The Pack A.D.

FALL TOUR DATES…yessssss…make yer plans

Maya — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:59:23 +0000

Hey all, so here is a huge list of dates. Yes, dates. Our Fall USA and CANADA tour dates to support the release of our new album, Unpersons, which comes out everywhere on Sept 13, 2011. Heads up, we will be coming back to France and other Top Secret Countries in November, look for those dates soooon. And already, you can go on iTunes and purchase our first single, Sirens, and play it till you can’t play it any longer…or something to that effect. Here’s that link:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/sirens-single/id454555713

And here are our HUGE FALL TOUR DATES so far…

Sept 10 - Fresh U Jamboree, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, ON
Sept 12 - The Alibi, Arcata, CA
Sept 13 - Streetlight Records, San Jose, CA (afternoon show, all ages)
Sept 13 - Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco, CA
Sept 14 - The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA

Sept 15 - Hypnotic Lounge - Las Vegas, NV

Sept 16 - Soma, San Diego, CA
Sept 17 - Whisky a Go-Go, West Hollywood, CA (with LA Guns)
Sept 18 - TBA, Las Vegas, NV
Sept 19 - The Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
Sept 20 - The Badlander, Missoula, MT
Sept 21 - Mootsy’s, Spokane, WA

Sept 23 - OLIO Music Festival - Vancouver, BC
Sept 24 - Rifflandia Music Festival, Victoria, BC
Sept 26 - Habitat, Kelowna, BC (with guests Sun Wizard)
Sept 27 - Republik, Calgary, AB (with guests Sun Wizard)
Sept 28 - The Pawn Shop, Edmonton, AB (with guests Sun Wizard)
Sept 29 - Louis’ Pub, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK (with guests Sun Wizard)
Sept 30 - Lo Pub, Winnipeg, MB (with guests Sun Wizard)

Oct 01 - The Aquarium, Fargo, ND
Oct 02 - Hell’s Kitchen, Minneapolis, MN

Oct 03 - Bayport BBQ - Bayport, MN
Oct 04 - Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA
Oct 05 - OFF Minor, Dubuque, IA
Oct 06 - Daytrotter Session Recording - Rock Island, IL
Oct 06 - The Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL

Oct 07 - Call The Office, London, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 08 - Casbah, Hamilton, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 09 - The Mansion, Barrie, On (with Hollerado)
Oct 10 - Mansion House, St Catharine’s, ON
Oct 12 - Market Hill, Peterborough, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 13 - The Mansion, Kingston, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 14 - The Alexander, Brantford, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 15 - The Opera House, Toronto, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 16 - Cafe Dekcuf, Ottawa, ON

Oct 19 - Phog Lounge, Windsor, ON
Oct 20 - Lager House, Detroit, MI

Oct 22-28 QUEBEC Shows TBA

Oct 21-22 CMJ Festival - Manhattan, NY - Show tbd

Oct 29 - The Vibe Lounge, Rockville Centre, NY
Oct 30 - The Charleston, Brooklyn, NY

Oct 31 - Little Bar - Philadelphia, PA

Nov 01 - O’Brien’s Pub, Allston, MA
Nov 02 - Hard Rock Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
Nov 03 - Motr Pub, Cincinnati, OH

Unpersons - Sept 13, 2011

Maya — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:18:27 +0000

The Pack a.d. Unpersons
Out September 13th from Mint Records!

In 1962, Neil Sedaka said, “Breaking up is hard to do.” Well, breaking up just got a whole lot easier with Unpersons, the full-on fourth album in The Pack a.d.’s indomitable catalogue. This is the album to vaporize those who shall not be named, and erase any trace of their existence with a dense cloud of fuzz bomb riffs, tribal rhythms, and hard (legal) drugs.

Braving a bombardment of devils, ghosts, mutants, and arseholes, the determination and prowess of drum demolisher Maya Miller and belligerent guitarist/vocalist Becky Black has never been so palpable. The Vancouver duo’s confidence in the studio and skill as musicians has grown exponentially between records, culminating with an epically fierce explosion of blues, punk, and garage rock that dwarfs all those before it. Neither mythological beast nor unrepentant dipstick stands a chance of surviving the aural onslaught of Unpersons.

Like their last two albums, The Pack a.d. recorded Unpersons at the legendary Hive Studios with engineer Jesse Gander. However, where famed Detroit producer Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs, The Paul Collins Beat, The White Stripes) mastered 2010’s we kill computers from afar, he flew in - on his own insistence - to produce Unpersonsfirst hand. After these sessions, the band went back with him to Michigan to perfect the mixing together.

The result is a flawlessly produced and performed record that projects all the snarl, piss, vinegar, venom and vitriol heard on their first three albums into a realm that is distinctly their own. Any reference one may wish to make to The Kills or White Stripes is no longer relevant. When Unpersons hits stores on September 13 of 2011, The Pack a.d. will have inarguably established themselves as a band by which to compare others.

Long live The Pack a.d.!

Watch behind the scenes footage on the making of Unpersons!
Band bio, press photos, links and more.
Mint Records Website
The Pack a.d. Website

Press for 2010’s We Kill Computers:
It’s pretty easy to pigeonhole Pack A.D., much harder to describe in words just how much you need them in your life…The Pack A.D. make you want to go out and drink a million beers while leaping about recklessly and spilling said beer all down your front. The Pack A.D. sound like they’d like to come and do that with you. Pack A.D. forever.
- ‘Sup Magazine, May 2010

we kill computers, is convulsively exciting. Raucous, even. They’ve pulled off a killer, riff-stunner of an album…
- The Take Media, May 2010

Barnstorming duo The Pack a.d. have made an album so vital to any true rocknroller that you’ll be scorned by friends and relatives if you don’t have it…Sexy and swampy, dirty and tough, ‘we kill computers’ is a raucous bar fight of an album that bursts into your brain and legs like an epileptic’s nightmare fit. Awesomely mahoosive tunes ‘Math, The Stars’ and ‘Big Anvil’ nearly crack your skull with sheer noisy brilliance. Also included is the spooky ‘They Know Me’, which has echoes of Nico at her most haunting, but kicks on into ‘K Stomp’, a crazy and aggressive number that defines what rock music should be.
- Red Hot Velvet (UK), May 2010

The Pack A.D. are a gift to our city for several reasons. Obviously they write great garage-blues stompers that get stuck in your head. And to be sure they put on a great live show, evoking the kind of debauchery that made the Gun Club and The Cramps legendary. But what’s really great about this band is that they’re able to tap into so many of Vancouver’s various social scenes, bringing them all together for a sweaty, beer-soaked party. Going to their show at the Biltmore this Friday you’ll find guys and gals of all stripes, all backgrounds and all scenes. This band reminds us what going out to catch a great bar band’s live show is all about: dancing, singing along, and spilling beer with people you’ve never met before who are your new best friends.
- Zulu Records via Scout Magazine, April 2010

Stomping out of the gate with a renewed sense of frustration and a petulant desire to get even with everything, We Kill Computers takes the scruffy, groovy hate-fucking dirty shirt blooz rawk that the band has been chipping away at since forming in 2006 to phenomenal and potent new levels. Sounds cool right? It is – but, really, the game hasn’t changed here for the band, they’ve simply gotten better at it…it’s pissed off, a little horny and just looking for a reason – and The Pack a.d. does it in such a way that makes listeners feel like they’re invited to come along for the ride or fuck off. It’s beautiful…
- Bill Adams, Ground Control Mag, May 2010

Black’s vocals are perfectly slotted in the low tenor/high alto range, and Miller’s beats are totally aggro, covered in the scuzz of garage rock, a male-dominated aesthetic if ever there was one. So the music doesn’t really bend gender - it ignores the distinction completely, kicking The Pack A.D. into the level of post-feminist hard rock…None of which would matter, of course, if the music weren’t this good, and We Kill Computers is a dirty jewel, a record that rocks hard and keeps getting more interesting the longer you listen to it.
- Eric Waggoner, Blurt, May 2010

Known for explosive live performances, these ladies are guaranteed* to make even the most jaded hipster start dancing. (*Fuck what Legal says. We are putting it in writing.)
- BH, Sled Island, June 2010

Lego Matte and new Tour Dates for June

Maya — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:13:09 +0000

Alright, so we’ve added 3 shows to our tour, check out the list and make your plans. To celebrate our tour about to start, we wanted to share with everyone this fantastic video that our new pals, Carter and William made. It’s Cobra Matte but with lego and we think it’s awesome, especially the part where there was no good hair for Maya so she gets rad hat changes…your band, The Pack a.d.

Lego Matte

JUNE
June 1 Halifax, NS - The Seahorse
June 2 Moncton, NB - The Paramount
June 3 Charlottetown, PEI - Baba’s
***June 4 Fredericton, NB - CANCELLED***
June 7 St. Catherines, ON - Mansion House
June 8 London, ON - London Music Club
June 10 Montreal, QC - Le Divan Orange
June 11 Ottawa, ON - WestFest w/ Bif Naked
June 12 Quebec City, QC - Le Cercle
***June 14 Hamilton, ON - This Ain’t Hollywood***
***June 15 Peterborough, ON - Trasheteria***
***June 16 Victoriaville, QC - Vieux St. Pierre w/ Les Breastfeeders***
June 17 Toronto, ON - NXNE at The Horseshoe Tavern w/ Off!
June 18 Saskatoon, SK - Poplar Arts & Music Festival
June 24 Whitehorse, YK - Sunstroke Music Festival
June 25 Whitehorse, YK - Sunstroke Music Festival

JULY

July 10 Edmonton, AB - Sounds of Old Strath Fesvial
July 15 Kamloops, B.C. - The Art We Are
July 16 Nakusp, B.C. - Nakusp Festival
July 22 Bengough, SK - Gateway Festival

New Tour Dates and New Contest…for the brave…

Maya — Tue, 10 May 2011 19:37:59 +0000

Canada’s hardest working garage rock duo, The Pack a.d., may be mourning the untimely passing of Falcon, their trusty tour van, but never ones to slow down, they aren’t letting it stop their upcoming spring tour. This month, the Vancouverites are packing their bags and heading East. From coast to coast to coast (almost) the tour will see stops from Penticton, BC to Charlottetown, PEI to Whitehorse YK and many points in between, including a stop in Toronto for a killer NXNE show. This tour will also be their farewell tour for 2010’s we kill computers (Mint), so be prepared to experience a song or two from The Pack a.d.’s upcoming 4th album, due out this fall and produced by Jim Diamond (The Detroit Cobras, Electric Six, The White Stripes).

Also keep your eyes peeled for a video for “B.C. Is On Fire”, due out in late May and directed by Vancouver filmmaker Sean Devlin (shitharperdid.ca).

To commemorate the life and times of Falcon, they are asking fans to send a postcard or letter explaining their favourite road trip story. The best three submissions will receive a Pack a.d. prize pack including signed vinyl and other surprises. Include your return address as well, you might even get some mail back from the band!

Send your best road trip story to:

The Pack a.d.
c/o Mint Records
Po Box 3613
Vancouver, BC
V6B 3Y6

Entry deadline: June 1st, 2011

Upcoming Tour Dates:

May 14th - The Red Room, Vancouver, BC
May 21st - The Elite, Penticton, BC
June 1st - The Seahorse Tavern, Halifax, NS
June 2nd - Manhattan Club, Moncton, NB
June 3rd - Baba’s, Charlottetown, PEI
June 4th - Gallery Connexion, Fredericton, NB
June 7th - Mansion House, St Catharines, ON
June 8th - London Music Club, London, ON
June 10th - Le Divan Orange, Montreal, QC
June 11th - Westfest (Mainstage), Ottawa, ON
June 12th - Le Cercle, Quebec
June 17th - The Horseshoe Tavern (NXNE), Toronto, ON
June 18th - Poplar Arts & Music Fest, Saskatoon, SK
June 24th - Sunstroke Festival, Whitehorse, YK
June 25th - Sunstroke Festival, Whitehorse, YK
July 8th - Sounds of Old Strath Fest, Edmonton, AB
July 9th - Sounds of Old Strath Fest, Edmonton, AB
July 16th - Nakusp Music Fest, Nakusp, BC
July 22nd - Gateway Fest (Garden Stage), Bengough, SK

Our van, Falcon, is no more

Maya — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:59:38 +0000

Falcon
1997-2011
R.I.P.

Starting mileage: 74,000 miles
Final mileage: 228,267miles

It is with great sorrow that we, The Pack a.d., announce that our beloved van, Falcon, has passed away. We imported her lovingly from Chicago in March 2008 and aside from going through brake pads like a viking, she got us to approximately 400 shows in 3 years. She let us sticker her body, fill her with sunflower seed shells and ash, sleep many a night in rest areas, and always looked clean due to her lovely shade of blue.

She didn’t complain when Maya nearly tore off her back wheel fringe trying to navigate through a pin sized alley or when Becky backed her into a pole for no good reason. She taught us valuable lessons like: don’t pump the gas too fast or I’ll leak all over the ground, who needs to be able to open all the doors as long as you can open the driver side and the gear side, don’t worry about the dashboard lights not coming on sometimes: just turn up the heat and I may give them to you, and who really needs air conditioning in Florida anyway?

She loved the highway but hated the iPod connector. She let rocks crack the windshield but in such a way that they didn’t obstruct vision. She loved Books on Tape and BBC audio performances of Lord of The Rings.

And finally, she was the best first band van any band could have had. She was our home away from home.

We will miss Falcon and only hope that she is recycled into something cool like a space ship.

The Pack a.d.

Picture Contest Winners, France, The Future…

Maya — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:25:52 +0000

Hey all,

Please check out our Gallery section. In it you will find our Picture Contest winners and also a bunch of photos that have been taken us over the past year. If you like looking at pictures, then, uh…you will find pictures to look at.

We leave this week for France where we will be playing Les Femmes s’en Melent to a tune (sorry for the punny) of 9 shows. We are looking forward to rock and cheese.

As for the rest of the world - we will be doing many more shows, more tours, more drinking in most of your fine cities. New album comes out this Fall and more videos on the way.

Also, you may notice above this a couple of things: need a t-shirt or album desperately? Then go to the Maple Music Store and get your fix. And above that, you will notice our fine sponsors - if you click on them, you can go to their fine websites. Fineness all around.

your band,

The Pack a.d.

New video and free MP3 for Cobra Matte, Strombo Tonight and Recording plans…oh my.

Maya — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:03:11 +0000

The Pack a.d. Release Cobra Matte Video and MP3, Get Ready To Head Into The Studio With Jim Diamond And Announce January 28^th Appearance on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.

Mint Recording Artists from Vancouver, The Pack a.d., don’t slow down. They just switch gears. After spending almost all of the last ten months on the road all over North America and Europe supporting their third release we kill computers the band are preparing to head straight back in to the studio with legendary producer Jim Diamond. Having worked with artists such as The Dirtbombs, Detroit Cobras, and White Stripes, the Detroit based producer will come to Vancouver to work with the Pack a.d. on an album that will be ready for release later this year. In the meantime, The Pack a.d are not only releasing their third video from “we kill computers” and offering it up for free download, but will be capping off their a very busy year of live performances by appearing on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight on Friday January 28.

The Pack a.d. - Cobra Matte

Happy New Year - shows, shirts and MuchMusic stuffs…

Maya — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:19:34 +0000

Hey all,

Happy beginning of 2011 everyone, we have many things to tell you about. They will all be epic, or at the very least, something we told you about. We have shows, Much Music requesting info, new recording plans and new T-shirts and new ways to get them…read on…if you dare.

First, before we get down to the dirty business of recording our next album, we’re going to play two shows this month of January 2011 - it’s so true, it hurts. Here is that info…

Jan 14 Calgary, AB - SAIT The Gateway
Advance Tix at tickemaster.ca

Jan 28 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
wsg Thee Manipulators + Bogus Tokus + Hospital Blonde
Advance Tix at Ticketweb.ca / Zulu Records / Neptoon Records and more…

Next, our video for Crazy which you all may remember - well, it finally landed at the Much Music offices and they will play it but they need a little help as we are not Kanye West. Even if you’ve seen the video - it would be awesome if you were able to take a minute to email MuchonDemand and request it. Just say please play Crazy by The Pack a.d. or I won’t watch My Date With… ever again. Okay, you don’t actually need to threaten - we just threw that in there.

Submit your Crazy video request to MuchOnDemand - ondemand@muchmusic.com

Check out our new T-shirts on our Facebook page in the photo section. We, of course, will be selling these at shows but if you’re unable to make it to a show you can order our shirts now, online, at www.maplemusic.com - they also have, like, hats and beer coozies too.

Okay, that may be about it for now. Please feel free to join us on Facebook and Twitter and check out our website - if you want to just hear songs, then check out our Myspace page. For anything up to date and reasonable though, the other pages are best because Myspace has officially lost it’s corporate mind.

Ever your band,
The Pack a.d.

New Pack T-shirt Design for 2011

Europe/UK - We’re coming to you starting Nov. 10th

Maya — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:13:41 +0000

Mint Records recording artists from Vancouver, BC, Canada, The Pack a.d. had such a great time touring with Nomeansno that they’ve decided to do it again. They will be heading to Europe in November and December and playing Holland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, England, Scotland and Ireland, finishing up with a showcase at the Transmusicales Festival in Rennes, France as well as a gig playing at a men’s prison!

Their newest album, we kill computers, is a glorious testament to the power of animal magnetism, bound up in some of the finest swaggering garage rock you’re likely to hear. It’s the sound of beer-soaked basement shows and deer hooves scuttling across the interstate. It’s the sound of two natural wonders released into their native habitat. And it’s nothing short of killer. we kill computers comes on with the brute force of an Acme anvil, then speeds off into the distance like a rock’n'roll roadrunner.

Be sure to check out their brand new video for Crazy, which features a conga line, limbo dance and 18 scantily clad men shaking their booty - putting the reverse on the typical video cliche of a band being surrounded by scantily clad women. This one’s for the ladies!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrpUZZoN7oc

The Pack a.d. are also offering up a free download of their new single, BC Is On Fire, which has become a fan favourite at the myriad live shows they have been playing this year.

http://www.mintrecs.com/packcontest/B_C_is_on_Fire.mp3

NOVEMBER

Nov 10 Nijmegen, Holland @ Doornroosje
Nov 11 Bochum, Germany @ Zwischenfall
Nov 12 Metz, France @ Les Trinitaires
Nov 13 Bern, Switzerland @ Reithalle
Nov 14 Freiburg, Germany @ Cafe Atlantik
Nov 16 Macon, France @ La Cavazik aka La Cave à Musique
Nov 17 Montpellier, France @ The Secret Place
Nov 18 La Roche Sur Yon, France @ Le Fuzz’yon
Nov 19 Brest, France @ Espace Vauban
Nov 20 Poitiers, France @ Le Confort Moderne
Nov 21 Bourges, France @ Le Nadir (Emmetrop)
Nov 23 Rouen, France @ Le Vicomte
Nov 24 Leuven, Belgium @ Het Stuk
Nov 25 London, England @ Underworld
Nov 26 Leeds, England @ Brudenell Social Club
Nov 27 Glasgow, Scotland @ The Arches
Nov 28 Belfast, Ireland @ Auntie Annie’s
Nov 30 Galway, Ireland @ Roisin Dubh

DECEMBER

Dec 1 Cork, Ireland @ Crane Lane - 2 shows (one at Midnite, just The Pack a.d.)**
Dec 2 Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory
Dec 3 Derby, England @ The Old Bell
Dec 6 Shoreditch, London, England @ Catch**
Dec 9 Rennes, France @ Transmusicales Festival**
Dec 10 Rennes, France @ Maison d’Arrêt des Hommes de Rennes**

**The Pack a.d. only
Every other show is in support of Nomeansno

The Pack a.d. USA Fall Tour Update No. 3005

Maya — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 23:35:31 +0000

So, we’re currently on tour across Canada and we thought we’d take the opportunity to post our USA Fall Tour Dates - yowza. It’s true, we have a whole bunch of shows coming up this October for our American friends. So, check out where we’re playing and come and bring your friends. We will have our new album with us and you should really get that. Glarp.

Also don’t forget to check out our new video for our song Crazy.

THE PACK’S SCAREEEE OCTOBER USA TOUR DATES

Sept 29 Billy’s - Grand Rapids, MI
Sept 30 Southgate House - Newport, KY
Oct 2 Discoteca - Chattanooga, TN
Oct 5 Caledonia Lounge - Athens, GA
Oct 7 Soapbox - Wilmington, NC
Oct 8 The Jinx - Savannah, GA
Oct 9 Ninebullets.net Party @ Cafe Bohemia - St. Pete’s, FL
Oct 10 Will’s Pub - Orlando, FL
Oct 12 Tin Roof - Charleston, SC
Oct 13 Snug Harbor - Charlotte, NC
Oct 14 Plaza Bowl - Richmond, VA
Oct 15 Velvet Lounge - Washington, DC
Oct 16 Metro Gallery - Baltimore, MD
Oct 17 O’ Brien’s - Allston, MA
Oct 19 Bug Jar - Rochester, NY
Oct 21 M for Montreal Showcase @ Arlene’s Grocery - New York, NY