The Empties - Beyond The Cover

​The Empties

Beyond The Cover
​self-released; 2022

4.0 out of 5

By Dino DiMuro

From Kingston, Ontario comes The Empties (love that name!), a new six-piece band that combines blues, soul, rock and jazz. Despite being a new group, The Empties’ dance card is certainly NOT empty, with sold-out shows in the Kingston and Hamilton areas. They’ve just self-produced their first EP titled Beyond the Cover.

All six members are recent university graduates with wide-ranging musical backgrounds. Ethan Flanagan (lead guitar) prefers blues and soul; Ben Hagedoorn (rhythm guitar/vocals) is a hard rock fan; Zeke Wilson (lead vocals) was a rapper raised on soul and R&B; Liam Moore (keys) is a classically trained pianist with deep roots in jazz improv; Nic Pagé (bass) has played multiple instruments for a dozen different bands; and Noah (drums) can handle any genre of music and is also a house music DJ. The band’s music has been compared to The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes, Young the Giant, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and The Allman Brothers Band.

The band recorded and mixed the EP themselves, and mastered using E-mastered. Recording took three weeks in a makeshift home studio using Logic Pro X, with most sonic tweaking by lead vocalist Zeke Wilson.

The opening track “Leave Me Be” is a gospel/rock tune that is described by the band as featuring “jazzy bass and piano, fat bluesy guitar tones and soulful vocals & background choir harmonies.” Looking at the band photo, these look like a suspiciously young group of guys to be making music that feels so classic and road-tested, like these are ex-members of a progressive jazz combo. The lead vocals have a similarly authentic feel, and the lyrics (when written out) read very much like Haiku. After the verses and chorus, there’s a thrilling middle section that shifts into a major key with dramatic, Queen-like backing vocals. Toward the end the song takes a short, unexpected side trip to hard rock. The playing and recording here are at a uniformly high level.

“Quicksand” is an older song that was originally released under the name Wilson and Flan in 2020. This new version is described as “quicker, groove-focused and funky. It features an indie/jazzy B-section breakdown allowing our keyboard player to flourish in his element.”  Just three minutes, this track really plays like a hit single with all the players nailing their parts without breaking a sweat. Again I’m amazed at the grit and maturity of the vocals, coming from seemingly younger guys. As advertised, keyboardist Liam Moore takes a most excellent Rhodes-like solo.

The final track “Fool’s Gold” is said by the band to “sit in its own territory” without being beholden to a specific genre. “The verses are very soothing and laid back and the chorus is an emotional and visceral cry for help. It is our favorite tune to play live.” The track does indeed straddle several genres, with bits of smooth jazz, pop and even a Genesis Phil Collins-like chorus. The band had worried that the chorus wouldn’t translate well to tape, possibly because it takes a short detour into prog complexity, but to me it plays beautifully and I wouldn’t change a note.

​All in all, a short collection that was nonetheless a total surprise and delight to hear. Check it out!

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