FREEDOM OR DEATH EGOOUT APRIL 26, 2011

Freedom or Death "Ego" Teaser from Hugh Suh on Vimeo.

In the last month Freedom or Death co-hosted and curated an enthused about CMW performance at The Baitshop, called VINYL ‘The transmission of art pressed on wax, painted on canvas, shot on film, spun on record - a showcase of eclectic artists and their work’ and EYE Weekly took note:
“…if you’re a CMW artist and don’t like your assigned slot (say, 1:30 a.m. on Thursday night), what do you do? If you’re savvy, you book an additional gig at a coolsemi-secret venue, partner with a media outlet and invite all your friends. Or at least that’s what you do when your name is Freedom or Death. The Toronto electronic duo of Sway and Fernandez are former music biz staffers now determined to do it themselves all the way. And so this skate shop down an alley in Parkdale became a buzz showcase with hip-hop DJs, live painting, and dancing on the skate ramp, all captured by AuxTV.”

Saw themselves in a feature in The Wall Street Journal prior to their SXSW plays:
“Freedom or Death's debut disc, a self-titled five-song EP, declared the group's burgeoning strengths—melody, an affinity for space in the arrangements, (Sway’s) voice, and (Fernandez's) easy way with keyboards. But though the musicians brand themselves an electro-folk group, their second release include(s) covers ofsongs by Jay-Z, Nas and others, introducing (Sway’s) rapping amid (Fernandez's) lush arrangements.”

And, just last week, they were name-checked as a top 5 band of 2011 by France’s equivalent to NME, “LesInRocks” with a powerful review: “What a peculiar thing this duo turned foursome, from Toronto…The tunes flirt sometimes with pop, that remind us of the first Coldplay. But underneath the surface, shiny and shivers guaranteed, Canadian pop is much more complex, diverse and much more indefinable than it shows; some pop or soul or electro or r&b, hand in hand, little delicate written wonders…”
As Sway and Fernandez gear towards their official EP release parties on April 29 at the Steamwhistle Roundhouse in Toronto and May 19 at Il Motore in Montreal, they just wrapped their first video for This Crowded Room. Working with Grandson & Son directing the video for the track that earned the band a #3 spot on John Sakamoto’s Anti-Hit List last fall, the black and white video features intricate camera work of over a 100 takes of the song and was shot in an 1872 school house. The video will be serviced in May.

Montreal and Toronto fans can see Freedom or Death at their EGO release shows later this month. The rest of Canada can pick up their EP as of April 26. Catch the band as summer dates line up and keep your ears perked for Freedom and Death tracks on TV, as songs from EGO will run in ABC’s Rookie Blue series this summer. Further dates for Freedom or Death will be announced shortly.

Free music from Freedom or Death is available for download at: www.freedomordeathmusic.com
EGO TRACK LISTING
Eight (Intro)
1. Inside
2. This Crowded Room
3. Elephant
4. Gespräch (Talk)
5. Human
6. Virgina Woolf
7. Nobody Listens
8. *Hidden Bonus Track *This Crowded Room (acoustic)

FREEDOM OR DEATH - LIVE DATES:

April 8 – Phog Lounge – Windsor, Ontario
April 29 – Steamwhistle Roundhouse, Toronto, Ontario *EGO Release Party
May 19 – Il Motore – Montreal, Quebec *EGO Release Party