ON THE RISE
Heatstroke is the perfect name for a band whose first album, Empire Statement, is hot, kick-butt rock from tracks one through 11, because rock is the beating heart of Heatstroke.
The single they chose to promote the album, “Times Square Claire,” is what they regard as the least rock of the tracks.
“We chose that song because it’s a song that we think can speak to the broadest possible audience,” said Troy Kirkwood, drummer and one of two founding members.
Orion Anderson, lead vocals, is the other founder. Daniel Beaton is the lead guitarist and Hunter Larabie is on bass guitar.
“Times Square Claire,” said Troy, “is a catchy song and it’s got an important story, as does the whole album.”
Orion called it the most poppy track on the album. He said the thought was that it might draw some listeners who might not otherwise make rock their first choice.
“But it can also expand on the actual rock scene and help it to grow a little more, especially with the way that music is going these days — more toward the rap and the EDM style of stuff that …”
“That we’re gonna stay as far away from as possible,” said Troy, finishing Orion’s thought. The rest of the band laughed their approval.
The poppiest on the album it may be, but it’s got a whole lot of rock, with the kind of driving guitar, rhythm and drum work rock fans want.
And Orion knows how to sing, whether it’s belting out lyrics in the hard rock tracks or putting out a soft flow in the album’s ballads, “Central Park” and “Sail Me Away.”
The album tells the story of a young man growing up in New York City. Except for the first track, “Empire Statement Overture,” and the last, “Sail Me Away,” the song titles are pegged to locations in the city — “Brownsville,” “Coney Island,” “Broadway,” “Times Square Claire,” “Brooklyn,” “Staten Island Ferry,” “Statue of Liberty,” “Concrete Jungle (Subway Station),” and “Central Park.”
The album is a life, Jacey Finn’s, who is the main character, said Troy.
“It’s just what life is like growing up in New York City and the pressures that you face and the temptations that you better avoid,” he said.
Speaking to the “statement” that’s in the album title, he said, “And, yeah, the statement is just see how you make your own destiny. Right? See how you can handle what you’re thrown.”
“Times Square Claire” is about the day Jacey sees Claire, who is hooking in the city’s Times Square.
Saw you standing across the street
Claire my poor heart melted
Don’t have to believe in love at first sight
But if you did I felt it
Just a Brooklyn teenage boy
Too cautious to say hello
“Jacey meets prostitute, falls ignorantly falls in love with her, not knowing what a prostitute is, but to the wider audience who isn’t following the story, it’s just another love song that they can listen to and relate to in that certain way,” said Hunter.
“We wrote it with that in mind, that she was a prostitute,” said Troy, “but it doesn’t have to be that because, really, when I first wrote the song, it was about my first relationship, my first heartbreak, but, you know, musicians find maniacal ways to change that around.”
The album is a fun piece of rock literature. Troy said it can be taken as a movie or as a play.
For Heatstroke, rock is the language of art. In its official bio, the band lists its influences as The Who, Sam Cooke, Humble Pie, the Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin and Metallica, to which Daniel adds a personal influence, Queen’s Brian May.
Even the ballads feature some killer guitar riffs from Daniel, and “Sail Me Away” alternates between balladic passages and hard rock in its seven-minute run.
The band calls Sudbury, Canada, home. The four members have been together since 2021. They are just getting started.
They expressed their admiration and gratitude for their producer, Brent Wohlberg.
“It would be brutal if we did this and didn’t give a shout-out to our producer and how he really turned us from kind of a mediocre garage band into a really good sounding band.”
Hunter said they have a lot of songs ready to record in future projects, songs that they are already playing live.
Their next gig is opening for the Fortunate Losers, a popular Ontario band, at Sudbury’s Townhouse Tavern on November 25.
Troy said that performing at larger venues is a dream, even though “I feel most at home in the studio.”
“But the shows are getting more and more fun for all of us, and the bigger they get, the more fun they are.”
Asked where they want to go with their music, Daniel said, “We’re going, the base idea is, all the way.”
Daniel wrote the final song on the album, “Sail Me Away.” He wrote it before the group formed, and it wasn’t originally part of the story, but it fits as the end of a narrative about a young man’s destiny.
The final lines could also be talking about Heatstroke:
I embark on this journey
Not knowing what’s in store
Sail me away
It’s time to open another door
See where destiny takes Heatstroke. Stay connected on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
Welcome to SOUND ADVICE, Interview’s weekly space for playlists put together by artists, collaborators, and people from all corners of our circle. Over the past few weeks, we’ve highlighted selections from Zack Fox, Danny L Harle, and Mckayla Twiggs. This latest edition spotlights British French songwriter and producer Lauren Auder, who released her second album, “Whole World as Vigil,” just last week. Created alongside Dviance and Alex Parish, the project explores the emotional layers of human relationships, from the struggles to the moments of beauty. To celebrate the release, we invited Auder to curate a playlist for us and share a few personal insights along the way.
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Where do you dance? In the bedroom.
London or France? Unfair advantage for France, being a whole country.
What song on this playlist is your guilty pleasure? I have no guilty pleasures!
What’s your favorite sound effect? Roblox “OOH” or Bathory’s horse neigh on their album Blood Fire Death.
Dream collab, dead or alive? Lou Reed, obviously.
Who do you trust most with the aux? My roommate, Cajm.
What do you pray about? More time, more rest.
Best arrondissement in Paris? 20th probably?
What song is currently on replay? “Close to the Edge” by Yes.
What album was your coming-of-age soundtrack? Mysterious Phonk: Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp.
Tell us a secret. I cheated my way through Latin class in secondary school.
Night or day? Day!
What is your studio session pet peeve? Weed smell :/
Which Skins character did you relate to the most? None, I’m 27!
What are you listening to as you complete this questionnaire? Space heater next to my bed, Italian lesson next door.
What does your notes app look like? Incriminating.
You just arrived at the function. What are you drinking? What are you smoking? Cheap lager or expensive red wine, a Syrah if it’s winter.
The world is ending. What are you wearing True religion jeans and a white button down, as per.
