BAND BIOGRAPHY

If you really get down to it, you can thank Boys II Men for making The Suburban Pop Project (SPP) the band they are today. The year was 1992, when really bad R&B ruled top 40 radio, forcing two 12 year-old kids to take refuge in the basements of their suburban homes in an attempt to create music they might actually want to listen to.

Growing up in Oshawa, Ontario, Dave Ritter and Steve Luscher were two typical suburban kids doing what typical suburban kids do: rebelling against the mini-van-Man and forming a rock band with their friends. We'll skip over the boring parts, which in the burbs are many, and stick to the essential facts. The Suburban Pop Project officially broke into the Oshawa scene in 1998. In a time when everyone was trying to be the next big grunge band, our guys were tipping their hats to great melody makers like The Beach Boys and paying tribute to Motown and the true pioneers of rock and roll. Even though they sang in four-part harmony, The SPP rocked, and they rocked hard.

We'll jump ahead a few years to when work, university, and the general necessity of getting the hell out of Oshawa had pared down the band to just the two founding members. With Steve making his home in Toronto and Dave in Peterborough, the band continued to exist as a drum and guitar duo by using bus rides, vacations, and answering machine messages (a habit Dave has yet to break) to collaborate on new material. Even in these less-than-stellar working conditions, they still kept rocking clubs like The Horseshoe in Toronto and sharing the stage with ultra-hip bands like The Minders (Elephant 6 Records) and The Waxwings (Rainbow Quartz Records).

In September of 2003 both Steve and Dave relocated to the Nation's Capital in an attempt to further spread their own rock and roll gospel. They recorded and released a self-titled debut EP and began to lay down roots in the local club scene. With their unique love-child-of-Brian-Wilson-and-Angus-Young sound, a quirky yet inviting stage show, and a solid debut record, it was only a matter of time before our heroes began to win over the Ottawa crowds. In 2004, the decision was made to depart from the two-piece format and a group of local musicians and friends were invited into the fold to complete band's sound. And Steve and Dave saw that this was good.

With this new line-up, a dedication to a cappella breaks, and a love of rock and roll, The Suburban Pop Project are ready to preach to the masses.

And if you don't like it, you can just blame Boys II Men.