The Pocket Co.: Press

"SATURDAY NIGHT AT MORLEY GIBSON'S"
An organ, mandolin and accordion hardly seem like ingredients for a kick-ass rock album but this band pulled it off. If you’ve tired on every little punk band sounding like carbon copies of each other and long for the days of old school rock and roll, prepare yourselves for Saturday Night at Morley Gibson’s.

The album is actually the soundtrack to the Last Waltz-style documentary about -- you guessed it -- the making of the album. This group of seemingly random musicians locked themselves in a barn somewhere in southern Ontario, turned on the mics and got the cameras rolling. The product is raw, beautiful, intricate, and seriously rock-and-roll.

The opening riff of ‘Pay for Your Sins’ sets the tone of the whole album -- reminiscent of an early Dave Matthews sound but with more of a Zepplin edge. The second song, ‘Fine Looking Women’ has a stunning old-school jam session that lasts over three minutes but really showcases the talent of the artists. ‘Take It For a Ride’ slows things down in the middle of the nine-song album and lets lead singer, Jason Chesworth, show off his smooth, folksy voice.

The lyrics are interesting, the songs are catchy and the sound is so diverse you will hardly believe it’s the same band on every track. If you love classic rock but long of a modern day alt.rock sound, The Pocket Co. is right up your alley.

IPod episodes feature local drunk people
By Jim Reyno
The Daily News

MUSIC - A Toronto band is taking a unique approach to promoting its music, and some drunken Haligonians are helping them do it.

The Pocket Co. (www.pocketcompanyband.com) is producing 10-minute IPod episodes featuring the band's music.

"The band's music is in and out throughout the episode," said Randy Ganne, who runs a production company with Pocket Co. leader Jason Chesworth. "It's the soundtrack for the episodes. It's kind of a cross-marketing idea, what we're working on. It's not a shameless promotion for the band at all."

Ganne says the group planed to shoot footage yesterday in the Bayers Lake Business Park for a Christmas segment for a future IPod episode.

The plan is for people to enjoy the segment - and the music used to support it.

"We're not actually out there saying, 'Hey, this is a band,'" Ganne said about the promotion of Pocket Co.'s six-song EP Presenting. "We're just out there with a camera and a microphone, getting people's honest reaction to questions - serious and not.

"Really, it just ended up being a cross-marketing campaign where we're tying in the band to to all of it. Because at the end of the day, that's what we're trying to do - sell some copies of our album."

A recurring segment is titled Ask a Drunk Person, which the group is filming tonight in Halifax.

"It's basically getting the truth from the street, from people ... while intoxicated," said Ganne.

The Halifax footage is expected to be ready in about a week.

View The Pocket Co.'s EPK

Jason Chesworth has been busy making his way in the acting world for the past few years, but has now turned his attention to music, alongside the Pocket Co.
This 6 track mini album boogies along its own merry way blurring the lines between rock, pop, soul, blues and jazz, never conforming to any one idiom, rather forming its own lines and its own sounds. Jason has a fine voice which blends seamlessly with the band, adding to the general feeling of bonhomie, come on in, sit down and lets rap mood.
It's easy to tell that the rhythm section are veterans of the jazz world, as they underpin the sound, moving it along and keeping it interesting. Not that it's likely to become dull when there are songs as effervescent and memorable as "Fine Looking Woman" and "We Fit Right" to keep our ears sated.
Hopefully, his acting career won't get in the way, for this is refreshing, enjoyable and invigorating.

It's a great album!

(The Pocket Co.) brings groove to the fore in this debut...through some hammering electric guitar and strong backing vocals.

#1 requested song (Fine Looking Woman) on KAOS FM (Australia) Ison Radio Live week of May 11, 2004