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Reviews from: Vancouver Province, Georgia Straight, Indie Music, Café Online, Nerve Magazine, Lethbridge Herald, Music-Critic.com, Exclaim!, Velocity, Vancouver Courier, Terminal City, Vancouver Province, Earshot, Chart, Rocket, Discorder, West Ender.

THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT

Vancouver's terminally underrated songsmith Marq DeSouza revisits familiar territory on his second solo album. “More Than a Price” is rock with the emphasis on classic over modern, thank God, and “Solitaire Bound” is DeSouza's standard-issue stadium epic, now with more screaming mountaintop guitar and wind machines. It's like good Bon Jovi, if you can get your head around that. And since somebody's gotta write this stuff, it might as well be DeSouza, since he's so damn good at it. Not insignificantly, he also has a way with a lyric, tossing off great lines as casually as he seems to patch these tunes together. In “The End of the Song” and the bombastic country-blues of “Absolute Duty (To Someone Like You)”—which wouldn't sound out of place on the last Raconteurs album—DeSouza's writing is so strong that you wonder if he's covering some lost classic rescued from his dad's 8-track collection. Elsewhere, “Lighter Than a Feather” and “Bar for the Broken-Hearted” feel suspended somewhere between country Stones and Wilco before the going got weird. Like his self-titled album from 2006, …Boyish Charms is a little recklessly produced, but it's urgent and brimming with energy—probably because DeSouza is principally concerned with just getting his songs out there. And indeed, if there were something like a Tin Pan Alley or a Brill Building in his 'hood, he'd have full-time work. Maybe it's time for the man to go hawking his tunes down in Los Angeles or Nashville.

THE NERVE MAGAZINE

"MARQ DESOUZA: GOD'S LONELY MAN

Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his kindred, and in his own house."

Was Jesus talking about the Vancouver music scene when he said that? Specifically, about Marq DeSouza, who has spent over 10 years in this city, knocking them out of the park to not nearly enough acclaim? Bible scholars are divided, but for the most part say, "no." DeSouza nonetheless, and in spite of the fact that you're probably going "Marq De-who?", has a serious boatload of reliable critics on his side (but not St. Mark the Evangelist), and he's had his moments (two nominations for Georgia Straight Music Awards, when he fronted Solarbaby). When the man's latest solo album dropped last April, however, the ground didn't tremble. It should have.

When he shows up at the Nerve office for a brief chat one stormy Wednesday night, DeSouza seems a little guarded. Maybe it's because we wedged him into a dimly lit and pretty foul smelling corner of the music editor's office, on one of those chairs made famous by the Abu Ghraib photographs, where he sat, bundled up in his coat, throwing a lot of sidelong glances at his interrogator. He's older than he looks, and extremely self-possessed, probably because he has so much experience behind him. "I've been around and I've seen so many people and things and bands and music and genres and next-big-things, all come and go. All those bands who were supposed to be huge five years ago, and don't even play anymore."

He shakes his head, continuing, "I've never really fit into a definitive clique, you know? The alt country crowd, the punk crowd, the CITR crowd… I've kinda flirted with all of them but I've never really felt comfortable aligning myself with one movement or anything like that. I could probably be a bit more forthcoming but it's not really in my nature to be doing too much of that sort of schmoozing, I guess. I just do what I do and let things happen. And I work really hard to make things happen, but I'm not interested in being part of any kind of movement. I kinda get embarrassed when I see things like that."

DeSouza seems to think that the work is its own reward, in refreshing contrast to just about every other band or musician in this city, almost all of whom have had their virtue blighted by an infantile need for attention. It makes for some good short-term spectacle, but not much else. DeSouza on the other hand has two solo albums behind him, and two with Solarbaby, and they're all outstanding, tasteful, unencumbered by fashion, and will no doubt delight future historians. For his latest self-titled release – true to his hungrily creative nature – De- Souza recorded a paltry 28 songs. Pathetic! "Not just half-assed ideas," he further clarifies, "but full, finished, mastered songs." He winnowed it down to 14 tracks in the end. "We just had some pure country with mandolins, double bass, no drums – porch style country," he says, of the ones that were left off. "And we had some hard city blues stuff, again no drums, just open tuning and slide guitars…" Wot a shame that we don't get to hear those yet, as DeSouza has a remarkable facility for switching genres. As it stands, the album tends to drive down the middle of the road – and I mean that in the best way – with the occasional incursion of twang, or the odd rootsy flourish. On my personal favourite. "Glimpse of Her", DeSouza masters the kind of fleet-footed radiostealth Americana that old hands like Tom Petty or John Hiatt do, although, tragically, when I try to explain this to DeSouza, the only name I can come up with is Bruce Hornsby (I was high). "Don't put that in there," he says.

Weirdly, the only thing I don't like about DeSouza's new album is also the one thing that is probably closest to his heart – the glam metal exercise "Prey Becomes Predator" which kicks off the record. I bring it up because it illuminates two things about DeSouza: 1) he kinda doesn't give a fuck, though if you're paying attention, you knew that already. "I've written a lot of different types of songs and that one is really just an extension of the kind of music I grew up listening to," he explains, with a shrug. "Which is basically the hard rock metal from that era. And I'm a fan of records that really come out swinging, and that's a track that definitely comes out swinging. But I know it's confusing for listeners, because if you just hear that, you don't necessarily know what's round the corner…" No shit! Any artist who sets about slashing his own canvas or otherwise fucking with the formula, however, gets my approval. And believe me, "Prey Becomes Predator" is one truly perverse way to open an album that otherwise has a credible classic rock feel (DeSouza will roll his eyes when he sees the words "classic rock").

Here's Thing #2): DeSouza is an old head. He generally ends up being compared to Elvis Costello, Dylan, the Stones, Wilco… ("I don't even like Wilco at all, I gotta say. I never even barely listened to them.") but his eyes light up when he starts talking about Guns n Roses. "Appetitite for Destruction is so perfect in every way," DeSouza says, like he's wearing short pants and eating Lik-m-aid Fun Dip. "I saw them five or six times back in the day. I saw them open for Iron Maiden in Calgary. Maiden was good, but Guns were better. That was an awesome show. I can't wait for the next Maiden DVD. That'll be the Powerslave era, and that's the best time." It's hard to reconcile that last statement with the guy sitting here – the same guy who wrote the magnificent "Keep Your Gunpowder Dry" on Solarbaby's second album: an epic torrent of bleak western poetry that doesn't falter over nine unbelievably powerful verses. It's his "Desolation Row." Funnily enough, a friend of mine happens to know Charlie Sexton, who toured with Dylan a lot. Sexton says Dylan showed up at his hotel room one night, and told him he wanted to cover Queen's "We Are the Champions". It goes to show you never can tell. Still and all, how did DeSouza end up here, after his baptism in hair metal? "Like any other kid," he explains, "You're 13 or 14, you see a picture of the Crue, and pretty soon you're in over your head. I got into real hard rock stuff right away. Then at 18 or 19 you start going back a bit further, so if you listen to Guns n Roses, then you move on to Aerosmith, and then you listen to Rolling Stones. And you go back further, just like everybody else. And even now, when I hear somebody, I wanna know how they got that way, so you listen to their influences."

Does Panic! At the Disco listen to Robert Johnson, I ask? "I doubt it," he sniffs.

DeSouza is already thinking about his next album. He confesses, "I feel driven to do what I do though I sometimes wonder why, coz it would be easier not to. If you stop and think about it too much, you might get an answer you don't want to hear. He's also thinking about a new MO, based on his own favourite track from the current album, a great, snakey, orgiastic slide guitar hymn to self-loathing called "Daddy Doom". "What I'll do next is another record but about five times quicker," he says. "Daddy Doom" was cut from top to bottom at the (sadly defunct) Komrade studios. This is in contrast to a bunch of others that were recorded at Greenhouse with big-shot equipment and all those wanky CanCon gold albums hanging off every wall. "Greenhouse is a nice place," he says, "But I don't need to walk in and have DVD players in the lobby. I don't need to pay for that." DeSouza and his crew did 16 bed tracks in one day there. "That was a little much," he smiles. "You tend to lose focus on a song when you're thinking of the next one."

And so we can expect the enigmatic Mr. DeSouza to continue doing things his own way. We end our chat with me not much the wiser but a little more advanced in my admiration. I don't really understand Marq DeSouza, and I expect he likes it that way. He's got that God's Only Man feel about him – he even keeps the people he plays with at arms length. "That's a good thing, I think. I like the way I have things now - a loose but steady band, they don't really know anymore about me than anybody else, and they don't ask me and I don't ask them." I'm compelled to top that statement off with the gayest question ever. "Are you a loner?"

He sighs, looks at me like I'm an idiot. "Even if I am it just sounds really lame," he moans. "I have my own way of doing stuff. On my own. So if that's a loner, then yeah – sure. " "But it just sounds so lame…" he says, his eyebrows knitting."

SWANKTRENDZ.com

"Living a few thousands miles east of Vancouver guaranteed that I had never heard of local musician Marq DeSouza. And after listening to his very ambitious, fourteen-song, self-titled CD over the last week, I'm realizing what a shame that is.

For one, I could tell immediately upon the first few listens that this guy is a true, musical journeyman both as a songwriter and recording artist. Even if a specific song didn't do it for me; after the first couple of plays, I could hear the genius in the details which, I've learned as a seasoned listener, separates the men from the boys, so to speak.

And there are a lot of details in the song's respective locations, aptly complementing the individual track they're enhancing, instead of taking away. A good example is on the catchy You Haven't Changed At All, where there is a continuous guitar solo throughout a portion of the track. Yet the song is mixed at just the right level so that it doesn't become a distraction. And just as the song is nearing its end, a great layer of harmonica and gentle picking of the guitar strings subtlety trail off in a sonic dance of bliss. This song is one of the standouts on the disc and reminds me of a cross between Blue Rodeo, Tom Cochrane, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The real beauty is that it's all pulled off without sounding derivative.

But make no mistake, this album will conjure up comparisons to a whole whack of rockers from bygone days. As well as the before-mentioned acts, I'm constantly amazed at how closely Marq's voice resembles that of a young Mick Jagger from the Let It Bleed era (but only on certain songs when he accesses his lower vocal range.

This leads me into my one critique of this effort, which lies with in the apparent production inconsistencies which crop up now and again, negatively impacting the overall sound. It is most apparent on the hard rocking All You Had To Say Was Hi!, which is a song that has grown on me despite my initial confusion as to why both back up singers' (Amanda Sonic Guests) appear to rock in a lower register than their natural range would indicate.

I also found that track one's Prey Becomes Predator, appears to be unlikely slagging fodder for some pundits who feel this thrash metal tune just doesn't "fit" with the rest of the disc. This song is one of my favorites, in no small part due to the fantastic guitar layering and the solos that leave me shaking my head in respectful awe. Fair enough, the vocals appear recorded and/or mixed in a way that just isn't congruent with the quality on the rest of the disc. This is unfortunate, because you know DeSouza's instincts are too aware for him not to have known that.

There's definitely not a lack of vocal ability with Marq, as DeSouza's pipes prove to be first rate, most notably on the cuts You Haven't Changed, Glimpse of Her, and the kick-ass Some $, Somehow. This track is an impressive offering of balls-to-the-wall rock of the Cougar/Hip/Stones/Skynyrd calibre, and it would be an injustice if this song doesn't crack Canadian radio soon as this tune should be topping the summer charts across the entire country.

Following behind is the trackRazorburn which is another Skynyrd sounding tune, especially during the latter half of the song which graces us with some of the most impressive guitar manipulation I've heard since Slash was in the Gunners.

This musical skill is what impresses me the most after listening to, and getting addicted to, this disc. Despite being an independent release, the quality of songwriting and musicianship on this album is comparable to some of the best records released, which is a testament to DeSouza's: talents; abilities; staying-power, and the-all-important-gift - instincts. Marq could steal Springsteen's tag of hardest-working-man-in-rock music with his two-year labour of love, which does not disappoint.

I don't usually rate the albums I review, but I need to give this disc a nine out of ten, 9/10

and I hope Marq DeSouza's Self-Titled CD generates enough critical and commercial buzz. that his follow-up attempt will get the financial backing it deserves (ahem...Bob Rock as producer)?

But if an offering of funding and production assistance is not forthcoming, I am sure Marq will still deliver top quality music on a working man's budget.

Great work, man. You have yourself a new fan in the Eastern part of the country who can't wait to see what the future holds for you."

INDY MUSIC CAFE

"This disc is kind of a sampler of Marq DeSouza songwriting--excellent new songs with a few older gems thrown in for good measure.Opening tune 'Prey Becomes Predator' is the song that comes closest to being in your face, with a menancing yet strangely inviting guitar and vocal delivery. 'Razorburn' and 'A Lucky Man' have more of a cool coffeehouse feel, with spiralling, melancholy guitar and vocals that are more 'communicated' rather than sung. DeSouza is not really a singer in the Paul McCartney tradition but more of a stylist who can pack a lot of weight into each line. Indeed, though the CD is well-produced, with punchy guitars, drumwork and nice bits of B3 organ, there is a overriding element of gruff streetcorner serenading here that really draws you in. Two really notable tracks are 'Glimpse Of Her', which manages to combine soothing, warm guitars, mushy love and edgy desperation all into one song, and 'All You Had To Say Was Hi!', a rollicking but quirky courtship duet with a nice line about 'standing by the condom coin machine'. 'Some Guy' is a beautiful piece that captures the angst of idealism and is a great addition to this album--it is an older song with more of the pop feel of his former band Solarbaby. Overall, this is a solid mix of straight-ahead guitar rock and mellow, introspective pieces, all glued together by some of the most head-spinning lyrics you'll ever hear."

LETHBRIDGE HERALD

"A man with afuture; Marq DeSouza, a former Lethbridge resident now living in vancouver,has just released one of the best CDs to cross my desk this year and next week in event,his friends and music fans can see a story on what he's been up to since living the city. DeSouza is an exceptional song writer and knows how to lay down some great guitar licks,too i'd almost describe him as a lotus land Springsteen with an edge.he's got a great future ahead of him"

VANCOUVER PROVINCE

" DeSouza has always shown talent as a songwriter but his latest, self-titled record bears down a little harder. He hasn't abandoned his appreciation of pop-rock, just replaced it with a band sound that is heavier. Sort of the difference between Neil Young playing with hired guys and Young with Crazy Horse. He also writes from a very moral perspective, which gives his records a strong POV. These songs are not filled with empty thoughts but actually try to say something.

On his latest CD, DeSouza is less pop-rock, which is initially how he made his reputation, and has gone for a less arranged, less hook-filled approach. Thus, there is more a band sound--more guitars, busier drums, heavier and more intense. More riff than la-la melody, in other words. He's also become more sure of himself as a singer and lyricist. There are times, such as on "Glimpse Of Her," he becomes like a young Bob Dylan in his phrasing, at others, "Some $, Somehow," a brash rocker. You get the feeling that he is mad at many things and they have become songs."

THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT

INDY MUSIC CAFÉ ONLINE

THE NERVE MAGAZINE

THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD

WWW.MUSIC-CRITIC.COM

THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT

EXCLAIM!

VELOCITY

VANCOUVER COURIER

TERMINAL CITY

VANCOUVER PROVINCE

VANCOUVER COURIER

EARSHOT ON-LINE

MUSIC WASTE '98

CHART MAGAZINE

THE ROCKET

99.3 CFOX

NOT LAME

THE LOOP

DISCORDER

SPLENDID E-ZINE

VANCOUVERINDIE MAGAZINE

FREIGHT TRAIN BOOGIE MAGAZINE

INDIEVILLE MAGAZINE

If there's one thing songwriters can never predict, it's the reaction their work will provoke from listeners. People will invariably filter lyrics through their own experiences, and read meaning into them accordingly. Marq DeSouza has firsthand knowledge of this phenomenon. The Solarbaby frontman and sometime solo artist recently penned a song that, although it won't come out officially until Solarababy plays a CD-release party at the Railway Club (February 3), has already garnered diametrically opposed interpretations. The tune is "Keep Your Gunpowder Dry", a ten and a half minute epic that closes Solarbaby’’s new independent album, "Another Sidewalk’’s Bloody Dream." The song pokes at the bloated corpses of the American Dream, taking a dystopian look at ourmodern age through the eyes of a paranoid and still-traumatized Vietnam veteran. "It's funny, because I played it live one time, solo acoustic, at the Railway -- it's a lot to remember, actually, but I made it through -- and this guy came up to me afterwards," DeSouza recalls in a telephone interview. "He was seriously almost crying. He was like, 'Man, I could relate to that song so much. It was the greatest thing I've ever heard.' He was shaking. But just the other day, this girl I know who heard the CD asked me, 'Is that supposed to be some sort of joke?' "
DeSouza gets a lot of attention for his lyrics, and rightfully so. Check out this cunning bit of wordplay from "I Don't Speak French", a number the singer-guitarist included on last year's solo release, Temporary Redemption: "My thoughts made it to the game and then got benched/Tried to go the distance, haven't moved an inch." Clever. But what does it all mean? DeSouza himself admits that his songs tend to be cryptic: "When I see them written down in my little song book, I'm just as puzzled as everyone else as to what they really mean, but when I'm singing them, I know exactly what they mean." If you don't feel particularly inclined to decode DeSouza's words, Solarbaby can be enjoyed on a purely sonic level. The opening blast of "Born Again Then Buried Alive" sets the agenda for Another Sidewalk's Bloody Dream. Guitar-driven, raucous, and swaggering, Solarbaby's latest should keep the inevitable Rolling Stones comparisons coming, and DeSouza's drawling vocal delivery probably owes as much to Mick Jagger as it does to the country music the singer admits to loving. It's no surprise, then, when he acknowledges that the disc ended up with a distinct'70s feel. "Exile on Main Street is one of my favorite records, and stuff like that," DeSouza says. "I don't think we were really trying for that,but that's just the way we sound. Solarbaby is not a polished group by any means. "You'd think it might come to a crashing halt," he says of his band's seat-of-its-pants live show. Then, with a laugh, he adds, "Sometimes I wish it would."
Given DeSouza's proclivity to spike his lyrics with liberal references to potent potables, one might expect that heavy drinking contributes to the loose-limbed, edge of chaos vibe he creates with drummer Scott Anderson and bassist Russ Laturnus. "It's important to my vibe," thefrontman clarifies. "I'm kind of known... I don't know if troublemaker is the right word, but I'm always in some kind of mischief, and alcohol usually is playing some sort of part in that." Booze even played a crucial role in the creation of the cover art for Another Sidewalk's Bloody Dream, which plays tribute to a few of DeSouza's favorite things. Pictured are his own Marine Band harmonica, a photo of the notoriously hard-living Hank Williams Sr., and a half-empty bottle of Tennessee whisky. "The bottle of Jack Daniel's you see on there? Believe me, we went through that and a lot more by the time the photo session was done," the singer explains, "so it's kind of a blur."

SOLARBABY CRIES OUT FOR LO-TECH SOUNDS (WEST ENDER MAGAZINEZ)

"My favourite thing about us," says Solarbaby's main man Marq DeSouza, "is the diversity of the things we do. We can play with glam-punk bands or alt-country bands on the same bill and still fit in somehow." Unfortunately, this situation has some drawbacks for the Vancouver quartet, which has toiled on the local scene for a few years. "We're not really part of any one genre and it's tough to identify us," laments DeSouza. Despite the concerns of the mop-topped singer/guitarist, there's no mistaking Solarbaby's taste for no-frills, low-tech rock, sounds that would cause most modern-day record producers to run screaming. That's definitely no reason to ignore ANOTHER SIDEWALK'S BLOODY DREAM, the band's second effort following 1998's THE POWER OF NEGATIVE PRAYER, a 19-song epic also produced without much of a high-tech safety net. "I'm not a big fan of a lot of current music," DeSouza told me not long after the first album came out."There's no focus and it's too technology driven. We're not roots rock but we're primitive in a way." Persistently, the West End resident and occasional solo artist has kept the philosophy for the new BLOODYDREAM, which builds on, but isn't as immediately accessible as 1998's more fun PRAYER. Like a faithful friend, the ghost of old Stonesrecords was summoned for the recording of the new album, too, giving songs like I AM TRAGEDY, ONLY GROWN and 16 YEARS the perfect amount of booze-addled swagger. What the new album lacks is the change-up nature of PRAYER tracks such as AMARETTO and the standout CAROUSELS. "I look at the first album as cubist power-pop--shorter, jagged songs crashing into longer, more realized ones," reasons DeSouza. "The first one was catchy and immediately accessible with more sugary melodies, but this one's more about getting deeper into the album. Maybe it's more difficult to get into at first and requires more from the listener--which is the way music should be--but it will last longer, I hope. The goal is to keep playing and see where it takes us--I mean, I wouldn't care if I wrote another song,but it'd kill me if I couldn't play live anymore," says DeSouza. "I don't have any great philsophy or grand plan with the band. I'm just happy we were able to keep it together and put out this record."

KICKINTHEEYEMUSIC.COM

More great stuff from Marq DeSouza and his gang. The album has at least three possible singles on it and a 10 minute plus epic. The best cut is the lead off track "Born Again and Buried Alive." A superb song with a glam rock (i.e. T-Rex, Mott the Hoople, Ronson-era Bowie, not that eighties metal crap) production. Not only does it have some amazing time changes but Marq's guitar work is exceptional. Other standout tracks include the first single "Benzedream", "I am Tragedy", and "Just can't Keep from Crying". The last song on the album is "Keep your Gunpowder Dry." Coming in at over ten minutes, this track tells the story of some whacked out Freemen living out their own "last stand at the Alamo". Marq's story telling abilities really shine on this cut. The overall level of the production on this LP is top notch. The liner notes credit John Shepp with Marq DeSouza as the producers. I think the work Mr. Shepp has done with Gob and Matthew Good is the worst crap imaginable; so, I'm going to have to give Marq most of the credit. The album cover also deserves special mention. Going through all the items pictured on the insert is like trying to decipher a Van Eyke painting. I know there's symbolism there, and its fun to figure it out. Marq has gone for a more consistent musical theme on Another Sidewalk's Bloody Dream as opposed to his very diverse Temporary Redemption (see review below). There is a bitterness to the lyrics, and a harsher tone in the music. This doesn't mean it's hard rock. The Rolling Stones comparisons the album is getting are apt. The differences between Temporary Redemption and Another Sidewalk's Bloody Dream are similar to the differences found between the Beatles and the Stones. In the mid-Sixties, a music critic wrote that when the Rolling Stones came into the room it was like somebody had just flipped open a switchblade. Listening to Another Sidewalk's Bloody Dream is Marq flipping open a switchblade on your CD player.

SOLARBABY RELEASE THEIR BLOODY DREAMS (CHART MAGAZINE)

Back when Chart magazine first noticed Solarbaby in 1998, they were lo-fi quick-tongued darlings of the college circuit. Their album was The Power Of Negative Prayer andnow three years later, they're ready to explode back onto the scene. During their time out of the spotlight they went from being on the Teenage USA roster to their new home, Palehorse Records, which will release their follow-up disc.That new recording by the Vancouver based foursome will be titled, Another Sidewalk'sBloody Dream. Adding guitarist Greg Zakis to the mix, they've created songs with political agendas with a new found "world weary frustration." Solarbaby's left the lyrical word play behind for a more serious look at life, at least sonically. The first single, "Benzedream," will be attacking the airwaves and MuchMusic soon.
Solarbaby frontman, Marq DeSouza, has a penchant for writing hurtin' tunes.So it seems absolutely appropriate that his trio'second album takes a turn at the sign marked"heartache" and marches willfully towards personaloblivion. Gone from this album is Marq's razor-sharplyrical wit and humorous wordplay. That sort of stuff is now the sole territory of his solo pursuits, which culminated in last year's debut, Temporary Redemption.Instead, this Solarbaby album is full of epics about alcoholism, broken hearts, malice, defiance, and injustice. These snapshots of the band's new world are bleak, and yet they are stark and tragic images that stick in your mind long after the CD has finished playing. Also gone on this sophomore effort are the poppy alt-country stylings of their 1998 debut, The Power of Negative Prayer. The band has replaced that sound with a mix of introspective insurgent country--popularized locally by such bands as Radiogram and Flophouse Jr.--and a healthy dose of '70's style blues-rock. Unlike the debut, this album is intended less for dancing and more for nursing a bottle of Bushmill's and thinking of what might have been. In a nutshell: think Steve Earle with the needle still in his arm.

ARTICLE (DISCORDER MAGAZINE)

SpikeWhen singer/songwriter Marq DeSouza sent out a demo under the name Solarbaby to various record labels a few years ago, he had no idea that it would get so much attention--enough that he would not only be stuck with the band name, but he would also have to feverishly whip up a band. When Toronto label Teenage USA Recordings decided they wanted to release the demo--which, after being reworked and mastered, eventually became the band's 1998 debut The Power of Negative Prayer--they were not aware that the demo was entirely written and played by DeSouza himself. Fast forward two years. After a nation wide tour, an appearance at Canadian Music Week in Toronto and numerous local gigs, the band was in slight turmoil.Clow amicably left the band and was replaced by RussLaturnus on bass for the new recording. While temporarily bass-less, DeSouza recorded a solo album called Temporary Redemption and released that on hisown Pale Horse Records imprint. "I had a lot of extra songs that Solarbaby wouldn't have room for. Some of them, stylistically, were just a little off the mark or the Solarbaby project," said DeSouza. "Also, I was bored. That was the time that the band was kind of going through some upheavals, so I did it to blow offsome steam. I did it so fast. I could have spent a lot more time, effort, and money on it, and I probably could have gotten somebody to put it out for me. But I didn't do any graphics or anything, I just put it in a cardboard sleeve, it was just kind of like a guerrilla recording. I just put everything I had into the actualrecording of it--I did it half on four-track, half at a studio. I put it out as fast as I could and then almostright after that I started work on the new Solarbaby record. I didn't spend too much time promoting it oranything." 7
The sophomore release, Another Sidewalk's Bloody Dream , was recorded during the summer of 2000 at the increasingly infamous Utopia Parkway Studios with Shepp behind the controls again. DeSouza explained why Shepp is the man for Solarbaby: "He's the perfect guy for usto work with. He lets us be ourselves, but he doesn't let us get away with too much. Your ear in the studiois different than anywhere else." DeSouza continues,"You're hearing things a lot of times in a row, so youstart to see them in a coloured way, and it's not really representative of what it really is. He's good because he can be objective for us. I worked with him on my solo record, and I can't picture myself working with anyone else.
The band added Greg Zakis on bass after the recording sessions were completed in the late summer, and Laturnus moved over to second guitar. The constant local gigging ensued again. Now that the new album was done, how to release it? DeSouza found that althoughTeenage USA was supportive of the band's efforts, it was prohibitive to conduct business with a label located halfway across the country. "That did make it difficult to maintain any sort of strategic game planas far as marketing stuff goes, just because of the distance thing. "We still talk to them periodically.But you know, we probably talk to them now as much as we did when we were on the label, which is not much,"explains DeSouza when asked if there was any animosity between band and label. DeSouza decided to release the album himself on Pale Horse and get somebody to distribute it for them. He struck up a deal with local label and distributor, Scratch Records."As far as Scratch goes, we were just looking forsomebody to handle distribution because that's a hugearea of work that we didn't want to do," DeSouza said with a laugh. "So we looked around, and Scratch was really cool and was totally into putting out the CD.They knew us through Teenage USA before, so it was quite a simple task to get them to put it out for us.Now it's out there. I haven't seen it in stores yet, but some friends have. So at least I know it's outthere. It's pretty easy to work with them. I don't have to worry about double talk or anything. They do what they say, and we do what we say, and that's the way it should be. We just give them the CDs and it's in their hands. I know it's in the stores, so I know they'vebeen doing their part of the agreement." Another Sidewalk's bloody Dream was launched with a release party on February 3 at the Railway Club alongside locals Star Collector. The raves have startedpouring in for the new album, which has been played on CBC and across the country on campus radio. All signs point to the fact that this new CD may be more successful than the debut. DeSouza credits that to the songwriting and retooled sound: "Power...was sort of a quick fix. People got into it instantly--and I'm surepeople still like it--and the new record might take a little longer to get into, but it's going to have more legs than the first one did. You have to really listen to the new album and a lot of people say that the songs strike you in different ways the more times you hear them. You hear things in a line that you didn't necessarily pick up on the first time you heard it. I know that people will have to listen to the musicfairly closely to identify with it."
And what of the fact that the new album's more "alt. country" flavour has garnered many mentions and has got the band lumped together, comparatively at least, with other local roots rockers like Radiogram, Flophouse Jr. and Jonathan Inc.? "I don't really mind it. It's the same thing as with the first record. People said it was pop and lumped us in with bands like the Salteens. That was fine with me. Now they put us in with Rich Hope and John Ford an dsuch. That's fine with me, too because everybody needs to put it into some sort of category, but I know we can cover all those bases and not just whatever anybody says about us."

REVIEW (VANCOUVER INDIE MAGAZINE)

Like the Vancouver Art Gallery, it's easy to appreciate Solarbaby- as long as you don't try to analyze the art. Some of the lyrics are hauntingly attractive but come up shallow if you think too hard about their meaning. My advice to you - don't try. They put on a hell of a good live show and when push comes to shove, that's what makes a good band. Solarbaby's second release, Another Sidewalk's Bloody Dream is a follow-up to their well-received freshman album The Power of Negative Prayer. While some reviews have related their sound to bands like the Smashing Pumpkins, the Rolling Stones and Steve Earle, all I heard was Solarbaby's unique Western Canadian sound with hints of Vancouver's own Matt Good and a twangy Saskatoon house band feel. The progression of sounds throughout this album is familiar. Like working your way down a bottle of Jack Daniels, the guts of this album are tied together with a painful kick as they descend from upbeat tracks like "Born Again Then Buried Alive" through to the bitter "Keep Your Gunpowder Dry". "Personal Questions" was the track that left the biggest impression with me. With lines like "Sits so bitter in my stomach/Lies like poison on my tongue", the song speaks loud and clear to a society that demands nothing less than full emotional disclosure. On the same disc, the critically acclaimed "Keep Your Gunpowder Dry" is a creepy anthem for gun-toting white trash who are perpetually down on their luck, long for the comfort of the 1950s and respond to life's challenges with a hail of gunfire. While a little rough around the edges, Solarbaby has a well-rounded sound that keeps listeners engaged and psychoanalysts busy. The potential of this group is tangible and this album suggests that they are starting to stretch their legs as performers. I, for one, look forward to their next live show.

REVIEW (THE LOOP MAGAZINE)

Years ago I saw a poster in a record store for a Steve Earle album that read 'Country with Attitude, Rock with Cowboy Boots. 'That description could well have been written to describe Solarbaby's latest disc, Another Sidewalk's Bloody Dream. Solarbaby play the kind of amped-up rootsrock favoured by the likes of Earle, Wilco, and Lone Justice. The disc's urban-hillbilly twang goes downdoubly well with a few shots of grain alcohol, but sobriety is no impediment to enjoying Solarbaby's charms. Guitarist/singer Marq DeSouza writes some pretty sharp lyrics and delivers them with a backwoods drawl that sounds sort of funny on lines like "As we slept on the banks of Sierra Leone". DeSouza's vocals take some getting used to but Solarbaby, which includes bass player Russ Laturnus and drummer Scott Anderson, have put together a collection of songs that sound likeold friends the second time you play them.

SPLENDID MAGAZINE

Singer Marq Desouza has the sort of hardy, rough-edged voice that goes down like milk and orange juice; comparisons to The Smashing Pumpkins and Aerosmith are inevitable. Yet despite their arena rock, let's-take-advantage-of-the-minor-sixth style, Solarbaby definitely stand out from other major label bands who match that description. This is due to their messy-room guitar-rock sound, which keeps them from coming across as overly polished. This style is hinted at in the packaging, but needs to be heard to be understood. And like a dirty room, Solarbaby's view of life is at times gloomy, but by avoiding the beaten path, they never become sluggishly slow and self-indulgent. Rather, the tempo is always up and on the go, as Desouza, despite his voice, always has something to say. The disc's final track is mostly acoustic, and in the spirit of Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady" mixed with Dismemberment Plan's "The Ice Of Boston", clocks in at ten and a half minutes. The much-repeated line "Keep your gun powder dry" doesn't offer a dreary thesis on life -- if anything, it sounds like the words of a motivational speaker.

REVIEW (FREIGHT TRAIN BOOGIE MAGAZINE)

When listening to an album this roots-rock rowdy I have to ask myself one question: why do some of the best sounding so-called Americana bands come from Canada? Not just known for Blue Rodeo anymore, Canada's kicking some major ass on the Americana scene, especially when bands this good can surface seemingly out of nowhere. A combination of Georgia Satellites, Tim Carroll and the V-Roys, Solarbaby manages to put out some rowdy country rock without compromising their often clever songwriting. The band has a goofy side as well, as the song "Benzedream" (great title) can attest, but what you got here is some great stuff to drive your blues away! It's not cerebral, but it will make you dance, sing and make you feel damn good inside. That's enough for me and more than I get from most of the music I have to suffer through. A pure joy. Get this if you like your country music with a little balls, some distortion and a hell of a lot of attitude.

REVIEW (HEARD MAGAZINE)

A pretty cool sounding album from Solarbaby, who come from Vancouver in Canada, a country well known for producing some outstanding acts of the highest order. The songs here represent a sort of cross pollenation of what you might get by stuffing The Rolling Stones, The Black Crowes & possibly The Beasts Of Bourbon into a studio for a giant jam session, with maybe Steve Earle doing the production.
There are some excellent moments here, from the likes of opening cut "Born Again The Buried Alive", the more countrified second number "I Am Tragedy" & then "Only Grown", which is one of my particular favourites. The epic closer "Keep Your Gunpowder Dry" is an interesting diversion to close out with, but a couple of tracks really grabbed my attention, namely "Just Can't Keep From Crying" & "We Won't Die", but really, if you;re into any of the band's mentioned earlier, you won't go far wrong here.

REVIEW (INDIEVILLE MAGAZINE)

Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, Solarbaby (aka Marq DeSouza) knows how to rock. And he knows how to roll, too. Another Sidewalk's Bloody Dream is his most recent album, and it comes off as a wicked dose of alt country-crusted rock music. With influences ranging from The Rolling Stones to Crazy Horse, and even more recent bands like The Supersuckers and Southern Culture on the Skids, Solarbaby's style has a unique ability to appeal to both rock n' roll fanatics and cowpunk purists. Listening to these songs, it's obvious that Solarbaby's live presence must be completely outstanding. Coupling outrageous rock vibrancy with catchy melodies and a fantastic, sun-drenched guitar sound, the songs take the cake in terms of both atmosphere and melody. Look at "Just Can't Keep From Crying," for example. With a brain-numbingly fantastic vocal melody and impeccable guitar soloing, along with flawless drumming, the track is easily one of the best on the album. Also excellent is "Born Again," which boasts a bit of a influence from the Byrds' country-rock era, particularly in the guitars. It's perfect bar music, with a nice ol' tavern sound to it. A great chorus and some nice Neil Young influences abound.
Noticeably different from the other 11 songs is "Keep Your Gunpowder Dry," a ten-and-a-half minute song that works as a sort of a mellow epic, ending the album in a most suitable tone. Though in concept a bizarre inclusion, hearing it will clear any doubts you may have as to it's fittingness.
Well, I've never really been a fan of countrified rock n' roll before, but this album really changed my mind about it. There ain't nothing here for me to complain about - Another Sidewalk... is just an astoundingly rockin' album.

REVIEW (ROCK N’ ROLL CIRCUS)

Killer! The record blew my mind. Echoes of Bolan, Bowie, Mott the Hoople, "Blonde on Blonde" and "Let it Bleed". Pure Rock'n'Roll Fantasy.

LIVE REVIEW (CITYGIGS.COM)

The three day long indie fest kicked off Thursday night, with Solarbaby's Marq Desouza turning in an inspired performance at The Bourbon. Despite the fact he was playing directly to the venue's handicapped toilet, Marq rocked the joint with his Dylan-inspired tunes. The newly solo DeSouza's songs are somewhat less rocking than Solarbaby's efforts, but as always, they are chock full of intelligent, cutting lyrics. Witness the power of DeSouza's gritty poetry: "Negative Prayer" threatened to bring the Bourbon's 15 patrons to a standstill.

REVIEW (AMERICANA UK MAGAZINE)

This instantly likeable record mixes acoustic and electric styles, a bit of folk here, a bit of boogie there, and a very distinctive vocal performance throughout. Another talented songwriter from Vancouver, but not one known much outside the city, Marq deSouza is the main man in Solarbaby, and here in solo mode has attracted a great deal of regional acclaim. He drawls rather than sings, but although this could annoy, it entertains and draws you in the heart of the record, especially on the piano based "Here's a Song for You", sounding like a mad cross between Jagger and Richards and a bit under the influence. Fans of Nikki Sudden and Dave Kusworth will recognize a lot of what is going on here, especially in the acoustic moments, and as with the Jacobites, you just get the impression that there’’s too many tunes in this man to be held in. If there’s a drawback, it's that the rock n roll numbers feel a bit derivative at times, but mostly this is avoided as a result of quality songwriting and well delivered instrumentation. There is little doubt that Marq deSouza would be a fine live performer, but one wonders if he is a little hemmed in here, possibly by the studio but also by song structure- he succeeds best on the off kilter ballads and the more complex arrangements. Definitely one to keep an eye on- and in the meantime, this is a fine introduction to one of Mr deSouza’’s musical personalities.

REVIEW (CANADIAN MUSIC.COM)

This album has rock songs, pop rock songs, blues, and roots rock songs. It is nicely varied but not unfocused. Marq is a fine guitarist who is able to mix all these styles equally well but I find he goes a bit heavy on the distortion now and again and tends to drown the vocals a bit. My favourite songs were the acoustic ballads and I found he sang best on these songs with his twang. The more rockin' tunes had a major whine to the vocals and I'm not partial to the whine. A cool departure if you will is one stripped down piano ballad that is really quite impressive and I loved the Dylanesque closing track. I think this would be a great live performance.

REVIEW (EXCLAIM MAGAZINE)

Solarbaby's writer/front man has assembled a mixed bag of tunes that didn't make the cut onto the upcoming official band release. With most of the instrumentation performed by DeSouza himself, the meaty leftovers include an incisive gem, "Don't Go Shooting Horses," that hits you between the eyes with its refreshing take on love's redemption. As always, the lyrics grab the focus ("Felt her kiss to the roots of my teeth," from "Bleeding on the Inside"), but DeSouza does play a mean slide guitar that rivals Elmore James on the irresistibly rollicking "Raze the Living Dead!"

REVIEW (KICK IN THE EYE.COM)

So far this year I can honestly say I've only heard two number one singles. Now, what i call a number one single and what ends up on the charts are totally different things. For starters, what I call a number one single doesn't have to be a current release. What makes a number one to me is a song that you have to play over and over again right after you hear it. I remember as a kid buying 45's because it was great to be able to own a copy of something that gave you a little pick-me-up every time you heard it. "Last Night" by the Strokes was my number one single until recently displaced by local boy Marq DeSouza's song "Dirty Limericks." The song is from the LP Temporary Redemption which is an amazing piece of work for a solo artist. Marq performs like a prodigy: writing, singing, producing, playing all the instruments, etc. The whole album sounds awesome considering its humble 4-track origins. Tracks like "Killing You" and "Whatever Happened in Heaven?" rival the best Matthew Sweet cuts and "Raze the Living Dead" is already a classic blues song in our household. That could also be because I'm a huge fan of the Living Dead trilogy. (Hey does anybody know if the next one is going to get made or not? It sounds cool with the Living Dead occupying the cities like the poor and homeless...demanding basic human rights and stuff...sounds hilarious!). The song "Razorburn" is a wicked acoustic number that breaks up the rock sound and has some really cool licks. I could imagine Ian Anderson doing that song. My only complaint with the album -- and it's the same complaint I have with every new album that comes out -- is that there are too many tracks on it. If it had only been pared down a little, it would be a classic LP in the same league as Let it Bleed or Tonight's the Night or Guitartown. Nine or ten tracks are plenty to listen to in a single sitting and make for an overall higher quality product. Marq has got over ten classic songs on here, and what is even more amazing is that these are just the leftovers from his Solarbaby LP Another Sidewalk's Bloody Daydream. Soon as I pick up a copy of that I'm going to post a review, but I can't believe anything on it could be better that "Dirty Limericks." I must have listened to that cut at least a hundred times since i got the CD! You can pick up a copy at Vancouver's Virgin Megastore or go to one of his shows around town. Next one is March 10th at the Main and then again March 20th at the Marine Club. See ya there!
-DONNIE LOCHRIE

REVIEW (MUSIC CRITIC.COM)

What the Hell is Penance? This three-piece British Columbia based band waste no time in telling you what they’re all about - "Cheap words like happiness / will let you down" is the refrain to the first song, and for fifty five minutes thereafter we hear nothing but the musings of some very disturbed and pessimistic minds. However, it's often said that the best art comes out of such minds, and The Power of Negative Prayer is no exception. Cheap Words Like Happiness is but the first in a long line of timeless dirges of suffering that sprawl across this CD. Carousels is probably the best of the bunch and would make a superb single - Dylanesque verses chime out "I might not be not Einstein / but I ain’’t no Frankenstein" or "You don't say thanks when I splurge / or mourn when I dirge" and the beautiful sing-along chorus of "I see you coming back to me / I dream you riding carousels with buttons all undone" caps it off quite nicely, especially the last chorus, slowed down and sung over acoustic guitar and harmonica. Corny, but brilliant. Gonna Love You is a classic teenage crush song - "Girls only like guys who treat them cruel / if you're the exception that proves the rule / give me a call on the telephone wire / and let me know if your love's for hire." Made of Glass contains just about every word that can rhyme with "glass",including the accusation "you're the queen of crass." Sights are set higher on Losing Time - "I got bruises on my neck / from the dogchains of romance." These are words that any 17-year-old aspiring poet would die to call his own, but only the best would actually think of. The list goes on. Mistaken For an Angel has all the glorious excess of 80s metal-pop, and even better, none of the annoying screeching and dumb schoolboy lyrics that often went with it. The plead of "Was I just another notch in your bedpost?" at the beginning of Slipping Through could bring a tear to anyone's eye. And The King of Unrequited Love says it all in the title. It's often easy to overlook such lyrical brilliance on an album that rocks this hard. Imagine the perfectionist every-note-has-its-purpose melodies of vintage power pop such as Cheap Trick, sung with a whiney Billy Corgan-esque voice with a brash Ramones-like attitude, and you may have somewhat of an idea what Solar Baby sounds like. And it's far from predictable - there are fast songs, ballads, an ubiquitious harmonica, and even the occasional keyboard. But you've really got to hear it to believe it. Solar Baby may not be the most original band in the world, but they certainly worked hard on this promising CD, and they are a first rate outlet for your pain.

TERMINAL CITY MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

Q:: Why should anyone come see your show? Other than it's free and early?
A:: I would say all the pretty Roxy people, but then I remember that alot of my friends are gonna be there too. It's gonna be like the pool party scene in 'Caddyshack

Q:: How do you differ from Black Sabbath?
A:: I could never be replaced by Ronnie James Dio.

Q:: If you were to write a song for Gordon Campbell, what would you call it?
A:: "(We're all drowning in) Campbell's Soup"

Q:: Can Marq DeSouza save a life?
A:: Probably not. At this point, I'm not even sure I can save myself.