The Mission Light

"What's in a name? Just ask members of The Mission Light. After gigging for years as The Guy Abraham Band -- named for their singer-guitarist -- they altered the handle to reflect the band's greater creative input. If the sense of collaboration one gets from this full-length album is anything to go by, it was a move that was long overdue.

These 10 mature rock cuts are superbly crafted and artfully arranged, balancing warm melodies and soaring vocals with jam-band performances and mellow confidence. If you've ever wondered how Coldplay and Dave Matthews would sound together, here's your answer."

"The Mission Light’s debut, Hearts for City Limits, boasts a fascinating blend of folk and pop elements. The album’s 10 acoustic-driven songs are propelled to great heights by the soul-stirring vocals of Guy Abraham, and are further enhanced by the lush organ, piano and violin interplay throughout. They range in mood from quiet and introspective to intense and emotional, often in the same song. The musicianship is excellent, with the above-mentioned piano-violin interplay reaching its zenith on Breakdown in the Afterglow, where Abraham asks of the listener: “Here we are / Are we living?”

Fans of Coldplay will enjoy the epic soundscapes found within HFCL. With its themes of hope and the search for truth, The Mission Light’s Hearts for City Limits is bound to find a home in the hearts of a vast array of listeners."

"Our fair city seems to have no shortage of all types of bands working hard to make themselves a notable place in the constantly shape-shifting music scene. The Mission Light no doubt has enough of a fan base to release an album, and on its face, Hearts for City Limits is a candidate for success.

Buoyed by their first-rate musicianship, the album rolls out of the speakers with an earnestness and even some personality. Vocalist Guy Abrahams' soaring vocals are lifted to dizzying heights while being pushed along by the melodious tones of violinist Saya Gahungu. Their progressive folk will appeal to those that enjoy a certain ebb and flow and the option of closing ones eyes and mentally drifting far outside the limits of any city."

"Hearts for City Limits, the debut from alt-rock act The Mission Light, features epic soundscapes, excellent musicianship and powerhouse vocals courtesy of frontman Guy Abraham... An unquestionably sophisticated album tailor-made for radio play. Tunes such as A Highway Song and album standout Breakdown in the Afterglow possess plenty of heart..."

"Hearts for City Limits is an accomplished debut from Winnipeg pop/folk act the Mission Light. Travelling is a theme of the record, with song titles like “Through These Streets,” “A Highway Song” and “Homecoming.” These ten tracks come courtesy of a highly talented group of musicians, superbly produced by Gemini Award-winning producer/engineer Norman Dugas (Leaderhouse, Daniel ROA) and mixed and mastered by Kyle Sierens (Sick City, Common Lives). Formerly known as the Guy Abraham band, which was named after its SOCAN Award-winning singer-songwriter, the group has a warm, acoustic flare, combining soft melodies, (partly due to the very talented Saya Gahungu on violin) with large, bold vocals. The record incorporates not only percussion and guitars, but also features pianos and organs, and it showcases both the group’s artistic and musical talents. The Duhks’ Sarah Dugas makes an appearance on “A Highway Song,” along with Dust Rhinos’ Dale Brown, who adds additional violin on “So Much More” and “Breakdown in the Afterglow.” Other Duhks Cristian Dugas and Scott Senior have also recently contributed to some upcoming tracks. With reflective and heartfelt songs that hold a creative edge, these local musicians are well on their way to making a name for themselves."

Le musicien francophone Guy Abraham poursuit sa carrière avec son groupe The Mission Light, qui vient de lancer son premier album.

Le groupe The Mission Light a lancé son premier album, Hearts For City Limits, en grande pompe avec deux spectacles au Park Theatre de Winnipeg, les 29 et 30 juin.

Connu sous le nom de Guy Abraham Band en 2004, le groupe folk rock s’est métamorphosé en The Mission Light en 2007. « The Mission Light, c’est un peu une source de lumière dans la noirceur, une source qui nous sort de la torpeur, indique l’auteur-compositeur-interprète, Guy Abraham. Nous avons un style et un son qui nous démarquent des autres groupes. Nos influences de rock alternatif, de musique folk et celtique nous donnent une sonorité inégalée qui captive l’attention des gens. »

Au début de 2006, après des séances d’écriture intensive, le groupe décide de plonger et réalise quelques chansons en studio avec le producteur Normand Dugas. L’expérience s’avoue prolifique, donnant un nouveau souffle au groupe.

« C’est à ce moment qu’on s’est rendu compte qu’on avait quelque chose de spécial et qu’il fallait l’exploiter, dit Guy Abraham. On a travaillé fort et le résultat est très satisfaisant. L’album est bien rodé, les chansons sont explosives et surtout, nous avons un produit que nous sommes fiers de présenter en album et sur scène. »

Pour le lancement de l’album Hearts for City Limits, deux membres fondateurs de The Mission Light, Saya Gahungu et Jamie Smythe, qui ont quitté le groupe récemment, sont remontés sur scène au côté de Guy Abraham, Alain Muller, Jamie Todd, Rob Nicolas et Dale Brown.

« Jamie Smythe est déménagé à Vancouver pour étudier et Saya Gahungu a des projets personnels, indique Guy Abraham. Mais ils ont été une partie intégrale de l’enregistrement de l’album et il fallait qu’ils soient présents lors du lancement. Que l’on soit sept ou cinq sur scène, nous offrons un style qui plaît à une variété de gens et c’est notre force. »

L’album est disponible en magasin et sur iTunes. The Mission Light espère pouvoir faire une tournée pancanadienne dans un avenir rapproché. En attendant, le groupe participera au Festival Fringe et se produira le 26 juillet à 22 h 30, sur la scène Old Market Square de la rue Osborne.

« On espère pouvoir lancer quelques autres chansons sur le marché avant la fin de l’année, confirme Guy Abraham. Et comme nous voulons faire découvrir notre musique à travers le pays, la composition de chansons en français est aussi envisagée. ‘Sky is the limit’ comme on dit. »

Go with the flow - The Mission Light went into the studio to record a demo and came out with a full-length record

Go with the flow at a pair of CD-release shows on June 29 and 30 at the Park Theatre, The Mission Light will unveil its debut album, Hearts for City Limits - the product of the local band riding the crest of a musical wave.

"A few years back, probably early 2006, the original lineup of myself, Alain Muller on bass, Saya Gahunga on violin and Jamie Smythe on drums, we got together with Norman Dugas (producer/engineer)," says Guy Abraham, 31, who handles vocals, guitar and piano in The Mission Light. "We had the intention of recording a high-quality, two-song demo and the results were amazing. Once we got a taste of what could be, we thought, 'Why not lay a few more tracks down and see what happens?' So two songs became five and we realized we were onto something, that we were laying down the foundations of a really great record."

To present a great record, you need a great band. Now part-time members Smythe and Gahunga (Smythe now lives in Vancouver and Gahunga is concentrating on his education) will be playing the CD-release show, joining Abraham, Muller and the The Mission Light's newest members, violinist Dale Brown and guitarist Rob Nicolas. Also making appearances will be Sarah Dugas (The Duhks) and Jon Kirouac (The Civil Disobedients, The JD Edwards Band).

"Our album has so many layers. To us, it's quite epic, so in order for us to perform it in its entirety at one time, we thought this was the perfect opportunity to do it," Abraham says. "We're not going to bring a seven- or eight-piece band on the road, but we thought for this one thing why not have all the instrumentation onstage as much as possible and try to make it work?"

It will be a team effort from The Mission Light, a band that, in its beginnings, was more of a solo project.

"When we first got together in 2004, for four solid years we did the pub circuit in Winnipeg under my name, The Guy Abraham Band," Abraham says. "A lot of those tunes we were playing then were songs I had written. It came to the point where we decided to shift away from the singer/songwriter style and really focus on everyone bringing ideas to the table. Although I am the principal songwriter and producer, everyone brings a different quality to the sound and great ideas. Everyone puts in their two cents, and it becomes something different and greater - greater than one person could do on their own."