Among Millions
Guelph, Ontario, Canada | SELF
Music
Press
Josh Doherty of FZB Top 20 of 2011, #2 rated Dress Rehearsal is back with yet another great band, Among Millions. Their debut EP Circles to Squares is a testament to just how good indie folk can be. Canada has given us many great acoustic acts and Among Millions can be counted (pun intended) among them. The five tracks are musically and vocally compelling, feature first class songwriting and the production is crisp and clear. Debuts don't get much better than this. Stream and buy Circles to Squares at the link below. - Floorshime Zipper Boots
Josh Doherty of FZB Top 20 of 2011, #2 rated Dress Rehearsal is back with yet another great band, Among Millions. Their debut EP Circles to Squares is a testament to just how good indie folk can be. Canada has given us many great acoustic acts and Among Millions can be counted (pun intended) among them. The five tracks are musically and vocally compelling, feature first class songwriting and the production is crisp and clear. Debuts don't get much better than this. Stream and buy Circles to Squares at the link below. - Floorshime Zipper Boots
Among Millions is an acoustic rock project fronted by Joshua Doherty. I’ve got a soft spot for ‘one guy and a guitar’ acts, so I was pretty excited to listen to one I haven’t heard.
Right off the bat, the guitars give me a really early Dashboard Confessional feel, and this combined with Josh’s vocal work creates something really unique. Let’s just say I didn’t expect to hear a voice like his when the vocals started. Despite his lower voice, he still exhibits a good vocal range. I can detect some influences from bands like Staind and Seether and you can clearly draw parallels between what Josh is doing here with what Dallas Green has done with City and Colour. Regardless of any of these similarities Among Millions still stands out as something unique when compared with what’s out there.
It’s funny pointing out the Dallas Green similarity, since Josh was formally part of the metal band Seething. We Canadian’s really do know how to balance our soft and hard sides don’t we
The songs are catchy, the kind you could get stuck in you head for a spell but not the kind that get annoying. I’ve still got Get It running through my mind as I’m writing this review. The lyrics are thoughtful and introspective but at the same time the kind you can sing along too. It’s really cool to hear songs like I Can Dream experimenting with other instruments (organs in this case) making his songs even more dynamic than if they were only acoustic guitar. He’s even got a banjo joining him in one of the videos on the Among Millions ReverbNation site. Awesome.
I got to listen to all the songs on Among Millions MySpace page and the ReverbNation site, so if there’s more, I’d love to hear it. I’ll be in touch to get a full album sometime so I can hopefully do a follow up review in the future. - Keith @ Velvett Rope Magazine
Discography
- Four song EP self release 2009.
- Five song EP, "Circles to Squares" self release 2010/11.
Photos
Bio
There are millions of stories about rock bands coming together to start performing music. Garage rehearsals, late-night bar gigs, terrible food and long drives - these are all familiar elements in any indie-band's saga. Not many Canadian artists can say their journey started in a cramped and sweaty apartment in Thailand.
At first glance, it seems counterintuitive: Among Millions' music is unmistakably Canadian, born of the atmosphere and influences that are part of life growing up in rural Ontario. Singing honest and heartfelt songs about trials and triumphs, loves and losses, frontman Joshua Doherty is a man well attuned to the heartbeat of his home in St. Mary's. Sometimes, however, we only truly see things in focus from afar.
Doherty spent two years teaching English in Thailand, during which he had little to occupy himself besides a guitar and an iPod full of music. A long-time member of hard-rock and metal bands, Doherty found himself looking for an artistic change of pace. Drawing inspiration from the melodic and intricate indie folk rock of artists like Frightened Rabbit and Sufjan Stevens, Doherty purchased some recording equipment, taught himself to use it and quickly wrote and recorded a five-song EP entitled "Circles to Squares." Upon returning home, and with encouragement from friends and family, Doherty hit the road for a tour of Eastern Canada, and Among Millions was born.
Sometimes playful, sometimes wistful and always thoughtful, Among Millions' music is both thought-provoking and instantly familiar. Doherty is not one to shy away from deeply personal lyrical content, occasionally offset by a wry and surprising humour. Songs like "I Can Dream" and "Effortless Struggle" deal honestly with relationship conflicts and the temptations of the flesh, and they sound equally at home exploding from a stage in a Toronto rock club or strummed around a Muskoka campfire.
2012 finds the band writing and recording for their first (as-yet untitled) full-length, due for release this spring. Amidst a growing buzz, ever-increasing popularity on college radio stations and sold-out shows in their hometown and beyond, it's quickly becoming obvious that Doherty and his bandmates have what it takes to be the one indie-rock story that truly stands out - Among Millions.
Band Members
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