By Divine Right

I think all music nuts like me have the band that we introduce others to, because we just can't believe that more people don't get into them.

For me, that band is By Divine Right

Back in 1999, I went to Hamilton with a few friends to a show at the Sonic Unyon record store.....at the time Sonic Unyon was our Sub Pop or Motown. Anything coming out of there was instantly in our CD players. We would drive to Hamilton (about 2 1/2 hour drive one way) just to go to the store and hang out or catch some bands. By Divine Right was touring their new album, "Bless This Mess". I remember being mesmerized by the raw guitar sound coming from Jose Contreras. This was especially unique because I usually just fixated on the drums.

I bought Bless This Mess that day, as well as All Hail Dischordia, their previous album.

My band at the time would jam a couple BDR tunes and we always got compliments.....then had to admit it was just a cover. I even had some friends who went to see the Tragically Hips next tour and saw BDR open for them. They all bought the BDR album and fell in love with the band.

But in true Canadian Rock fashion, after the Hip tour......those people stopped following the band, and Bless This Mess collected dust in their CD collections.

I moved to London, Ontario in 2001 hoping to find work and hoping to see some great bands. Little did I know that the London scene had just fallen apart and most of the bands we used to drive to London to see were either broken up or stopped coming around. I joined a band called Westminster Park who had recorded their first album prior to my arrival....at House of Miracles Studio in London. They always raved about "working with Andy". I was a bit jealous because I had set up a studio in my apartment.....but it was the healthy kind of jealousy that drove me to work harder.

In 2004, I was at Dr Disc and saw the new BDR album "Good Morning Beautiful". I was just excited they were still together, as I hadn't heard from them in years. I put in that album and was instantly blown away by the new sound they had created. I flipped into the liner notes to see where it was recorded. WHAT!? House of Miracles Studio in London, Ontario!!!!

Not only did I play that album for every person I knew because it was an awesome album....but also because it was recorded locally. This was the point where "Good Morning Beautiful" didn't leave my cd player for nearly a year.

Every person I played the new BDR record for LOVED it. I can't count how many friends had to own it after I spun it at a party. But again, when the next couple releases came out, "Sweet Confusion", "Hybrid TV Genie", and I scooped them up.....those same friends said "Oh Yeah, I still have that old CD you showed me.......no I didn't know they were still together!"

This was maybe the first time I realized how detached the Toronto scene is from the rest of the country. If bands weren't coming through London......we really didn't have any other way to hear of them. They weren't on the radio.......they weren't in the local rags. Over the next couple of years I never saw any BDR shows advertised and just assumed they were a recording band only.

Again....fast forward to 2009 and facebook. Thats right......I am on facebook. How can you be a musician and NOT use facebook? Anyways, I searched By Divine Right one day.....and there popped up "Mutant Message", the new album!!!!!

This time I wasn't going to wait and hope they'd play in London....(in fact they didn't). Instead I contacted them myself and asked them if they'd like to play in Windsor with my band. To my surprise I got a message back the next day from Jose himself! Jose is not your typical ego heavy band frontman.....he is one of the most genuine, kind people I've met and he just plain loves to make music. Pure and simple.

I suppose this post has to end eventually......but the moral of the story is, for whatever reason, BDR hasn't been able to break out into the mainstream like Metric or Feist or Broken Social Scene......they are not on iPod commercials or plastered all over every local music magazine. But they deserve the same recognition. The albums are truly important pieces in Canadian Indie/Rock history and you should check them out. And even more rarely......I won't tell you to "listen to the old stuff first" like I would introducing someone to Sloan. (Sorry Sloan.....I still love you). Feel free to listen to the new album and work your way backwards, because its all good. You really can't go wrong. Heres a taste to get you started.