We’re gonna kick things up to 11 with the high energy, hard rockin’:

NEW RENAISSANCE

(From left to right)

Bo Neufeld – Guitar, Backup Vocals

Dan Shortt – Drums, Backup Vocals

Jordan Vandal – Guitar, Lead Vocals

Michael Jason Horowitz – Bass

“Longing for a change in the state of the music scene that surrounded them, guitarist/vocalist Jordan Vandal, drummer/back up-vocalist Dan Shortt and bassist Michael Horowitz got together in 2009 and began jamming with the goal of creating something new. Eventually, they had written a handful of original songs which embraced the principles they believed were lacking in the music scene they had emerged from; simplicity, melody, energy and honesty. Being true to the music they had always loved, New Renaissance was born with a mission to revive and breathe new life into the style of rock music that means the most to them.”

You Oughta Know

My Hot and Steamy History with New Renaissance

You may find this entry to be a bit more in depth than others because, well, I have a bit of history with this band… OK, maybe a lot of history.

I knew these guys from my teen years and have worked with them countless times. The first time Jordan and I paired up to make sweet music we tried auditioning an acoustic song for our high school’s annual talent show. Did we make it into the lineup? No, we did not. Is that because we chose a song the Song “On My Own” by the Used? Most definitely maybe. Or maybe they were just threatened by our immense amount of emo talent. Luckily, Mike and I made it in with our rendition of the same song played on the skin flute (this also more than likely definitely maybe never actually happened). TRUTHFULLY, my musical journey with these two guys actually began during the most recent lineup of our band “Table 21” where they made up the tightest rhythm section I’ve had the pleasure of playing with (alongside Mike and Dan) on bass and drums. Dan and I were also involved in a bunch of musical acts together, but less on the rock side and more on the musical theater side… Which was way cooler. However, Dan eventually grew a bit more hair and turned into one of the greatest local drummers who will practice every part of a song until it’s 100% perfect.

New Renaissance started as a trio consisting of Dan, Jordan, and Mike. They’re the kind of guys that put countless hours into even the smallest of shows, making sure they consistently play at their best, and put on an entertaining show every time. Right from the get-go, they were great (they did win 1st place in the first battle of the bands they played, after all, but more on that later).

In early 2011 they finished working on their debut album, The Casuist, and were prepping for their CD release show. They had added some parts to the album they just couldn’t capture alone as a three piece and thought “Who is the most talented, handsomest musician we can get to play backup for us?”. After every other person they asked rejected their offer, they came to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing some of the most energetic and loudest shows I’ve ever played live with these guys (the permanent tinnitus can attest to that); accompanying New Renaissance on keyboard, a makeshift percussion station, and backup vocals was something I didn’t know I was capable of until I played with them. Still, when I go to their shows I find myself harmonizing along, and missing it each time (and I have to say, I especially miss beating the crap out of those drums). Maybe one of these days I’ll be called up to play along, and forget how high the harmonies are and crack like a prepubescent schoolboy. A guy can dream.

Check out this teaser video that was elegantly shot in preparation for the Casuist CD release by Paul Kroeker:

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

But eventually, all perfect things must come to an end. I made my way up north for my work term and could no longer play with NR. Dan, Jordan and Mike started holding auditions, and found this entry from our other Table 21 bandmate, Rory Jacob. You can likely guess which one he is, graceful as a fox (just wait for that sweet ending):

Ok, here’s a quick clip of him actually playing with New Renaissance. He’s pretty amazing:

Rory played alongside NR during the creation of their followup to The Casuist called Test of Time, providing guitar solos on “Burn, Burn, Burn” and “Set Me Free”. Then, much like myself, Rory left Winnipeg for work to a much nicer place than I.

Not too long thereafter, NR became the band they are today when they found Bo Neufeld to take Rory’s place on guitar (read about how they found him below), and man, can this guy absolutely shred on guitar!

Check out New Renaissance in all their glory with one of my favorite songs off of Test of time, “Feel Alive”. The video was shot by a very talented local filmmaker named James Dixon:

Feel Alive

Q&A with New Renaissance’s Jordan Vandal

Noah: When and how did you guys start up as a band? Jordan: We formed as “New Renaissance” all the way back in 2008. At that time, high school bands that we were all in were fading away and I really wanted to start a group that went back to the basics of Rock that got me into loving music; loud, grungy, tons of feedback, shit tones and high energy! Mike and Dan were both friends of mine that I had also played with in bands in the past, and I knew that the three of us grew up on this same style of music. I had a few concepts songs in the ol’ brain bag and we started jamming and before we knew it, we had a set full of songs in the bag! We would soon go on to playing our first set of shows, which turned out to be a battle of the bands series which we ended up winning the grand prize of $1000 which funded our first record, “The Casuist”. N: I’ve gotta say, I love the cover art you guys came up with for Test of Time. How did you guys come up with it? J: Dan’s idea! It’s actually a gear and spinal from a super vintage clock that Dan found and purchased off the interwebs. We wanted this record to have a simple look (The Casuist had TONS of graphic work and we wanted to chill it out for this record) and tie in to some degree “Test of Time”, and felt this worked perfectly. Dan shot, captured, and Photoshopped the shit out of these to make it look how it does today! N: When you guys were looking for a replacement after Rory Left, how did you find Bo? Jordan, how stunned were you to find out he was your long lost twin brother? J: Well Noah, as any twin well tell you there is this certain, how should I say, cerebral connection? Ya that sounds right! We posted up on Kijiji to find someone to take Rory’s place, and had a few auditions with people who all presented really good things, but Bo fit in with our playing style, groove, and obviously had amazing good looks and that just topped the fucking cake. I wasn’t stunned Noah, it just felt right. N: Having strong connections to your band, I’ll try to keep bias out of this interview. Through the past few years you’ve had several people accompany you at your live shows, videos, and recordings. Who was your favorite, and why was it me? J: New Renaissance has always believed in reaching out to the community, and having you and Rory play with us was us giving back to our city, helping out our troubled youth. N: And I thank you guys in my prayers every day for taking me in off the street. But in all seriousness, you’ve had accompaniments on keys, guitars, backup vocals, percussion, and most importantly, the shaker. From The Casuist to Test of Time and your upcoming recordings, have you found the backup you play with at the time influences your songs? J: Ya for sure. When we had you jamming with us, Noah, when writing new songs there were certainly parts and harmonies that would be written for you specifically, as well as you would jam with us and write things while jamming that would end up being a critical part of the song, like the main riff in “Coward”. I can say the same thing of Rory when he played with us, though Rory was defiantly worse N: Regarding the song “You Oughta Know”, I was pretty upset when I realized it wasn’t a cover of Alanis Morissette’s song. Anyways, you sing “Baby won’t you open wide, I’ve got enough to keep you satisfied, We’ll run until the sun burns out tonight, I’ve got enough for you to justify your life.” …. ಠ_ಠ …. Are you singing about what I think you’re singing about? J: If you think I’m singing about Luke Skywalker’s journey on the planet Hoth, cutting into a Tauntaun and crawling inside to save his life, then yes, I am singing about what you think I’m singing about! N: You guys have had some great live shows. Are there any that stand out as your favorite/most memorable? What about your least favorite show; why was it the worst? J: Thanks Noah! I’d be lying if I said our favourite show was not when we played the Burton Cummings Theatre last November when opening for The Trews. What a rush, man! Everything from getting there early and sound checking on that beautiful stage, to the cheers when we came out to play; not to mention we totally slayed the set which makes it that much better! All in all it was a great night and one that we all won’t forget! We’ve all had poor shows for a variety of reasons. Either one of us personally didn’t play well or we had a slue of technical difficulties. Whatever reason, it is what it is, everyone who plays shows will have a shitty one. As to one that stands out the worst, I can’t peg it right now. Most likely because I’ve wiped it from my memory!

[To add from my experience, there’s definitely one show that wasn’t necessarily the worst we played, but I won’t forget it. We played one year at NXNE in Toronto at the Hard Rock Cafe. Sounds great, right? Getting there ended up being a mess, as we thought we had funding which fell through. Mike and I flew in the morning of for the show, and flew out a few hours after the show, while Jordan and Dan hauled all the gear by car. After all that, when we were around 10 minutes or so into our set, we were given a 2 minute warning. A fun show to play, nonetheless!] N: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you at a live show? J: One time we were suppose to have “some guy” come out to see us play as he was shooting a video for us in the near future and we were all really excited. So in between songs I was like, “Hey, “Some Guy” is here tonight and he’s shooting a video for us! Where are you man!”, and fucking crickets, Noah, is all that replied. Turns out “some guy” was kind of a piece of shit, but hey, live and learn! N: What’s your favorite song to play live, and why? J: Always, every time, for me at least, is “Give It Up”. For some reason that song always sounds so damn good. We could be playing the shittiest show, and we come to that song and hammer it out and that just kicks it up. Maybe it because its one of our oldest songs and we know it so well, or maybe its Maybelline. Give It Up N: Something that not a lot of people may know about your first two albums is that they were recorded and mixed entirely by yourselves. However, recently you were approached by exchange district studios to record a few new songs you’ve been working on. Can you guys talk a bit about the differences between the two, what you like more/less between recording on your own and under the direction of someone else? J: Recording yourself is a love/hate thing. Its great in the fact that you can take your sweet ass time, be a really picky bitch about every little part and redo them until they’re perfect to you. But at the same time this kills you as you stress on everything and often waste so much time on a little tiny, insignificant part that just takes and consumes all your attention. The next thing you know a year goes by and you’re like, “Shit, well we really need to finish this record!”. Having Dorian Preston take the lead on these couple of new songs we have been doing has been really nice as he has tons of musical experience and helped shaped these songs into better pieces. Oh, and the drum sounds he got will cause fucking earthquakes so that’s gonna be fun to hear! N: What are your plans for the near future? J: We’ll I’m about to make some toast, maybe watch a few episodes of “Mike Tyson Mysteries” and head to The Oakwood for lunch. N: My blog is all about exposing people to new music. What one song would you recommend everybody listen to right now? J: Mute Math – Odd Soul N: What’s your favorite cover song that you’ve played at shows? J: Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know

TMI, Jordan. TMI.

If you’re looking for music to get the blood pumping through your veins, or looking for a great band that carries on the age old tradition of straight-up Rock and Roll, you must check out New Renaissance’s albums! Right now, they’re offering The Casuist at a “name your price” offer! I also highly recommend Test of Time – You can really tell they found their stride on this album and really refined their recording, mixing and mastering skills on this record.

To end things off, check out this live video of a new song New Renaissance has been working on called “It’s your time”. Even though it isn’t credited, I took this video. But it’s all good! Water under the bridge, right? Hahahahaha.

My lawyers will be contacting you shortly.

It’s Your Time