Band breaks new ground in old rock territory

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Anyone who is familiar with the rock explosion of the late sixties and seventies knows that most of the bands coming out of the Los Angeles area - Van Halen, KISS, Ratt, Poison, and Motley Crue - played at clubs like the Troubadour or the Whiskey a Go-Go, as it was known then. This was an era when most kids dreamt of picking up a guitar and playing those clubs as well.

Breach of Trust, a seemingly unlikely lot of four hard-working musicians hailing from the La Ronge, Prince Albert area of Saskatchewan, are no different in that regard. After winding up their cross-country Canadian tour playing a couple of gigs at a local club in Vancouver, and then to a smaller but appreciative crowd at Surrey's Java Joint, they packed their gear into their rental van and headed south to play those famous Hollywood clubs, as well as a venue in Seattle.

Marty Ballantyne, singer/songwriter/guitarist and spokesperson for Breach of Trust said they're doing what every rock band has to do.

"We're touring and selling, trying to create an audience," said Ballantyne about the band's tour to showcase their powerful new independent release Songs For A Dying Nation.

While the songs more than hint at their cultural identity, Ballantyne is quick to point out that Breach of Trust is made up of musicians wholly concerned with their craft.

"We have to put on our pants one leg at a time, just like everybody," said Ballantyne. "But we all work hard to be the best musicians we can.

"As we approach being artistic about it and less craft-based and less contrived in our choices, then more of our identity will come through."

When asked what inspired this talented quartet to get into music, they resoundingly and simultaneously cried out "KISS!"

Another similarity is the band members' feelings of being social outcasts, spending most of their time in isolation. This isolation, they claim, was the driving force that forged and galvanized their love and passion for their music and is the force that drives them to be successful musicians.

They jokingly refer to the long, cold prairie winters as the perfect time for wood-shedding, a term used figuratively for the long hours musicians spend practicing scales, riffs and chops.

With Breach of Trust though, the term is literal. They spent their practice and writing time is a little shed behind drummer Bill Aubut's house.

"We wrote some of the best songs on the album in that little shed with the wood stove," said Ballantyne. "So there's a lot to be said for winter and wood stoves."

Ballantyne said they were looking forward to their trip south to expose Breach of Trust to the L.A. music scene and get a buzz happening for the band. They were also to perform for record executives in the hope of getting signed to a major label.

A Billboard article by Larry LeBlanc, the band's lawyer says the California venture could prove to be extremely worth while. Susan Abramovitch says there are as many as 15 labels that have expressed interest in the band. She says that the Canadian labels are only now starting to show interest, although they had the album months ago.