(Moncton, NB) – Shades of Sorrow is a heavy rock, metal band from Moncton, NB. I’ve known and have been following this band for a number of years. The singers have come and gone but the core foundation has remained intact. Their latest singer Monise has given the band a whole new creative spark. I am looking forward to watching the band progress with how they integrate Monise into the band. From what I’ve heard so far it’s going to be great.
The members of the band are :
Monise Oullette (vocals). Monise began singing as a child, taking part in choirs. She started singing in bands as a teenager after a few years of attending Rock Camp in Moncton, NB. Due to an illness in 2001, she took a break from the music scene, although she kept singing and writing on her own. In recent years, she returned to performing, starting with a few local singing competitions, playing in bars with a local cover band, and most recently playing a few solo acoustic shows. She is also part of the vocalists database for the Cirque du Soleil. Her influences vary widely, from Nightwish, Iron Maiden, The Tea Party, Heart, Evanescence, Tori Amos and Aretha Franklin.
Mike Taylor (guitar), Mike hails from Miramichi, NB. He spent a few years jamming with local cover bands and performing roadie duties. After trying unsuccessfully to form an original band he moved to Moncton to seek out musicians with similar musical interests and drive. Mike is the primary song writer for the band and brings the influence of such bands like Metallica, Pantera, Guns ‘N Roses, and Incubus to the music.
Pascal Deslongchamps (drums). Paul, originally from Jonquiere, Quebec, has been playing in both cover and original bands throughout Eastern and Central Canada for over 20years. He has played for 5 years with Heaven’s Cry from Montreal where they opened for such bands as Marillion, Helix and Rik Emmet (Triumph). Besides playing drums Pascal also writes, arranges, produces, and records the music of Shades of Sorrow at his studio “One Eye Cat Studios”. His main influences are Queensryche, Metallica, and The Beatles, among many others. He is currently a drum teacher at the Music Education Centre in Moncton, NB.
Julian LeBlanc (guitar). Julian began playing guitar at the age of 7 and bass at the age of 15. His influences range from old school thrash to classic metal to black/death metal. He gained experience by playing in the black metal band Havengrave for 3 years. After the demise of Havengrave, he began a long search to find a new band that would be a perfect fit. He joined Shades of Sorrow in October 2010 after hearing that the band was looking for a bass player.
I had the opportunity to have a conversation with the band at one of their performances.
Dave – Could you describe the type of music the band plays?
SoS – It’s a mix of a lot of influences, but the best description is groove metal/rock.
Dave – How long have you been together?
SoS – The band started with Pascal and Michael in 2006. Julien joined the band just as we were set to release the full length album in October 2010. Monise joined in December 2014.
Dave – How many cd’s have you released? Any new ones in the future?
SoS – We have 2 eps and 1 full length album out, new ep should be out very soon, full length is estimated for August/September.
Dave – Who does the writing in the band?
SoS – We all contribute to the writing and we all have a very wide range of influences which helps us keep our music fresh and diverse.
Dave – Do you have a summer tour scheduled? Are there any festivals?
SoS – We have a few shows lined up this summer, we plan on doing an Atlantic tour in the fall to support the new album.
Dave – What is the history of the band?
SoS – We started small, playing local shows supporting many different bands, then started playing shows in different cities across the Maritimes and also hosting many of our own shows. Last year we put together a small tour that took us through Ontario and Quebec. We have had numerous lineup changes over the years but despite those small setbacks we continued to move forward.
Dave – Where can we find your music?
S0S – Some of our music can be found on our reverbnation page, any older albums on iTunes etc, all can be found directly from our website. www.shadesofsorrow.ca
Dave – Do you use social media to keep in touch with your fans?
SoS – Yes. It’s a great way for us to keep our friends and fans in the loop in real time.
Dave – Is there anything else you would like to take this opportunity to promote?
S0S – If you want to keep up with us we are on Facebook and Twitter, or you can sign up for our mailing list on our website. Also keep an eye out for the new record.
Dave – Anything you would like to say to your fans?
SoS – Thank you for all the support you have shown us over the years through all the ups and downs. We can’t wait to see you out on the road.
www.shadesofsorrow.ca
www.facebook.com/pages/shades-of- sorrow
Written and photographed By Dave Hodges (with the exception of the full band image.)
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