PureVolume

Members: Todd Gesshe (bass/vocals), Craig Florence(drums/vocals), Tyler Toews(guitar/vocals)

It's last call again at the tavern and while many of its patrons reluctantly begin the journey home, the Rocky Fortune boys have barely started to feel the itch. On their debut album Sway, the trio consisting of Todd Gesshe (Gesh-uh) - Bass/Guitar/Vocals, Ty Toews (TAVES) - Guitar/Vocals, and Craig Florence - Percussion/Vocals, presents a ten song collection that has already proven to keep the speakers shaking long after closing time. Recorded in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, at Sundae Sound Studios, and produced by Dave Alcock (Falconhawk, Reverie Sound Revue), Sway has won acclaim with listeners and critics alike for its sincerity, character, and range. Faced with a meagre budget, the band was only able to afford small blocks of studio time. As such, the album's ten tracks were recorded and mixed over the span of two years. However frustrating the band found their recording schedule to be, it yielded interesting results. Long periods of writing and reflection took place between sessions, and each time the band re-entered the studio they brought with them a new perspective. "You've gotta make your jam when the fruit is ripe, not rotten." says singer/bassist Todd Gesshe. And so when the tape had finally settled in August 2004, the Rocky Fortune were left with three reels and ten songs, each quite different from the other, but each carrying the band's distinct sonic signature. Within the first three tracks the Rocky Fortune tear into the roots of classic rock & roll and revel in timeless folk music, stopping in between to lay down a tidy dance number that neatly whisks Sly Stone style grooves into the Fortune's own hop-scotch guitar riffs and alluring narrative. The varied and heavy-set beats laid down by drummer Craig Florence provide a sprawling canvas for the nimble guitar playing of Ty Toews and the disarming vocal work of songwriter/bassist Todd Gesshe. Over its ten songs, Sway captures the raw and unusual talents of this band, and should serve them well as they begin an exhaustive touring regiment commencing in the fall of 2005. Having all been raised in the same rural Alberta setting, the Rocky Fortune draw from an extensive shared history. From the "get-in-the-van" style touring days of the addictive crunch-pop band Darryl's Grocery Bag, to the national showcase adventures of Sons of Daughters, these gentlemen have seen their fair share of this sprawling continent, and seen it through a variety of windshields. Opening for acts ranging from Hawksley Workman to the Canadian punk-staple D.O.A., the Rocky Fortune have cut their musical teeth and now, with the aid of a somewhat rusty old suburban, have begun to gnaw their way into the ankle of modern music. "Let the lesson start now."