A Canadian band, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, relative unknowns, are on the cover of the "Rolling Stone," the first unsigned band to manage it. The magazine hit the newsstands on Friday, August 5, 2011 and the winners of the first ever 'Do You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star' cover contest are looking good...and hairy.
The Sheepdogs, a rock and roll band, are a sixties throwback, all of 'em with long, long hair and scraggly beards. The cover contest saw the band, each player in their 20s, make to the finals with 14 other acts. Over 1.5 million online votes were cast and the band also engaged in a live music battle with Leila Broussard, the runner-up, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Ten.. Coming out winners is changing the trajectory of their career.
Sheepdogs on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
The initial announcement of their win was made the first of August and since the band has been doing interviews, photo shoots and they played Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Lead singer and guitar man Ewan Currie, drummer Sam Corbett, bass player Ryan Gullen and lead guitarist Leot Hanson are hardly neophytes in the business and formed back in 2006.
The foursome have done required rounds of touring cities, small towns and places that most of us never heard off. They've put out three albums on their own and have a website. "The biggest thing is...being able to tell everybody and seeing what happens," singer Currie said in an Associated Press interview. "We were helped by the fact that we are experienced, and we have been running this operation. We were fully formed (and) ready to seize it."
The Sheepdogs to Record with Major Label
The exposure is huge but perhaps the biggest part of winning is the recording contract that comes with it. The contract is with Atlantic Records and The Sheepdogs have plenty of great songs, lively and with strong rhythms, great vocals and harmonies and lyrics that go a little deeper than what often passes for rock talk today. Are the Canadian band reminiscent of another Canadian, Neil Young? They have the look.
The dates of their recording sessions with Atlantic have not been set and in the meantime the band has a tour of Canada backing up the Kings of Leon. With their Rolling Stone win and the notoriety it has gotten it's likely some fans will come out to the shows more for the back-up than the lead act.
They were already reaping the benefit of their new found fame by the end of the week after the announcement. By August 5 their latest EP, 'Five Easy Pieces', was at the top of the iTunes sales charts in Canada, while an earlier recording, 'Learn and Burn', was in fourth spot.
References Used in This Story:
- Associated Press; The Sheepdogs win Rolling Stones cover contest; August 1, 2011.
- Sheepdogs website
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