September 25, 2002 – The Chronicle, Montreal’s West Island community newspaper

See Spot Run signs on

BY BARBARA LAVOIE

Yesterday afternoon in a sun-drenched industrial studio loft in Montreal’s Little Italy, members of the English-speaking rock pop band, See Spot Run, happily signed on the dotted line with D7 Recordings for production, label and publishing assistance.

Previously an independent band, they hope the signing will get them a few steps closer to the rock stardom they’ve dreamed of since West Island native, Randy Bowen, and Montrealer, Chris Brodbeck first started jamming together in the mid-1990s. Bowen and Brodbeck formed the band with two other musicians. A recent change brought Bryan Duffy and Mark Homer on board from Ontario.

Unwrapped for the public only moments before the signing, the new record label, D7 Recordings is one of several new initiatives in a major expansion plan launched by DIFFUSION YFB. Six distinct corporate divisions will bring one-stop shopping to a variety of cultural industries.

Much of the expertise offered by DIFFUSION was developed for Eric Lapointe, who has become one of Quebec’s brightest stars on the rock/pop scene since the release of his first album, À l’ombe de l’ange, in 1999. “I’m very excited about all this. It means getting all the services in one place from one company. The team is really cool, young and dynamic,” explained Lapointe.

See Spot Run, already a record-breaking band, has worked its way into a unique position in Quebec. Five singles from their two albums, Ten Stories High (1997) and Weightless (1999) made the charts. Weightless, the title track reached #9 on the rock chart. Bridging the language gap, the band recorded a French translation of Weightless called, Decoller, that hit #1 on the Quebec charts. They are credited with being the only independent Canadian band to reach the Top 10 charts.

Although it was supposed to be a surprise, it wasn’t hard to guess the band taking the stage would be See Spot Run. The band rolled out an energetic set performing many of their charted hits including Terrified/Terrifie, Au Naturel and Weightless/Decoller. Bowen handles guitar and vocals, Brodbeck, vocals and bass, Duffy, lead guitar and vocals and Homer, drums and vocals.

In a brief interview, Bowen explained, “We searched and waited until we found a label that would respect the artist’s perspective, not just the bottom line. They (D7) are a refreshing change.” He added, “Our dreams for the future are to tour Europe, to tour the world, but we also hope for greater exposure in Quebec.”

“Fans will find the boys a little edgier, a bit more aggressive, with a little more rock and a little less pop on their next album,” noted Linda Moffet, band manager. Look for their first record on the new label next spring.