The Kindred

Canadian progressive rock band

Ottawa, Canada's progressive rock sextet The Kindred (formerly known as Today I Caught the Plague) is no stranger to the road or studio, DIY-ing themselves through a successfully self-financed full-length in 2011, which cultivated tours with bands such as Protest the Hero, The Devin Townsend Project, Periphery, The Faceless, Jeff Loomis and Scale the Summit. After leaving a trail of buzz from two back-to-back tours across the US, it was only a matter of days before the band would catch the attention of labels and management. In February of 2013, the band made the trek 1,000+ miles to record with John Paul Peters (Propagandhi) at Private Ear Studios in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. After five weeks, without a single day off, something genuinely special took form; an inspired album that seamlessly and tastefully blends modern progressive elements, while at times creating tones reminiscent of classic artists such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Utilizing resources most bands dream of, the band was fortunate to have grand piano, a choir, live trumpet, and even the 1st violinist of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra on the record, resulting in a one-of-a-kind product far greater than just the sum of its parts. Vocalist David Journeaux comments on the band's signing: "As a band we've always taken a lot of pride in doing things in a DIY fashion — it's an attitude that has defined our lives for the better part of our post-secondary years. Now this is not to say that we never aspired to be able to work alongside movers and shakers who were doing big things in the music industry, but it did mean that we were resolute that if we were to partner up with anybody, it would have to be the right people. From the first time that we had started to take notice of Sumerian Records we had a healthy respect for their seeming ability to make big waves with their artists. That ability and respect was something that never wavered over our years of slugging it out on the road, and after we were able to work our way on to bigger tours with some more notable acts (a snowball effect initialized in thanks to our friends in Protest the Hero), we were quite excited when we received our first correspondence from the label. Needless to say, we were very happy to be welcomed in to the Sumerian family, and the work that we've been able to do together so far has been very enjoyable, as well as exciting. We're looking forward to getting better acquainted with more of the team, and continuing to work alongside the great people we've already gotten to know." The Kindred will release their debut album "Life in Lucidity" February 25, 2014 on Sumerian Records and promote the release heavily in live performances throughout the US, Canada, and in due time, beyond.