Music Notes

Scarborough-based rock outfit The First Time are set to rock the Horseshoe Tavern Friday night with the release of their new CD TakingBreakingDown.

It’s their second CD, although the line-up has been shuffled.

Unchanged is the Scarborough connection of guitarist James Whitton and drummer Stacey Washington.

Whitton went to Woburn Collegiate and prior to that George B. Little public school.

Washington, born downtown and moving to Scarborough when he was two years old, went to West Hill Collegiate and prior to that St. Margaret’s and North Bridlewood public schools.

Out since mid-June, the first single What Is This? has already seen some action on Canadian music stations.

“It’s only been out to radio for one week and we’ve already been picked up in Moncton, Red Deer, Nanaimo and Winnipeg,” said Washington.

Their debut CD also stirred up good interest.

Hit the Ground was used both by the Sci-Fi Network in their Painkiller Jane Series as well as in the Canadian Motocross Championships two years in a row on SportsNet and X-treme Network.

The pair are now joined by former Strawman vocalist Ron McJannet and bassist Norm Petroff.

They didn’t have to travel far to make the CD as it was recorded in Scarborough’s renowned Phase One Studios.

It’s produced by Canadian music icon Andy Curran (Coney Hatch, Soho 69) and Vic Florencia “who actually won the Juno (Award) for best sound engineer last year, so we got some pretty heavy hitters on it which is great for us,” said Washington.

The band, which were the 2005 Toronto Independent Music Award Winners for Best Punk Band, have been busy in the studio for most of the year and have not played a live gig since New Year’s Eve.

But that will change this week when they hit the road with a vengeance.
On Thursday, July 5 they’ll warm up with a gig at Healy’s (actually part of the Toronto Indie competition), then on Friday, July 6 it’s their official CD release at the Horseshoe Tavern, then on Saturday, July 7 it’s the Petit Cafe Campus in Montreal and on Sunday, July 8 the Legendary Red Rooster in Burlington.

They plan to tour throughout Canada and the U.S. and even head to Japan in the fall.

“We were over there (Japan) about a year and a half ago and amazing response, so we have some label interest and promotional interest over there so we’re going to head back.”

Check out the band at www.myspace.com/thefirsttime.