Paper Bag Records is mega-excited to announce the release of Toronto duo Woodhands first album, Heart Attack, in the US! Woodhands is an electro-pop duo with a relentlessly energetic live-show and a total disdain for anything but balls-to-the-wall, dirty, sexy dance parties. The brainchild of Dan Werb (vocals, synths, drum machines) and Paul Banwatt (drums, vocals), Woodhands has garnered national press in Canada and was tagged as one of “5 Bands To Watch In 2008” by Exclaim! Magazine. Eschewing laptops or any pre-recorded samples, the Woodhands boys create the music from scratch just like old-fashioned rock bands, liberally swiping the swagger of glam and the raw energy of punk along the way. Instead, Woodhands create the music from scratch just like old-fashioned rock bands, and manage to steal some of the swagger of glam rock along the way. Armed with a decidedly un-ironic keytar, dirty analog synths and complex but danceable beats, Woodhands are hell-bent on connecting with their audience and getting the room bouncing. Combine that with an exuberant and nerd-infused sexiness, and it’s no wonder they’ve been dubbed, “the sex bomb Tom Jones was talking about… as close to a two-headed indie Timberlake as it gets.”
Toronto Electro-Pop Duo Gives Fans a Heart Attack This Fall
Listen to “I Wasn’t Made For Fighting” here: http://www.imeem.com/paperbagrecords/music/sTdBHpqM/woodhands_i_wasnt_made_for_fighting/
Woodhands began as Dan Werb’s solo bedroom recording project (culminating in a critically-acclaimed, self-released album in 2004), but after stints in Montreal, Vancouver (Werb’s hometown), and Paris, he moved to Toronto. He quickly became ensconced in Toronto’s fertile indie rock scene as a keyboard player in a number of indie rock bands, and in August 2006 he connected with ubiquitous drummer Paul Banwatt at a rock show. The pair were soon playing live together, their first show being at an illegal Hallowe’en party in 2006, where they opened for Holy Fuck in the mud-filled and extremely condemned Don Valley Brickworks factory. This dangerous setting may have been the inspiration for their refusal to play shows with any kind of safety net (read:laptop).
Heart Attack is the first album from Woodhands on Paper Bag Records. There are ten songs on it – nine absolute bangers and the one requisite slow jam, for artistic cred. Songs include club anthem “I Wasn’t Made for Fighting,” electro-pop assault “Dancer,” and album closer “Sailboats,” featuring guest vocals from Paper Bag Records artist Laura Barrett. The band was also featured on Sally Shapiro’s remix album Remix Romance Vol. 1 with their remix of “Anorak Christmas.”
Woodhands have been touring since their Canadian release in April, making appearances at SXSW and Canadian Music Week as well as fielding International invites to the Great Escape and SPOT Festivals, and Toronto’s annuals Beats, Breaks and Culture Festival this summer.