies, lots of catchy guitar hooks and the odd break into an up-tempo punk sound. The lyrics are a nice break from the usual teen-angst prose so common among young pop bands. One song that stands out on first listen is track seven, Summer. Pat Gervais' lyrics talk about the hopefulness of youth and how important it is to live for the day: "I've got the whole world at my reach / Breathe it in, show no fear / It's all in front of you." Another track that will have you reaching for the repeat button on the CD player is number four, Saturday Morning Cartoons. The title belies the song's pleading sound: "From the world we knew / Everything has been erased / All the memories, no more sunny summer days." One of the first bands that comes to mind, at least while listening to this particular song, is Silverchair. The last song, called Once in a While, could have been titled "Ode to a hockey parent". Chris Wyllie sings, "And I'm sorry if I ditch you now / But I hope you know I love you even though it might not show / Whatever happens, I'll never let you go." While the odd technical mistake show that this is the band's first go at recording, the songs are remarkably mature and each musician's talent shows through in the 10 songs on Us Against the World. This CD is an excellent showcase for a young band that could go far if they stick to what they love doing. Rubbish has shattered every misconception about young bands and proven that a group of four 17-year-olds is worth paying attention to. One Golden Spoon (Webzine - Feb 1, 2001) The first thing you hear when you stick this record in your stereo is The Voice. It belongs to Chris Wyllie, 17, and it is part of what sets this CD apart from the usual 'local band makes good attempt' crowd. Wyllie sings with an assurance and range that sound for all the world like a youthful Brett Detar(of Juliana Theory fame). This is not an indie recording. Rubbish is managed by Barrhaven, Ontario-based BigB Productions, with plans of making it big, and they have what it takes. Pat Gervais(lead guitar) wrote all the songs on "Us Against the World", displaying a songwriting flair that is uncommon among seventeen-year-olds, a lot of whom settle for volume and power chords. Well-executed guitar lines and a solid rhythm section with Mike Datson on drums and Ryan Berthiaume on bass keep the album flowing from track to track and interesting; that samey feeling that a lot of records have is nonexistent here. Tristan Knott joined the band in January 2001 and didn't appear on this record, but now there's a three-pronged guitar attack, so watch out for that. Although lyrics aren't included with the album, it doesn't take away from the quality, dealing with topics like girls("Pickles and Mustard"), being your own person("Someone Like You") and self-empowerment("Masterplan"). On the whole, a very impressive first effort. Check out www.eatmyrhubarb.com

Location Ottawa, ON - Canada

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