Boasting a sound that shows influence of equal parts high-energy rock n’ roll and punk, Moncton band The Beaten Hearts return to the live stage Saturday evening at Moncton’s Plan B Lounge.
With the histories of Moncton punk legends Bad Luck #13, The Mean, Fear Of Lipstick and more brought to the table by the group’s individual members, the roots of the band date back to 2009.
It was then that American ex-pat vocalist Brian Lamanna, bassist Ray Auffrey and guitarist Derek Lounder got together to bash out some songs. Before long, they recruited drummer Jeremy O’Neill and second guitarist Tyler Boutilier to flush out their lineup.
“Brian had moved here from the United States and was looking to start a band,” Auffrey says. “He had been the singer for an American punk rock band called the Valentine Killers that had recorded and toured quite a bit throughout the States. We first got together in the winter of 2009 and played our first show later that year.”
The group had little trouble attracting a dedicated following in Moncton. For a city known for its musical diversity, many music fans continue to flock towards tried and true bands such as The Beaten Hearts.
In July 2011, Portland, Oregon label Sonic Jett released the group’s Red Line Gurls 7-inch single while Lamanna and Auffrey formed their own boutique label, Maladroit, which in turn released the group’s Badlands 7-inch singles.
With only a smattering of live dates currently on their schedule, Auffrey shares that the group has more than a dozen new songs in their arsenal waiting to be recorded. Saying that he considers the group’s new material to be perhaps a “little less poppy and more guitar-based,”Auffrey says the group intends to take full advantage of the fact that each of their guitarists bring slightly different musical styles to the table.
“The new songs have been well received by our audience thus far,” he says. “Plans for a future release of some kind are forthcoming. Personally, I’d like to see the release of a full-length LP. With the 15 songs that we haven’t yet recorded, I figure that at least nine would potentially make it onto an album if that is indeed the route we choose. We are big fans of the 7-inch single format as well so we are a little torn over what path to travel down.”
Article published in the December 21, 2012 edition of teh Times & Transcript