Against the Grain  (Audio CD) 
by The Veer Union

Vancouver, Canada's THE VEER UNION is a young band with the future on their mind. "The majority of our songs are about hope. The band has been through its ups and downs and hope has gotten us this far," says vocalist Crispin Earl. "Our songs are about our life experiences and our view isn't spiteful or cynical." It is that optimism, combined with their drive and work ethic that promises to translate THE VEER UNION's success to the U.S. market. The band was formed in late 2004 by Crispin Earl and guitarist, Eric Schraeder. Originally from Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, the two longtime friends and neighbors had a common bond: "We had played in bands together and we were both living out of our rehearsal studios in downtown East Vancouver," recalls Crispin. Living for their music was to become the thing that held the UNION together. Crispin, who was then the vocalist for a popular local band called Everything After, was gaining national attention as a songwriter with credits on Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee's solo CD Tommyland: The Ride. Eric, who had recently relocated back to Vancouver after a stint in Los Angeles playing with the band 40 Foot Echo (Hollywood Records), was working on projects of his own. The two wrote music together for months and found their styles extremely compatible. After this productive time, they determined it was time to find bandmates who shared their mindset. While multi-instrumentalists Eric and Crispin were recording demos for what was to become their major label debut -- AGAINST THE GRAIN -- they were introduced to Marc Roots (Roots) and James Fiddler (Fid) through a mutual friend. The bassist and guitarist had been in bands together and had been out on the road for some time. The four became close friends and formed a strong bond before they had even picked up instruments to jam with one another. Neil Beaton, a drummer from Langley, BC entered the fold when the band lost their original drummer. Having spent time on the road with the band as the drum tech, he understood and shared the strong bond between the band members and their drive to succeed . After nearly two years of endless touring across the continent, the band signed a record deal with Universal Motown Records and recorded AGAINST THE GRAIN with producer Greg Archilla (Collective Soul, Matchbox 20, Buckcherry) with a couple of tracks produced by Brian Howes (Hinder, Hedley, Daughtry and Rev Theory). Their anthemic tracks stick in your head long after the first listen. Guitar-driven, "Seasons" features a particularly powerful vocal performance from Crispin. "Over Me" delivers the message of regret over an evocative musical landscape where Eric and Fid truly shine. "Seasons, lyrically, is about seizing the day," says Eric. "It's a sick live track -- really cool to play." Young, energetic and riding high on great audience response to their live sets, THE VEER UNION are ready to detour their way onto America's playlists.