artist Aegis Fang

In the spring of 2007, a rock reunion of epic proportions took place in the southern California desert. It was the momentary reuniting of Rage Against The Machine that caused two rockoholics from Vancouver Island to randomly and repeatedly cross paths. It was on the battleground of the Coachella Music Festival that Mike Ferguson and Nathaniel Noel first became friends. A brotherhood was formed on the Empire Polo fields, under a giant mechanical spider that cast a red laser down upon the crowd at night. 

Upon their return to Vancouver Island, Mike relocated from Parksville to British Columbia's capital city of Victoria, to collaborate with Nat. When they began to mix their individual styles and musical influences, a unique sound was born. They began writing songs as a two-piece with Nat on guitar and Mike on drums/lead vocals. It wasn't long before they discovered each others natural talents on the opposite instrument as well. Mike then began writing songs on the guitar where Nat would supply the drum beat (songs like "Ask Her Ashes" and "Eagle Eye" are part of Aegis Fang's switch set). A mutual friend saw the potential for something great in the boys and booked them their first gig. The amazing feedback is what fuelled the passion for them to seriously pursue a band together. It was now time to pick a name for a gritty, blues/rock duo that alternates instruments on stage. Mike had recently read a series of fantasy novels by R.A Salvatore where the name "Aegis-fang" is used to describe a magical war hammer. This name was thrown into the mix during a conversation between the band and their now-manager Colin Sims and it seemed to resonate with everyone and not let go. You could say the name chose them. 

Today, Aegis Fang is in the vortex of an excited and diverse Victoria music scene. Their goal is to bring something new to the speaker and stage with their unique and eclectic songwriting, interchangeable arrangement and seemingly endless supply of energy on stage. After preforming for the first year or so as a two piece, the band decided to introduce a bass player into the dynamic, eventually landing on Victoria based musician and good friend to the band, Jordan Cunningham. This has proven to be the missing piece of the puzzle for Aegis Fang. The way in which Jordan meshes both musically and characteristically with the other band members is obvious to all who witness it. 

In early 2010, Aegis Fang stepped into the recording studio with Christian Down and Adam Sutherland of Infinity Studios to work on the band's debut album. After countless days of working gruelling construction jobs to pay for the recordings, Aegis Fang was proud to release "Under The Giant Spider" on October 15, 2010. Local Victoria artist Lydia Beauregard designed the album's haunting covers and Sean Brookes, another local Victoria artist, designed the amazing in-sleeve art. With this album, Aegis Fang has captured a modernized classic rock sound with the punching blues riffs and hand clapping, foot stomping, island-fused rock that their live shows are known for. Based on this album, the band was nominated in four categories at the 2011 Vancouver Island Music Awards, including "Album Of The Year" and "Artist Of The Year". Aegis Fang took home the "2011 Male Vocalist Of The Year" award and Christian Down and Adam Sutherland won "Producer Of The Year" for their work on the record. The host of The Zone @ 91.3's afternoon radio show Jeremy Baker described the album as being "A working class soundtrack..". Aegis Fang was selected as The Zone @ 91.3's "Band Of The Month" and the song "Ghetto Man" still receives air-play today. A live on-air performance of "Island Life" and "Foot Down" were recorded inside the Zone Control room and can be found on You Tube. To top it off, "Island Life" has also been featured on CBC's 90.5 Far West program. The album is now available online through CDBaby and iTunes.