Biography
Home to many great musicians, Burlington, Ontario can now add Bombing Neverland‘s brand of power-pop to the talent pool. Playing and singing together since childhood, front man John Fielding and bassist Mike Hanley originally formed Bombing Neverland from the ashes of punk outfit, Out of Options (Fast Circle Records) in 2007. But it was the addition of guitarist Chris Reilly, formerly of 11 Minutes Away (Deep Elm Records) and drummer Mike O’Brien that things really clicked. Adding a new dimension of aggression to the dynamic of the band, Fielding and Hanley saw their chemistry and knack for melody complimented by the new sounds. The four began to write together and immediately demoed a few tracks in the spring of 2007. Thanks to an overwhelming response on-line (at the time of this writing over 450,000 plays on their MySpace.com profile) Bombing Neverland earned the attention and respect of legendary punk producer Ryan Greene (Nofx, Lagwagon, Megadeth), further encouraging them to take the band to the next level.
“It was amazing to have the chance to work with Ryan , especially as a new Canadian independent band. He has recorded so many of our favorite albums.” says Fielding. However, the opportunity to record an album with such an influential producer didn’t come easy. Between working long hours at day jobs, and selling merch on their self-booked and promoted tours, Bombing Neverland finally raised enough cash to fund their cause. Half a country and 3,500 kilometers later, the band settled in at Crush Recording, in Scottsdale, Arizona, to begin work on their debut record.
Final masters on their dashboard, the band returned to Canada not only with an album, but an ambition to get their new sound into the hands of their fans. The album’s title “Gone Belltower” is a tongue in cheek reflection of the entire process of funding, recording, releasing and touring their debut full length independently.
“A lot of sweat has gone into the making of this record,” says Reilly, “and we’re just happy to finally have it realized and ready for release. Recording was awesome but we’re excited just to be playing again… especially with the new album on the merch table.”
Largely due to their DIY approach, pressing of “Gone Belltower” was made possible by anxious fans pre-purchasing Bombing Neverland’s first official release direct from the band. “There’s no way we could have done this without the support of our fans”, says Fielding, reflecting on the power of connecting with kids at shows as well as on-line. “We’ve made so many friends along the way, now we can finally give them what they’ve been waiting for.”
Bombing Neverland’s debut full-length album “Gone Belltower” will be available on their up-coming spring tour, beginning April 2008 and have recently completed shooting the video for the first single "Like Perfect Strangers".
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