Music can be a powerful unifying
force at times bringing together the least likely of combinations.
Such is the case with Dirty Beloved, an Ottawa based hard rock band
whose members, despite having very different musical backgrounds, enjoy
a unique musical bond. On their new album, Letters From A Broken Home,
the results of this bond are evident in vocals exploring the challenges
that life throws us during our day to day existence balanced against a
backing instrumentation that is a progressive blend of technical
aptitude and melodic inclinations.
Consisting of Armin
Kamal on vocals, Michael Hope on guitars, Todd Jodoin on bass and Neil
Grandy on drums, the members of Dirty Beloved come from very different
musical and social backgrounds. Armin, born in Germany and then raised
in Montreal and Ottawa, has been a voice in the Ottawa music scene for
years. Mike, also originally from Ottawa and growing up in Barrhaven,
has been playing lead from an early age with a focus on the styling of
Satriani and Vai. Todd, originally from Belleville, arrived in Ottawa
in ’98 from Brockville where he played bass supporting acts in the
blues rock scene as well as delving into industrial electronica for his
own projects. Neil hails from Halifax, NS where he enjoyed a number of
years as a drummer in the metal scene before moving to Ottawa in 2001.
In all cases the commonality exists in the deep inspiration that m …
Music can be a powerful unifying
force at times bringing together the least likely of combinations.
Such is the case with Dirty Beloved, an Ottawa based hard rock band
whose members, despite having very different musical backgrounds, enjoy
a unique musical bond. On their new album, Letters From A Broken Home,
the results of this bond are evident in vocals exploring the challenges
that life throws us during our day to day existence balanced against a
backing instrumentation that is a progressive blend of technical
aptitude and melodic inclinations.
Consisting of Armin
Kamal on vocals, Michael Hope on guitars, Todd Jodoin on bass and Neil
Grandy on drums, the members of Dirty Beloved come from very different
musical and social backgrounds. Armin, born in Germany and then raised
in Montreal and Ottawa, has been a voice in the Ottawa music scene for
years. Mike, also originally from Ottawa and growing up in Barrhaven,
has been playing lead from an early age with a focus on the styling of
Satriani and Vai. Todd, originally from Belleville, arrived in Ottawa
in ’98 from Brockville where he played bass supporting acts in the
blues rock scene as well as delving into industrial electronica for his
own projects. Neil hails from Halifax, NS where he enjoyed a number of
years as a drummer in the metal scene before moving to Ottawa in 2001.
In all cases the commonality exists in the deep inspiration that music
has provided to all and the dedication it has received.
The
band formed in 2005 and the first two years together were spent sifting
through the large backlog of material orphaned from a previous project
that Neil, Mike and Todd shared. Armin rose to the challenge of
rewriting the lyrics for the tracks that were still aligned with the
new direction and with some arrangement changes by the band to
accommodate the new style, resulted in the 2007 debut release, A World
Made For You. Armin says of this “It was an interesting experience for
me; to actually come into an established band and re-invent vocal
melodies and re-write lyrics for an entire album was something I had
never done before. The guys were great, and it just felt natural. It
laid the foundation for writing as a solid team for the next album“.
With that backlog effectively dealt with, the stage was set to focus on
new material to support what would become this year’s “Letters From A
Broken Home”. With Armin now fully integrated into the band, the songs
took shape quickly. Mike comments “I think the band tried to make the
best rock record we possibly could and still maintain that big groove
oriented sound with some prog thrown in for good measure“ .
From A Broken Home takes a heavier slant than the debut release
choosing to focus on the darker exploration of inner conflict and
frustration surrounding recent world events. Armin explains “Write
what you know, and it will feel and sound honest. That’s the case on
this album. Some may be my experiences, some the experiences of people
I know, and some about the experiences of the world at large that just
plain piss me off. I try not to be too political, but sometimes it
just can’t be helped “. Musically, Armin’s vocals express these
concepts using diverse deliveries ranging from unsettled intimacy to
outright rage reminiscent of the styling of Chris Cornell during his
days with Soundgarden. Mike’s guitar evolves from the initial
direction set by his influences and moves forward in a series of
technical riffs to perfectly underscore Armin’s singing. Neil and Todd
form the tight groove heavy foundation upon which the project relies.
The result of this combined effort is a progressive hard rock album
with a sense of timelessness beyond fashionable trends.
Dirty
Beloved is finding their audience through honest, intense music playing
throughout Ottawa and the surrounding area. By writing and playing
music that is genuine to the interests of the band as a priority, fans
continue to be drawn in by the sincerity and passion. Letters From A
Broken Home is a musical statement about staying true to your passions
and life itself.
