State of Shock

Congratulations to State of Shock on getting signed with Universal Republic! Jesse Wainwright, guitar, and founding member, talks to theMOVEMENTZ about this great news and the band's highly successful first album, Life, Love & Lies.

After months of diligently trying to break into the U.S. market with album's first single single "Money Honey", State of Shock has been signed to Universal Republic (Amy Winehouse, Taylor Swift, Mika). "We were bashing our heads against the U.S. market for months and months. All the labels were saying, ‘it's good but it's a little too commercial, it won't sell'".

"Money Honey" was added to satellite radio in the U.S., where it hit number one within six or seven weeks. "As soon as it hit number one, all of those labels that said no, were calling us saying ‘we'll give you whatever you guys want'. The people spoke and then the label had to listen."

The band's formation was a gradual process that began in 2000, with Jesse, and Johnny Phillipon (drums). Both had been playing in bands together, but ultimately went on to form a band on their own. Jesse recommended Cameron Melnyk as the band's singer, whom he had grown up with. Allison Toews responded to an ad for a bass player, and according to Jesse, "it was like this perfect little family". Simon "Kadooh" Clow, joined a couple of years later as the second guitar player, and State of Shock, as we know it, was complete.

The latest album, Life, Love and Lies has had quite an amazing year, contributing to State of Shock's Juno Nomination for Best New Group, and "Money Honey's" commercial radio success. Jesse tells us that the record is a collection of songs about their experiences on tour after the release of their first record Guilty By Association.

"When it was the four of us, we toured Canada for about two years in a van. We all went through these ups and downs, and personal issues in our lives, and that's basically what spawned the material for Life Love and Lies. That's why it's called Life Love and Lies, because it's 10 songs about the last two years of our lives. Every song on the record is about something that happened to one of us."

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