Ambiguoso by Parlour Steps

com/parloursteps), raising money for hurricane relief as well as showcasing some of North America’s best independent talent.

They can be heard on the Canadian television drama “ Whistler”, now syndicated in the U.S.

Parlour Steps have released their fourth full-length record “Ambiguoso” , distributed nationally by Scratch Records (http://www.scratchrecords.com). Radio play, podcasts, and web-streaming have launched the band’s music to listeners across the continent. CBC, college, and university radio play, in Canada and the U.S., has seen Parlour Steps charted in the top fifty played and requested artists in their format

The band is comprised of Caleb Stull singing and playing his guitars, Julie Bavalis singing and playing her bass guitar, Rees Haynes playing guitars, and Robert Linton banging his drums.

2007 is seeing Parlour Steps touring Canada and the U.S. in support of their new record, furiously playing to all open ears. See their website for live dates in your area.

Someone else's words:

Mason Wright, National Post

Published: Friday, June 29, 2007

If the prospect of something called "thought rock" seems slightly dull or too intellectual to be any fun, let Parlour Steps drummer Rob Linton set things straight.

"Even though it's cerebral, it's also very optimistic, which is one of the things I love about the group," Linton says from the driver's seat of the band's rental van on the way to a gig in Hamilton. "There's a uniqueness to the songs that I really enjoy. It's probably very common to hear people describe their own music like that, but consider that as somebody describing Caleb's songwriting."

"Thought rock" is the term frontman Caleb Stull has coined for his band's unique brand of melodic, textured music, a style that has them gaining notoriety in their native Vancouver and embarking on their first tour of central Canada this week.

"Thought rock comes from wanting to engage people in some sort of hypothetical conversation," says Stull, also the band's primary songwriter. "I find myself really distilling lots of cultural stuff and social stuff into trying to find the basics of what we are and who we are to each other."

From that lyrical foundation, Parlour Steps -- made up of Stull, Linton, guitarist Rees Haynes and bassist/vocalist Julie Bavalis -- craft upbeat, soulful songs characterized by vocal harmonies and carefree guitar riffs.

"This is the cool dichotomy of the band: From that cerebral, very mental place of the lyrics, we work on songs on a much more intrinsic level," Stull says.

Parlour Steps' fourth independently recorded album, Ambiguoso, finds them taking a more straight-ahead approach to songwriting and has the rare quality of featuring both kinds of songs: those that grab the ear right away and those that grow on the listener, revealing themselves little by little.

Ambiguoso's signature track, Thieves of Memory, fits neatly into the first category, having beaten out more than 15,000 other entries to win a 2005 International Songwriting Competition award. Though careful to qualify the importance of winning such an award, the band recognizes its benefits.

"It was really bragging rights," Stull explains. "People see that in our bio, and it's nice. It kind of sticks out. Journalists see it and say, 'Oh, they actually popped out for a moment above the bubbling din of everything else.' "

With a solid fan base back home, the next logical step was to tour the country's most populated region, a decision that has taken the band to Hamilton, Toronto, Windsor, and Ottawa in the past week, with gigs in Montreal last night and another in Toronto tonight.

"It's a foot in the door," Linton says. "We need to be heard somewhere outside of Vancouver."

"As much as we in the West hate to admit it," Stull adds, "the Toronto-Montreal area is sort of the cultural centre of Canada, so to not play here would be kind of ridiculous. We want to come out here and play a little bit to some new audiences."

And as part-time musicians who hold down day jobs, there's an element of escapism involved as well.

"I call this my ego trip," Haynes says, "because I get to go take a break from my regular job and be a rock star for 10 days."

"A rock star who sleeps on floors and loads his own gear, but a rock star nonetheless," Stull adds with a laugh.

-Parlour Steps play tonight at Ciao Edie, 489 College St., Toronto.

mwright@nationalpost.com

© National Post 2007

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