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Arctic

ARCTIC was formed out of frontman Marcus Martin's desire to never, ever be in another band again.

After a childhood spent on the land in the isolated Northwest Territories of Canada, the guitarist travelled to the metropolis of Toronto and became involved in projects ranging from jazz to metal to rap. After dealing with the roller-coaster frustrations of band politics, he went solo, and headed west to Vancouver to write his own music. He began performing using a looping device that would allow him to record, modify, loop and layer his acoustic guitar performance into a haunting moodiness evocative of a cold Northern landscape. With a rich, unique sound of his own that was already gaining an audience, he had no need for backing musicians.

But strong music always attracts interest, and as time went on, others expressed a desire to join the project. Following two solo cross-Canada tours as ARCTIC, Martin was invited to open for a CD release party. On a whim, he put a trio together for the show. The full band version of ARCTIC was instantly picked up by a local promoter, and began to perform regularly around Vancouver. Despite his initial wariness, Martin found that adding band members added new dimensions and possibilities to his music - and by working with colleagues who were equally inspired by his music and vision, the band's spirit became collaborative instead of confrontational.

Kirsten Starcher, already involved in the production of ARCTIC's second EP, Today Brought Me Here, became the band's bassist, keyboardist, and backing singer. In 2007 they were joined by Todd Biffard on drums, whose creative blend of acoustic and electronic percussion would round out the trio's spacey sound.

Always seeking contrast, ARCTIC is still sometimes a solo project, sometimes a full band, never exactly the same from one show to the next. In either form it combines diverse influences in unexpected ways: progressive rock, jazz, industrial rock merge with ambient textures and acoustic singer/songwriter melodies to create something fresh, unconventional and intriguing.

ARCTIC is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

For more information, contact ARCTIC through Punchface Propaganda Machine at 604.880.6376 or booking(AT)punchface.com

Latest bulletin 11.01.09

Watch the tour video from our Fall 2009 Cross-Canada trip!

Want to live life on the road with us? Check out this video we made after our most recent tour.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adKP9datHBo

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Nov 01, 05:49 PM

Watch the tour video from our Fall 2009 Cross-Canada trip!

Want to live life on the road with us? Check out this video we made after our most recent tour.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adKP9datHBo
Aug 15, 09:43 PM

New tour dates announced for September/October!

We're hitting the road again this fall, starting on Sept 10 in Vancouver. More dates to be announced - make sure to visit our website [http://www.projectarctic.com/events.php for changes and additions....
10 Sep Railway Club     Vancouver, British Columbia
12 Sep Doc Willoughby’s     Kelowna, British Columbia
15 Sep Ottoman Lounge     Medicine Hat, Alberta
16 Sep Singing Waitress Cafe     Lloydminster, Alberta
17 Sep Lydia’s     Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
19 Sep The Cavern     Winnipeg, Manitoba
20 Sep The Apollo     Thunder Bay, Ontario
23 Sep Maxwell’s Music House     Waterloo, Ontario
24 Sep Black Shire Pub     London, Ontario
25 Sep Albion Hotel     Guelph, Ontario
26 Sep Phog Lounge     Windsor, Ontario
27 Sep The Living Room     Kingston, Ontario
2 Oct   The Seahorse     Halifax, Nova Scotia
7 Oct The Apollo     Thunder Bay, Ontario
9 Oct O’Hanlon’s     Regina, Saskatchewan
Mar 25, 12:51 AM

We're on Twitter!

Come follow our adventures at http://www.twitter.com/projectarctic .
Sep 04 2008, 09:21 PM

And ANOTHER cross-Canada tour!

We're hitting the road again this fall for another month-long cross-Canada tour. Stay in touch at http://www.projectarctic.com - and don't forget to check out our tour blog [http://www.projectarctic.com/tourblog!
Hope to see you at a show. Do come up and say hi if you feel like it... we like that.
September 20 Cafe Deux Soleils, Vancouver BC
September 24 Drake Pub, Canmore, AB
September 25 Ottoman Lounge, Medicine Hat, AB
September 26 O'Hanlon's, Regina, SK
September 27 The Cavern, Winnipeg, MB
September 28 The Apollo, Thunder Bay, ON
October 01   Rancho Relaxo, Toronto, ON
October 02 Jimmy Jazz, Guelph, ON
October 03   Maxwell's Music House, Waterloo, ON
October 04 Phog Lounge, Windsor, ON
October 08   The Casbah Lounge, Hamilton, ON
October 09 Elmdale House Tavern, Ottawa, ON
October 10 The Spill, Peterborough, ON
October 11 Jupiter Room, Montreal, QC
October 14 The Mansion House, St. Catherines, ON
October 16   Loplop's, Sault Ste Marie, ON
October 17   The Apollo, Thunder Bay, ON
October 18 The Cavern, Winnipeg, MB
May 04 2008, 05:59 PM

ARCTIC cross-Canada tour starts next week!
ARCTIC will be heading east this May on an 18-date Canadian expedition, starting on May 10 in Vancouver.
Coming to a show? Join up on our Facebook page for updates!
These are our confirmed dates. Come out and say hi!
- May 10: Wired Monk, Vancouver, BC
- May 13: The Gaslight, Regina, SK
- May 14: Mondragon Cafe, Winnipeg, MB
- May 15: The Apollo, Thunder Bay, ON
- May 16: Loplops, Sault Ste Marie, ON
- May 17: The Tranzac, Toronto, ON - SOLO SHOW for Farm Sanctuary fundraiser
- May 20: Albion Hotel, Guelph, ON
- May 21: The Boat, Toronto, ON
- May 22: Bar St. Laurent, Montreal, QC
- May 25: Circus Room, Kitchener, ON
- May 26: The Casbah, Hamilton, ON
- May 28: The Spill, Peterborough, ON
- May 29: Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield, QC (near Ottawa)
- May 30: The Atria, Oshawa, ON
- May 31: Phog Lounge, Windsor, ON
- June 4: Cavern Club, Winnipeg, MB
- June 6: The Stetson, Calgary, AB
- June 7: The Grateful Fed, Kelowna, BC

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Arctic

Latest bulletin 11.01.09

Photos posted by Arctic

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