Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Top40 Charts/ Wifi PR Group) Calgary's Craic The Lens hope their blending of traditional Celtic music with rock and roll will inspire people to lift their pints and dance a jig as they gain a bigger audience for their upcoming full-length album.
Dateline: Calgary, Alberta, Canada, July 2, 2013. Craic The Lens was formed Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2011. What started as a solo project for guitarist and vocalist, Justin Wilson, has now morphed into a full band. Wilson spent years playing in the punk and hardcore scene in and around Calgary. While that certainly seasoned him for a life on the stage, it apparently wasn't the end of his musical journey. It was a trip to Ireland in 2011, on a search for the origins of his family name, that Wilson fell under the spell of the Celtic music of his heritage. Wilson discovered that this Irish folk music was a great way to connect with audiences.
The first self-titled Craic the Lens EP was mostly recorded by Wilson. It wasn't until a St. Patrick's Day show was scheduled at Calgary's Mount Royal University that Wilson was compelled to recruit the other band members. Wilson brought Taylor Lang in on bass, piano and vocals and Aiden Dunne on drums and vocals. The new group wrote the final song for the album, thus cementing the group's line-up. A fourth member, Jake Hall, joined on banjo and mandolin in 2013.
Craic The Lens is looking to increase their exposure in Canada and beyond. They're off to a good start. They have recently been featured on the websites, www.hipsterworkout.com and www.yycmusic.com and have received airplay in Calgary on X92.9FM and have charted on University of Calgary's CJSW 90.0FM and CJAM 99.1FM broadcasting in Windsor, ONT and Detroit, MI. They've also received some spins on radio stations in Quebec City and Philadelphia in the States.
The band's music is influenced by Dropkick Murphys, Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly,
Mumford & Sons and Jimmy Eat World. They've been compared to Dropkick Murphys,
Gaslight Anthem and Great Big Sea. Justin is not just influenced by music, however. He is also influenced by Irish culture and his own journey to Dublin. He also finds inspiration in the Canadian landscape, nautical imagery and his late Grandfather who passed away on St. Patrick's Day in 2006.
The band is currently working on their next album. This full-length sophomore effort should be released sometime in the next 3-6 months and will be celebrated with a release show to be announced soon. They will also be releasing singles for "Tip Your Hat to Broken Crowns," "The Jig is Up" and "Drawn & Quartered."
Catch Craic The Lens live July 5th at Vern's Tavern in Calgary, Alberta and August 2nd at Studio 82 in Calgary. In the future, they hope to tour throughout North America, specifically Eastern Canada and the Northeastern U.S.
Craic The Lens music is available through Apple iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, 24-7, Google
Music Store, Rdio, Xbox Music, Emusic, Last.fm, Simfy, GreatIndieMusic, MediaNet, JB Hi-Fi. Physical copies are available from the band at all live events. Check out their video for "The Wrong Man's Urn" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4d3_dEfmkU
Craic The Lens has recently signed with (Wifi PR Group) as a client. Company Info: WiFi PR Group, Los Angeles, CA. https://www.wifiprgroup.com
About Craic the Lens Music:
Craic the Lens, Released: July 2012 (Independent)
The Wrong Man's Urn single (Independent)
Waiting in the Water, single (Independent)
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/craicthelens
Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/craicthelens
Official YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/craicthelens
