The Habit

.. CDBABY LINK for THE HABIT: The Sacred and The Profane --
“Pretty, heroic pop music…The Habit is the rare band that can make the link between pop, soul and classical music.”
- Alan Neal, Bandwidth, CBC Radio 1
“Carefully-crafted, smooth pop-soul songs…the vocalists harmonize beautifully.”
- Caitlin Crockard, Chart Magazine
“A rough-and-tumble rhythmic beast of acoustic soul, pulsing with percolating bongos, exotic fiddle lines and the symbiotic flair of four vocalists.”
- Steve Baylin, Ottawa Xpress
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The Habit is pure mean bliss, cut with a little grit and trace amounts of ease. There are hooks embedded. No matter the level of warning, many find it difficult to resist (3 vocalists can be very persuasive). If in the end you choose to partake, be careful. The drums can provoke hip convulsions, the guitars soft rushes. There have been reports of the violin causing bleeding. The horns have repeatedly made listeners, well, horny. Even a small dose has been known to affect cognitive ability and short-term memory; some users forget about everything except what is going through their speakers.
The Habit came together four years ago. A dance-music project featuring Darren Rogers’ vocals had a song included on a national compilation, and started getting requests to perform live. Recognizing that beats and loops alone aren’t so telegenic, Rogers assembled an eclectic group of musician friends for an upcoming TV appearance. The chemistry was palpable; The Habit was formed.
The Sacred and The Profane, released in 2007, is The Habit’s first full-length album. The album includes the song Fighter, which The Habit released as a message in support of same-sex marriage rights. It was picked up by websites and newswires around the world, and within a week had been translated into Spanish, German, Flemish and Japanese. Fighter introduced The Habit to a global audience, prompting Chart Magazine to declare: “People around the world are acquiring a new Habit.”
Beyond that buzz, The Sacred and The Profane has become a college radio hit across Canada, riding the Top 30 album charts from Kamloops to Saskatoon to Antigonish.
The Habit’s live shows have become known for equal parts energy and intimacy – the Ottawa Citizen notes: "Hot sounds, great lyrics, and that notorious It factor...The Habit throws a hip-shaker of a party with every show." Paul Symes of the Black Sheep Inn says, “The Habit should post warnings: people might leave their shows suffering from uncontrollable happiness.” They’ve shared the stage with Kathleen Edwards, The Cliks and The Skydiggers.
With a new virtual EP scheduled for release this summer (2008), The Habit is taking its show on the road, with mini-tours and festival appearances scheduled across Ontario, Quebec and the East Coast this spring and summer.
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The Habit provoque une dépendance assez forte, mais saine! Connu pour ses riches harmonies et ses rythmes vibrants, c’est un groupe pop / rock qui s’inspire aussi des genres soul et folklorique. The Habit a fait des vagues sur la scène mondiale en 2006 quand il a lancé sa chanson Fighter comme message en faveur du mariage gai. Le groupe vient de lancer un nouvel album, The Sacred and The Profane, qui a été le sujet de critiques enthusiastes et qui commence à paraître sur les palmarès des radios campus à travers le Canada.
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¿Qué hay para decir sobre The Habit? Como quizás adivinarías de su nombre, el grupo sí fomenta una addición bastante fuerte, pero sano. La banda está cultivando todo una sub-cultura de Habitistas con su mezcla de pop, soul y musica folklórica canadiense. Aunque hay una canción en su nuevo album que se llama "The Spanish Song", solo la introducción hablada es en español: "Mi amor, ¿porque me quieres matar?" La banda se inspira también de los ritmos de flamenco, salsa y hasta reggaeton que sus miembros han absorbado durante sus estadias en Honduras, Nicaragua y Argentina. Bienvenidos al estupefaciente musical que se llama: The Habit.
The Habit, live @ the Black Sheep Inn - World premiere of "Overtime"
The Habit covering "Emotions":