artist The United Steel Workers of Montreal

Montreal's beloved six-piece, THE UNITED STEEL WORKERS OF MONTREAL, have wowed audiences from coast to coast with the infectious draw of their unique brand of blue-collar alt-country.  A potent mix of blues, jazz, country and swing, The USWM’s live performances are filled out with dry wit, tall tales and some outright lies. Dancing is optional but hard to avoid.
    Following in the wake of their critically acclaimed albums, Broken Trucks and Bottles and Kerosene & Coal, THREE ON THE TREE sees the band branching out from their earthy, acoustic-country-punk roots to experiment with gospel (Jesus We Sweat), historical ballads (Mary Gallagher), Spanish horn arrangements (Glen Jones) and thundering premonitions of death (Three Hard Knocks). Lead singer Gern f., guitarist Shawn 'Gus' Beauchamp and electric guitar master Matthew Watson each pour a diverse helping of tunes into the mélange. Rockabilly bassist Eddy Blake and banjo/mandolin player Chris Reid's combined upbeat, energetic stylings give the album an unmistakable pop and swing. Huge in heart, narrative scope and emotion, THREE ON THE TREE swoops down over the industrial grimness of Shot Tower sashaying through the street-level social turbulence of What a Riot and peers into a delicate room where lead singer Felicity Hamer's velvety vocals balance the melody of Little Girl like a frail tea-cup on her saucer. All of the most loved conventions of The USWM's previous work are represented, from the stirring rallying cries of Rise Up and The Line to light hearted foot stomping romps like Making Babies and Lorelei.
           THE UNITED STEEL WORKERS OF MONTREAL were voted Montreal’s #1 Folk/Roots Band and #2 Best Live Act, and have been recorded live by CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3. The band has been receiving critical acclaim, playing SXSW, NXNE, CMW, Pop Montreal, Toronto International Film Festival, FME, Quebec City’s 400th anniversary, Nancy France Jazz Festival and received nominations for the Quebec Independent Music Awards and the MIMIs. They have released two stunning videos for Émile Bertrand and Meaner than You. THREE ON THE TREE will be unleashed, February 3rd, upon a rapidly swelling international audience, all hungry to hear more, and will see the band touring extensively across Canada, the US and Europe.

Recent Press Quotes:

-- Their live gigs have achieved a legendary cult-like status…they sing about you and me, and to you and me. It’s real, it’s about a good time, it’s about life. – Nightlife Magazine

-- It doesn't take long to realize that USWM is doing something different than most bands out there.  The lead vocals are unique and the harmony vocals are outstanding. – antiMUSIC

-- Breathtaking harmonies, strings, and banjo ...can make you stomp a hole into the dance floor on one track ...and hold your girl tight as you sway to the next. – Herohill

-- The hoot-and-holler meter went highest when the United Steel Workers of Montreal thundered through a set of urban hillbilly -- or "citygrass" -- music…with the fierceness of a Tom Waits-Shane MacGowan knife fight. – Globe and Mail

-- The USWM eat the crowd with a raucous country-marries-urban-roots set. After Felicity's sass has met Gern's grit, a vocal shot of Tom Waits if he'd been born in a motel in the Ozarks, you are feeling that familiar flush of pride and thinking "we've done it again." Because USWM are indeed from Montreal. – The Gazette

GERN f. Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica
FELICITY HAMER Vocals, Accordion
SHAWN BEAUCHAMP Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Telecaster, Harmonica
MATTHEW WATSON Electric Guitars, Mandolin, Banjo, Backing Vocals
PHIL FRUMIGNAC Double Bass
DYLAN PERRON Mandolin, Banjo