Montreal’s Heroes and Villains have two albums under their belts, and they’re the best damn kept secret of everyone’s favourite Northern drinking town. Tunes with a sound based around the songwriting capabilities of guitarist/vocalist C-P Megarbane, Jer Proville’s true bass lines, and Dom Salameh’s rapid fire busting beats drive the 80’s Manchester meets jangle rock medley down the maturing Montreal musical highway.

In early 2004, the band tuned their instruments and recorded a modestly financed self-titled demo, which eventually put the... (+) expand

Montreal’s Heroes and Villains have two albums under their belts, and they’re the best damn kept secret of everyone’s favourite Northern drinking town. Tunes with a sound based around the songwriting capabilities of guitarist/vocalist C-P Megarbane, Jer Proville’s true bass lines, and Dom Salameh’s rapid fire busting beats drive the 80’s Manchester meets jangle rock medley down the maturing Montreal musical highway.

In early 2004, the band tuned their instruments and recorded a modestly financed self-titled demo, which eventually put the band on the local map by being saluted, among others, on the main page of the New Music Canada website, now CBC Radio 3.

The 2005 EP ‘All The Giants Are Buried At Sea’ is a textbook example of a classic debut, complete with accessible yet evocative melodies like Ruby Keeler and the jumpstarter Nothings More Than Anything. The EP made its way to Canadian College radios with its songs reaching, in many cases, top 5 charts. Two songs, “Firstname.Lastname” and “Loveline” even managed to appear in the New Zealand charts.

November 2006 saw the band release their first LP, ‘Air Sea Rescue’. Recorded, like the EP, at the famous Hotel2Tango by recording wizard Howard Bilerman, of Arcade Fire/The Dears/Godspeed! fame, the Heroes sought to define their true sound, which they achieved quite admirably. You’ll want to check out the anthemic “There’s No One”, eulogy to postmodernism Air Sea Rescue, and the haunting guitar choirs of Stella Maris.

The Air Sea Rescue LP is jet fueled by the versatile bassist JM Proville and skin musings of the most agile battering ram of the industry, Dom Salameh. And while Megarbane’s pop melodies are the heart of H&V, that rhythm section is the engine room and where the true character originates. Just go see them for yourself on the local Montreal scene, where the Heroes have established a local cult following, probably because their sets are so vicious that they inspire stage dives and fanatic pitcher chugging. Air Sea Rescue made its way into local radio charts, at #10 as of March 2007.

The band has great live experience with 50+ gigs behind them (including several shows at Pop Montreal Festivals) and toured Eastern Canada in August of 2006. The beginning of 2007 saw the departure of Raphael Parent, whose baritone singing lent a unique boom to the jangly guitars.

Heroes & Villains are currently working on a new album, to be released in the fall of 2007. C-P Megarbane’s bag o’ songs is heavy with lyrics, melodies and guitars and he has taken over singing duties - he certainly has the best idea of how to do it more than anyone. Watch out for the next effort from H&V, it promises to be AAA grade eardrum lubricant! (-) collapse