artist Heroes & Villains

Composed of guitar-slinger/songwriter C-P Megarbane, vocalist Raphael Parent, bassman Jeremy Proville and skins & sticks man Dominique Salameh, Montreal's Heroes & Villains have been stirring hearts for three years with an E.P and now an album under their sails.

The 2005 EP, All the Giants are Buried at Sea introduced us to the sounds of Megarbane’s glassy Fender-benders -- exposing staple “ESA-2000”, singles like “Loveline” and tributes like the majestic “Ruby Keeler”. Recorded at the Hotel2Tango in Montreal’s Mile-End district, the EP’s construction with mad scientist Howard Bilerman was a good natured experience. Numerous winter shows at clubs and festivals created such a buzz that the songs on the EP appeared again and again in the Top 50 Canada College Radio Charts through the summer and fall of 2005. The catchy “firstname.lastname” somehow even swivelled its way down under into New Zealand’s radio waves. Listen up for “Drink” in your local liquor store by the way, it was recently heard in a Mont-Royal S.A.Q. The Heroes would be invited to record two live radio sessions at Concordia University’s radio, ranked best college station in the country, while BBC's Steve Lamacq show would mention H&V as yet another sure thing coming out of Montreal.

Coming in right behind the EP’s wave of success, a series of new melodies banded into some tunes, and were carefully crafted, again with H. Bilerman, unto the new LP. With the right bearings, their stories resonate throughout the speakers, both at home and live. The band’s self-managed, self-financed & self-chauffeured tour of Ontario and Quebec during the summer of 2006 would hone the band’s live skills, tightening each section into a full blowing steam night after night. It would also be an opportunity to befriend other indie outfits hailing from various Canadian locales. The tour also set the new songs off: unlike the famed drunken ship for which it is titled, “Stella Maris” is cruising along already, and recently appeared in Nightlife Magazine’s anniversary compilation.

The week before the album release, Heroes & Villains were asked to open for well established UK outfit British Sea Power in Montreal. There, the band proved they could easily contend with the British fish. This would be more apparent at a sold-out album release show for at the Divan Orange on November 17th 2006. Packed to the brim, the room witnessed the Heroes & Villains’ energy, confirming that the heart is always at the center of everything H&V.

Air Sea Rescue is now out and about, caught up already by anticipating lovers and believers. So keep an ear or two out for it.