Album Notes

Rock and Roll's not dead, it's just not sure what face to wear. Alternative rock, psychedelic rock, stoner rock? In this age of fragmented musical genres, Pope Factory remembers what it is to be a rock band. Unencumbered with concerns of fitting into the musical stalls of today's commercial market, Pope Factory have been crafting well conceived, well executed songs from their inception. Although small in it's scale, their self-titled debut EP in 1999 was met with critical praise within the indie music scene. Ultimately, back-to-back showcases at the 1999 and 2000 CMJ Music Marathon in New York City resulted in Pope Factory's first exposure to the US market; no small coup for an independent Canadian band. Buoyed by the success of their initial foray into the music biz, Pope Factory worked hard and played extensively in and around their home base of Toronto for a number of months before responding to demand for a new album. Closing the factory doors, the band shut down their psychedelic live show and returned to their first love; the studio. One of the things that makes Pope Factory such a unique and interesting band is their unwavering commitment to maintaining complete control over the making of their albums. From owning and operating their own top-flight recording equipment to the creation of all original album and poster artwork; the band has a profound belief in crafting an album as opposed to the more financially oriented avenue of manufacturing product. To that end, Pope Factory locked themselves away in their studio in the Spring of 2000 to begin work on the record which was to become their new release: Hibernation Generation. Produced and engineered by bassist/keyboardist Peter Muha, the album took eight months to write and record. Founded on the ambitious, conceptual songwriting of both vocalist/guitarist Scott Warren and Peter Muha and augmented with excellent performances by drummer Andre Skinner and lead guitar player Phil Crechiolo, the result is some of the best conceptual album-oriented rock today. With a record release date of May 30th 2001, Pope Factory are busy making preparations for their US tour. Beginning with Buffalo NY in June, the tour will cover venues throughout the US and is scheduled to continue well into 2002. Bringing their psychedelic stage show with them and performing 'Hibernation Generation' in it's entirety, the upcoming tour may prove to be the most challenging and ambitious band endeavor to date. To find out when and where Pope Factory will be playing or to contact the band, visit them at www.popefactory.com