Anti-Q's brotherly love
Being in a rock band with your sibling is tough. One only has to look as far as Oasis to see the long and enduring hardships that can ensue. But for The Anti-Qs, out of Niagara Falls, it seems to have been working for the last three years.
Fronted by brothers Ryan and Nathan Dobbin, the five-piece outfit was formed after the two, coming from different groups, decided to write together.
“[We] were close growing up,” Ryan Dobbin said in a phone interview. “We usually did stuff together, but we were actually in separate bands before, and we were always like ‘we should get together and do this'... so we did. We bought an analog eight-track reel-to-reel... and we just hung out in this one room and recorded a bunch of songs for two months.”
The culmination of those two months was released on their 2006 self-titled EP, but since then, the group has written, recorded and released their first full-length album, entitled Sinners and Saints.
What does it sound like? Well, something like catchy ‘70s rock tunes with strong influence from newer indie and garage bands (The Strokes et al).
Not to be pigeon holed, though, the band tries to take influence from whatever they can, from pop to abrasive rock.
“I loved growing up with AC/DC and Guns and Roses. And I love people like Ben Lee who is more poppy, [as well as] Sonic Youth and [The Smashing Pumpkins]. Then, I got into The Velvet Underground later in life and just thought ‘holy shit, man, this is awesome,'” said Dobbin.
The Anti-Qs have been hard at work recently, touring in support of their new album, which even has them headlining an Edge 102.1 Nu Music Night in Toronto. They've also experienced quite a growth in fan base since Saints and Sinners was released, doubling the sales of their first CD.
But the band is in no rush for big things to happen just yet.
“I know it sounds cliché, but I think one thing we lost track of before - we put out our EP and we really wanted to get management, [but] after a year we were like ‘we haven't even recorded new music!' - and that's more of an important thing if you're in a band, to be constantly making music,” said Dobbin.
Unfortunately, by the time this article goes to print, it will be a day too late for anyone go see The Anti-Qs at The Salt Lounge but their MySpace is accessible at www.myspace.com/theantiqs, and they promise to be back sometime soon.
Fronted by brothers Ryan and Nathan Dobbin, the five-piece outfit was formed after the two, coming from different groups, decided to write together.
“[We] were close growing up,” Ryan Dobbin said in a phone interview. “We usually did stuff together, but we were actually in separate bands before, and we were always like ‘we should get together and do this'... so we did. We bought an analog eight-track reel-to-reel... and we just hung out in this one room and recorded a bunch of songs for two months.”
The culmination of those two months was released on their 2006 self-titled EP, but since then, the group has written, recorded and released their first full-length album, entitled Sinners and Saints.
What does it sound like? Well, something like catchy ‘70s rock tunes with strong influence from newer indie and garage bands (The Strokes et al).
Not to be pigeon holed, though, the band tries to take influence from whatever they can, from pop to abrasive rock.
“I loved growing up with AC/DC and Guns and Roses. And I love people like Ben Lee who is more poppy, [as well as] Sonic Youth and [The Smashing Pumpkins]. Then, I got into The Velvet Underground later in life and just thought ‘holy shit, man, this is awesome,'” said Dobbin.
The Anti-Qs have been hard at work recently, touring in support of their new album, which even has them headlining an Edge 102.1 Nu Music Night in Toronto. They've also experienced quite a growth in fan base since Saints and Sinners was released, doubling the sales of their first CD.
But the band is in no rush for big things to happen just yet.
“I know it sounds cliché, but I think one thing we lost track of before - we put out our EP and we really wanted to get management, [but] after a year we were like ‘we haven't even recorded new music!' - and that's more of an important thing if you're in a band, to be constantly making music,” said Dobbin.
Unfortunately, by the time this article goes to print, it will be a day too late for anyone go see The Anti-Qs at The Salt Lounge but their MySpace is accessible at www.myspace.com/theantiqs, and they promise to be back sometime soon.
