Protest the Hero

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Protest the Hero

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Img_capt = Rody Walker, House of Blues Chicago, October 7, 2008. Left to Right:Tim Millar, Moe Carlson, Arif Mirabdolbaghi, Rody Walker, Luke Hoskin
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Alias = Happy Go Lucky
Origin = Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Genre = Mathcore
Progressive metal
Years_active = 1999–present
Label = Vagrant, Underground Operations
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.protestthehero.com/ www.protestthehero.com]
Current_members = Rody Walker
Tim Millar
Luke Hoskin
Arif Mirabdolbaghi
Moe Carlson
Past_members =

Protest the Hero (often abbreviated as PTH or simply Protest) is a Canadian mathcore band from Whitby, Ontario.cite web|url=http://www.punktv.ca/?c=105&a=1149|title=Protest the Hero Talks about their new album, Kezia!|author=Dixon Christie|date=2006-10-30|accessdate=2007-05-09] The Protest line-up has stayed the same since the band formed in 1999, when they were just 12 years old. cite web|url=http://musicvice.com/_feature_interview_protestthehero_july2008.html|title=Music Vice Features - Protest The Hero interview with Rody at Warped Tour 2008|author=Brian Banks|date=2008-07-25|accessdate=2008-07-26] They originally used the name Happy Go Lucky, but changed their name before releasing their first EP, "A Calculated Use of Sound" which was followed by the release of their first full length, "Kezia", on the indie label Underground Operations. On January 23, 2006 the band officially signed with Vagrant Records for "Kezia"'s United States release. "Kezia" was released in the US on April 4, 2006. Their second full length, "Fortress" was officially released by Underground Operations in Canada and by Vagrant Records worldwide on January 29, 2008.cite web|url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/news.php?newsid=4090|title=Protest the Hero's Fortress|author=|date=2007-08-13|accessdate=2008-01-16]

Overview

Biography

The day that the band members finished their senior final exams, they left on a three-week tour from Toronto to Halifax called "Cock the Vote" in order to gain recognition, as well as raise awareness for the upcoming Canadian election. Protest the Hero's popularity is slowly expanding outside of metal scenes in and around the cities and towns they have performed in. Now teamed up with [http://www.umusic.ca/ Universal Music Canada] for distributional services, Protest the Hero hopes to become popular over most of Canada and, with their recent signing to Vagrant Records, the United States as well. In 2004 they won the [http://www.cmw.net/indies.htm Canadian Independent Music Award] for Favourite Metal Artist/Group, beating out much more well known Alexisonfire. [ [http://www.cmw.net/cmw2004/pressindiewin.htm Canadian Music Week 2004 ] ] They were nominated for the 2006 Canadian Music Week Indie Awards' Favourite Metal Artist/Group, which Kataklysm won in March of that year. Also in 2006, the band was also nominated for the CASBY Award. In addition, members of the band appeared in a televised commercial for the instrument store, [http://www.long-mcquade.com/ Long & Mcquade] . Bassist Arif was also featured in the Closet Monster music video "Mamma Anti-Facisto (Never Surrender)"; he can be seen to the left of London Spicoluk during the main group scenes.

A music video for their song "These Colours Don't Run" from the album "A Calculated Use of Sound" was released in 2003. The video begins with the band discussing the meaning of the song and features the band playing the song live at numerous locations in Toronto, Ontario, with the album music dubbed over the actual live recording. At each location, the band would hand out lyrics to passers-by and encourage them to listen or sing along. The band has also released videos for the songs "The Divine Suicide of K", "Blindfolds Aside", and "Heretics and Killers" from "Kezia", and for "Bloodmeat" and "Sequoia Throne" from "Fortress". The video for "Heretics and Killers" received airplay on MTV2 and FUSE, partially because of the interesting premise of the video: the band play the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz after they were fired. In addition, the song "Divinity Within" is featured on the NHL 07 videogame soundtrack, and "Bury the Hatchet" is featured in a download pack for Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360. "The Dissentience" from their album "Fortress" is featured in the latest NHL series release, "NHL 09".

Protest The Hero started officially writing music for their newest album in January, 2007. They finished recording it on August 10, as said by Rody during the 2007 Vans Warped Tour in Barrie. The album is called "Fortress" and was set to be released by Vagrant Records on November 12, however the band had decided to push the release back to January 29, 2008. On May 2nd 2008, Protest The Hero premiered their video for "Sequoia Throne". [cite web|url=http://protestthehero.buzznet.com/user/video/3026181/protest-hero-sequoia-throne/|title=Protest the Hero - 'Sequoia Throne' Video ]

Protest the Hero live

Protest the Hero are known for playing with a large stage-presence, largely due to frontman Rody's energetic persona, and the band's constant motionFact|date=June 2008. They have performed and toured with many well-known acts, including Alexisonfire, Bullet For My Valentine, Against Me!, Straight Reads the Line, Between the Buried and Me, The Ballroom Massacre, fellow label-mates Hostage Life, I Hate Sally, Machete Avenue, The Holly Springs Disaster, Tyler Madarasz, Bombs Over Providence and Closet Monster, Chiodos, From First to Last and fellow Whitbians, Arms To Illustrate. From September 2005 until the beginning of June, 2006, Protest the Hero toured over Canada, the United States, and Great Britain in support of Kezia with bands such as Death by Stereo, Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, The Fall of Troy, The Bled, and DragonForce. The band took part in the Vans Warped Tour during the Summer of 2006. Following this, Protest the Hero toured with Avenged Sevenfold and 3 Inches of Blood until October 2006 when they began "The Crusade" tour with Trivium, The Sword, and Cellador, taking them across Canada and the United States. In November 2006, Protest the Hero toured with Welsh metal band Bullet for My Valentine and As I Lay Dying. Beginning in the middle of December 2006, Protest The Hero embarked on a cross-Ontario tour, named the "Bring Out Your Shred" tour, with I Hate Sally and The Human Abstract. This tour was the first in which Kezia was played in its entirety. In late May/early June they co-headlined the Tour and Loathing 2007 Tour with co-headliners All That Remains, Blessthefall, Threat Signal and The Holly Springs Disaster.

In September 2006, guitarist Luke Hoskin was detained at the Vancouver-US border for possessing a bag with less than 0.2 grams of marijuana, preventing him from continuing on their tour with Trivium and The Sword.cite web|url=http://sputnikmusic.com/news.php?newsid=1733|title=Protest the Hero: Detained!|author=|date=2006-10-25|accessdate=2008-01-18] In his place the band got Marco Bressette aka "Sparco" from the Canadian rock band Hypodust from September til November 2006, in the band he was referred to as "Xerxes".

On January 28, 2008 the band began a tour through Canada with Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, and illScarlett. They continued the tour into the U.S. in late February with the same bands, minus illScarlett, and in addition, A Day To RememberFact|date=June 2008, citing exhaustion and general dissatisfaction with their recent performances. They are scheduled to start touring again in April with Chiodos and Today I Caught the Plague before joining Warped Tour 2008. The band will be on tour with Unearth, The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, and Gwen Stacy after Warped Tour in the United States; and then will be on a European tour with Unearth, Parkway Drive, Despised Icon, Architects, Whitechapel, and Carnifex.

Discography

Full length

*"Kezia" (2006)
*"Fortress" (2008)

EP

*"Search for the Truth 7"" (2002)
*"A Calculated Use of Sound EP" (2003)
**Reissued and remastered in 2004 with bonus song "Soft Targets Dig Softer Graves".
*"Sequoia Throne Remix EP" (2008) [ [http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=418411 Protest the Hero To Release Remix EP - News Article - AbsolutePunk.net ] ]

Compilation

*"(Coles) Notes from the Underground" (various artist compilation) (2002)
**Features songs "Break the Chain" and "Asperity of Sin"
*"Greetings from the Underground" (various artist compilation sampler) (2004)
**Features the song "Soft Targets Dig Softer Graves"
*"Things Could Be Worse" (Double CD various artist compilation) (2004) (Freedumb Records)
**Features the song "Break the Chain"
*"The Power of Music" (2-CD various artist compilation) (2005)
**Features the song "An Apathetic New World"
*"Warped Tour 2006 Compilation" (2 cd various artist compilation) (2006)
**Features the Song "Heretics and Killers"

Videography

*"These Colours Don't Run" music video from "A Calculated Use of Sound" (2003) [http://www.bedlamsociety.com/video.asp?videoId=22&thetitle= streaming video] from Bedlam Society.
*"Orange and Grey" DVD (2005)
**Compilation DVD featuring live footage of Protest playing the songs "Silent Genocide", "These Colours Don’t Run", "Red Stars Over the Battle of the Cowshed", and "Fear and Loathing In Laramie"
*"Blindfolds Aside" music video from "Kezia" (released Nov. 2005).
*"Heretics and Killers" music video from "Kezia" (released Apr. 2006).
*"The Divine Suicide of K." music video from "Kezia" (released July 2007)
*"Bloodmeat" music video from "Fortress" (released Dec. 2007)
*"Sequoia Throne" music video from "Fortress" (released April 25 2008)

ee also

*List of bands from Canada

References

External links

* [http://www.protestthehero.com/ Protest the Hero Official Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/protestthehero Protest The Hero on MySpace]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sesuTRn_Fnc Interview with Rody on Metallicity Radio Hour (2008)]
* [http://www.ontarioscene.com/interviews/interview_with_tim_millar_of_protest_the_hero.html Interview with Tim (2008)]
* [http://www.thepunksite.com/interviews.php?page=protestthehero2 Interview with Rody (2008)]
* [http://www.thepunksite.com/interviews.php?page=protestthehero Interview with Arif (2006)]
* [http://www.mtv.ca/?id=1529622 Protest The Hero on MTV Overdrive]
* [http://musicvice.com/_feature_interview_protestthehero_july2008.html Interview with Rody at Warped Tour (2008)]