“We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart.” – Pascal

Perhaps no one could exemplify this sentiment more than Hamilton-bred powerhouse quintet The Reason. Drawn together in early 2003 by their love of music and the impetus to forge their own musical path, Adam White (vocals), James Nelan (guitar), Jeremy Widerman (guitar) Ronson, (bass) and Cam Bordignon (drums), hit the ground running, securing a loyal fanbase by rocking as many sweaty all-ages venues as possible across Ontario with their aggressive, killer live-show.

In 2004, the band released debut album Ravenna,... (+) expand

“We know the truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart.” – Pascal

Perhaps no one could exemplify this sentiment more than Hamilton-bred powerhouse quintet The Reason. Drawn together in early 2003 by their love of music and the impetus to forge their own musical path, Adam White (vocals), James Nelan (guitar), Jeremy Widerman (guitar) Ronson, (bass) and Cam Bordignon (drums), hit the ground running, securing a loyal fanbase by rocking as many sweaty all-ages venues as possible across Ontario with their aggressive, killer live-show.

In 2004, the band released debut album Ravenna, establishing themselves as a pop/punk leaning hardcore troupe to be reckoned with, and catching the attention of audiences and music critics across Canada. Coming off the release of Ravenna, the band managed to steer clear of being pigeon-holed into the screamo genre flavour of the day, staying focused on the goal of crafting memorable songs with incredibly hooky guitar lines, while maintaining the aggressive charisma of their live performance. Leaving power-scream vocals behind, White’s lyrical stylings and the band’s undeniable growing songwriting prowess led them down a seemingly new musical path brimming with a more multi-dimensional sound. The band holed-up in a small cottage near their hometown to write songs for the follow-up to Ravenna.

In 2006, the band began recording their sophomore album Things Couldn’t Be Better with Juno-award winning producer Gavin Brown (Billy Talent), who jumped on the project after hearing early demos and seeing the band perform at the Molson Amphitheatre with Billy Talent and Alexisonfire. Discouragingly however, in the midst of the recording session drummer Bordignon, who’s powerful driving rhythms were integral to the band’s sound, broke his hand putting off recording the 2nd half of the album by three months. Despite feeling defeated, in true Reason-like spirit the band continued to do acoustic shows in their hometown. Working out acoustic versions of their material, the band tapped into a well of creativity resulting in many songs planned for the recording being scrapped and replaced by a prolific set of new songs. With a renewed sense of conviction, the band returned to the studio where Brown helped them hone their focus and explore a more simplified approach to integrating counterpoint guitar lines, catchy keyboard musings, driving backbeats with heaps of vocal pop melody. Heralded as “an album of undeniably captivating songs” upon its release in March 2007, the resulting body of work truly reflected the diverse musical influences each member brought to the table, and the uncompromising dedication to create enduring, heartfelt music. (-) collapse