Animatist is the brainchild of local Brampton and Guelph high-school friends Brent O’Toole, Jon Westwood, and Ian Hinds. A group determined to find their place in the modern media frenzy and bring something new to the surrounding musical world. Their Neo-Psychedelic vibes cleverly mashed together with dub and electronic influences brings both a textured and expansive tone to their compositions. Initially started by Brent O’Toole, who wrote most of the songs that appear on their debut EP “Seeds”, he quickly found Bassist Jon Westwood to help co-write the songs. When a drummer was needed they turned immediately to a local high-school friend Ian Hinds and it was in those first jam sessions that the chemistry was immediately obvious. As a three piece they completed their debut EP, and began streaming it freely on MySpace. Based on the mostly positive response, the band has since been asked to perform at many local venues, including most recently headlining the Music with Momentum artist gala performance at the Brampton Rose Theatre. They’ve successfully carried their refined studio sound into the live environment, impressing audiences wherever they perform.

The key element in the broad texture of sounds this band presents are the various backgrounds behind each member. Jon Westwood was constantly interested in the arts, mainly visual, until he picked up the trombone for an elementary school music program. In his final year of high-school, he began playing bass, and after spending some time composing small electronic mixes within his own home, he sought out a similar musical interest in his high-school friend Brent. Guitarist and Vocalist Brent O’Toole followed a very similar path of attending the same music high-school but studied mainly on Clarinet before moving to guitar. He was involved in several different bands before Animatist, including a blues rock trio, a short-lasting pop group, and is now involved in the newly formed Jazz Alley Quartet. All these various influential experiences between the two members created a well-rounded and mostly unique sound. Drummer and Percussionist Ian Hinds began studying drums at a young age and became heavily interested in the musical stylings of psychedelic rock, and many artists of the 90’s. With an added Acid Jazz influence, Hind’s playing quickly matured into a very defined yet explosive style, which constantly contributes a very diverse percussion element to all of their music.

Constantly looking to expand and evolve, Animatist has just begun demoing tracks for a full length album, which currently has no announced release date. While on the hunt for a fourth member to complete their live performance, the group is mainly searching for a place to start in the rough world of the music industry, and looking to find support wherever anyone is willing to listen.

Animatist: The ever evolving, expansive sound of musicians looking to make their Psychedelic tones heard in the mainstream world. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.