Featured Artist: The Rebellion
Apr0608:45 AM
Filed in: Featured Artist
If you happened to read our latest Thorny Bleeder Records update, you'll already know we just signed an incredible act from Saskatoon called The Rebellion. So who are these guys?
To some, Josh Palmer may look familiar to you. Palmer is a former Canadian Idol contestant from 2005. In just over a decade, Palmer has gone from child prodigy to Canadian celebrity. He toured across the nation from coast to coast by the time he was 17, released indie solo albums, and was watched by 3.5 million people each week on Canadian Idol. But after leaving the Canadian Idol stage, Palmer was frustrated with not being able to showcase himself as a real artist.
"I was completely depressed, sad, and angry with how things had turned out. I had a great time with Idol and the people on the show were amazing to me, but I had not achieved the one goal I set out to do: to be taken seriously as an artist first, and not just a singer from a TV show. I was alone and band-less...It wasn’t about fame or money, it was about being able express what’s inside my soul. I knew that if I could pull my luck around and envision myself doing amazing things, I could inspire others to do the same. So I had a choice. One was to continue to be sad and get doors slammed in my face and be known as that guy from Idol, or to continue to make new music and grow in a positive way, to reinvent my self image…to evolve…to revolt… to reform… to rebel."
Rather than continue on the course of doing another solo album, Palmer decided it was time to start a new band. He recruited Romanian multi-instrumentalist Silviu Moldovan on bass, and Congolese percussionist Christian Kongawi on drums.
The band literally came together from the far corners of the world after having struggled their way from war torn countries, escaped Soviet occupation, and having survived the scrutiny of the mainstream press machine. Silviu Moldovan was born in Romania when the country was under communist rule. His parents escaped from the communist country and brought him to Canada, knowing that if captured their lives would be at stake. Meanwhile, Christian Kongawi lived in the war-torn Congo until the age of ten, when conditions became so bad that his parents sent him and his brother to live with family friends in Canada.
Their music isn’t what you expect from an ex-Idol, its lush mixes and instrumentation are of epic proportions. From sugary-sweet, pop melodies to explosive guitars filled with anguish, the spirit of The Rebellion goes deeper than one might expect. The raw emotions in their music hit home, being both universal and personal in its appeal. Their music shocks and surprises, creating a wall of accomplished sound that you'd never expect to emerge from the Canadian Prairies.
Sound the alarm…The Rebellion has begun!
Listen to The Rebellion here:
The Rebellion - Dr. Don't
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Stay tuned to The Bleeder Blog for the latest news regarding The Rebellion. Exciting things are on the horizon, kicking things off with a Western Canadian Tour this month, including a performance at the Thorny Bleeder Records Showcase in Vancouver at The Media Club on April 28, along with Columbia (from Vancouver) and Scott Valentine Presents (from Victoria).
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Find The Rebellion online at:
http://www.therebellion.ca
http://www.myspace.com/joshpalmerband
http://www.youtube.com/therebellionsound
