Jesebels kiss
JEZEBEL’S KISS was formed in early 2006 by drummer Byron Black and singer / songwriter Azriel St. Michael.
“In the beginning, we just wanted to put together a tight, solid rock band. Azriel had some cool originals and we both had a lot of faith in them. We’d both been in other bands together, and we knew that we could work really well as a team. It was just a matter of finding the other members,” Black recalls.
After scouring the local venues in search of musicians whom they thought might be a good fit, Byron and Az eventually recruited guitarists Regan Fey and bassist Billy Nasty to complete the line-up.
“It didn’t just happen overnight, though,” Az is quick to admit. “They were playing in other bands at the time. We had to sort through about a hundred or so crack heads and idiots, and that got frustrating real fast. Byron and I were in a couple bands too at the time, but once we found the right guys, we ditched everything else to focus exclusively on JEZEBELS KISS.”
“We thought it would take a few weeks to get everyone on board, but the fact is, it took months,” Az continues. “We were extremely picky when it came to the selection process. We knew what and who we wanted, and we were determined not to settle for anything less. Along the way we broke up a few other acts to get the mix right for our band, but we really didn’t care about any other band outside of JEZEBELS KISS. Actually, we kind of enjoyed it!”
Since, JEZEBEL’S KISS have been busy playing shows throughout Western Canada. “It’s been really crazy, to be honest, to think of how hard it was to get it going and where we are now. This is what we all love doing. It’s about playing the music you love and giving people a great fucking show. Our band has evolved, too. We started as just another bar band; now we have a light tech, pyro tech, sound guy and bus driver. We have an album in stores across Canada and the US and singles being tracked to radio stations throughout North America. We’re still an indie band, but we’re an indie band with extremely positive horizons.”
Having opened for bands such as Nazareth, Billy Idol, April Wine, Warrant, and Cheap Trick , the boys in JEZEBELS KISS have proved they can handle their own on the big stage just as well as in the bars. Their dynamic stage shows and incendiary performances are backed up each night with a massive light show, lasers, fog, CO2 and even pyro when permitted. In fact, JEZEBELS KISS boasts the largest touring light show of any bar band in Canada!
JEZEBEL’S KISS recorded their debut CD, Positive Hostility, at Red Door Studios with producer Ryan Andersen. Ryan’s credentials are impressive, including all of Nickelback’s albums prior to Dark Horse, Ian Thornley, AC/DC, Hinder, Theory of a Deadman, Bo Bice, Nick Black and Santana, just to name a few.
“Ryan came out to see us play, and we got to talking after the show,” says Black. “One thing led to another, and we started laying down bed tracks right after New Years. Ryan was a pleasure to work with, and the whole recording went really well. Az went in and did a bunch of scratch tracks, then we just sat down and picked what we wanted to do and went to work on them. Out of twenty or more songs, we put 11 on the album. Now it’s done, and we couldn’t be happier with it. We’ve signed a distribution deal with Dynasty Records, and Positive Hostility is in stores across the USA and Canada.”
The band feels confident that it will be received well judging from live performances and the overwhelming internet response. “We put it up on myspace to get a feel for how the fans would react to it, and we’ve been getting some really impressive hits on it, both on the bands site and on Azriel’s. Between the two sites we’ve had over a million hits to date, and the numbers keep climbing every day.”
Positive Hostility features 11 tracks, 9 of which the band intend to release as singles to rock radio. “I think a lot of people expected a really heavy album,” Az laughs. “And don’t get me wrong; heavy is certainly cool, but we wanted to put out something that could reach a broader audience while still being true to ourselves. We’re an independent band at the moment. A lot of other indie acts are getting one or two tunes out on a few local stations and then hitting the studio again for another round, but we want people to take notice of our music. We feel this album has a ton of potential. The nice thing is, the industry people listening to it feel the same way. It’s just a matter of getting it out to the public, and we’re not letting up on this one until that happens. Hell, we like it so much we bought 2000 copies of it!”
While many bands claim to sound different than any other, JEZEBEL’S KISS truly do. They are filling venues wherever they go. Thrilling audiences with their own unique and original brand of sleazy rock n roll, JEZEBEL’S KISS deliver an electrifying performance that will keep you coming back for more, and once you hear their infectious music, you will never get it out of your head.
Azriel St. Michael—lead vocals, guitar, songwriter for JEZEBELS KISS; Byron Black—drums; Regan Fey—guitar, bg vocals; Trevor Hay—Bass, bg vocals
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Azriel St. Michael moved to Canada as a child. His
passion for writing began to show at the age of ten, when he wrote his first short story,
Pad the Panda Bear. In his early teens, Azriel discovered the writings of Robert E.
Howard, and his life-long love affair with fantasy fiction and art began.
In High school, he attended creative writing classes while studying music,
classical voice, guitar and song writing. After graduation, he continued to pursue his love
of music, travelling throughout Canada and the United States as a singer and guitarist in
various rock bands. However his love for writing stories remained as strong as his
passion for music, and in 2000 Azriel started work on his first full-length fantasy novel.
He spent the next six years creating and crafting a generated world in which most of his stories and poems take place.
In 2007 he founded the Canadian rock band Jezebels Kiss along with drummer Byron Black. In the same year his poem Memoirs of a Dying King was published in a poetry compilation entitled Forever Spoken, winning him the distinction of Editors Choice Award.
In the spring of 2008, Azriel began recording the debut effort, Positive Hostility
with producer Ryan Andersen, well-known for his work with Canadian rockers
Nickelback, Ian Thornley and Theory of a Deadman.
While writing the songs for the album, Azriel completed Bedtime Stories for
Naughty Children, a book of dark poetry for which he is presently seeking a publisher.
Favourite Memories, a British edition of selected poetry, will featured another
poem by Azriel, The Raven and the Dove in March, 2009. Also, a candid interview
with him is scheduled to be published in late 2009 by KINK Magazine. The edition will
feature a special bonus: several audio tracks from Positive Hostility and one of Azriel’s dark, epic poems.
Azriel St. Michael resides in Prince Albert, SK. He is presently finishing up a new
novel called The Bloody Chalice while performing with Jezebels Kiss.
The first single from Positive Hostility will be released to radio in North
America in January, 2010. Several tracks will also be featured as games on the new Rock Band 2 Network.
Positive Hostility was released by Dynasty Records Distribution in June 2009 and is available throughout North America from your favourite music retailers as well as on internet sources such as amazon.com and iTunes.
Official website:
http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/control_room/azrielstmichaeljezebelskiss#/azrielstmichaeljezebelskiss
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