The staff of experts and fanatics at iTUNES chose the track Wonderment as one of the biggest, best and most important electronic songs of 2006. Aw, thanks iTunes!
We had an amazing year in 2006 winning Socan and Canadian Music Week awards, a #1 music video, a feature on Much Music and many inspiring tour dates! Thank you to everyone for all of your support!!
Thanks to everyone who voted The HERMIT to the top of the heap at Canadian Music Week's Indie Awards 2006! Hamish and Paula were on hand in Toronto to take home a shiny plaque with The HERMIT's name on it in the "Favourite Electronica Artist" category.
On the subject of #1's - and to prove that nice guys don't always come second - the video for 'Sir Real' recently hit #1 on Bravo's Top 30 Video Countdown. Thanks to everyone who requested it, especially those of you not related to or sharing a bed with a band member. If you want to try and request it higher than #1 (#0 anyone?) you can do so here: bravovideo@bravo.ca
As we wouldn't want our friends at Much Music to feel left out, you can also send inclusive, non-threatening electronic messages requesting the Sir Real video to:
ondemand@muchmusic.com
goingcoastal@muchmusic.com
muchmail@muchmusic.com (the wedge)
Want to know what all the fuss is about? Click here to see the Sir Real video in all its glory, but don't think we're putting it up here just so you don't have to request it - 'cos we aren't. To view the larger high speed version of Sir Real check out the Gallery page
And hey, if you're wondering where to buy a Wonderment CD...and judging by the e-mails, quite a few of you are...click here and all will be revealed.
Finally, Hamish has been asked to join the Modern Drummer Blog! Check out what he has to say about his recording sessions etc
PS. We tried sitting at home doing nothing, but it wasn't working for us so we booked more shows including two shows at the World Ski and Snowboard Festival! Check the on tour page for full listings.
After an excellent 2005 following the release of the highly-acclaimed Wonderment album, The HERMIT has begun 2006 in equally fine fashion with a nomination in the Favourite Electronica Artist category of the Canadian Music Week Indie Awards. The band will be heading to Toronto to attend the Awards and play a showcase at Spin Gallery on March 2nd. The Indies Awards are decided by a public vote which runs until Feb 12th, so why not cast your vote at indies.sympatico.msn.ca and let's try and get The HERMIT on the winner's podium.
Also in the pipeline is a HERMIT feature on MUCH's Going Coastal show including the MUCH debut of the new video for 'Sir Real'. Check back for Going Coastal broadcast dates. Sticking with TV, fans of Bravo's Godiva's may have noticed HERMIT tracks 'Sir Real' and 'Galaxies Collide' cropping up in recent episodes.
In between all of this, The HERMIT boys and girls are back in their newly updated studio working on tracks for a new EP/Album - but will be taking some time out for shows at Calgary's Liberty Lounge on March 9th, The Royal in Nelson on March 10th and the Grand Central in Fernie on March 11th. The next Vancouver show will be on February 17th at the Piccadilly Pub.
Summer's over and The HERMIT along with the rest of you no doubt, has that back-to-school feeling. So, we've sharpened our pencils and confirmed a couple of Vancouver shows: Thursday, October 6th at The Railway Club and Saturday, November 19th at the Pitt Pub, UBC. See the On Tour page for full details.
The onset of fall has also been accompanied by strange vibrations from HERMIT studios! What can it mean?
Looking back over the past few months of touring, it's been a great ride with shows in Toronto, Montreal and all points in between back in June, followed by a triumphant homecoming (well, almost...) and shows with Apostle of Hustle at The Red Room and a knock-out Jazz Fest show with Ninja Tune beat-meisters Bonobo at that stately old lady of Vancouver venues, The Commodore. Thanks to all of you who came out to see us. Check out the Gallery for new live shots and a brief-but-tasteful Live Video from the Commodore and Red Room shows. Not to be outdone, the video department of HERMIT Pictures Inc. is completing the edit of the 'Sir Real' video, which will be posted here as soon as it's ready so keep checking back. Also, check out our new EPK.
The HERMIT has a new page at myspace.com/hermitmusic come and be our friends already! There's also cold beer and nachos at iTunes, so drop by.
Lastly, congrats to Carylann at Artwerks whose sleeve design for Wonderment has been nominated for Best Album Design in the Western Canadian Music Awards.
Later.
HERMIT.
The HERMIT has not been much of a hermit of late, having recently completed a western Canada tour which saw the band hit Victoria, Vancouver, Nelson, Golden and Calgary in early May topped off by a co-headline a show with New Yorkers IVY at Vancouver's Richard's on Richards. Check out the gallery for pictures of these shows.
There were reports of a rare HERMIT sighting on TV, courtesy of a May 9th live performance and interview on Urban Rush. The band also recorded a live session for CBC Radio 3 which will be broadcast across Canada later in the summer... watch this space for full details. On the press side, The HERMIT has recently been coaxed out of hiding for a full page interview in The Province, the mighty Q&A feature in The Westender and a tasty little nugget in Western Living (where Wonderment is currently CD of the Month).
Continuing this trend of distinctly un-reclusive behaviour, The HERMIT is about to fly out to Toronto for a June 11th NXNE showcase at Cameron House in Toronto followed by a short Eastern Canada tour - check the On Tour page for dates. Then it's back for 2 hometown gigs at the end of June, supporting Apostle of Hustle at The Red Room on June 21st and with Bonobo at The Commodore on June 27th.
What's next? The band has recently appointed a UK booking agent and plans are afoot for UK and European dates in the Fall.
Congratulations to the first monthly winner of a signed Wonderment CD, who goes by the rather splendid name of Leonard E. Markland. (if we're deciphering the e-mail address correctly, that is. could also be Leo Nardema Kland, who knows.). Either way, 'Nard, we'll be dropping you a line to get an address. Nice work.
Remember, if you sign up to the HERMIT's e-mail list you'll still be in with a chance of winning the signed Wonderment CD for April or May.
We've also added the winning remixes from the AcidPlanet competition to the music page as free downloads. Once again, huge respect to Affekt and Sputnichek for their stellar efforts.
Lastly, check out the latest additions to the On Tour page for more live HERMIT action. There's also a CBC Radio 3 live session in the pipeline...we'll keep ya posted.
Thanks to everyone who made it down to the Wonderment CD Release Party at Crush. The night was a huge success and the new visuals for the live show went down almost as well as the Hermit and Wonderment martinis. We've posted a few pics on the Gallery page for those of you who couldn't make it.
The new range of Hermit merch was also a big hit and there will be even more items on offer at upcoming shows. Speaking of which, check out the On Tour page for details of forthcoming dates at The Media Club in Vancouver, Fluid Lounge in Nelson and the Lucky Bar in Victoria.
The CD Release Party for Wonderment will take place at Vancouver's Crush Champagne Lounge on Thursday, March 10th and you can be there simply by sending your name to rsvp@nettwerk.com. The night will feature a live performance by THE HERMIT with vocalists Allison Shevernoha, Paula Toledo and CR Avery, not to mention the unveiling of newly designed visuals to accompany the live show. A DJ set from Trek-e will get things bubbling. Not to be missed....
Now that the Acidplanet Remix contest is closed and the winners and runners-up have been announced, we're making the top remixes available as free downloads. Click here to check them out starting with the Didier Vanelli remix of Flutterbye and the A&L Club Remix of Wonderment, we'll be adding the other runners-up in 2 weeks time and the winners 2 weeks later... so keep checking back.
We've added 2 more remixes from the AcidPlanet contest to the download section - this time the First Runners Up for Wonderment and Flutterbye. Check them out on the Music page.
Things are definitely hotting up over at HERMIT HQ. New album Wonderment is in Canadian stores on March 1st and to celebrate that fact the website has been taken apart and cleverly reassembled with a sleek new look by our friends at Freedom To Groove. There are a ton of new features on the site... you can preview every Wonderment track on the Music page, plus there's a Wonderment e-card with 4 tracks from the album to e-mail to your friends with just a mouse-click... so spreading the good word (and some deep HERMIT beats) has never been easier. Just click on the "listen" or "e-card" buttons over on the left there...
We've also added a Forum to the site so you can post your comments and views - we'd love to hear what you have to say. And, last but certainly not least, there's now an Online Store stocked with must-have Hermit hoodies, t-shirts and trucker caps - not to mention Wonderment CDs which we'll happily ship worldwide for our friends overseas.