Dead Messenger are a Power Pop/Psychedelic Rock band from Montreal, Canada. Since 2009, they have released two albums and gained a reputation for their frenetic, high-energy live performances.
Dead Messenger released Love Is The Only Weapon, recorded at Breakglass Studios by Jace Lasek (Besnard Lakes, Patric Watson, Suuns) and produced by Jonathan Cummins (Doughboys, Bionic, USA Out Of Vietnam). The album showcased the band’s ability to write hook driven power pop in the vein of artist like Elvis Costello, Wire or The Jam. The album also featured keyboard playing of Max Henry (Suuns, Young Galaxy). Love Is The Only Weapon was rated number 96 on CKUT top 100 albums of 2009.
In the middle of writing and recording their second album, lead guitarist Ted Yates was taken ill and hospitalized for over a month. Faced with Yates’ near death experience and rehabilitation period, his band mates Roger White (Guitar, Vox), Alex Chavel (Bass) and Charlton Snow (drums) considered breaking up the band. However, at Yates’ insistence, they continued working together and went on to write and record Recharger. Given the band’s strong DIY ethic, and in order to accommodate a convalescing Yates, they opted to record the album themselves in their own studio. The result was an album that explored darker themes of life, death and rebirth, which was mixed by Aaron Holmberg (Tragically Hip, Sadies, Bob Rock).at The Pod. Recharger was released in February of 2013 to critical acclaim: the album spent several weeks in top 20 positions in college radio stations across Canada and reached number 98 on the national college radio charts in Canada. Dead Messenger made their television debut in Feb 2013 on the M+ (Francophone Much Music) show Top Musique. In December of 2015 four of the bands songs appeared in the critically acclaimed CBC television drama “This Life”.
Dead Messenger are currently working on their 3rd album: The Owl In Daylight. Written entirely in studio, and recorded by the band, this album sees Dead Messenger maturing as song writers, fusing their distinct power pop sound with more lush psychedelics undertones. The album features guest appearances by musical collaborators including Timothy Hertzog from GS!YBE, and David Groover of The In & Outs to name but a few, and was mixed by Aaron Holmberg.. The Owl In Daylight will be released in the Spring of 2016.
The Band has performed at such festivals as: Mformontreal, Pop Montreal, Canadian Music Week, North By Northeast, The Toronto International Film Festival, Indie Week, La GAMIQ and at The St- Ambroise Montreal Film Festival.
They have shared the stage with such acts as: Danko Jones, Burning Brides, Priestess, C'mon, Hollerado, Half Moon Run, Dutchess Says, The Dudes, The Dirty Nil, Cheetah Chrome, The Figgs, The High Dials, The OBGMs, The Yardlets, Xavier Caffene and many many more.