What's a FemBot? Find out Nov. 4

Toronto's FemBots humbly began as the home recording project of songwriters Dave MacKinnon and Brian Poirier, producing their 2000 debut release Mucho Cuidado.

Notorious for utilizing found sounds (toys, power tools, typewriters and broken instruments) to create their sonic post-industrial folk music landscape, the FemBots have reaped the benefits of their truly idiosyncratic approach to an over-used genre.

Calling on musician friends, including Jason Tait and Greg Smith (The Weakerthans), Mark Hanson (Ronnie Hawkins), Lawrence Nichols (Lowest of the Low), and Paul Aucoin (The Hylozoists, The Sadies) to lend a hand on past studio recordings, MacKinnon and Poirier have since recruited Nathan Lawr and Iner Souster to help create their 2008 release Calling Out.

Originally determined to record the project using nothing but "junkstraments" created by Souster, the unpredictability of musical junk art made the recording process more than frustrating.

Calling Out then morphed into a hybrid of conventional and avant-garde with the junkstraments laying the foundation.

Although impossible to categorize, the FemBots have drawn comparisons to Wilco, Califone, Buffalo Tom and My Morning Jacket.

Unquestionably unique, The FemBots are scheduled to appear at Loplops Gallery-Lounge (651 Queen St. E.) on Tuesday, November 4 with special guest Octoberman.

Tickets, available at Loplops, on line at www.loplops.com or at the door, are $8 per person.

Show time is 9:30 p.m. and you must be 19 or older to attend.

Visit the FemBots on MySpace.

What people are saying about The FemBots

"It’s safe to say that the FemBots are one of Toronto’s most underrated bands." - Bryan Borzykowski, NOW Magazine

"...hearing MacKinnon’s bellowing voice bursting through infectious, skillfully composed songs like My Hands Are a City and Lost At Sea is about as intensely compelling as any band could hope to be." - Vish Khanna, EyeWeekly.com

"With so many bands trying the same few recipes, it's refreshing to see a band ask, 'how can I never not be myself again' and have that originality transfer into a fresh new sound." - HEROHILL.com

"With Lawr on drums, Souster rocking the junkstruments and Paul Aucoin handling vibes and percussion, the group have written eleven joyous, piano-driven songs that rival the best moments of roots pop masters like Wilco or Buffalo Tom." - Justin Langille, Discorder.ca

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