Despistado.

THE CITY OF REGINA sits deep within the remote plains of Saskatchewan, Canada. For those of you feeling a bit geographically-challenged, it's due north of Montana, additionally famous for being recorded as the coldest place in the world. Quite honestly, unless you crave long and dreadfully dark winters (Regina averages only 2,365 hours of sunlight per year), it's not a desirable place to live, breath, and/or create music.--Brian Tunney

The thriving indie music scenes of Vancouver and Toronto are solid 24-hour drives each in either direction (if you make good time), far from the isolated independent community of Regina, which boasts (on the average) 30 blizzard hours per year. It's also home to one of Jade Tree Record's newest acts, the four life-long residents known as Despistado.

Despistado formed in late 2001 when childhood friends Dagan Harding (guitar, vocals) and Leif Thorsath (guitar) found a rhythm section in fellow Regina residents Brenan Schwartz (drams) and Joel Passmore (bass, backing vocals). In the time since the formation, Despistado have been honing their hometown-infused brand of flash-frozen frantic, danceable, up-beat punk across Canada's boundless tundra. In June of 2002, the band entered the studio minus coats and recorded their first EP, "The Emergency Response," which was then released by Does Everyone Stare records and distributed throughout Canada.

A long, mundane journey through the Canadian Post and US Customs eventually landed 'The Emergency Response' EP in the hands of Jade Tree Records co-owner Darren Walters. Walters liked what he heard, flew over the border, caught a live show from the band and then promptly signed them to the "music we release because we like it" DIY label based in Delaware. This past June, "The Emergency Response" was re-released on a much broader scale by the highly esteemed label--and the response couldn't be more warranted within the warmer latitudes south of Saskatchewan.

Depending on who you ask, "The Emergency Response" runs the gamut of influences, ranging from Gang of Four to Wire to Repeater-era Fugazi to a more danceable version of Refused. Call it a union of mutated melodies, borrowing sounds and influences from the left, right, old and new sides of the indie scene--a 20-minute journey through the world of artful punk, where anything can and must go. And since it was probably too cold to go outside while these songs were being written, why the hell not? In April, Despistado made that loathsome 24-hour journey to Vancouver to record their first full length with recording engineer Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse), which will be available in October on Jade Tree. The ensuing spring saw them opening for The Pixies at home in Regina, followed by slots in the Jade Tree showcase at Austin's infamous SXSW Festival. As of late, Despistado recently finished up a comprehensive tour of Canada with label mates Statistics. The hand ventured west, then east, and then concluded the tour with a quaint 30-hour drive back to Regina.

Despistado's music is forged upon the isolation and extremes offered by their hometown. They've added a dash of perseverance, too much driving, a keen sense of melody and a confusing namesake (the English translation of the Spanish word Despistado literally means "confused"). The proceeding combination might just be enough to get them through the long cold winters of Regina, and into the warm stereo consoles of many listeners south of the Canadian border.

And now, please congratulate me for not using the Canadian expression "Eh!" once during this write-up (Previous sentence excluded of course ...)