Martin Comeau
Dan Heller: Photography
Gary Carpenter: web design, CD design
Kaz Bradford

Deregulators is a new band with a debut CD “Too Many Questions” that combines the heaviness of mainstay bands like Nine Inch Nails, the songwriting melodic sense of Stone Temple Pilots, and some of the heavy psychedelic feel of Soundgarden.  Big Vocals, Big Guitars and Big Drums, all at once.

What sets Deregulators apart is not just the huge sound production, thanks to mix engineering team of Marc Senasac and BZ Lewis, but Ford’s intense vocal performances that draw comparison to Paul Rodgers, Eric Clapton, Chris Cornell at their best.  The depth and emotion of the lyrics, and abstraction and power of the phrases and singing approach.  These are not love songs or “get down, party on” style songs.  Far from it.  These are brooding, intriguing dark songs with burried rays of hope and light and suggestions of immortality.  The sheer power of Ford’s vocals is apparent on every track, with lines that you will remember for a long time to come, with strong melodies -- not just force and soul.  Just enough tidbits of weird and wild guitar parts, this is not a shredders album. The guitar parts build and support the songs.

 ”We wanted to approach the emotional topics of war, and the human and social costs of severe natural dissasters that were happening all around us.  But unlike a lot of other musicians, we are not crying for help or mercy in these situations.  We are suggesting that there are “Too Many Questions” and a deeper long-term insidious nature of the global situation, with increasing population, and severe factions on the frindges of a classic value systems (like ours), and the inability of all politicians to meet these challenges and diverse responses required to overcome them. Yet we reach inside to unlock the ability of individuals to understand and personally overcome these challenges. Its kind a “Damn the Environment, Empower the individual spirit” approach. We acknowledge individuals’ power and capabilities often come from higher powers and mysterious revelations.

 Some songs incorporate heavy funk beat, (such as “Don’t Ask”), so that DJ’s can use it in House and Industrial contexts – but only more adventurous DJs.  Another example, psychedelic techniques like backwards guitars in layers, and wild wrap-around vocal echos grace the heavy psychedelic song “Shining Soul Bright”. The deeper recesses of the mind & soul connections are probed in the mysterious long bridge section of “Controlled Demolition” in which giant objects in huge caverns are struck hard and ring out, while the distant cries of “Mental Plague” and “Psychopathic Circle” encircle the listener

Produced by Chris Rigatuso, Skyfollow Records, Deregulators leveraged the latest in remote production techniques “virtual audio sharing (VAS)” to allow this CD to come together from different tracking sessions in different cities.  “The website Skyfollow.com has a collaborate feature, that allowed us to build our sessions from performances in various cities. We are really proud of the results… and this represents a first for our method”.  Chris produced the CD in collaboration with two top San Francisco based studio engineers, Marc Senasac http://www.yellowteapot.com/audio/artists.html (Digital underground, The Mars Volta, 2 Pac, Blue Oyster Cult, En Vogue, Exodus, Franz Ferdinand, Michael Shrieve, Jonathan Cain) and BZ Lewis http://studio132.com/clients.html (Blink182, Beck, Alien Sex Cult, Krisis).  The result captures the bands energy and suggests the mind-bending origins to the extreme events that continue to pound the earth every week. “It was great working with Marc and BZ Lewis, since they immediately understood the direction from the rough mixes, and worked to carry out our vision, using their intuition and artistry”, says Chris. A lot of heavy bands are targetted at teenage boys with a simple aggression and lots of shouting. This is definitely not us. This CD is for young and old adults with hearts, minds and souls, but who have a sense of mystery, an edge and have “Too Many Questions”.  The writing and production shows this.

The Deregulators live in a shroud of mystery. Ford Sundet, the singer lives in a castle in Ottawa Canada, the Guitar player Chris Rigatuso lives just outside of San Francisco, California near the coast, and D’Pauldi lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota heart of midwestern rock scene, home to Prince and the Husker Du, Replacements, etc. the 90’s phonoms.  Each of the Deregulators plays in their own city on sessions and local bands.  For Deregulators, gigs will be rare, large and unannounced. They prefer it that way, its part of their mystery.  Although the members have toured abroad extensively, they have not yet as the Deregulators. Chris says, “our hope is to strike a new chord with sophisticated and intelligent Rock listeners, and create an international presence of conscience, but with powerful and heavy music.”

The Band is prepping for few selected showcase events in major cities on the west coast of USA in 2006. Sample tracks and related merchandise can be found on www.skyfollow.com/deregulators. From time to time, the Deregulators will update the website, with a new song, to keep the growing base of fans intrigued and talking about the next chance to seem them live…  For more information, please go to contact page.

Look for the CD on Itunes, Amazon.com, Tower Records, and hear samples on www.skyfollow.com