The Criminal Kid

The next few months...

2012-02-26T07:47:00.000-08:00

Well we have now finished tracking out the album at Makeshift Studios. Lea did an excellent job as did our producers, Rob and Dave. We've got a great base product! Now we're looking forward to the mixing process which will turn those great tracks into an awesome album. We've also teamed up with visual artist, Logan Frasier, for our album cover and it's looking great so far!

So when do we get to hear it?

Well, that's up for debate right now. The current window is between June and September this year, with the summer months out of the equation. We'll let you know when we get closer to the date.

The show at O'Hanlon's went very well this weekend and has sparked our drive to play more, and we've got a full slate of shows planned for the coming months including Winnipeg, Calgary, Saskatoon and of course more in Regina!

O'Hanlon's Feb 24

2012-02-21T09:27:00.001-08:00

Well after a long time trying, we finally have one of the things on the bands bucket list in our sites - play at Regina's hugely popular O'Hanlons Irish Pub!

We take the stage at 11 with the headliner TBA. Keep up on our Facebook page for more details!

The Studio so far

2012-01-28T09:32:00.001-08:00

We are now entering our third weekend at Makeshift studios. We have completed 2 songs almost entirely and have a good portion of many more done. Drums are nearly entirely complete, bass, guitar and keyboards are at the halfway mark and we've completed about 20% of the vocals.During the process we've been taking videos, writing a journal and preparing promotional tours, plans and the rest. What we have so far is exceeding expectations and we're getting very excited to see the finished product!

Hi-ho Hi-ho, it's off to the Studio!

2012-01-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

Well after a fun and very busy November and December, we're switching gears from the live performance to studio love. We're going into the studio this coming Friday, January 13th to begin tracking for our first full-length release! We will be recording at Makeshift Studios.

We've just completed pre-production, all the re-writing, spit polishing and paperwork that comes before the studio and we've only to go in, set up and play.

We're going to be doing some video-diaries while we're there, so keep your eyes open for some stuff, you might even hear some sneak peeks!

Tonight - TOONIE TUESDAY - The Gaslight

2011-12-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

See that pile of change in the corner there? Scrape up $2 and drag yourself to The Gaslight tonight. We've brought in one of our favourite Winnipeg bands, Mad Young Darlings and will be rocking the stage with them all night tonight.

Show these great guys and gal a good time and show them that Regina indeed can rock one's socks off!

The Gaslight - Tues Dec 20 - TOONIE TUESDAY!

2011-12-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas season have you so poor you can't get your live music fix? Well we've teamed up with The Gaslight Saloon to bring some relief from your financially demanding holiday season!

Presenting Toonie Tuesday! For a $2 cover, come check out 2 great Alternative Rock bands!

Mad Young Darlings - Winnipeg - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mad-Young-Darlings/287492460380

The ferocity and passion emanating from the fiery cavernous soul of 'Mad Young Darlings' acts as a conduit to its devotees own stormy, electric interior. Natasha, belting out sincere and merciless poesy, acts as a mirror to her audience's inner turmoil and siphons that anger into a vat of therapeutic turbulence. Their vigorous and rebellious refrain leaves them no choice but to open fire on the audience with potent and pretensionless energy, ricocheting off their instruments like the stage is a barbarous symphonic jungle. Forming in 2005, the band got off to a successful start after being included on the 'Power 97 Class Of 2006' compilation album. They followed this by touring with rocker Danko Jones and opening for cult rock band, 'The Subways' in 2007. They were also invited to play North By Northeast that year, and after amassing a devoted group of followers, were named 'Best New Band of 2008' in Uptown Magazine's annual 'Best Of Winnipeg' poll. After the band split up that same year, lead singer Natasha Reske-Naurocki and guitarist Brad Donahue defiantly decided to retreat underground and plot the band's re-emergence. From the ruins and wreckage of their previous feats, the pair began to write, record and produce MYD's debut album. After turning themselves inside out, they finally let bleed the album that had been living inside of them for so long, the appropriately titled, "Creaturette". The result is an appropriately personal and intense amalgamation of sounds both biting and bitterly sarcastic. When bass player Chris Peluk (Alverstone) and guitar player Troy Taylor (The Universe) expressed their mutual passion for their sound, they were rapidly and rapturously recruited. Subsequently, Erik Strom (Sons Of York, Wear Your Wounds) was added as the final harmonic extremity. 'Mad Young Darlings' had officially picked its teeth with the bones of its forgotten comrades and morphed into the exciting, edgy, hot blooded animal that today screams to be unleashed.

Tonight - NO COVER - The King's Head Tavern

2011-11-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Come on out and help The Criminal Kid host our first full night in Regina. We're playing with no cover tonight and that's as good a reason as any to come on out.

Doors at 8:30!

Feature Interview on RAGE Regina

2011-11-26T08:49:00.001-08:00

We've been featured in our first feature interview on RAGE Regina.

Check it out here!
http://www.rageregina.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=214:blues-skies-ahead-for-the-criminal-kid&catid=46:features&Itemid=81

TONIGHT - The German Club

2011-11-25T12:00:00.001-08:00

Come on out to the German Club and help us rock away the winter blues with Screaming Daisies and Kory Istace vs. The Time Pirates!

Come help us break our long silence in Regina and check out our brand new song, The Lion!

Shows coming up in Regina over the next month!

2011-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

We've got a great quartet of shows coming your way in Regina this month, so it should be easy to make some time to see some shows!

November 25 - The German Club - with Screaming Daisies and Kory Istace vs. The Time Pirates - Event Page

November 30 - The King's Head Tavern - a night with The Criminal Kid - No cover! - Event Page

December 6 - The Club at The Exchange - shhh - this one is still secret. We're opening for Midway State! - Event Page

December 20 - Gaslight Saloon - playing with our Winnipeg pals, Mad Young Darlings! We've got a great deal on this one - Toonie Tuesday! The Gaslight has even promised to come up with a Toonie deal or two. Event Page.

The Kings Head Tavern - November 30

2011-11-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

The Criminal Kid host a full night with a long set of their beloved tunes mixed with a fresh set of classic and contemporary hits. We're going to blast through all our best originals and some covers of songs by Metric, Muse, The White Stripes, Incubus and more!

This is an exciting NO COVER charge show, hosted by the band. So come on out and enjoy a drink and live music!

The Kings Head Tavern on Facebook :
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kings-Head-Tavern/115515268513090

The Criminal Kid on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/TheCriminalKid

The Fez - Saskatoon

2011-11-18T08:35:00.001-08:00

Hey Saskatoon! Tonight is the night! Come on out and check out The Criminal Kid's first long-form set! We've got some classic covers from nearly a dozen of our favourite artists as well as our entire active catalogue of original songs!

Doors open at 8, be there or be square!

November 25

2011-11-17T17:56:00.001-08:00

Screaming Daisies, Criminal Kid, Kory Istace VS The Time Pirates

http://www.facebook.com/kivtp
After four years, and having just released his third full-length album with The Time Pirates, Kory Istace and the group have established themselves as one of the most prolific bands in Saskatchewan. Their affinity for genre exploration is self-evident throughout their discography. On the forthcoming third disc, there are resonances of country, bluegrass, folk, blues, rock, and doo-wop. The songwriting and delivery of Kory is a strong highlight of a talented group. His lyrics depict universal truths in an undeniably personal manner, and he delivers them with a conviction few can replicate.

http://www.facebook.com/TheCriminalKid?sk=wall
Four kids hailing from Regina, SK ready to impress you with their criminally good intelligent rock vibes. Consisting of Mike on drums, Victor on guitar, Jeremy on bass, and Allysia on vocals and keys - these kids will rock your socks off, steal your headphones, and then spray-paint their tag on your musical soul.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Screaming-Daisies/170615966322996?sk=app_2405167945
Donny Reddekop, Scott ‘sexy jesus’ Turgeon and Christopher Smith have an intense obsession to create something pure and original. Hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan this trio relies heavily on strong musicianship and poetic lyrics to win the crowd over. Screaming Daisies fuse alternative rock and psychedelic pop but can weave seamlessly through any other genre with ease.

Highlights of Halloween show

2011-11-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

Our friends and hosts at RAGE Regina posted some photos and highlights from our recent show at The U of R Multipurpose Room with Born Gold.

"After Born Gold, The Criminal Kid picked it up on the stage! They rocked out an amazingly awesome set and had the crowd dancing all night. They are raising money to record their fully made local CD and we want to help them out as much as we can. We want to get more people knowing about this GREAT local band and supporting them on their musical journey. These guys are so awesome and really know how to put on a show as well. They will be performing next in Regina on November 30th at the King's Head Tavern with no cover, so if you missed them, you must get out and see them! "

We were really happy to play this show and introduced a new song to the crowd, showed off some of the new covers we've put together for the set and wore our best nerd Halloween costumes.

Check out the full review and everything else RAGE has to offer! Link.

Saskatoon - November 18, 2011

2011-10-31T21:55:00.001-07:00

The Criminal Kid returns to Saskatoon for a full set at The Fez on Broadway!

Come on out to hear TCK play all their best tunes and put their spin on some contemporary and classic hits.

The Fez on Broadway on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-FEZ-on-Broadway/128060053894060

HALLOWEEN WITH THE CRIMINAL KID AND BORN GOLD

2011-10-20T17:09:00.001-07:00

On October 27th, come on down to the U of R multipurpose room (next to the Owl bar) for the best of Halloween celebrations this year!

Doors @ 9
Bands @ 10

The Owl will be serving alcohol (so no minors allowed!) and we will have a Halloween themed snack bar and activities.

Wear your costumes, there will be a prize for the best costume!

$7 at the door, OR $5 if you bring a canned food item for donation.

Labelled as "Edmonton's favourite freak-popstars", BORN GOLD will be sure you get you dancing!
Download their album for free at:
http://borngold.bandcamp.com/

Love and Kindness

2011-10-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

And the race is on...

2011-10-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

9 days left in our campaign on IndieGoGo. This money will be going directly to hours in the studio this december. We already have enough for a good solid week + of recording and that's gonnna get the basics down. The more hours we get in, the better we make you some tunes!

Pitch in if you can, you guarantee yourself some great stuff when the project is done, from downloads to CD's, to a veritable party if you want it.

This album is going to be a great project that's coming out of this city and telling the story of this place. Little Wind is the universal constant here and that's where we're telling the story from. Join in and help us spin our tale...

Visit us on IndieGoGo or get ahold of us and help us in your own way.

October Loops Around Again

2011-10-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Just Pay Attention

2011-09-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

You Reading This, Be Ready

2011-09-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

RAGE Regina Feature

2011-09-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Local arts and entertainment blog/event planning and organizing group, RAGE Regina has generously featured our album fundraiser today. Go check out the feature and the blog! We're hoping to do an interview with them really soon so subscribe to their RSS feed or friend them on Facebook to keep up to date!

The Rules Don't Follow You

2011-09-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

Now

2011-09-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

Making An Album - Watch our first video

2011-09-03T16:42:00.001-07:00

Hailing Seas

2011-08-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

Have you IndieGoGo'd yet?

2011-08-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

The Criminal Kid is working our way towards a $5000.00 fundraising goal with partner website, IndieGoGo for our upcoming album Little Wind.

Just love to let you know that visiting the page is going to reveal some great ways to help us out and get to know us at the same time.

Hope to see you soon.

"Little Wind" the debut album by The Criminal Kid on IndieGoGo.

August 13

2011-07-25T21:22:00.001-07:00

Beat the heat in Regina's hottest underground venue. Bring all your friends young and old alike to this summers best indie show!

Including some of Regina's best female talent, this will be more than a simple blast-in-the-face rock show. This is going to be a show of great talent, variety and fun.

The night will begin with Regina's delightful, THE SEVEN SEAS.

Fresh off their performances at Taste of Saskatchewan and finalists in the RSO's Symphony Under The Sky 2011 Band Contest, pop-rock quartet THE FORTUNATE ISLES will get your butts moving next.
http://www.facebook.com/TheFortunateIsles

Third up off their own successful turn at Taste of Saskatchewan and on the cusp of entering the studio to record their debut LP "Little Wind", THE CRIMINAL KID will place you in a mood so felonious you won't be quite the same.
http://www.facebook.com/TheCriminalKid

Topping off this boogylicious evening are Regina's consumate working rockers, Ink Road. Coming off their own popular run at the RSO's Symphony Under the Sky 2011 Band Contest and being featured on the Kanpai 2 Recovery Mix CD Ink Road has all the chops to make you realize - your night is just starting.
http://www.facebook.com/inkroad

This show will be all ages and licensed. Bring your friends young and old!

Tickets available August 1 from all the bands and select Regina stores. $10 Advance.

Sponsor "Little Wind" - As little as $5!

2011-07-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Criminal Kid is just raring for this next project! We are endeavouring to raise $5000.00 to help record out DEBUT RECORD this winter. The title of the album will be "Little Wind" in reference to the theme of climate and weather that will flow throughout.

We have partnered with fundraising website, IndieGoGo to facilitate raising these funds from you, our friends, family and fans. This is a lifelong goal and project for everyone involved and we're going to invest ourselves physically, mentally, financially and completely to the creation of this album.

Visit our collection point on IndieGoGo and see how you can not only help a new, exciting Canadian band reach for the stars, but you can also get great perks that will show that YOU helped us get there!

We're going to include all of the favourites on the collection, "You Are", "Little Wind", "It Isn't Enough" and yes, even "Under the Sun".

Name That Drummer

2011-06-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

Head on over to our Facebook Page and vote for the nickname we will use to denote our drummer and a song!

July 23, 2011 - Saskatoon

2011-06-20T20:13:00.001-07:00

The Criminal Kid is proud to pronounce that we have been confirmed to play the "Taste of Saskatchewan" festival in Saskatoon SK. We will be playing Saturday July 23 at 2:30 PM. Come by the stage behind the Bessborough and rock out with TCK!

Saskatoon’s annual ‘flavorite event’ and premiere festival featuring 30 of Saskatoon’s finest restaurants serving their house favorites. The festival also features over 55 Saskatchewan performers.

July 19: 11:00am-9:00pm, July 20-23: 11:00am-10:30pm, July 24: 11:00am-8:00pm

visit www.tasteofsaskatchewan.ca
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207081709313782

So to all of our friends, family and new fans in Saskatoon, please come out and support us at this premiere event!

Great weekend of Gigs!

2011-05-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to the shows on Thursday and Friday! We've got photos and video from each and will be posting them as we can on Facebook, Picasa and YouTube!

If you got video as part of our little project on Friday, remember to send it in to us at video -at- thecriminakid -dot- ca.

Little Wind

2011-05-23T20:17:00.001-07:00

So, to practice the video idea for the upcoming show we grabbed an acoustic guitar, the video camera and our smart phones and headed to the stairwell. As a result we put together the video above featuring our brand new song, "Little Wind". We will be debuting the full band version live on stage on Tuesday at McNally's!

Danny Martin and Nathan Van Betuw

2011-05-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

Are the big winners of the tickets to see The Criminal Kid at McNally's on Thursday.

We actually did it a couple weeks ago and silly-us forgot to update the ol' blog. So here we be.

The shows are coming fast. We've got our last jam tomorrow before the workweek starts and we get rolling to the shows. We've got nearly our entire catalogue on display at McNally's so it will be well worth the $5 cover and some good beer to come out and see.

Friday is of course our debut at The Cathedral Arts Festival and we couldn't be more excited to head out. We've got a great show planned and a cool idea we would like some help with. We are going to try and shoot a video of a song or two at the show and we want YOU to be the camera-man. Bring your smartphones to the show and just before the last three songs, start shooting. Walk around and shoot the band on your phone.

Later, upload it to your computer and send it to us at video -at- thecriminalkid.ca. Whatever we get in within 10 days of the show will be edited together into a live video! Full credit will be provided and hey, we'll send you a sticker and a free download of all three songs on the single for your trouble.

Free Tickets to McNally's May 26th

2011-05-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

OK TEAM AWESOME™!!! We've got another ticket contest happenin'. Head over to our Facebook page and leave us a comment that you'd like to be entered to win tickets to see us at McNally's and we'll toss you into a draw for free tickets to our show on May 26th at McNally's Tavern with Coherency.

We will be doing a Video Blog draw for the ticket on Friday night, so subscribe on YouTube to find out immediately who won!

May 27 - Artesian on 13th

2011-05-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Criminal Kid is pleased to announce our premiere show at the Artesian on 13th, for the Cathedral Village Arts Fest. TCK is deeply rooted in Cathedral, many of us have or are living in the neighbourhood, and the band practiced some of its first songs there as well. The Criminal Kid is looking forward eagerly to returning our sound to The Cathedral Village and we hope that they'll enjoy what we've become.

We will be playing with the incomparable Chad Kichula and The Douglas Avenue Garage Band. The venue is said to be excellent. This will be a do-not-miss show for 2011. Get more details at the Cathedral Village Arts Festival website.

Upcoming Gigs - Two nights in Regina!

2011-04-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Ok so we've got two new gigs to announce!

First, Thursday May 26 we will be returning to McNally's Tavern to play a night with Coherency. We've got a long set this night, so for the $5 you'll get to see our entire current catalogue! Sorry, we won't be digging up any of the old gems unless we can convince Dave to come out of kidtirement. Tickets available from the bands or at the door.

Then, the next day on Friday May 27th we will be exploring a brand new venue, the Artesian on 13th. We will be opening the night for the incredible Chad Kichula & the Douglas Avenue Garage Band. We are still waiting on details for this one to come out, but we're booked in that night. This is part of the Cathedral Village Arts Festival and we are very excited to have the spot and to show some new ears our music. Shows are always best done like an 80's guitar solo - back to back. This show should be an absolutely amazing night in a room with amazing acoustics and a night of good practice the night before.

We've spent the past little while writing like mad. We resurrected an old song, "Next Life" which we've put some new and improved polish on and some new lyrics to. We've also got 2 new songs, "Safer Now" and the tentatively titled "Mike Beat" (or "Beat Mike" if he's late for jam). And we've already started wading into the pool on about 2 or 3 more songs. The band actually has a backlog of songs to work on ... we wish there was more time in the week so we could get together to work on things more.

Online

2011-03-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of a busy summer, we've shored up our online presence this week by becoming members of a few new online communities and adding some features to the ol' homepage.

On the homepage we've added a "Links" section which features links to all the online communities we're a member of. While Facebook and Reverbnation will likely remain our focus, we are proud to now be members of Purevolume, OurStage and Big Music. We've also posted links to some of the services we've been a member of for a while but haven't promoted extensively like Unsigned.com.

We've also added a digital store to the page. It currently features a couple great items, a water bottle and coffee cup. These are at the moment only available online, but we will have them available by the end of May at our merch table at shows. So if you want to be the first on your block with one, grab one up now! We also have the single available from this store, powered by Reverbnation as well as from Bandcamp.com.

In other news, TCK is now up to 94th place. Go Team Awesome!

TCK Cracks Canadian Alternative Top 100!

2011-03-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Criminal Kid cracked the top 100 on the Canadian Alternative charts on Reverbnation this week, currently sitting at 95th place!

This was in great part thanks to the rallying of our fans on Facebook and we'd like to say a big thank-you to them for the help.

Next step is to try and crack 1st place on the local alternative chart. It's close, we're in second now.

If you want to help, watch our videos on the right or join our mailing list towards the bottom of the page. It increases our points and helps our position. I've included a widget grab box below as well if you would like to help promote us on your webpage, blog, Facebook or wherever!

Thanks!

Pre-Performance Food and Wellness Tips

2011-03-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

It's Allysia here! Shocking, I know. I just wanted to drop by and let you know that I put up a post on my blog about singing and performing, and the steps I take to make sure my voice stays in good shape. And how I avoid illness, because being sick on stage sucks, especially as a singer. Okay, I'm sure it sucks for a bassist, guitarist and drummer too, but at least those instruments don't sound like shizzit when you're sick.

Check out my pre-performance food and wellness tips here! And with that said, I bid you peace and adieu.

Allysia

Successorama!

2011-03-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

The Criminal Kid enjoyed a career high show last night, with a very strong turnout by Team Awesome™. Thanks to everyone who showed up, The Distrikt Nightclub, Screaming Daisies and the incomparable Crystal Kid from Calgary. A better night of rock could not be requisitioned in this town!

We have pictures up on our Facebook page taken by the lovely and talented Rhonda Young-Pilon. And we're not just saying that because one of us is married to her. Video for the show will be up later this week, subscribe to our YouTube channel to have access to the videos before anyone else.

Finally, we are just finishing up confirmation on our next show. It will be on April 16. so keep tuned here for details on location, bands and the rest.

"It Isn't Enough" Digital Download now Available!

2011-03-01T19:46:00.001-08:00

The digital download single is now available for "It Isn't Enough"!!!

Visit http://thecriminalkid.bandcamp.com to scoop it up! It's listed for $2.50, but we're struggling new artists, so if you choose to be more generous, that option is there for you.

The band also has some free tickets available for anyone who would like to come to the hard-copy release of the single this weekend at The Distrikt. Contact us if you need a ticket!

It Isn't Enough

2011-02-21T12:33:00.000-08:00

Release date March 5, 2011

March 5

2011-02-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

We've got another show booked at The Distrikt. This time we're opening for Calgary rockers, Crystal Kid. We're supporting Crystal Kid with local band, Screaming Daisies.

We are also going to be using the show to launch the single for "It Isn't Enough". So if you want to come out and get your own copy, contact us and we'll hook you up with tickets.

Finally, check out our new You Tube video of "It Isn't Enough" recorded the last time we were at The Distrikt in December.

January 2010

2011-01-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

Hey folks!

Well we're just finishing up our 3-song single coming out in about 2 weeks or so. I'm sure we'll set a date at some point to make it official, but hey if you're on the mailing list, I think this thing might show up a little earlier for you than anyone else. Just say'n.

Ahem...

Had some fun this past weekend involving the police and a desperate search for space. We've got a safe home again and we'll be rockin' tomorrow night again. Gasp of relief. Seriously. But them's the breaks in being in a sonic dynamo. Stuff gets knocked over.

What would The Criminal Kid be without a visit from the police. And we got audio ;).

Peace
JP

Recording!

2011-01-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

The band spent the first three days of the year holed up in a secret location laying instrument tracks for a 3 song release due probably the start of March. We're working on a gig around that time, so we'll hopefully release it then.

We recorded "I Have a Beautiful Dream", "It isn't Enough" and "You Are". All of them sound absolutely fantastic thanks to the very talented Adam Coderre who put his considerable skills at our disposal to get this recorded. Allysia was just recovering from a pretty nasty case of Holiday Hanta Virus so we didn't get vocals done, but we're scheduled to go back this coming Friday to finish up. We've got a digital release of the first song "It isn't Enough" scheduled for the first or second week of February, so stay tuned!

On Culture

2010-12-20T19:50:00.001-08:00

Last week I was engaged in a rather lengthy conversation with long time TCK supporter and close band friend, Rob Hillstead about the subject of culture. Specifically about the role of government sponsorship of the arts. Historically I've benefited a couple times directly from government sponsored arts (as in I've been paid by the government to make my art) and have benefited indirectly all my life. I think it's a great thing.

At the beginning of the conversation I shared an anecdote of a fellow musician who felt that music should not become dependent on this kind of funding. Our mutual love of debate sparked, we immediately drew a line in the sand and went at it. I admit fully to losing that debate... and really rather quickly. I've always found it hard to debate a side I don't agree with - not impossible but hard.

But the benefit of the debate was that it eventually turned into a discussion about culture and how it develops. Considering Canada is a very young country as a name, and what culture was here historically was pretty systematically wiped out for a good 300-400 years. So we're stuck trying to rebuild an identity and reconcile the negative history between the historical protectors of our culture and the modern offspring of the folk that wiped it out. Add to the trouble a certain cultural bohemith within 100km of 90% of the population and the fact that we have our own flag in a style that genuinely sticks out of the crowd starts to look like another wonder of the world.

But it's left me considering The Criminal Kid's place in the Canadian cultural story. I can't be so arrogant to think that we're going to define any part of the cultural story, but it seems like something we should consider. We're all really proud to be Canadian, and in our own ways sport it. From CFL football flags in the jam space to maple leaf tattoos, we've got it in us. But does it show up in our sound?

It's hard to say. I know that we do many of the things I think are essential to being a part of a culture :

- Engage in your culture - we listen to Canadian music, watch Canadian TV and do Canadian things. It only stands to reason that we soak up some of what that Canadian culture is. And sometimes we DON'T do Canadian things ... because we've done them and made our own decisions. There are no hockey players in this band.

- To thine own self be true - We do what works for us. That's not to say we're not considering what the listener is thinking, but we're doing it in our own way. Not because we're trying to emulate anyone or fit any particular mold.

- Use the culture you engage in - this fly's completely in the face of that last point. Because so often we use something we already know as a reference point for what we want to do. We've never ripped off a riff, but we've had part of a song together, played another song that we've liked, melded the two and - boom... something else. I like to think of influences as muses, not teachers. The bass line from Beautiful Dream is influenced by the bass at the start of Jenny Was A Friend of Mine by The Killers. Huh? Yeah.

- Know the borders - This one is hard and one that I have never really roped in. If you want to contribute to a culture, it's pretty pivotal that you know what culture you're really a part of and what you want to be a part of and actively engage that culture within those parameters. Epic Fail on my part. With a great deal of my influences coming from the US and UK, my Canadian influences aren't non-existent, but they aren't as prominent as perhaps they could be. Something I need to work on for sure. CBC Radio 3 has been my friend in this fight the past couple years (Government sponsored!). It doesn't mean I like EVERYTHING that's there, it just means I try and find things I like there first.

I guess at the end of the essay it really just suffices to say that by occasionally pondering your place in culture as an artist of any stripe is a honest, fun and important thought exercise. It can never hurt to have the conversation and you will certainly walk away more enlightened about the world around you and the part you play in making it better.

Peace!

Jeremy

Sing a little singalong song!

2010-12-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

After Dec 11, the band is going to be ducking out of sight for a couple months. Plans in this period include getting some recording done and writing, writing, writing. We like to write, it's something we feel is a real strength.

But with that comes the concern that we're just going to keep writing the same song. Worse than writers block to any self-respecting song-writer. One of the (many) subjects we've discussed on how to create variety going forward is expanding on what we do vocally. We have 3 vocalists in the band and while we use all three in several songs, there's no reason we can't exercise the talent even more. To that end, I put together a little YouTube playlist with some great songs with great vocal performances. I admit that it's pretty heavily weighted towards multi-vocal performances, but there are some great solo performances in there as well.

What are some great vocal songs that you would add to the list?

Jeremy

Relic from the past

2010-11-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

I want you to stop what you're doing right now, and then go rummage through your extensive CD collection, digging up Third Eye Blind's self-titled album from the dusty pile of forgotten, neglected albums. I know you have it, if you're the self-respecting 90's music fan you claim to be. Pop it in your car's CD player (or upload it to your iPod if that's how you roll) and go for a cruise; you won't be sorry. Listening to it will transport you to a land where music was simpler, genuine and auto-tune was still a freaky thing that only Cher indulged in.

Allysia

Dec 11, 2010 Show Details

2010-11-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hey all. Well we've gotten over the loss of the show last night and we're in full gear getting ready for the show Dec 11. This is going to be a very special gig for us, it is our first headlining gig ever!

We had been preparing a new song for each of our last 2 shows of the year, so you'll be hearing 2 new songs at the show AND a cover which is new for the band.

Tickets are available from The Criminal Kid, Day Trip and The League of One, they are $7 advance and $10 at the door. The Distrikt will be rocking Dec 11 that is a certainty. Doors open 8:30, show kicks off at 9:30.

November 26 Show Cancelled

2010-11-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

Tragic news from Crash Karma this week. Singer Edwins father passed away. We're sending our thoughts his way and hope his family will be ok.

Unfortunately this has also forced the cancellation of the show at The Drink on Friday. Fortunately, The Distrikt will honour tickets for this show at our gig on Dec 11 (and throw in a free drink for good measure). If you can't make it, contact the person you purchased them from for full refund.

We are certainly disappointed as we we've spent a lot of time anticipating and preparing, but those are the facts of life sometimes.

New TCK Stickers

2010-11-16T10:37:00.000-08:00

This is Vic here, and I'm doing my first blog. Jeremy hounded me and I figured I better get on it.

We have some new stickers being printed at this very moment! 2 different designs, and both follow our current purple and orange color scheme. They'll be on sale at all of our shows!

What I'm more excited about than band stickers, are the couple Mega Man stickers I stuck in with our band stickers. Anyone that knows me thinks I have an unhealthy obsession withe Mega Man video games. They'd be correct. I'll be throwing one of the stickers on my amp, and another sticker possibly on my guitar.

That's enough on stickers for now, I'll change my focus on to some music. Today I've been listening to a lot of Yeah Yeah Yeahs (the albums "It's Blitz!" and "Show Your Bones" to be exact). Every time I listen to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs I seem to like it more than the last. I wasn't a huge fan of It's Blitz at first, but the album is really growing on me.

One track in particular that I'm loving is Runaway. That song just puts me in such a calm and mellow state every time I hear it, I could close my eyes and sleep to that song. So good.

PS: Our EP we will be recording in the new year will be titled "Skeletins" ... the typo is on purpose, it's an inside joke. More so, we thought it was a suiting title because it's not too serious of a name, and it represents that the songs, though be it final and stable structures, are not necessarily the final versions of the songs. We still have room to go back, rewrite, and tweak songs if we want.

PPS: just a side, if you have Twitter (which I don't), you should follow 50cent, that guy's Twitter is the most entertaining way to waste time on the internet.

Waiting Room + Notebook

2010-11-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

Sitting in a waiting room and the jaunty radio is telling me not to stop thinking about tomorrow. Oh, I won't. The lukewarm green tea in my travel mug is causing me to buzz, a caffeine pressure in my chest, creating a slight fierceness in this pen-to-paper business.

You might think I have a plan, writing and all, but I don't. I'm just writing to write. Just talking, talking to myself about nothing. Sometimes that's the best thing, kind of like stepping out for a stroll and wandering nowhere in particular. This is rambling.

(Maroon 5, you're so boppy with your club beats and caramel voice. Let's all have a dance party.)

Keeping busy is wonderful, I think, if it's done correctly. Like sharpening the saw. If you take a break from your work and spend the day being lazy, it's like putting the saw down. When you pick it up again, it isn't any sharper. But say instead of having a lazy day vacation, you had a day spent in good conversation, reading something inspiring, honing your craft, contemplating and ramble-writing, then you sharpen the saw so when you go back to work you're all motivated and pumped up. And I'm talking real work, not the work that you do because you have to. The work that matters to you.

TLC, it's been a while, and yes it is stupid to chase waterfalls. You'll probably just drown under the pressure of it all. (Emo?)

I can't help but feel like the media is trying to make us all feel placated, like everything is all right, calm down, sit back and smile. I have nothing against chilling out and smiling but it just seems so damn creepy sometimes, like brainwashing. Like lying low when everything isn't all right. The house is on fire and the fire fighters tell you to crawl back into bed, just go back to sleep - they'll take care of it. Really. Just go to sleep. And then it turns out their water hoses are really filled with gasoline and the housefire grows and spreads to the neighboring houses. People are alarmed but, "we've got it all taken care of, really, just sleep."

Phil Collins is trying to boost me up, talking about some higher love. There's a brief temptation to begin a cheesy dance sequence in the middle of the waiting room, but of course I don't. Sometimes I wish I was the kind of person who could do such a thing sans inhibitions, but of course my self-control is precious to me and keeps me from getting into trouble - better to keep it.

Snow falls, white static. Spin the dial spin the static in the air. In a waiting room, yes, but it's been a nice November so far. Winter's rolling in and I'm looking up. The house may be on fire but at least I ain't asleep.

Allysia

Skeleton vs. The Ghost

2010-11-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about ~~skeletins~~ skeletons. Mostly I was thinking about how creepy they are, which is weird considering everyone has one. I don't think hair or nails are creepy (though possibly icky in the wrong context), and if we're talking stuff under-the-skin, muscles and veins aren't really creepy either - that's just the stuff that horror movies make a mess of, which is gross, nauseating even, if you're really sensitive to the nastiness of violence. Yes, I prefer a good G-rated movie (G-rated life is too severe, though), where everything turns out okay and the characters retain all of their limbs, appendages, and heads. I'm probably old-fashioned, damn kids these days and their 'scene' and 'emo', when I was your age, I knew how to multiply. But I digress.

Skeletons are creepy. They jump out at you in haunted houses, and are usually always accompanied by some boogety-boo music, discordant piano notes tinkling in the high register, while low strings play slow chromatics. Characters often scream at the sight of them - even Buffy was weirded out by skeletons and she practically lived in a graveyard. Maybe they're creepy because they just look so damn happy. "I'm a skeleton, I know all your secrets! Let's play Blackjack!" Just think, right at this moment, there's a happy-as-pie skeleton sitting under your skin, smiling away at all the irony in life, laughing at all of your problems.

Smug skeleton, thinking you're so awesome because you hold it all together. Sure, being an indestructible foundation is an important role; you're like the drummer of a band (does that make drummers creepy too?) Without skeletons, we would be lumpy slugs, squishing on through an undefined world. Just like songs. Songs are water without a beat. Can't grasp it and it doesn't stick. No definition, no form. Skeletons are rhythm, primal, the foundation that muscles and skin rest on. And if the melodic rhythm of a song is muscle (think guitar), then bass would be the veins running through them. The melody, whatever instrument it is, would be the skin, encapsulating everything else, what others may see but only a part of the story.

Bones, bleached and dry, it's what we'll be. The Future of Flesh. While all else melts away and dissolves into dirt, bones remain, underground and everlasting, the only physical part of ourselves that we leave behind. Our skeleton will always be, our skeleton is ageless. So perhaps their inherent creepiness is just because they create a stark contrast against all that we are - impermanent. Temporary. Although I find it quite comforting to know I'm not so easy to erase. Not that it matters, it's only bones, it won't be me left behind.

-Allysia

A change of Blog and NEW SHOW!

2010-11-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

So the band had a big meeting last night. Much was discussed, and to be sure there are some VERY exciting times coming up for the band. If Mike can keep his hand healthy for longer than 10 minutes (two weeks after getting his cast off he's in burn bandages...).

At one point in the long smoky back-room meeting I was escorted to an especially dark corner of said back room by Allysia. Soon I would find myself flanked by Vic and Mike. There was no escape.

"Jeremy. We need to talk about the blog" Allysia began, cracking her knuckles as she spoke.

"The fact is, you do all the talking for the band, and this needs to stop. We want a cut"

"B-b-b-but Allysia I jus -"

"QUIET! Here's how it's gonna be. We're ALL gonna start blogging on the page, and you're gonna like it!"

It was like a movie then. The world began to fade to black as my three fellow band mates slowly descended on me and for the second time in my existence I would find myself lying on the floor of the bathroom at Triffons wondering exactly how I got there. But the short and long of it is, you're gonna see WAY more updates here on the blog and the topics will be a bit more varied. Everyone is gonna pitch in on the blogging duties! We'll be signing our names to our posts so you know who's talking and hopefully you'll get to know the band a little better in the process!

On a serious, but still awesome note, we've been invited to play at The Distrikt on Dec 11 with The League of One and Day Trip. We're finalizing details this week, but it should be an exceptionally excellent show and will be our last before we head to the studio to record our debut EP. I'll let one of the other guys - or gal - tell you the name...

Yours Truly - just not so completely anymore,

Pilot (That's Jeremy for the uninitiated)

Crash Karma Show Details

2010-10-27T23:45:00.000-07:00

Allright! So big news coming in now about the big show with Crash Karma on November 26. The band has gotten their hands on a few tickets for the show and we're looking to get some TCK fans out to the show to show Regina how to rock. So to that end we've got a HUGE DEAL FOR THIS SHOW ONLY! 1 Ticket to the show and 1 T-Shirt for $20! This deal is only available through us, so you can't go to The Tap or World of Trout to get this deal. So if you want to cash in, contact us on Facebook, Twitter or by e-mail and we'll arrange some hand delivery of the goods.

If you don't have room in your T-shirt drawer, are a nudist or already have a TCK shirt, that's cool. Especially if you're a nudist. If not, a plaid shirt works equally well. You can take your flannel or naked torso to The Tap or World of Trout or find a member of the band as above or a member of The Distrikt Wolfpack to get tickets. $10 advance, $15 at the door. The Drink is gonna be packed that night, so get your tickets early!

Next week we'll have a little story about how The Criminal Kid and some other great Regina bands intend to rock your collective Yuletide butts off!

Until then, enjoy the new webpage skins!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-10-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at the TCK crew! We're definitely thankful for a lot this year, and we've got one more big thing to be thankful for!

On November 26 at The Drink in Regina we will be opening for CRASH KARMA!!! We're all pretty excited about this, not just because we get to open for a major touring band, but because members of the band have been members of some our favourite bands growing up. Tea Party, I Mother Earth and Our Lady Peace are all bands that helped shape the same Canadian alternative rock scene that we are now trying to be a part of. That's VERY exciting! We will have more information this week on ticket information and the rest. But book a babysitter for November 26!

Finally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our lead singeressette, Allysia! We're told she'll be enjoying the day with family, a cup of tea and some vegetarian biscotti. Very nice!

OCTOBER!

2010-10-06T19:15:00.001-07:00

October is proving to be more optimistic than we had originally expected. We managed to have our first full band jam in over a month this past weekend. While it was riddled with long breaks so Mike could take it easy on his broken hand, we were able to work on one new song, fix up some ending issues we've had with "Next Life" and just generally hang out as a group for the first time in a while. We've got one more song we wrote during the break that we will be working on next weekend and hopefully we will be debuting some new material at our next show.

Speaking of shows, we're in negotiations now for shows in November and December. Be sure to keep posted here for updates as they come!

Also be sure to check out our new pictures by Coop! Click on the slideshow in the menu or go to our Facebook page to see them!

September will move to October

2010-09-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

So we had another hugely successful show last week at McNally's. Thanks to Barrel Murder, Regina Slang, Adam Coderre and Rhonda Young-Pilon and of course McNalley's Tavern. A few new pictures from the show can be seen on our photo gallery on Picasa.

The show will be the last for a couple months as our drummer is nursing a broken knuckle he acquired the week before the show. Knucklehead. He will be finding out the ultimate fate of the fracture this week and we'll have a better idea of what kind of time delays this will bring TCK. As of right now our plans to record a demo next weekend have been pushed back. We've booked in a photo shoot for next weekend and are amassing our writings to put together a few more songs.

So there you have it - TCK plays three shows and goes into hiding again. Seems like us.

Ticketedge.ca Feature!

2010-09-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

The Criminal Kid is the featured artist on Ticketedge.ca. Cool!

Contest Winners!

2010-09-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

So when all is said and done we had four eligible entries into the contest. Since we have enough free tickets to give out we decided to give a free set to everyone that entered! Congratulations to Christopher Lorne Edward Ebel, Lea Arngrimson, Jonathan Bauche and the venerable Sel Rains. We will be contacting you all presently to get you the tickets.

Tickets for the show are still available at Xtreme Adrenaline (4515 Rochdale Ave) or you can get in for the same $5 at the door.

See you all on September 16 at McNally's!

Contest Change / Update

2010-08-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ok so our complex little method of entering for the contest didn't work so well. So let's keep it simple. To enter yourself for 2 tickets to the show at McNally's post a comment on this blog, put a comment on our wall on Facebook or message us on Twitter.

Simple.

Good luck!

Free Ticket Contest!

2010-08-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

THE CONTEST IS HERE! This is our first contest, so we're gonna try it out and see how it works, but there might be some hiccups. The Criminal Kid is offering a prize package of 2 free tickets to the show on September 16 at McNally's tavern and some stickers to the show!

Ok so to get yourself entered you first need to be on Facebook and need to be following The Criminal Kid Facebook Page. Next go onto your own wall and put up a message starting with "@The Criminal Kid". When you type the "@" and start typing the name "The Criminal Kid" you will be able to select us from a list.

Then for the rest of the message link either to the video for "You Are" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Q2tUxTCQw) or mention that you are trying to win free tickets to the show on Sept 16 and link to the event page (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=100712926646961).

That's it! The @The Criminal Kid will post your entry on our page and we'll enter each one into a barrel and will draw for the winner on September 6, 2010. You are allowed one entry with each link per day. So if you post a link to the show on your wall and a link to the video on your wall once each day from now until contest closes, you can be entered up to 20 times. We will then contact you for information on how to get you your tickets.

New Videos Up!

2010-08-27T10:00:00.001-07:00

Hey all, we've got some new videos us at our YouTube page from the show on the 20th. We've had some real success with the video for You Are, racking up about 100 views in the first 2 days of it being up. So we'll put it up here so you too can enjoy!

We would also like to announce that we are playing at McNally's Tavern on Thursday September 16 with Barrel Murder and Regina Slang. Tickets are $5 at the door, or if you prefer, we'll be announcing a contest shortly on how to win 2 free tickets. We're just figuring out the technical details on how to enter the contest and we'll be posting here on how to get in.

Always A Silver Lining

2010-08-21T09:31:00.001-07:00

Well The Criminal Kid had a gangbuster success of a show last night! So good infact that we were approached immediately after coming off stage to come and play again tonight!

We're booked to play at 10 again, Andrew has agreed to come out again and we will be rocking the house down again! Please come on out and enjoy some great rock! We're playing with Regina Slang again and rumor has it that Barrel Murder is gonna try and make it out too!

More photos, video and the rest coming this week!

Tumultuous Weekend

2010-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well a weekend that we had anticipated to be the highlight of the band so far has turned out to be a disappointing and sad one.

First and most tragic is that our show tomorrow at the Gaslight will be our last with Andrew. With the lineup changes that happened in the new year, so did a change in the songs the band played and the way things were done. Ultimately this pulled the band away from the vision Andrew had had for the band, so he has decided to try his hand in another vein. We of course wish him all the best and all success and I know we'll see him around. Because we're making a large cardboard cutout of him to leave on stage. Please be sure to come on out and help us send Andrew off in style!

Second, the show in Melville was canceled. The reasons have never been made perfectly clear but what info we have coupled with suspicions would indicate that the venue never was a solidly booked as might be thought. It has currently been declared postponed but we have received no news on rescheduling. If you have bought tickets and are having trouble getting refunds, please let us know and we can advocate for your refund.

Looking past the show at the Gaslight, the band will be moving into a new jam space immediately after the show and we have plans to begin recording almost immediately to get some good new demos of the band. We're also looking into a few more shows and have a solid long term plan in place. We will also be announcing a mailing list for the band that will give fans access to special band information, exclusive downloads and merch discounts. We will also need to make some adjustments and likely announcements stemming from Andrews departure, we will have more information on that next week once we've been able to gather our troops and set some goals in that respect.

Cancer Clash show in Jepoardy

2010-08-15T09:32:00.001-07:00

TO THOSE PLANNING ON ATTENDING THE SHOW IN MELVILLE at Cancer Clash 2010, please hold on to your tickets and put your plans on hold. The promoter has had some issue with the venue and at present we aren't even sure that Cancer Clash is happening.

We don't have much in the way of information right now, but we will be keeping in touch with the promoter and we hope to have more information soon.

Aug 20, 2010 - The Gaslight Saloon - Regina

2010-08-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

We're on the bill to play the Gaslight Saloon on August 20. Tickets are $5 at the door, 19+ only.

Also playing are :

Barrel Murder

and

Regina Slang

This will be the first time you can buy a TCK shirt from the band, so come on out, have a few drinks and check out the bands new tunes!

And August Rolls 'Round...

2010-08-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

Greetings Cellmates!

Well another month, and another lil update for y'all. And for the first time in a long while we have some stuff coming up to let everyone know about.

The band has spent the past months since the last gig to prepare for a concert we were invited to in June. On August 21, 2010 at 6:00 in the little ol' PM The Criminal Kid will take the stage for a full hour at Cancer Clash 2010, north of Melville Saskatchewan. We will be on a set with almost 25 other bands including Left of Center from Brandon MB, Indifference and Bloodstoned from here in Regina, Too Many Times out of Yorkton and hometowners, Full Metal Jacket. See them all here.... there's seriously like a ton of bands. A shit-ton really, but I shouldn't swear on the internet.

Last Friday we put in the order for the first batch of TCK T-Shirts! So within a week we will have shirts available to all comers for $15 plus S&H. Save shipping by buying them at a show or from one of us in person! We'll post on here and Facebook when they're done. VERY SPECIAL thanks go out to Allysia's aunty who so generously stocked her family with shirts without her pre-sale investment, shirts would never have happened.

The set-list for the show is pretty much complete, just spit shine and polish before the gig.

Future plans include some recording, some shows close to home and if its easy enough on the band a show somewhere else too. Still lots of writing on the table and we're already talking about new merch and more shows!

July Update

2010-07-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Greetings cellmates!

The band has been slugging away at writing and expanding our set-list. We've known since early last month that we would be on the bill for a rock festival near Melville in late August and received the details on it this week. So we're very happy to announce that we will be playing Cancer Clash 2010 at The Ranch just north of Melville Saskatchewan on the weekend of August 20-21, 2010. Sounds like its gonna be a pretty big show, Randy and Mr Lahey from The Trailer Park Boys will be in attendance! Day passes will be $20 and for the weekend, you'll need to drop $35 or $40 (it says different things in different places - but the cash is going to fight Cancer, so let's not split hairs right?) We'll post more details as they arise.

We've added three new songs to our setlist, a varied bunch of tunes that'll have you rockin' the night away. This weekend we start work on the next set of songs, likely another three and a special surprise that we're going to try for the first time at the show. We've got about a half dozen songs to choose from, so the hardest part will be picking which ones.

We had some drama with our PA this past month. Luckily there wasn't anything too serious going on and a new patch chord fixed everything nicely. Let this be a lesson to all you potential audio equipment users. 10 year old patch chords have earned the right to be retired.

Other than that we're just chugging away. Trying to find more shows, we've made a couple connections in Saskatoon that we hope come to fruition, and we're just enjoying summer and layin' down the funk!

Show 3!

2010-05-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

OH MAN WHAT A GREAT NIGHT. None of the bands failed to produce some great tunes and I think everyone had a great time. Due to the recent "moisture difficulties" at the Exchange, we played the main hall instead of the Club. We'll have some videos up soon ... subscribing will put you in the front of the line to find out when we do.

Very special thanks to The Meadowlark Five, Ink Road and theczar,thekaiser,theking. We really enjoyed playing with all of you and enjoyed watching you play even more.

The band is now busy with bookings on the next two shows, both very exciting situations for us, designing some T-shirts and putting out the feelers on a big winter project . . .

Should have a couple more announcements in the next week or two - make sure to join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!

So much to say...

2010-04-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well there has actually been a real whirlwind of events happening in the TCK camp, but we've been too busy to be reporting. So let's get caught up shall we?

Firstly we've had some bad news this week. Founding member and he who penned the name "The Criminal Kid", David Roman has left the band. The last we heard he was in a field screaming something about aliens in Spanish. We really want to thank Dave for his absolutely encyclopaedic contributions to the band and we can assure all that we will never be able to fill the gap he left. Some of us have been working with Dave for a very long time, so Dave, you will be sorely missed. Best of luck!

With Dave leaving, the band had to tuck and roll quickly, the next day we had our second photo shoot, this time with awesome photo-master Rob Hillstead. Rob did an absolutely bang up job on the shoot and we should have those up in the next week or so. We're picking our favourites now and as soon as Rob is done enhancing Andrew's bust line and airbrushing Alysia's shiny head out in Photoshop, we'll have some fancy new pictures up!

We have a show coming up on May 25 at the Club side of the Exchange. We will be opening for The Meadowlark Five, Theczar,thekaiser,theking, and Ink Road! For those of you who were big fans of the original TCK... um. This is gonna be different. We've got three all-new songs coming, two of our old songs have had a major makeover and the last one is Levy En Masse, which if you've been hiding under a rock, we recorded a new version of with Allysia on vocals!

Other than that, we're planning on hashing on. We're gonna stay a 5 piece for the foreseeable future as Allysia is a more than capable keyboardist and we've got vocalists to spare to pick up any loose parts. Some hard work ahead, but we're already working on new material and we'll be rocking the summer away!

Studio Time!

2010-02-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

Well the band is heading back into Makeshift Studios today to update our demo of "Levy En Masse" So if you want to get your hands on the original version, head over to our Reverbnation Page now and download it, 'cause it'll be gone soon! We've got some great new vocal parts planned and a very expanded keyboards section, so it's gonna be a great new song experience and you'll be able to hear Allysia's twist on the band for the first time!

TCK now has all of our original set represented with videos on YouTube now. We released our live performance of This Human Modality last weekend for Valentines Day. If you too would like to know when we release new videos and product, Subscribe to us on YouTube or join our page on Facebook, and be ahead of the curve on band news!

Other than that, the band has been madly writing, arranging and practicing for our first gig. We've got buzz of a possible gig in May and are making plans for our first recorded package. We've got a photo shoot coming up next month, videos in the pipes and well, a bunch of new music and brand new takes on old stuff.

The Band She is a Changin'

2010-02-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

Well we've entered the second phase of The Criminal Kid's life with some gusto. With Allysia joining the band there has been a good set of new challenges. Allysia has brought a completely new singing style with her and we're working really hard to adjust to that. We've brought in a couple new songs, made some really great changes to others and we've already got a rough foundation for a new set-list.

With all the changes happening, there is likely going to be a genre change. Most of what we're doing now is more in-line with what we had in mind when we started the band. Closer to prog-rock than alt-metal. But its all subjective.

If you subscribe to our YouTube account or are friends with us on Facebook, you'll know that we put out another video last week. This one is a performance of "Levy En Masse" and it's counterpart "The Criminal Kid". We've got 3 or 4 more videos from our first couple shows and some ideas to tide us all over until we're ready for the next show.

We're also working on one song for a new demo with Allysia and maybe some pretty pitchers of all of us!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

What a great year we've had here at The Criminal Kid Den. We've had a few moves, a couple shows and juggled our membership. But we've also achieved a good 3 song demo and have some great things to show for our work.

We'd like to wish all our fans, friends and supporters the best this Holiday Season and hope that everyone enjoys a prosperous and ROCKIN' 2010.

To celebrate the season, we've posted a brand new video of "The Weather Underground" from our show on Nov 14 at the Exchange. Please enjoy!

The Criminal Kid would like to welcome...

2009-12-19T16:07:00.000-08:00

Our new singer and full-time member : Allysia Kerney!!!!

Allysia comes from a couple great groups, The Weak Links and Kat Has the Key. Our choice was made easy by her wonderful voice and amazing songwriting skills. We clicked right away as a group on our first audition, and our final try-out solidified the deal.

We would like to very sincerely thank Corey, Matt, Adele and Madria for their submission and interest. Matt put up an exceptionally good fight, and it made our choice quite hard.

So now we're moving into a writing and practice phase. Obviously with a new voice comes new possibilities and shifts many of our paradigms.

So welcome to Allysia and stay tuned! We've got a new video coming up in the next couple days!

Band Update

2009-12-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Well we've had a slow couple weeks, but we've been doing a few things of note!

Firstly, we've got a new video up from our last show. It's a performance of "Smashing One's Head Against A Wall To Cure A Headache". Thanks to Rhonda again for shooting it! We'll have more videos coming in the next few weeks.

We've got one more weekend of auditions left before we make our big choice. We're very near and the announcement is coming sooner than one might think!!!!

Other than that we're just writing, discussing, building our ideas, getting some more stage stuff together and getting ready for the next big thing!

TCK Show 2 - Show Review

2009-11-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

One more show in the archives and it was an energetic matter for all! Turn out was a little less than our last show, but we still had a pack of cell-mates come out to the show and we want to thank everyone that came!

We also got some great video from the show which we'll try and get up as soon as possible. We're anxious to show y'all some of our other songs that we didn't get demoed like "The Weather Underground", "Banging One's Head Against a Wall (To Cure a Headache)" and of course "Brian and the Bomb" and we'll have those up really soon!

We also had a great surprise show up today in the form of a bunch of pictures of the last show in October! You can check them out now on our Facebook page, and we'll have them up on Flickr and MySpace in the near future.

Now The Criminal Kid will be going into hiding for a little while. We're gonna get our new singer picked and brought in, do some song-writing, work on our stage show and set and a few other business like projects. We'll keep you posted as to what we're doing and you'll all be the first to know when that next gig is coming!

What's up in The Criminal Kid's world?

2009-11-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

It's been a weird and busy time in TCK Camp this month and we'll get you a bit up to speed on what's happening!

We decided after the last show to begin recruiting another member to take over the bulk of our singing duties and up the member count to 6 in the band. A bold move perhaps, but we view it as an excellent opportunity to really up our game in our respective areas and incorporate a new and exciting element into the band.

So we've auditioned two guys so far, we have two gals and possibly another guy to try-out, then we'll begin the selection process. It's been a fun change to work on, and we're all very excited about the new direction this could lead the band in.

We moved into a new jam spot this month. Smallest one to date, but we still fit in and we can still get it done.

We've got the next big show coming up Nov 14th. Should be our last one for a couple months as we concentrate on writing, auditions, bringing in the new singer, the holidays and getting some more growth ready for the band.

The show promises to be a good one. We've got Zandra Productions putting on the show, always a good crew when Zandra does the show. Kriticos from Edmonton will be down, a prospect we're excited for, we're friends with the brothers Kurtz in the band. Also Census Atlantis and Fifth Dawn will be bringing the roof down. We're gonna have the classic stickers again for a couple bucks and Dave will be bringing in copies of "The Root of Truth" a classic ol' CD by Linger, a band a few of us were proud to be part of. Not sure what he's gonna be selling e'm for, but we'll have them there if your old copy got scratched.

Tickets are $10 pre-sale, we've got them if you want them, e-mail us!

The Fifth Dawn, Census Atlantis, Criminal Kid, Kriticos

2009-11-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

We've got our second show just a little over a week away now! We're playing at the Exchange again, which might be cliche, but is fun and familiar, so we don't mind a bit! Mark your calendars for November 14th... presale tickets are $10.

We're playing with some great bands including The Fifth Dawn, Census Atlantis (formerly Activate) and from Edmonton, Kriticos. Kriticos is exciting as the Kurtz brothers from the band are from the same hometown as TCK, Weyburn! So it's gonna be a rockin' party!

Zandra Productions is putting on the show, Zandra always puts on the best shows!.... here's her info sheet on the show...

Zandra Productions & The Cultural Exchange Presents

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

KRITICOS
http://www.myspace.com/kriticosband

THE FIFTH DAWN
http://www.myspace.com/thefifthdawnmusic

CENSUS ATLANTIS
http://www.myspace.com/activaterock

THE CRIMINAL KID
http://www.myspace.com/thecriminalkid

Advance tickets $10 @ Vintage Vinyl, Madame Yes, CD Plus, Zeus, and through local bands.
Doors open @ 7:30
ALL AGES & LICENSED (bring your id)

More information on the Facebook Events page.

SEE YOU THERE!!!!

Want to Be a Criminal Kid?

2009-10-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

We've got our first gig under our belts, and we've got more to come, but something is missing. We figure we need a singer who has one big job. Sing.

Currently the vocals are split among the members, with the bulk of the work on our keyboardist. We want him to start kicking more keyboard ass, so we're looking for a singer to front the group.

If you're a versatile creative singer with some spare time to dedicate to a long-term music project. WE WANT YOU!!!! We're not looking to pay any bills with this project, but we do have a dedicated work ethic and we strive to produce a high quality product.

Male AND Female singers are encouraged to contact us, we want to add a new and creative element to the band, not emulate what we have, so everyone give it a try.

Contact us at our e-mail with your details, or contact us at http://www.facebook.com/thecriminalkid.

Burninate Into Fall - Show Review!

2009-10-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

WOOOH! So the first show is in the record books. Early numbers show that there was somewhere in the range of 160 folk at the Exchange last night taking in the show. The Criminal Kid opened the night with a real bang and the crowd seemed to be really enjoying it! We had a lot of great compliments from a bunch of people last night and we wanna thank everyone who came out and cheered.

We also had a guest vocalist on stage in the form of Steven Matthew Biss IV from Shoot the Messenger. He lent his demon growl to Brian and the Bomb, turning our gang cries into the marching legions of Satan's Army. Thanks Steve for that!

There's a few more people sporting TCK today, we sold enough stickers to afford some more cool stuff to buy and we've gotten an offer and interest for at least one more show, likely in November.

We wanna thank everyone who came, the other bands, Kelevra, Suffersurge and Room 333, The Exchange and staff, our support volunteers roadieing, merching, taping and photoing. Justin, kick ass job on the sound! Thanks to Mitch for organizing and promoting!

Show TONIGHT!

2009-10-09T08:58:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Well the time has come, the big show is at the Exchange, TONIGHT!

Doors are opening at 8, there will be entertainment playing right off the cuff at 8, then we're playing after that. We did our last dress rehearsal last night and we're now ready to rock and/or roll!

But wait there's more!

Tonight only, bring all your spare, scrap toonies and loonies and we'll turn them into STICKERS! We have 2 kinds available, Human Modality and The Criminal Kid.

The Exchange - Friday Oct 9.

2009-09-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come to get your tickets for the show on October 9th at the Exchange!

There will be at least 4, possibly 5 bands playing that night, Suffersurge, Room 333, Kelvera, possibly a band from out of town who wants to play and the one the only, The Criminal Kid. Great bang for your buck, at $10/ticket presale, you're getting $2 - 2.50/per band. You know we can't do a deal like that all day.

If you want to get tickets, contact a member of any of the bands, e-mail us, message us on Facebook. The show is all ages (bonus) and you can drink if you're 19, have money and buy drinks for the Pilon brothers.

Mobile Site Updated and Upgraded

2009-09-19T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hey to all you cellphone junkies out there! We've re-designed and upgraded our mobile website at http://m.thecriminalkid.ca. On there we've got our micro-blog/news page, shows, mobile links, ringtone and wallpaper downloads and we will soon be featuring song and video clips.

To celebrate this new version of the mobile site, we're releasing a new ringtone for This Human Modality for free from Myxer!

In a Blue Room... with White Curtains....

2009-09-09T21:03:00.001-07:00

So we've got some new pictures for y'all to peruse!

You can check out the full set at Facebook or Flickr or as always, we've got them featured on our Media page in a widget.

Thanks to Adam for doing the photos and Squareflo for the location!

Beware the SEXY!

Cancel and New!

2009-09-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

Well we've unfortunately got to cancel our performance at O'Hanlons on Sunday night. But please, if you're up for a brew on Sunday night, head there!

We've also been asked to play a show at The Exchange on Friday October 9th. What better way to start off your Thanksgiving weekend than a loud show!

More as the week goes on!

The Criminal Kid Photos

2009-09-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

Getting your daily dose of TCK

2009-08-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well if the myriad of sites we have accounts at aren't filling your need for TCK connection, we have a couple more to add to the list for you today!

iLike
Delicious
CBC Radio 3

Once again, if there's a social network or music site you love and you can't find it on our Links page, please contact us and we'll be glad to set it up!

On Top

2009-08-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

The Criminal Kid reached a big milestone today! We reached number one on the Reverbnation Alternative Chart for Regina SK! While reaching this landmark is an honour, it is the result of some really big online work by us letting all our friends and familys know about the band and our tunes. Now comes the hard part and we need some help!

We want to keept the momentum going! So if you have a friend who loves some good rockin' tunes, send them our way -

Or take some time and listen to our tunes on Reverbnation. All three of the songs in the demo are downloadable from Reverbnation, so put e'm on your iPod, MP3 players, burn e'm or put them on a mix tape. Share the love!

Welcome new TCK Listeners

2009-08-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well we're doing a little campaign online to let all our friends and family know about the band and what we've got to offer. If you've popped by, it means you know what's up!!!!

Check out the Links page to find out how to connect with us using, your favourite online service. If you don't see what you're looking for, let us know!

Just to keep everyone apprised, we've been asked to play a fundraiser show infront of O'Hanlon's Pub in Regina on Sept 13, 2009. The show is a fundraiser for Mike Staffen, a rugby player, and all around great guy from Regina who has been struggling to survive due to much illness the last couple of years.

We're gonna have some more info on the show, the bands playing, the nature of the fundraiser this week. We're also looking at having some more photos, and a show poster up in the near future!

Come on out and show Mike some love and check out our debut show for free!

Band photo released - gig on the horizon!

2009-08-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

So we've gotten back our first photo from our photo session a few weeks ago and we've got it here for you!

We've also got a gig on the horizon finally. The date as we currently have it is September 13, 2009 on or around Scarth Street in Regina near O'Hanlons. It's a fundraiser and that's what we know now. Sounds like it might be a free show folks, so what better time to come check out The Criminal Kid?! More info to come in the next few days.

Sneak Peek!

2009-08-21T11:59:00.001-07:00

Get your own The Criminal Kid Ringtone early - before everyone else ...

E-Mail Back Up!

2009-08-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, e-mail is humming along again. Feel free to hit up contact (at) thecriminalkid .ca for info, contact, bookings, free crap whatever. Send us photos of stuff from your cell phone. I don't care.

So we're beating away at every aspect of the band we can right now. We're putting together a massively detailed set list, fantastic demo/promotion package, using the internet to the best of our ability, and we've been blessed with an easy road to this point.

We use Facebook on a daily basis to organize jams, we share song recordings, ideas, lyrics and photos on a server, and we're organizing ourselves online to run an empire.

Photos to come in the next week we hope (ADAM!) and we start begging all YOU out there to let us play at your show!

E-mail Issues

2009-08-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hey all! We've been having some issues with the band e-mail address contact _(at)_ thecriminalkid dot ca.

If you have been trying to contact us or are wanting to contact us, please use jeremy -dot- pilon _(at)_ gmail dot com for now. We'll get this issue fixed ASAP.

The Criminal Kid Demo Spreading ...

2009-08-04T20:12:00.001-07:00

Like a BC wildfire, the 3 song TCK demo is spreading nunchecked across the internet! You can now hear "Killing is a Choice", "Levee en Masse" and "This Human Modality" on :

Facebook
iLike
Garageband

We are tweaking our website to synch together all your favourite social network services. So wether you prefer MySpace or Facebook to Twitter or iLike, we hope to deliver information to you. We also have our RSS feeds up, click here if you have an RSS reader and subscribe to one or all!

Photos

2009-07-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Upcoming Shows

2009-07-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

Biography of a Criminal Kid

2009-07-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

Four kids hailing from Regina, SK ready to impress you with their criminally good intelligent rock vibes. Consisting of Mike on drums, Victor on guitar, Jeremy on bass, and Allysia on vocals and keys - these kids will rock your socks off, steal your headphones, and then spray-paint their tag on your musical soul.

Victor
Guitars and Vocals

Allysia
Vocals and Keyboards

Mike
Drums and Percussion

Jeremy
Bass and Vocals