"A five-piece that reveals a more
powerful band sonically, combining elements
of psych-country twang and rustic classic rock filtered through an indie-rock sensibility and jazzy grooved-out
jams. Musically and soulfully adventurous,
Caledonia mixes hauntingly familiar themes
into a style that’s all their own, the result is a stellar live show with plenty of energy."
Exclaim!
Magazine (courtesy of the Lonely Vagabond
Caledonia
squeezed every bit of time and money they had into their new record, We are America. Produced by Dylan
Hudecki (By Divine Right, Junior Blue, Holy
F*ck), this record jumps ship on traditional genre labels and carves a path of its own through your record
collection. An album full of favourite
songs, The Globe and Mail chose "The Plague" as an essential track, "Scott’s House" cracked
the top 5 on CBC Radio 3 this summer and
the video for the title track “We are America” is in rotation on Much Music. This record made 'best of' lists
all over the internet, received a
nomination for Pop Album of the year at Nova Scotia Music Week and is nominated for 4 awards at this
years ECMA’s including Rising Star
Recording of the Year and Alternative Recording of the Year.
Back in 2004, former church camp rivals, Steve
Gates and Zac Crouse joined forces with
friends from University, Ian Bent and Steve Reble to release a full length record called Lost Balloons. The record went on to be a bit of a cult favourite among Caledonia
fans as well as attracting some bizarre TV
licences and a national distribution deal with
Fontana North. In 2006, the band released the Waiting to Burn EP which
spawned two national tours and charted in the top 10 on many college radio stations.
While recording the new record in 2007, the band
added lead guitarist Kris Pope (Acres and
Acres, Jenn Grant, and Down with the Butterfly). As a five-piece they have toured relentlessly since the
record’s release in June 2009. The album, We Are America and the band’s new live show have received critical acclaim from
a variety of blogs, radio stations,
newspapers, and musical peers. This banner year has
been topped off by the band's recent ECMA nominations for:
Group Recording of the Year
Rising Star Recording of the Year
Alternative Recording of the Year &
Vibe Creative Group Single of the Year for
'Scott’s House'
"...the Halifax band successfully
stretches across various regions of music.
There’s the harmonious alt-rock title track, or the kind of funky “The Plague” & “The Victim”. Opener “Restless
Year” is evocative and haunting, neither
over- nor under-done, while “Too Old” nor
“Same Old Lies” bring a bit of psychedelia. The sadness goes from the twang of
“I’m Tired” to the alt-country carry of “Light Rock Station”, not to mention the restrained fuzz of “Burning
the Day”." QRO Magazine (New York, NY)