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Get your groceries and local music in one convenient spot! (7 photos)

Gnaeus to celebrate its debut release on August 5

Very soon, the debut release from Sault four-piece Gnaeus will be available at a rather unconventional location.

Sure, fans will find it in the typical music spots - iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon, Spotify, and locally at Case’s Music and The Rad Zone.

But given that one band member’s parents operate M&M Meats, grocery shoppers will be able to purchase the nine-track album as a tasty side dish.

“They’re pretty adamant about having the album there,” said bass player Matt Fronzi, laughing. “Once they heard the songs, they became super supportive.”

Fronzi, along with bandmates Aaron Alessandrini (guitar, vocals), Brad Irwin (synth, guitar, vocals), and Alex Proulx (percussion) are set to celebrate the CD release at the Rockstar Bar on Friday, August 5, 2016.

The idea of recording Meditations began more than a year ago following the 2015 VM Radio Battle of the Bands at the Canadian Night Club.

Not only did the boys take home the top prize, they were given honours for Best Original Song earning them studio time at Dustin Jones’ Tidal Records/Mission Control Studio.

“We got to record a song for free,” Irwin explained. “So while we were doing that, we decided to record eight more.”

“[Recording] was the greatest thing ever,” Fronzi said. “Dustin was super fun to work with. He wanted to capture what we wanted to capture. He wanted to give us the CD we wanted to have.”

“He was very supportive and very encouraging,” added Alessandrini. “It was the best eight months.”

While Alessandrini is the band’s main songwriter, all members of the outfit contribute.

“I kind of take a Talking Heads approach,” he said. “I’ll just say a bunch of stuff until it sticks. A few things had a lot of influence and there’s a lot of backstory, but the majority of it comes right from the heart. A few songs we wrote on the spot in a day, and I think that shows on the album. You can feel the visceral nature.”

Fronzi said the band took its time recording Meditations, but admits to making a few missteps and being somewhat inefficient throughout the process.

The band credits positive influence from other, more experienced members of the Sault’s music community for what they feel is a very successful first endeavour.

“We got a lot of guidance from a lot of great people,” said Fronzi.

“Craig West was the first person we ever recorded with and that just fuelled our passion. He gave us a lot of pointers, and was really supportive and encouraging. From that, it just lit a fire under us,” Alessandrini explained.

Meditations will be available for purchase at the August 5 celebration.

Local support that evening will be provided by K.I.C.K. and The Din.

Doors open at 9 p.m. and you must be 19 or older to attend.

To keep up with Gnaeus, follow the band on Facebook.


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Donna Hopper

About the Author: Donna Hopper

Donna Hopper has been a photojournalist with SooToday since 2007, and her passion for music motivates her to focus on area arts, entertainment and community events.
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