Down with Webster

Down with Webster

Down With Webster performing at the 2010 Edmonton's Capital Ex
Background information
Origin Toronto, Ontario
Genres Rap rock, Hip hop, Pop rock
Years active 1998–Present
Labels Universal Motown / Universal Music
Website downwithwebster.com
Members Tyler Armes
Dave "D!ggy" Ferris
Patrick "Pat" Gillett
Cameron "Camm" Hunter
Andrew "Marty" Martino
Martin "Bucky" Seja
Past members Kyle "Kap Ten/OneOh" Fairlie

Down with Webster is a Canadian rap rock band from The Beaches area of Toronto who signed with Universal Motown in April 2009.

Down with Webster was originally formed for a middle school talent show. The band released their first official EP, Time to Win, Vol. 1, on October 6, 2009. The band has achieved success from all three singles released from Time to Win, Vol. 1. All three singles were certified Platinum in Canada. The album itself was certified Gold in Canada. Their second release, Time to Win, Vol. 2 was released on October 31, 2011.[1] In 2014, they put out their second full-length album, entitled "Party For Your Life."

Down with Webster has sold over 50,000 albums and has sold nearly 500,000 singles.[1] The band has been nominated for Juno awards, MuchMusic Video Awards and Canadian Radio Music Awards.

History

1998–2008: Early Years

Down With Webster was originally formed for Glen Ames Sr Public school battle of the bands show in 1998 by band members Patrick "Pat" Gillet and Tyler Armes.[2][3] In mid-2003, the band released an independent self made six track CDR EP entitled "The Reverb Session July '03". This release was primarily sold at shows and local concerts from July 2003 to 2004. In 2006, the band played at the NXNE Festival and in 2007 released an independent album.[4] Former Band member Kyle "Kap Oneoh" Fairlie was an actor in his youth. He played roles such as Rabbit in the TV series Franklin.[5] He was also in a few other small film and television roles.[6]

The band played at Lee's Palace in the 2008 Canadian Music Week. Their performance was described by Jill Langlois of Chart as "one of the best shows I've ever seen" and "the band exploded onto the stage and never slowed down or stopped. Words will never really describe the Down With Webster experience." The magazine described the band as "flashy and obnoxious, but fun and loveable". DWW was given a grade of 95 out of 100 by Chart for this performance.[7]

In 2008, DWW won the Rogers Mobile/Universal Music best unsigned artist in Canada award and in 2009 both KISS front man Gene Simmons and Timbaland expressed interest in signing the band to their respective labels. Bassist and keyboardist, Tyler Armes commented about Gene Simmons interest,"To be honest, I don't think it was the right fit. Don't get me wrong, it was totally flattering to have Gene Simmons show up unannounced on every media platform possible to talk about us, but it seemed like there was the potential to lose control of certain elements and no one really felt like gambling at this point. Ultimately, we were already down the aisle with Universal/Motown."[8]

Timbaland wanted to sign DWW to his record label, Mosley Music Group. According to Timbaland, "That group is the most amazing and creative, innovative group that’s going to come out in 2010." The band had already decided to go with Universal Motown at the time that Timbaland wanted to sign them, however.[9][10]

2009–2010: Time to Win, Vol. 1 and Success

Down with Webster played in both the Warped Tour 2009 and the Virgin Festival 2009 in 2009.[10]

The band's debut EP Time to Win, Vol. 1 was released on October 6, 2009,.[10] In the fall of 2009, DWW opened for Forever The Sickest Kids in the Cheap Date Tour. Down with Webster also opened for Timbaland on two dates in February 2010 in the Shock Value II Tour. The lead single from Time to Win, Vol. 1, titled "Rich Girl$", debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at No. 47 for the week of October 24, 2009, and peaked at No. 21 on the issue of January 9, 2010. The video for "Rich Girl$" was posted to YouTube/VEVO on January 12 and crossed the 1 million views mark in July. The follow-up single "Your Man" was released to Canadian radio stations in January 2010.[11] Since then it has peaked at No. 12 on the Canadian Hot 100, outperforming their debut single on the chart.In April 2010, both "Your Man" and "Rich Girl$" were certified platinum in digital downloads by the CRIA.[12][13]

Down with Webster's first headlining tour, WINtour 2010 had the band tour Canada and the USA in January and February 2010.[14] The tour started in Halifax on January 7 and ended on February 1 in Vancouver. MuchMusic's Spring Break 2010 was hosted by Down With Webster. The band also opened for The Black Eyed Peas on one date in the The E.N.D. Tour in Sarnia, Ontario.

Down with Webster were nominated for "New Group of the Year" at the 2010 Juno Awards, losing to Arkells.[15] The band was also nominated for "UR Fave: New Artist" as well as "Pop Video of the Year" at the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards, although Justin Bieber won "UR Fave: New Artist" and Hedley won "Pop Video of the Year".[16] Down with Webster won the "Online Artist of the Year" at the 2010 Canadian New Media Awards.[17]

The third single, "Whoa Is Me" was released on June 15, 2010 and peaked at No. 13 on the Canadian Hot 100 for the week of October 16, 2010.[18] The band played at the 2010 SCENE Music Festival in St. Catharines on June 27.[19] The band also played in the Ottawa Bluesfest in July[20] and at the 2010 Canadian National Exhibitions Bandshell on August 28, 2010.[3] Down with Webster was one of the six artists featured on the global music event, "Doritos Late Night", where a 360-degree music video for "She's Dope", a new DWW song that would later be released as the first single of Time to Win, Vol. 2, was on the Doritos Late Night website. Launched on October 20, 2010, other artists included in the event were Rihanna, Professor Green, Mor ve Otesi, Teargas, and Sensacional Orchestra Sonora.[21]

Down with Webster was featured on 2010 Year End Charts several times. Both "Your Man" and "Whoa Is Me" were on the 2010 Canadian Hot 100 Year End Chart, "Your Man" at No. 37[22] and "Whoa Is Me" at No. 85.[23] Down with Webster was at No. 21 on the Canadian Hot 100 Artists Chart, surpassing both Justin Bieber and Drake.[24] In December 2010, "Time to Win, Vol. 1" was certified Gold in Canada[25] and in January 2011 the single "Whoa Is Me" was certified Platinum in Canada.[26]

2011–2012: Time to Win, Vol. 2

In an interview, Cameron "Camm" Hunter stated that after finishing the Streets Of Gold Tour with 3OH!3 and Hellogoodbye, the band will "lock ourselves in the studio for a couple of months" and finish Time to Win, Vol. 2.[27] The tour was completed on November 24, 2010 at Albuquerque, New Mexico. They then performed at the pregame show for the 98th Grey Cup.[28] In December 2010 Down with Webster announced WINtour 2011 a cross-Canada tour which will support their upcoming album, Time to Win, Vol. 2. The tour began on February 22, 2011 in Lethbridge, Alberta and ended on March 12 in Toronto.[29] The Envy, 2AM Club and Sweet Thing opened for Down with Webster in this tour.

Down with Webster were nominated for two awards at the 2011 Canadian Radio Music Awards. The two awards are "SOCAN Song of the Year" and "Best New Group or Solo Artist (Contemporary Hit Radio)"[30] On February 1, 2011 it was also announced that Down with Webster is nominated for two awards at the Juno Awards of 2011. The band was nominated for Group of the Year and Pop Album of the Year.[31] The band also performed at the awards ceremony on March 27, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre.[32] The band was nominated for four 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards which ties them for the most nominations with Fefe Dobson and Shawn Desman.[33] The band won one award at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards, Pop Video of the Year for "Whoa Is Me".[34]

On May 12, 2011, the band posted on their blog that hype man Kyle "Kap Ten/Oneoh" Fairlie is no longer in the band, citing their reason as "6 guys going in one musical direction that didn’t quite fit with the 7th." [35]

The band played at a number of different of summer festivals and exhibitions including Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg and at Salmonfest in Grand Falls-Windsor on July 9, 2011, where they opened for Kiss. Down with Webster performed at the Calgary Stampede, at the Grizfest Music Festival in Tumbler Ridge and at Edmonton's Capital Ex in Edmonton. They also played Regina's Queen City Ex, at the Saskatoon Exhibition, at the 2011 Canadian National Exhibition Bandshell in Toronto for TDSB@CNE Day and they will play at the Western Fair in London, Ontario on September 15, 2011.

Time to Win, Vol. 2 was released on October 31, 2011[1] and reached No. 9 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The first single from the album, "She's Dope" was released on May 23, 2011. It has since peaked at No. 18 on the Canadian Hot 100. "Big Wheels" was released as the album's second single on September 9, 2011. The song has peaked at No. 51 on the Canadian Hot 100.

On December 20, 2011 the band released iTunes Session, an EP of seven songs. The band toured Canada throughout 2012 as well as the USA on the Face The Music tour.

2014: Party for Your Life

As of March 20, 2013 the band released a new single "One in a Million" from an untitled upcoming album to their YouTube channel. It was then later released on iTunes on March 26, 2013, as a single.

On August 13, 2013 the band released the song "Party for Your Life" made available on iTunes. A video is set to be released sometime in September 2013, it was later revealed that Party for Your Life is also the name of their upcoming album, originally scheduled for release on October 22nd, 2013. On October 14 the band confirmed via Facebook that the album would be pushed back to January 2014 because new songs were recently written and the band wanted to include them on the album. The album was officially released January 28, 2014.

The third single from the album, "Chills", was released on December 17, 2013. The video premiered on March 7, 2014.

The band officially released the music video for the track "Going Nowhere" through Sony Entertainment on January 31, 2014 making the video announcement of the release on their YouTube channel.

Amanda Hather of Canadian Beats gave the album a 4.5/5 saying "Whether you are a fan of all of the genres that Down With Webster somehow manage to mix into their songs, there is something for everyone on this album." Davina Sinnatamby of Tangible Sound gave the album a 4/5 closing her review with "So if you feel like a shot of something stronger that caffeine or alcohol; I’d recommend listening to this whole album. The songs don’t just make you want to get up and dance; the fast rhythms, smooth rhymes and poetic lyrics make you want to live forever."

Members

Current members

Cameron "Camm" Hunter — rap vocals, vocals
Martin "Bucky" Seja — rap vocals, vocals
Patrick "Pat" Gillett — vocals, guitar Rapping
Tyler Armes — bass guitar, keyboards
Andrew "Marty" Martino — drums
Dave "Diggy" Ferris — DJ, turntables

Past members

Kyle "Kap Ten/Oneoh" Fairlie — hype man (2006–2011)

Discography

Concert Tours

Awards and Nominations

Down With Webster awards and nominations
Awards and nominations
Award Wins Nominations
Juno Awards
 0 6
MuchMusic Video Awards
 2 12
Canadian New Media Awards
 1 1
Canadian Radio Music Awards
 2 3
Rogers Mobile/Universal Music Best Unsigned Artist
 1 1
Totals
Awards won 6
Nominations 23

Down With Webster has been nominated for 22 awards including 12 MuchMusic Video Awards and 6 Juno Awards.

Canadian New Media Awards

Year Recipient Award Result
2010 Down With Webster Online Artist of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won

Canadian Radio Music Awards

Year Recipient Award Result
2011 "Rich Girl$" Best Group or Solo Artist style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
"Your Man" SOCAN Song of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
2014 "Chills" Heatseeker style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won

Juno Awards

Year Recipient Award Result
2010 Down With Webster New Group of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
2011 Down With Webster Group of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
"Time to Win, Vol. 1" Pop Album of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
2012 Down With Webster Group of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
"Time to Win, Vol. 2" Pop Album of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
2015 "Party For Your Life" Pop Album of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated

MuchMusic Video Awards

Year Recipient Award Result
2010 "Your Man" Pop Video of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
"Rich Girl$" UR Fave: New Artist style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
2011 "Whoa Is Me" Video of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Pop Video of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
UR Fave: Video style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
UR Fave: Artist style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
2012 "She's Dope" Video of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
MuchFact Indie Video of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
"Royalty" Directed by Chris Wang Director of The Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
"Big Wheels" Post Production of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
2013 "One In A Million" Pop Video of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
2014 "Chills" Pop Video of the Year style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated

Rogers Mobile/Universal Music Best Unsigned Artist

Year Recipient Award Result
2008 Down With Webster Rogers Mobile/Universal Music Best Unsigned Artist style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Universal Music Canada – DOWN WITH WEBSTER ANNOUNCE OCTOBER 31 RELEASE OF TIME TO WIN VOL. II". Universal Music Canada. Universal. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  2. ↑ Liss, Sarah (July 24, 2003). "10 teens taking over Now Magazine. Retrieved September 13, 2011
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Infantry, Ashante (August 13, 2010). "Down with Webster’s at the Bandshell" Toronto Star. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Toronto Music Scene, November 2, 2010". Torontomusicscene.ca. 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  5. ↑ Down With Webster Interview With Canadas Talent!
  6. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0265621/
  7. ↑ Langlois, Jill (March 8, 2008)."Down with Webster @CMW 2008." Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  8. ↑ Dekel, Jonathan (November 9, 2009) D@m!^n. "Down with Webster not down with Gene Simmons" msn.ca. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Getting Down with Webster: Q&A with Tyler of DWW". Killahbeez. 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Down with Webster’s Time To Win, Vol. I in Stores Today Business Wire, October 6, 2009
  11. ↑ "AMERICA'S MUSIC CHARTS – 1 2 . 1 4 . 1 0 – powered by MEDIABASE". Americasmusiccharts.com. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  12. ↑ "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum – April 2010". Cria.ca. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  13. ↑ "Canada Singles Top 100 – Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  14. ↑ WINtour 2010 downwithwebster.com. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  15. ↑ 2010 New Group of the Year Nominations and Winner. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  16. ↑ 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards Nominations. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  17. ↑ 2010 Canadian New Media Awards Winners. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  18. ↑ Whoa Is Me Chart History Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  19. ↑ Harper, Kate (April 28, 2010)."LIGHTS, Shad, Down With Webster Playing S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival." Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Arcade Fire, Weezer, Drake, Metric to play Ottawa Bluesfest | MuchMusic.com | Blog". Blog.muchmusic.com. 2010-04-21. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  21. ↑ Doritos Unveil Interactive Musical Experience For Fans Worldwide. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  22. ↑ Canadian Hot 100 Year End Chart Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  23. ↑ Canadian Hot 100 Year End Chart Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  24. ↑ Canadian Hot 100 Artists Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum – December 2010". Cria.ca. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  26. ↑ "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum – January 2011". Cria.ca. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
  27. ↑ INTERVIEW: Down With Webster. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  28. ↑ CFL.ca Staff (November 24, 2010). "Down With Webster to rock GC Pre-Game Show". CFL.ca. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  29. ↑ WINtour 2011 downwithwebster.com Retrieved December 13, 2010
  30. ↑ 2011 Canadian Radio Music Awards Nominees. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  31. ↑ 2011 Juno Awards Nominees Retrieved February 1, 2011
  32. ↑ Jane Stevenson (February 1, 2011). "Juno noms announced". torontosun.com. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  33. ↑ Stevenson, Jane (May 17, 2011). "Dobson, Desman top MMVA noms" Toronto Sun. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  34. ↑ List of MMVA 2011 winners Retrieved August 4, 2011
  35. ↑ http://www.downwithwebster.com/blog/a-message-for-our-fans/

External links