Ultimate-Guitar is proud to world premiere Against The Grain, the new album by The Veer Union. The Canadian melodic-rockers will appeal to fans of Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, and Saving Abel. You can stream it now on the band's UG Profile!
The band was formed in late 2004 by Crispin Earl and guitarist, Eric Schraeder. Originally from Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, the two longtime friends and neighbors had a common bond: "We had played in bands together and we were both living out of our rehearsal studios in downtown East Vancouver," recalls Crispin. Living for their music was to become the thing that held the Union together.
Crispin, who was then the vocalist for a popular local band called
Everything After, was gaining national attention as a songwriter with credits on
Motley Crue drummer
Tommy Lee's solo CD
Tommyland: The Ride.
Eric, who had recently relocated back to Vancouver after a stint in Los Angeles playing with the band 40 Foot Echo (Hollywood Records), was working on projects of his own. The two wrote music together for months and found their styles extremely compatible. After this productive time, they determined it was time to find bandmates who shared their mindset.
While multi-instrumentalists Eric and Crispin were recording demos for what was to become their major label debut "Against The Grain" - they were introduced to Marc Roots (Roots) and James Fiddler (Fid) through a mutual friend. The bassist and guitarist had been in bands together and had been out on the road for some time. The four became close friends and formed a strong bond before they had even picked up instruments to jam with one another. Neil Beaton, a drummer from Langley, BC entered the fold when the band lost their original drummer. Having spent time on the road with the band as the drum tech, he understood and shared the strong bond between the band members and their drive to succeed.
After nearly two years of endless touring across the continent, the band signed a record deal with Universal Motown Records and recorded Against The Grain with producer Greg Archilla (Collective Soul, Matchbox 20, Buckcherry) with a couple of tracks produced by Brian Howes (Hinder, Hedley, Daughtry and Rev Theory). Their anthemic tracks stick in your head long after the first listen. Guitar-driven, "Seasons" features a particularly powerful vocal performance from Crispin. "Over Me" delivers the message of regret over an evocative musical landscape where Eric and Fid truly shine. "Seasons, lyrically, is about seizing the day," says Eric. "It's a sick live track " really cool to play."
Having just finished a three- month US tour partnered with the "You Can Be Anything Foundation," the band was proud to help them raise money for music programs in schools. They had the opportunity to play for students during their lunch hours and visited music classes to help educating them on the music industry. The touring will continue for as long as possible, "We love to meet our fans," says Eric. "There is nothing better than sharing our music with these kids live." Shows with popular acts like Seether, Hinder, Rev Theory and The Killers among many others are spreading the word about the band's fresh, hard-hitting music.
The album is available at iTunes.
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