Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: The Cola Heads

Hey guys, it's now time for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile, but we have a change in band to start the year. We originally planned to profile newer Toronto sludge metal band Larval Host (featuring RedD Monkey's Joe Bumbacco) today, but in all honesty, I can't do their profile justice at this point due to some needed biography information and no known public media of their songs. It'd be very incomplete if we looked at them now, so I've opted to postpone their profile in this series until we can write a fuller, more complete profile of them, but they won't be forgotten! In their place, I've chosen another Toronto band with a local member to spotlight for SMS readers this month (hence the day's delay), so read on below for what you should know this time around!
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The Cola Heads (Toronto, Ontario)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics. This lineup information may be incomplete. Let us know if you have any additions or corrections!)

Julian Swift Phillips (vocals/guitar)
Liam Jaeger (guitar/originally drums)
Curtis Faux (bass)
Hank Richards (drums)

Wesley Dixon (bass)
Nick Sewell (bass)

Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/thecolaheads
Official Bandcamp page: http://thecolaheads.bandcamp.com
Official Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/thecolaheads
Official YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/thecolaheads

Local Info: The Cola Heads' only local member is bassist Curtis Faux, who is definitely a known commodity from bands back in the day and Toronto-area punk and metal projects! Local fans may best know him from his extensive band work with current Destroilet vocalist Brenton Ellis in bands like Maximum RNR, Detroit, The Labour Of..., and The Sexual Vigilantes, most recently being seen in the Soo at last month's Detroit reunion concert, though all have played here at least once with them in the fold. Aside from the above bands, Curtis is staying active in separate projects like The Cola Heads and thrash metallers Chainbreaker, so don't miss out on his bands! 

Band Bio: Originally launched by Julian Swift, Liam Jaeger, and Wesley Dixon in 1997 when they were around 14 years old, The Cola Heads made some waves in the Toronto area opening for bands like The Vapids before falling inactive for well over a decade, with members focusing on other projects through the 2000s. In 2012, Julian's older brother Nick Sewell suggested that The Cola Heads should reform, which they did that June. The band quickly released a self-titled demo of older material the following January, and quickly re-integrated themselves into the Southern Ontario concert scenes. In the past two+ years, The Cola Heads have opened for the likes of The Nailheads, Guttermouth, and The Saigon Hookers, while recording more original material, and finalizing their current quartet lineup, with Curtis Faux joining circa early 2014. Still hard at work with new concerts, look for more from The Cola Heads in the coming months!

The Cola Heads' skate punk sound harbours a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and compared to Jules & Curtis' past work together in The Labour Of..., this band will arguably be more up punk fans' alleys in general, and I myself like them a lot more! Strong edgy vocals, catchy riffs, and good chemistry populated both their recent shows and what I've seen from 1997, though they've considerably improved their stage presence in the years since their debut. You don't see too many bands reunite after 15 or so years apart (one offs aside), but The Cola Heads have made it work, and Curtis fits in nicely in their current lineup too! It'd be interesting to see him bring the band north to the Soo, and give The Cola Heads a listen for some strong punk rock!

The above links feature videos and audio from The Cola Heads, including their full 2013 demo, while there's plenty of other videos of theirs on YouTube to check out, including videos from at least two 1997 concerts of theirs, and plenty on guitarist Liam Jaeger's own YouTube channel, like this video of their current lineup playing two songs at The Bovine Sex Club last fall, so give it a look below, and check out much more from The Cola Heads at the above links!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month in this series, we'll stay in the realm of Toronto punk for 2015 with a look at The Tight Ship, a new age punk band featuring Sault Ste. Marie native Valerie Calam on drums! Look for that on or around February 26th, and stay tuned for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!