Since forming in the fall of 2005, Vancouver indie-rockers The Painted Birds have secured a loyal following throughout Canada. Their debut album, So Much For The Rain, was released independently in 2007 and the band has since performed over 100 shows, including two tours across Canada and five regional tours, all self-booked. They have been invited to such reputable festivals and conferences as Canadian Music Week, NXNE, Sled Island, Western Canadian Music Awards, Salmon Arm Roots and Blues, and Vancouver Jazz Festival. Features on the band appeared in the National Post, Vancouver Sun, Winnipeg Sun, Edmonton Journal, Windsor Star, and Vancouver Courier.

The Painted Birds have a distinct sound that is rhythmically dynamic and melodically rich. The fusion of Dominique Fricot’s powerful voice with Shawn Berke’s melody-driven bass lines and Josh McNorton’s effects-laden guitar conjures up intense emotions for the listener. Fricot co-writes most of the songs with Berke and working with him feels like fate. “I’ve never been more confident in anything in my life until I started writing music with Shawn. It’s not only regimented and professional, but it’s also spontaneous and can happen at the drop of a hat without any instruments around.”

2009 has already been an incredibly busy year for the band. They have showcased at Canadian Music Week, performed at JUNO Fest, and made their debut south of the border at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Most recently, The Painted Birds were selected out of 450 artists to participate in the Peak Performance Project, a five million dollar initiative sponsored by Vancouver’s newest AAA station, 100.5 The Peak FM.

On October 6th, the band released a new single, “Wash Away” which was produced by Shawn Cole (You Say Party! We Say Die!, Bend Sinister), mixed by Warne Livesey (Matthew Good Band, 54-40) and mastered by Joao Carvalho (The Tragically Hip, Sam Roberts). The new single is available for free download on the band’s website, www.thepaintedbirds.com