Thursday, September 23, 2004

The First Time- It’s On CD Release party

The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

Doors open at 8:00

Show starts at 09:30

BIO: "You have to go with your gut." It's a simple enough statement from The 
First Time's Manfred Sittmann, but it has been played out time and again in 
the last year. "Whether it's the kind of songs you play or the people you 
want working them, you have to trust your instincts or else you will always 
be second guessing yourself."

Over the last year, the band has had to deal with personnel questions, a new 
record deal, a new producer, bigger budgets and business decisions. Oh, and 
in that time they also managed to record their debut CD -- IT'S ON -- a 
blustery mix of guitar-riffs, big-choruses and the kind of visceral quality 
that only comes from playing from your guts. In fact, the lead single - New 
Day Dawning - has already garnered attention from the extreme sports crowd 
and has been licensed for events on ESPN, SportsNet and the Xtreme Network.

Sittmann on guitars and vocals is joined by lead guitarist James Whitton, 
bassist Mike MacMillan and drummer Stacey Washington, the latter two played 
together in a previous incarnation of the band. "We had hit a point where we 
needed some new life," says Sittmann, "and James definitely brought that, 
both in terms of his playing and his enthusiasm. It definitely rubbed off on 
the rest of us and I think you can hear it in the music."

One of the most prevalent factors was the band's decision to work with 
award-winning producer Warne Livesey (Matthew Good, The The, 54-40). After 
creating some initial demos that were sent around, they signed a production 
deal, one that financially allowed them to enquire about the availability of 
some top producers. "There was some interest from a few of them, which 
surprised us a little," says Sittmann. "Suddenly, we were in the position of 
picking who we wanted."

They opted for Livesey, instead of some of the higher profile American 
producers for one simple reason -- they felt all along that his records 
sounded the best. "It's funny, because none of us even like Matthew Good 
that much, but we all feel that his records 'sound' amazing. It was weird 
turning down someone who's worked with some of the biggest names in the 
business, but you need to trust your instincts on something like that -- and 
we have no regrets at all given how this record sounds."

It would seem that there is some consensus as the disc has drawn comparisons 
to the likes of Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World, which the band admits can 
be a double edged sword. "It's nice to get compared favourably to bands you 
like, but you don't want to be dismissed either." Instead the band uses such 
comparisons as a sort of vindication for some of the curious conversations 
they had with various labels, before re-signing with Bullseye.

"Some of them said some pretty strange things. Like, one guy said 'this kind 
of music doesn't sell anymore," says Sittmann with a laugh. "Well, if that's 
the case, someone better tell those other bands to give back their platinum 
records. It would seem that some music fans apparently weren't given that 
memo."



PROMO/PUBLICITY & RADIO: Lisa Millar 416-284-7067 lmillar@bullseyecanada.com

For more info check out their website at www.thefirsttimeonline.com or 
www.bullseyecanada.com

Distributed in Canada by
FUSION III

Jaimie Vernon,
President, Bullseye Records
http://www.bullseyecanada.com
Author, Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicPopEncycloPages