| About
Colfax
Whether you blame the decline of the music industry
or the cities that never sleep, there just aren't’ enough
big-time dreamers these days. However, the Brockville, Ontario-reared
rock quartet Colfax are at a significant advantage over their
complacent peers. They know successful business starts at
the source; bands need to make music worth paying for again.
Just ask the forty thousand strong visitors to Colfax’s
MySpace page.
Better proof, however, lies in the massive debut
album Keys to the Midway; an aural assault of the band’s patented
brand of aggressive melodic rock that finds Cody Humble (vocalist)
Brock Tinsley (guitars) Aaron Hopkins (bass) and Joel Hopkins
(drums) knitting big top-sized choruses seamlessly with a
variety of punishing hooks.
While they may not all legally be able to sit
at the bar, their first record finds Colfax setting one of
their own to heights previously unknown. With a tasteful vision
that merges the best possible approaches, the band craft music
that is equal parts muscle and melody. Attitude and invention
abounds on Keys to the Midway; be it the pummeling-pop insistency
of “Run” or the nightmare-gone-wrong “Bigfoot Doesn't Have
Any Sisters” which teeters on the brink of pure catatonia.
“We believe music is meant to be played with passion, and
we think a lot of bands are more interested in current trends
than their own expression,” Brock claims.
It’s interesting to note that despite the band’s
proficiency (few could resist the exuberant debut single “Lay
Low” which showcases Cody’s charismatic caterwaul) the quartet’s
influences range from Rage Against the Machine to Daft Punk
to soul to Every Time I Die. “There are so many great sounds
out there,” Cody acknowledges. “We don’t want to limit ourselves.”
Rewind to 2008 when Colfax formed; just one
among the myriad of hopeful bands in Eastern Ontario. While
juggling part-time work at a restaurant and graveyard shifts
at a pharmacy, Colfax successfully recorded and supported
a three song demo, An Entrance in the Making. Soon after,
Colfax was granted opening slots for fellow Canadian acts
such as Hedley, Ten Second Epic, and Theory of a Deadman.
It was an easy decision when the band was asked to create
their first full length CD during the summer of 2009.
Whether it’s the urgent, angular riffs that
energize “Little Miss 1565” or the gentle, string-laden sway
of “The Act of Breathing In”, each song is created inconspicuously
among friends whose bonds stretch as far back as public school.
“A good portion of songs all started by Brock and I imitating
all the instruments with our mouths while playing video games
together, just hanging out,” says Cody. “That’s what makes
it so fun and memorable. Every song represents so much more
than the lyrics let on.”
Since the name Keys to the Midway directly references
the carnie code of impossible-to-find items during 20thcentury
circuses, the true mysteries of Colfax’s album are a sworn
secret. “There is an underlying story beneath it all,” reveals
Brock, “there are clues everywhere within the imagery and
lyrics. It’s something extra for the listener to discover.”
Thanks to their intelligent embrace of technology,
Colfax have mastered various outlets to virtually connect
with their fans. The most popular of which is ColfaxTV, a
YouTube channel that features original videos documenting
the band’s adventures. The Dawg and Pwny Show is an hour long
feature that provides a walk through of the album’s creation;
this popular series treads the fine line between comedy and
professionalism flawlessly.
If their intentions are simple, they also seem
pure. Says Aaron, “There’s a reason we’ve sacrificed as much
as we did to come this far. There’s nothing else we would
rather do.”
This band has the keys and the world is ready
to be unlocked
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