Canon (Progressive Rock Band) - A four piece Rock Band

First album Wideawake /reviews and band bio:

The scope and sound of Canon's debut album, Wide Awake - produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, Ima Robot, Macy Gray) - bears witness to the epic musical sensibility of Jason and his band mates, who are also influenced by '70s prog-rock and such contemporary trailblazers as Radiohead. But Canon combines this musical virtuosity to finely crafted, emotionally direct songs.

Next came the job of picking a producer. "We were really picky about producers - we thought we'd have to make the record on our own," Jason volunteers. Enter kindred spirit Meldal-Johnsen, who'd gotten considerable attention as a member of Beck's band. After impressing the band with his ideas, he joined them for inspired recording sessions album. The producer was particularly impressed by Canons go-for-broke attitude toward recording. "Based on my experience, he reflects, it's clear that they will continue to command the studio as an instrument, using it for experimentation and adventure, rather than the standard scenario of documentation." Following the final mix the band toured with Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate) and rounded out the year with The CMJ Festival in NYC.

Jason, drummer Cassidy, guitarist Tieg Johnson and bassist Benji Pope display an instrumental prowess and discipline unusual in today's musical milieu. "Canon oozes musical ambition with no trace of complacency," "They have the sort of fearlessness that's a key component not only of authentically original records, but also of a great career."

Consider the barreling, tempo-shifting rocker Teachers, which offers an authority-defying message reminiscent of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall Or the plaintive SOS, in which the question "Who will save us all?" sails over a beguiling mix of languid piano and hard, robotic groove. Or, for that matter, the album's soaring title track, Wide Awake a distillation of Canon's clarity and commitment into five and a half majestic minutes.

It's pointless to deny that "Wide Awake" frequently recalls classic progressive-rock acts like Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, ELP and Jethro Tull - particularly on songs like the anthemic Renaissance, the surging Running as Fast as We Can and the organ-driven Golden Mean - though Canon usually manages to complete its sprawling sonic journeys in four minutes or less.

Even so, listeners are just likely to hear such current influences as Sigur Ros and Godspeed You Black Emperor. And then there's Jason's devotion to orchestral and choral arrangements from the 16th Century onward. Quite a few diverse ingredients go into the mix, but what comes out is distinctively Canon.

"It's all part of one tradition," Jason insists. "Paul McCartney used to listen to Bach when he was coming up with bass lines. It doesn't matter where inspiration comes from."


Debut CD Wide Awake

Pete Pardo featured In Sea of Tranquility Webzine. http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=4504
From Los Angeles comes this interesting new act Canon, whose debut Wide Awake is extremely modern sounding, yet owes a lot to vintage progressive rock. Shades of Radiohead, Muse, Explosions in the Sky, Porcupine Tree, and U2 can be heard throughout the album, as well as nods to Yes, King Crimson, and Genesis. Comprised of Jason Turbin on vocals & keyboards, Tieg Johnson on guitars, Benji Pope on bass, and Cassidy Turbin on drums, Canon have a bold yet atmospheric style that comes across as highly emotional. The title track is one hell of a powerful song, with Turbin's yearning vocals paving the way above bubbling bass lines, shards of dissonant guitar, and majestic piano. Imagine Robert Fripp jamming with The Edge & Bono with Radiohead plinking away in the background. Deft acoustic guitar and keyboard orchestrations permeate the lush No One Speaks, and symphonic prog rock rears its head on the clever Rennaissance. The band mixes jazz, prog, and metallic hard rock on the upbeat Running As Fast As We Can, a song that contains some excellent keyboard work from Jason Turbin, and plow into driving AOR/pomp/ prog on the quirky, Hammond drenched The Golden Mean, sounding like a combination of Yes, Deep Purple, Aviary, and Styx. Equally as compelling are the more ethereal pieces like Alive, Master, and the moody Euromatic, which will easily appeal to fans of Radiohead with their atmospheric keyboards and haunting vocals.

Wide Awake has all the elements that make a solid, progressive tinged modern rock record. Bands like The Mars Volta, Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, and Coheed & Cambria, have all been mentioned as spearheading a movement of modern progressive rock. Once fans get a listen to this CD, you might be able to add another name to that list.

From Baron at Shakefire.com
http://www.shakefire.com/reviews/canonwideawake.html
The band Canon has come along and delivered a pretty well fortified progressive rock album...Wide Awake explores the outer limits and boundaries of alternative and classic rock soundscapes without wandering off the map. From the composition of the melodies and layering of sounds to Jason Turbin’s vocals, most of the tracks flow with noticeable influences that blend to create an experience somewhere between Radiohead and the Mozez-lead Zero 7 works. The production quality is pretty high, as evidenced by the clarity of the recording.

Wide Awake has a bass line and melodic structure that you’d expect to find on a Vast album, but without the raging vocals or angelic chorus. “SOS” has the strongest Zero 7 influences but never mimics the band directly. I’d call this one a keeper. There’s a good deal of intelligence to the structure of the lyrics and how they flow with the music. This is an album that may take more than one sitting to be fully appreciated but it will get to you in time. Scoop it up. I think you’ll be very pleased. -Baron has been a writer for Shakefire.com since 2006. Contact him at baron@shakefire.com

Jeff Avrin (Heart Dance, Sack O' Woe, Dave Shepard and Blues Rider,Walker Smith Group)
Canon's music is unique. While frequently conjuring dreamscapes, calling to the listener with ethereal harmonies, the pieces are immediate and personal. Canon takes you to new territory that is foreign yet familiar, strange yet inviting. Great and bold writing and execution are found here. Step inside!"




Bios of Band Members

Jason Turbin
Songwriter, Vocals, Keyboards

As a songwriter the simple task is finding a melody, after that, creating and choosing out of all the possible harmonies the ones to use and how to orchestrate them is the real job. In today’s music scene of redundant power chords, Jason’s work stands out as a work of art in music.

Jason began his journey to the present day Canon at age 9, singing in many a local musical theater and being coached by well-known Broadway singer Raven Kane Campbell. He performing on numerous national commercials and singing on several of these. Jason was a featured singer on the first Disney’s Teacher’s Awards and he went on to appear on the Fox TV series, Get A Life with Chris Elliot and performed in a recurring role in the Fox TV series The Edge with Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Nealy of Saturday Night Live, Julie Brown, Wayne Knight (Newman in Seinfeld). Jason then stared in the National Touring Production of Cameron Mackintosh’s Les Miserables as Gavrauche, the young orphaned waif. Jason instrumental studies began with the Guitar, Trumpet and then to the Piano. He plays many instruments including the Piano, Flute, Recorder, Harmonica, and Violin & Viola. And has performed as a violinist in the Pasadena City Orchestra. Jason also has extensively studied music composition and theory and teaches out of his Los Angeles Studio. Several Los Angeles Area Orchestras have performed his orchestral pieces. Along with his orchestral work Jason has gotten involved in film scores, scoring the movie The Last Kennedy and arranging the music for Tim Robin’s movie, Meat Market Sessions. He has also worked for well-known popular music arranger David Campbell. And has arranged works for Juliet Sims, (Epic), Tony Zito's album Avalon and others, too numerous to mention. Jason’s skills also extend to recording engineering having graduated at the top of his class at LA Recording Workshop. Due to his extensive study and mastering of western music theory, Canon’s songs have that distinctive underpinning of classical music. In a recent interview Jason remarked that, “If I weren’t doing rock I’d probably being doing classical music.” “In some ways I think of myself as an orchestra leader.” Prior to forming Canon, Jason played with Eyes Have Miles and earlier with Exhibit A, a Ska band. Besides music, which is a full time occupation, Jason sometimes enjoys skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, raising birds, cooking and library browsing. His musical influences are varied and include: All the great Renaissance composers, John Williams and Henry Mancini, The Incredible String Band, Donovan, Sigur Ros, Godspeed You Black Emperor and of course the music of the 60’s. The list of influences is endless.

Cassidy Turbin
Percussions, Backup Vocals

Mixing it up with novel rhythms, played in new ways is the true task of the drummer. Its not just keeping a beat, it’s making the beat move you. Adding unique time to Canon’s songs is one of the trademarks of Cassidy’s drumming.

Cassidy began playing drums at an early age; being part of a musical family he caught on and mastered many a drumming style of the 60’s classic rock period (Led Zeppelin’s John Bottom) to more modern drumming styles. At age 15 he auditioned and was accepted into a private intensive program at the Drummer’s Collective in New York City. He finished his studies there and went onto Los Angeles to be part of Canon. In Los Angeles he continued his studies at PIT in Los Angeles and completed a year’s program and then went onto further drum studies in his love, Jazz. Cassidy has played and sat in with such notables as Jeff Berlin (Bassist and owner of the Player’s School of Music), Jazz Guitarist Greg Smith, the New York Guitar Cats, and has played with John Magnie of the Subdudes. He also formed a band with Brian LeBarton (Keyboardist for Beck, Wounded Cougars). Cassidy ability to play virtually any style of music has landed him many a gig with many a band. You can also hear his drumming on Alyssa Campbell’s soon to be released CD with Justin Mendal-Johnson (Beck, Macy Gray, IamARobot, Wounded Cougars) and Brian LeBarton (Beck, Wounded Cougars). Cassidy teaches percussion to students on both east coast and in Los Angeles. His other musical joy is playing both the Alto and Tenor Saxophone and Clarinet. He devotes much of his spare time to outdoor sports, mountain biking, surfing, snowboarding and surfing the LA area beaches. His musical influences are John Coltrane, Mile Davis, Charlie Parker, and Wynton Marsalis. In Canon, you can hear the love of Jazz mixing in with the progressive rock style of the band producing a myriad of rhythm fusions.



Tieg Johnson
Guitar, Backup Vocals

Putting expert riffs together around a solid melody, keeping the song moving along and adding in those special effects that Canon is known for is where the guitarist for Canon comes alive.

Tieg has been playing guitar since he was 10 years old. At 11 he was already sitting in with his father’s classic rock band. From 1997 through 200 he participated heavily in a 75-member performance group as a vocalist, actor and performer. At 15 Tieg auditioned and was accepted in the GIT program at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood where he worked on all types of music. Not being old enough to drive kept him at the Institute 12 hours a day, taking classes and perfecting his skills. In February 2004 he graduated the program with the highest awards status. He was also given the Outstanding Student of the year award. Even before graduating from MIT, Tieg was the go to guy for bands and songwriters. He’d be the guy to call for recording sessions, demos, etc. Tieg was the go to guitarist for Universal’s Brie Larson, touring with her for most of 2005. Tieg enjoys and is influenced by artist such as Beethoven & Chopin, the Beatles, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Yes, REM, The Smiths, Sara McLachlan, Michelle Branch, Jeff Buckley, RadioHead, ColdPlay, Eric Clapton, SRV, John Mayer and the 3-Kings, BB, Albert & Freddie.

Benji Pope
Bass Guitar, Backup Vocals
Canon’s bass lines are not is not just root notes played as a rhythm, but are melodic in themselves. The bass is not just there to fill in the low end but adds a whole new dimension.

Benji first picked up the Bass guitar around 14, at first just to be in a rock band and hopefully meet girls, but he soon realized that the bass player does not get the girls, in fact they are the married band member. But it was too late; he was hooked on those low notes and that bass rhythm and throb. No turning back, he learned the bass in earnest, studying the classic rock of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Paul McCartney became his biggest influence because of the great bass melodies that are usually so uncommon in bass parts. Benji then joined a cover band playing Beatles to Radiohead. At age 15 he was at a show of the group Eyes Have Miles and met front man and guitarist for the band, Jason Turbin. Soon after Jason formed Canon and Benji became the bass player. Benji remembers the early practice in a garage when the forces of nature would strike out against the band, electricity shorts, huge arcs of blue white electricity would shoot across the garage and into Benji’s Bass. But the music and creativity went on. Benji has also recorded for Nashville records Spongebath Records as the bassist on numerous tracts. His main influences are the Beatles, Pink Floyd, RadioHead, Sigur Ros, Godspeed you Black Emperor, Bach and Led Zeppelin.