(photo: Marieve Petit)

Patrick Krief and George Donoso III were once guitarist and drummer respectively for The Dears before a personnel shake-up relieved them of their duties to Murray Lightburn’s band.  Along with Roberto Piccioni on keyboards, and Krief’s cousin, Andre Bendahan on bass, they’ve reemerged as Black Diamond Bay.  Originally performing under the moniker Krief, the band did some extensive touring , tightening up the songs and honing their chops together.  The band just released their debut album, Calm Awaits, and lest you think there’s animosity between Krief, Donoso and their former band, note that in May and June, Black Diamond Bay will be heading out west  to play some with The Dears.

As for Black Diamond Bay’s sound, it’s very similar to The Dears, minus the additional angst.  There’s a hint of The Stills in the mix, but without the bombast their fellow Montrealers deliver.  As a songwriter, Krief isn’t afraid to rock out and incorporate bluesy riffing into what is essentially a muscular indie rock sound.  All in all, it’s an impressive debut, assured and confident and an honest sound from what hopefully is a new voice on the Canadian music scene.

MP3: Black Diamond Bay “What We Wanted”
Facebook: Black Diamond Bay
Myspace: Black Diamond Bay