The Rebel Wheel

Progressive / Rock / Experimental

Gatineau, Quebec

Billboard

The Rebel Wheel is a modern progressive rock ensemble based out of the Ottawa-Gatineau region of Ontario-Quebec. With influences that range from Gentle Giant to Frank Zappa via Genesis and Rush, the band features a frenetic mix of rock aggression, odd-meter vamps, and turn-on-a-dime arrangements. Originally formed in 1991 as a fusion-based midi ensemble, the floating lineup has gradually solidified to the current four piece featuring guitars, keyboards, drums and bass, and the music has focused more on modern and traditional Progressive Rock.

The band has just released their second CD,"Diagramma" on Ottawa's independent label "Rostfrei Records". It contains five songs with the largest piece (the 20 minute epic "Diagramma Suite" ) in the middle, acting as the fulcrum. The first and last songs "Threads" and "Hiding in Waiting" respectively, are hard-edged vocal tunes, and songs two and four are shorter instrumentals that range from the quiet pastoral 12-string of "Three Valley Gap" , to the 70's hard-edged fusion of "Tempra".

The band has experimented with some more modern midi percussion elements and loops, but the core sound is the interaction of real players and real instruments. At times large and dissonant, at other times lyrical and direct, Diagramma features strong playing, unique arrangements, unexpected sonics and a self-contained compositional symmetry