THE LONG BIO

​​Since their inception, Colour Tongues has taken hits and weathered storms, both literally and figuratively - and they’re still alive to tell the story. Coming from a variety of influences and life journeys, the band has survived mountain blizzards, floods and car crashes to bring you dreamy and high-energy indie rock - taking you on a journey to the 1980's and back to the present, with a stop-off in the early 2000's. The fundamentals of the music combine elements of math and progressive rock but with the danceable sensibilities of indie pop. Having opened for the likes of Canadian Alt-rock legends Moist, the band delivers an electrifying live show that pulsates through the crowd like a wave of sonic nostalgia you won't soon forget. Whether it's the lulling sway of "Wasted" or the pumping anthemic rock of "Midnight Island", their live show takes the audience through a musical journey that ebbs, flows, crescendos and explodes.

James Challis, Colour Tongue’s singer and guitarist is an Australian native who as a young musician was in awe when introduced to Transatlanticism and Plans by Death Cab for Cutie. Inspired by the poetry and imagery in the lyrics, and the songwriting relationship between Chris Walla and Ben Gibbard, Challis was determined to form his own band.

Over the next couple of years Challis leaned heavily into music and moved to Vancouver where he met bass player Dan Lavergne via craigslist. The two clicked musically and began writing together, forming the band Colour Tongues with two other musicians: Hamish Miller (guitar) and John Bazuick (drums). The band recorded a self-titled EP before Bazuick and Miller departed for other pursuits. Challis and Lavergne, their bond now stronger than ever, continued, committed to finding the right musicians to complete their vision for Colour Tongues.

In 2017 after recently moving to Vancouver to become a nurse, drummer Dave Taylor met Challis at a party in. The two of them got on like a house on fire and shortly thereafter, Taylor was invited to join the band. Their infectious dynamic has fueled Colour Tongues ever since.

Meanwhile, guitarist Graeme Meekison was finishing high school feeling somewhat adrift. Not knowing what to do with his life, he refused to go to University without knowing his direction. Left to noodle around on his Ibanez, Meekison started writing prog rock inspired solo work which caught the attention of Challis (again via Craiglist). Meekison was invited to join in a jam session with the group and voila -- Colour Tongues was reborn.

The quartet played a series of shows in Vancouver in early 2018 to cut their teeth, then went on a 7-show tour across the Rocky Mountains in May of that year. Mid-tour with a couple of nights to kill in Cranbrook, BC, Challis canvassed local eateries to see if anyone would hire the band. One local restauranter offered the band $500 to play for the dinner crowd and a deal was struck. The owner -- not realizing she had hired a rock group -- complained all night to both staff and patrons that the music was too loud and ‘just awful’. Unsurprisingly, the venue never responded back to the band’s inquiries about further employment opportunities.

After returning from tour, the band entered the studio with Producer Elisa Pangsaeng to record two new singles to be released on their 2018 EP, entitled “Almost East.”. The album charted on non-commercial radio across Canada, and cracked Earshot Magazine’s top 50 list.

Tragedy struck in the summer of 2019, when on the day of the band’s first show in Whistler, BC, Lavergne’s mother died under mysterious circumstances in Winnipeg. Lavergne insisted on playing that night: “My mother would have wanted me to play -- and that’s what I needed”.

Once the band reunited in the Fall of 2019, they re-entered the studio, this time with producer Matt di Pomponio (Matty D) at Echoplant Studios to begin recording three new tracks. The band met Matty through the Calgary-based band Shuffalo and were impressed by his sonic creativity and work ethic. They were also endeared by his quirk of having episodes of The Simpsons play in the background while he worked. In February 2020, the single “Control” was released -- the band’s first track that would break 100K streams on spotify.

Shortly after this the band went back on the road! En route through the snowy Okanagen to the first show of the tour, the band was hit by an oncoming driver who skidded across a double yellow line. Suffering relatively minor injuries after the head-on collision, the band made it to their show in Kelowna, but the psychological and emotional trauma would test their bonds for the remainder of the tour. Exhausted and spiritually drained the band made all their dates, finished the tour and made it back to Vancouver in one piece. they decided to take the rest of the month of March off to undergo a period of soul-searching and self-reflection. Two weeks later the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, and provincial restrictions were put into place.

Taylor, now a registered nurse, was deployed to the Lynn Valley Care Centre (the first COVID-19 outbreak in Canada) to battle the virus while the rest of the band under Challis’ leadership took to writing the next generation of Colour Tongues’ music.

Reuniting in May 2020, the band was ready to focus on its future. Taking great caution during the pandemic, Colour Tongues returned to the studio with Matty D and completed work on their debut LP, “Midnight Island”, coming out in May 2022. Colour Tongues returned to the stage with a sold out show in Vancouver in September 2021 and were back on the road in October.

In December 2021, the boys organized "The 7 O'Clock Cheer - a celebration of BC's healthcare workers". The show was held at the Imperial Theatre in Vancouver and included a video address by Dr. Bonnie Henry and $2,000 raised for charity. 

The band has big things planned for 2022 including festivals, their first foray to Ontario, and the release of their debut LP, “Midnight Island” on May 19, 2022.