Soul Harvest - Bio

soulharvest@ottawa.com

Other SH sites: SH @ mp3.com SH @ riffage.com

Soul Harvest is an Ottawa-based band that started in 1996 as a casual gathering of friends, and has since evolved into a solid blues-rock band that is constantly expanding their musical creations. Due to the diverse musical interests of the members of the band, Soul Harvest offers an eclectic selection of songs. Ryan Lindsay, on rhythm and lead guitar, adds a seventies rock sound to the group. Guitarist Jason St-Cyr infuses Soul Harvest's music with a pop and blues sound while Chris Amos, on drums, contributes his militaristic stylings to the mix. Sadly, the band had to say goodbye to guitarist Sean McCullough and vocalist Dave Van Soest as they moved to the western lands in Edmonton, Alberta. After a long period of change, Soul Harvest has regrouped with its current lineup. To fill the gaps, Soul Harvest was merged with Jason St-Cyr's and Sean McCullough's blues act, bringing singer Kristen Lewis to the band to take on singing duties, and Ignition front-man Eric St-Cyr to cover bass guitar and keyboards. Soon after, Johnny Arthur was introduced to the line-up on vocals and harmonica. "The First Crops", their debut EP in summer '98, was followed by the release of their CD entitled "The Rift" in August '99. After several successful shows around Ottawa, Soul Harvest will be releasing another CD with the new lineup re-recording some old favourites and new material as well. Look for this CD in by the end of 2000. A teaser of the new CD is available for download and on the promotional EP "Out of the Basement". Reviews Soul Harvest @ Zaphod's (Ottawa,ON) - Soul Harvest consists of Sean McCullough handling lead guitar, Chris Amos behind the drum set, Jason St-Cyr, playing the bass, Dave Van Soest providing the lead vocals and Ryan Lindsay on rhythm and lead guitar. On August 26th, 1999, the group Soul Harvest performed at Zaphod Beeblebrox in Ottawa's downtown market. A highly entertaining show, it seemed to be over much too quickly. A trademark of Soul Harvest is their broad range of musical interest. This was clear during the performance as they passed seamlessly from hard rock to upbeat blues. The crowd appreciated the band's skillful playing and their love of music. An amusing moment came early in the show when Jason St-Cyr donned a black tuke and jacket to pay a humourous tribute to Soul Harvest's former bassist Sab Callander. Obvious to onlookers, there was an enjoyable camaraderie onstage. The crowd response was consistently positive, whether they had just finished listening to Stumbled, a skillfully played guitar-heavy song, or the thoroughly enjoyable blues song She's Alright. The latter song in particular highlighted Dave Van Soest's deft handling of Soul Harvest's music, and his ability to change his voice from melodious to powerful. Many appreciative yells could be heard following the band's impressive cover of The Tragically Hip's "New Orleans is Sinking". Soul Harvest put on a lively and interesting show that I, and the rest of the audience, enjoyed thoroughly. Look to catch Soul Harvest at their next live performance. The Rift Soul Harvest If you have the opportunity to sit back and listen to The Rift, the newest release from Soul Harvest, get ready for an album that has a live-performance feel and covers a wide range of music. There's no shortage of pure rock on the CD, but both the sound and the subject vary greatly from song to song. Although Soul Harvest is a young band, they are lyrically and musically incredibly sound, and aside from the occasional problem synching lead and backup vocals, vocally impressive as well. The opening track on the CD, entitled "Stumbled" is a hard rock song that gains its strength from skillful guitar work by rhythm guitarist Ryan Lindsay and lead guitarist Sean McCullough. The poignant lyrics, written by bassist Jason St-Cyr, have a cyclical quality and the song ends almost where it began: "You need to see my face again, and you say / You need me...I need to see your face again, and I think/ I need you". Next comes "Take Your Time", a song that demonstrates the vocal capabilities of lead singer Dave Van Soest and provides him with the opportunity to infuse the song with a good measure of emotion. It's a solid rock song, supported by strong percussion and excellent guitar playing. Written by drummer Chris Amos, "Wanna Go Home" is an interesting song that holds the listener's attention throughout with its constant tempo changes. It's got a very clean sound and is a polished offering from the group. "Momo/Good Little Girl" caught me by surprise. Finding a song that deals with relationship abuse is uncommon enough. Bordering on the unheard of is finding one written and performed by a group of young males. Musically, the rock song is well played and at times almost belies the seriousness of the subject with its lively sound. The thought-provoking lyrics, such as "All is silent now / Ear pressed to the phone / She whispers / �It's alright, we can talk, he's gone'", were written by St-Cyr. Refreshing in a much different way is "Chillin' on the Patio", a tune where inside jokes abound and yet the universality of the theme is impossible to miss. Simply put, it is a song that celebrates the joy found in kicking back with friends. Written by McCullough and St-Cyr, it's a fun tune with great lyrics such as "Sorry ma'am, we're not stoned we're like this anyway". The song sounds as good as it does because the band is so comfortable with it. Shifting gears once again, the next song "Windflow" is the hardest on The Rift. It's got a frenetic quality that adds to its intensity and although a very hard song, the lyrics by former bassist Sab Callander are still easily decipherable - a good thing in this case: "Your dreams are made of/The thread of a God above/The heavens scream of desolation". This skillfully played song allows Van Soest to showcase his ability to stylize his voice to metal, another of his musical influences. "John Doe", I found, is perhaps the most lyrically and melodically impressive song on the CD. The lyrics were written by St-Cyr and the music created collectively, as usual, by the five members of Soul Harvest. It told a story that caught my attention from the beginning and kept me interested all the way through to the end: "He goes back and she's not there / Not a note anywhere / He falls back into a chair / She's gone...". Sound drumming and great playing by the three guitarists complement this slower song. Rounding out the collection is the blues song "She's Alright". There is unavoidable head- bopping that occurs when listening to this song - honestly. It's a great ballad that manages to sound both comfortably familiar and refreshingly original. Coming as a surprise was the mid-song introduction of each band member before his solo: a clear testament to Soul Harvest's live- performance recording style. The Rift is without a doubt a good rock CD: it offers up a good mix of harder and more thought-provoking songs alongside servings of Soul Harvest's lighter fare. In addition, the band isn't afraid to stretch beyond the confines of rock and not only attempt, but excel, in the areas of both metal and blues. You can order a copy of Soul Harvest's The Rift from the band's website: : http://listen.to/soulharvest. Press Kit photography, reviews, and band biography prepared by Lisa Kelly