The Ethers came together through a series of mutual friends. Their music is rooted in tradition- jangly guitars, harmonies, and pulsing rhythm, but it also occupies the wide open spaces that conjure the chaos and stillness in ways that only music is able to. Jeff Quick spent 9 years touring North America and Europe in Canada's seminal bluegrass band "The Good Brothers" and before that, was a creative force behind the Mummbleducks, one of Toronto's early 90's "alt.country" bands. Jamie Habkirk was a veteran of the Hamilton bar rock scene whom Jeff had played with in pick-up bands throughout the years. Jamie's rock solid timing and his unique ability to find his place in the songs was exactly what a band needed. While temping at an office in 2003, Jeff noticed that the new girl had a "Jon Rae and the River" pin on her bag and guessing that she was a lover of independent music, he asked if she knew any musicians. She gave him Tom Dole's phone number. Tom Dole spent his childhood living in various countries all over the world. Through all the moves the only constant was music. Tom’s first live music experience was playing harmonica in a blues band at the Swedish embassy in Tanzania at the age of 13. Until he met Jeff, Tom had been writing and recording on his own. The best bass players are also the busiest, and after losing one or two of them to more established bands, high standards patience and tenacity brought the lot of them to Drew Osborne. Drew is a coureur de bois. His canoe trip from Vancouver to Montreal is spoken through his bass playing, carving a groove that is hypnotic and primitive. With their songs becoming bigger and more elaborate and their sound expanding, and having spent the necessary time developing this, in the fall of 2008 The Ethers felt confident enough to go into the studio to make their first record, "Early Winter". "There are threads that run through the album. It's not a concept album, but it is cohesive with ideas like death and hope. All life is born out of death, and that's an appropriate notion for a first album. Winter always reminds us of the process of life, and I think as Canadians we are always aware of its fragility and its transience."
thomas, jeff and crew! what's this new cd! where can i get it? if you've forgotten the superfans already, then i just don't know what to think! yours in t.o. -amy
That was a great at Rancho Relaxo. A high-energy, impassioned, rock-meets-country workout, a powerfully moving riff-driven sound that takes it's cue from the rockin' 70's, the joy of bashing it out, and unleashing exciting, boot-stomping music. Onwards and upwards for the band.
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