Burlington band makes big waves with eight million ripples.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  January 10, 2012  – Eight million You Tube hits and counting.  Walk off the Earth, a Burlington based band has the world going whacky with their innovative approach to getting their fifteen minutes of fame.  That celebrity, Russell Crowe caught their material and tweeted his crowd about the group certainly didn’t hurt.  But as the band says – you do what you gotta do to get the exposure you need – and if you don’t do it yourself – it ain’t gonna happen  But  happen it did.  Slip over to You Tube and check it out for yourself.

You Tube just might have given Walk off the Earth the boost they needed to really make a mark on the musical scene. Are we looking at another Spoons in the making? From the left: Joel Cassady, Sarah Blackwood, Gianni Nicassio, Michael Aj Guilfoyle and Ryan Marshall.

The band set themselves up in front of a camera with five people – but just one guitar and then did one of the almost funny deadpans into the camera.  Ryan Marshall, the guy on the right doesn’t bat an eyelash as he plucks at the top end of the guitar while Joel Cassady, on the left, doesn’t even play the instrument but uses it as if it was a bongo drum and creates a neat beat.

Platinum blonde Sarah Blackwood has her head down for much of the four minute plus piece, but then pops up and looks straight into the camera to tell us about some guy that worked her over.

The band, Burlington based, uploaded the video to You Tube January 5th and somewhere along the way it went viral and were at eight million plus hits, when we saw the piece.  If this were the 50’s they’d be getting a call from Ed Sullivan.  But it isn’t – so they might have to settle for a spot on the Mayor’s Cabaret on the 24th of February.  The band is booked for The Casbah in Hamilton on the 27th of February.

Comment from a loyal reader:

“They’re now up to over 10 million views! Small name correction: the one on the right is Michael Taylor, who just happens to be the father of my beautiful goddaughter! (It’s a small town.) Ryan Marshall is second from the right.”

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