After premiering their new single and video ‘Day As An Arrow’ yesterday, Vancouver indie rock band Small Town Artillery are excited to announce the release of a brand new EP on March 6th. Entitled Bright Side Bandits, the surprise release of the 4-song EP comes just as the band is about to kick-off their 2.5 month Cross-Canada Tour which starts in Vancouver on March 6th at the Rickshaw Theatre. See below for complete tour listings.
The Bright Side Bandits EP is the 4th studio release from Small Town Artillery, following their 3rd album Don’t Talk Away The Magic which was released in 2018. The video for the politically charged 1st single ‘Day As An Arrow’ features Amar Mangat, a teacher at Queer ASL Vancouver, and Vancouver-based dancer/performer Monica Gutierrez.
“‘Day As An Arrow’ was born on the banks of the Xingu River in the heart of the Amazon 7 years ago after seeing the heartbreaking displacement of Indigenous peoples as a direct result of industry,” says lead vocalist Tom van Deursen. “In its final form, the song pulls taught the question of where you’d fly if you could move much faster than the frustrating snail’s pace of politics and reconciliation. It is dedicated to the Wet’suwet’en people of northern BC, who are relentlessly fighting as you read this for their voices to be heard.”
Small Town Artillery’s upcoming Cross-Canada Tour will see the band on the road for 2.5 months with 2 vehicles - a tour van and a 24 foot RV. The majority of the tour focuses on smaller markets off the beaten path with the band collaborating with local bands/artists and community programs where they can. While on tour, the band will also be filming a documentary about rural Canada and the people who keep art and music alive in each town, interviewing locals and capturing a band learning on the road. They also plan to raise awareness of the issues they hold close: Indigenous rights, climate, and the importance of live music.
Originally from Kaslo, British Columbia, and now based out of Vancouver, Small Town Artillery are often described as a ‘Rock band with a horn section’. To spin up a sonic image of the group, imagine if Billy Talent and Rage Against The Machine met up with Cat Empire and Bruce Springsteen, and wrote an album about the world. Founding members and blood brothers, Tom and Derek van Deursen, have been playing together for 20 years, realizing a lifelong brotherhood dream of seeing the world through their own music.
In 2019, Small Town Artillery played more than 60 shows, including highlights such as: headlining Edge Of The World Festival on Haida Gwaii, the Holland stage at Kaslo Jazz Etc Festival, and organizing, hosting and headlining their own festival in Vancouver called the East Van Block Party. They also completed their first tour in Ontario, opening up for critically acclaimed Canadian funk band Five Alarm Funk in September. The year ended with a Boxing Day show at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver with Five Alarm Funk, proving that Small Town Artillery is ready to energize larger and larger audiences.
Small Town Artillery’s new single 'Day As An Arrow' is available today on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services. Their new EP will be available on all digital platforms on March 6th. For more information and the most up-to-date tour listings, please visit: smalltownartillery.com
SMALL TOWN ARTILLERY >> UPCOMING TOUR DATES
March 6 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
March 7 - Victoria, BC - Lucky Bar
March 19 - Port McNeill, BC - Gatehouse Theatre
March 20 - Duncan, BC - Red Arrow Brewing Block Party
March 21 - Powell River, BC - Evergreen Theatre
March 25 - Penticton, BC - Slackwater Brewery
March 26 - Revelstoke, BC - Traverse Nightclub
March 27 - Golden, BC - Rockwater Bar & Grill
March 28 - Creston, BC - Casey’s Community House
March 30 - Kaslo, BC - JVH Lighthouse Theatre
April 2 - Camrose, AB - Bailey Theatre
April 4 - Edmonton, AB - Station On Jasper
April 7 & 8 - Meadow Lake, SK - TBA
April 10 - North Battleford, SK - Freebird Collective
April 11 - Nipawin, SK - Street Party (hosted by The Dam Smokehouse)
April 16 - Onanole, MB - House Party
April 17 - Winnipeg, MB - Times Change(d)
April 18 - Kenora, ON - Lake Of The Woods Brewing
April 20 - Dryden, ON - Midtown Stage
April 22 - Sioux Lookout, ON - Legion
April 23 - Fort Frances, ON - Little Beaver Community Centre
April 24 - Thunder Bay ON - Black Pirates Pub
April 25 - Wawa, ON - TBA
April 29 - Sudbury, ON - The Asylum
April 30 - Owen Sound, ON - Heartwood Cafe (Upstairs)
May 1 & 2 - Belleville, ON - Signal Brewery
May 6 - Fredericton, NB - Grimross Brewery
May 7 - Halifax, NS - Seahorse Tavern
May 8 - Charlottetown, PEI - Baba’s Lounge
May 9 - Saint John, NB - Pepper’s Pub
May 14 - Sherbrooke, QC - TBA
May 15 - Burnstown, ON - Neat Cafe
May 16 - Montreal, QC - La Vitrola
May 19-23 - Toronto, ON - Canadian Music Week
SMALL TOWN ARTILLERY IS:
Tom van Deursen - Guitar/Vocals
Derek van Deursen - Drums/Vocals
Carson Webber - Bass
Alex Maher - Tenor Saxophone
Phil Austrom - Trumpet
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WATCH/SHARE Small Town Artillery’s 'Day As An Arrow’ video HERE
CLICK HERE for biography, album art + high-res press photos
