Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta and now positioned in Montreal, The City Streets are a rare and unique breed, remaining unscathed from the all too often dogmatic music industry approach, managing to nurture a talent that is both raw and accessible. They have released 3 full length albums These Things Happen, Concentrated Living, The Jazz Age as well as 4 EP's entitled If you don’t like The Clash you’re a bad person, The Hipster Cull, Peacemaker, and Decline of the West.
The City Streets have toured North America extensively, visiting almost every province and state at least once with stops at SXSW, NXNE, CMW, Pop Montreal, Halifax Pop Explosion, a week long stint in NYC with shows at CBGB’s and The Knitting Factory, a show in Juarez, Mexico, and one in Leogane, Haiti. Comprised of Rick Reid (lyrics, vocals, guitar), Matt Leddy (bass, backup vocals), and Mark Chmilar (drums), catch the band live on one of their stops, buy their album, and offer them a place to crash on your floor.
Spring 2012 The City Streets will be releasing 2 full length records simultaneously. Winter Lightning was recorded in June 2011 with Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Wolf Parade) at Hotel2Tango studios in Montreal.
Sawdust & Rum was self-recorded in a small cabin on the Atlantic Ocean in Nova Scotia in September 2011.
You can download music in the FREE section at their website www.citystreetsband.com
"You can blame the advent of irony, generational disillusionment or simply changing tastes but heart-on-it’s-sleeve rock ‘n’ roll often seems in short supply these days. In that sense a band like The City Streets could be looked on as musical freedom fighters, offering a version of rock ‘n’ roll that shows possibilities rather than dead ends, recklessness over restraint. They’re sensitive fuck ups, these boys, and The Jazz Age catches them at their most fragile and out-of-control.” - SEE Magazine
"This group is Alberta's only hope” - CBC Radio 3
“Their songs—a tight mix of the hard social message of the Clash and the twang of Wilco—are spectacular” - VUE Weekly (cover story)
“Some Clash, some early Costello, a bottle of whiskey and you've got some idea where these hearts-on-their-sleeves, punk prairie boys are coming from.” - NOW Magazine