Bleeker, formerly known as Bleeker Ridge, are a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from
Orillia
Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is in Simcoe County between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of Cent ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, consisting of Taylor Perkins, Cole Perkins, Mike Vandyk and Chris Dimas.
History
Bleeker Ridge was formed by two sets of brothers: Taylor and Cole Perkins, and Dan and Dustin Steinke. They came together in 2003 when all four met at a music shop in
Orillia
Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is in Simcoe County between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of Cent ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, when Cole Perkins and Dan Steinke were 12 years old. They first started playing covers of
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
and
Joe Walsh songs before releasing two independent CDs: ''Undertow'' (2004) and ''The Rain'' (2007).
The band was scouted by various members of the music industry, but were often considered too young. Joe Kresta, an
A&R director, saw the band in 2005 when he was with
Universal Music Canada
Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here.
According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...
. Kresta said he was "totally amazed at what these 14-year-olds were doing, they had their shirts off, long hair and it was almost odd, these voices and that sound coming out of these little guys. There were guitar licks that you see guys three times their age doing, but I wasn't in A&R at the time, so I walked away thinking, 'Hey, that was really something special,' but they still hadn't found their own identity."
The band's name Bleeker Ridge is from the street names where the two sets of brothers lived: the Perkins' lived on Bleeker St. and the Steinke's lived on Ridge Ave.
The band later signed with
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in t ...
. In the Summer of 2010, the band toured Canada with
Airbourne Airbourne or Air Borne may refer to:
* Air Bourne, a finishing move and the nickname of professional wrestler Evan Bourne
* Airbourne (air show), an air show in Eastbourne, United Kingdom
* Airbourne (band)
Airbourne are an Australian hard r ...
as one of two opening acts, along with
Social Code
Social Code (formerly known as Fifth Season) was a Canadian alternative rock group formed in 1999 in St. Albert, Alberta.
History
Formation and early years (1999–2003)
The band was formed in 1999 by high school friends Travis Nesbitt (le ...
. They released the album ''Small Town Dead'', produced by Bob Marlette, on September 21, 2010 in Canada. The first single from the album was the title track "Small Town Dead".
The song charted on the Canadian Active Rock Charts, reaching the top 10.
In Spring 2011, Bleeker Ridge performed on the Canadian leg of the Jagermiester Music tour alongside
My Darkest Days,
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther.
After ...
, and
Buckcherry
Buckcherry is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1995. The band released two albums, ''Buckcherry'' (1999) and ''Time Bomb'' (2001), before dissolving in 2002. Buckcherry's first album ''Buckcherry'' was DreamWorks first a ...
.
They also released "You Would've Liked It" and "Sick of You" as singles in 2011.
Mike Vandyk, "Dutch", joined the band shortly after the album's release. Mike had been a session/recording & tour bassist for the band.
In April 2013, Bleeker Ridge released "Last Cigarette" as a single from their soon to be released album "Four", followed by "Go Home" a few months later. June 4, 2013, Bleeker Ridge's album "Four" was released.
After completing the recording of their new album with
James Michael
James Andrew Michael is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, singer, sound engineer and mixer. He is currently the lead singer of the rock band Sixx:A.M.
Early life
He took piano lessons while growing up and sang in Holland High ...
, who along with
Nikki Sixx and
DJ Ashba
Daren Jay Ashba (born November 10, 1972) is an American musician, guitarist, songwriter, record producer, and graphic designer. He is currently the lead guitarist in Sixx:A.M. He is also known for his work with hard rock bands BulletBoys, Beautif ...
form the band
Sixx:A.M., Dustin was asked to play drums for them on their Japanese debut at the
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...
on February 19, 2015 as part of VampPark Fest hosted by the rock band
Vamps. After a successful show in Japan, they asked him to play drums on their first tour, the Modern Vintage Tour.
In January 2016, Dustin left the band and signed on with
Sixx:A.M., and Bleeker Ridge changed their name to Bleeker. Dan left the band a few months later.
In 2017, Bleeker was nominated for Breakthrough Group of the Year at the
Juno Awards.
Band members
;Current members
* Taylor Perkins –
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
(2003–present)
* Cole Perkins –
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
,
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
(2003–present)
* Mike Vandyk –
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
(2003– present)
* Chris Dimas –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
,
(2016–present)
;Past members
* Dustin Steinke – drums, backing vocals
(2003– 2016)
* Dan Steinke –
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
, backing vocals
(2003– 2016)
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
Music videos
Juno Awards
The
Juno Awards are presented by the
Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bleeker has received one nomination.
, -
, rowspan="3", 2017 , , Bleeker , , Breakthrough Group of the Year , ,
See also
*
Canadian rock
*
Music of Canada
References
External links
Bleeker
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 2003
Musical quartets
Canadian post-grunge groups
Musical groups from Ontario
2003 establishments in Ontario