United Steel Workers of Montreal (or USWM) are a six-piece alternative country ensemble based in downtown Montreal. At present, the band consists of Gern F (vocals/acoustic guitar), Felicity Hamer (vocals/accordion), Sean "Gus" Beauchamp (vocals/acoustic guitar), Matt Watson (electric guitar), Flipper Frumignac (bass) and Dylan Perron (banjo/mandolin). The band draws on punk rock, bluegrass and country influences, and is part of a "citygrass" scene of alternative country musicians in Montreal which also includes Katie Moore and Lee Mellor and the Mudhounds.
The band began as an informal busking collective, playing every Tuesday in Montreal's Lucien-L'Allier metro station. After about seven or eight months, they booked a rehearsal space and began to actively record and perform as a permanent band. Their debut album Broken Trucks and Bottles was released in April 2005 and featured Sean Moore on banjo, mandolin and guitar. Shortly after the album's release Moore left the band and was replaced by Kevin McNeilly, while session man Roger Dawson also became a member.
The new lineup followed with Kerosene and Coal in 2007. That same year, a Montreal Mirror readers' poll voted them the third best act in the city, behind only Arcade Fire and electronic duo Team Canada. In 2007 Dawson left the band and was replaced by bass player Eddie Blake.
The band is currently signed to Toronto-based indie label Weewerk.
They have toured extensively across Canada and the United States,and Europe including shows at the 2008 SXSW and Ottawa Bluesfest. Their music has also been playlisted on CBC Radio 3.
Read more about United Steel Workers Of Montreal: Discography
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“Places where he might live and die and never hear of the United States, which make such a noise in the world,—never hear of America, so called from the name of a European gentleman.”
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“I suspect that American workers have come to lack a work ethic. They do not live by the sweat of their brow.”
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