Skot Hamilton of Adolyne joins Juno Award-winning noise trio
Not sure if you’ve been keeping track, but sludge-mongers KEN Mode are currently celebrating the fact that they have been a band for 15 years. Formed in 1999 in Winnipeg by core members Jesse (guitar/vocals) and Shane Matthewson (drums), the duo has played with a bevy of bass players over the years. And now they’ve added Saskatoon’s Skot Hamilton (Adolyne/Grey Light District) to their ranks.
“One of the reasons they brought me on is because we speak the same language musically, which is classic noise rock,” says Hamilton. “That’s where they wanted to take this a little bit more. The heavier stuff is really locked in into ‘hostile paranoia’, which is more rooted in noise rock than the hardcore sound that they had been leaning on in the past. It’s still recognizably KEN Mode.”
In addition to keeping a relentless touring schedule, KEN Mode has cranked out several full-length albums throughout their career, including their most recent album, Entrench, which is a crushing mix of hard riffs, tempo changes and howling vocals. In 2012, the group won the inaugural Juno Award for Heavy Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year for their LP Venerable.
Having just announced several dates through the prairies, including appearances at Saskatoon’s MoSoFest and Regina’s Queen City Riot Festival, Hamilton says the band has designs on finishing up some new material before getting back on the road for the remainder of the year.
“Even though I’m not living in Winnipeg we’ve already written half of the new record. Considering it’s a long-distance relationship it’s going extremely well,” says Hamilton.
“We are gearing up for some touring that hasn’t been confirmed yet but will be leading up to us playing the Hopscotch Festival in North Carolina. Basically we are leaving sometime in August and there is a very good chance that I won’t be back until December.”
Which means that you should probably check out Adolyne – who are playing with Calgary’s The Weir at Beaumont on May 23 – while you still can.
Check out KEN Mode on tour:
June 13 – Saskatoon, SK – MoSo Fest – Rock Bottom
June 14 – Regina, SK – Queen City Riot Fest – The Exchange
July 25 – Winnipeg, MB – The Windsor