The Burden

Winter can be more than a season in northern Canada, it can become a state of mind. The Burden came together in 2013 to breathe new life into a frozen heavy music scene in their hometown of Prince George, British Columbia. Their collective drive has always been to take their music beyond the walls of their local music halls. Despite a revolving door of members in the early years, the band’s vision to forge their path in the footsteps of post-hardcore giants of the early 2000’s has never wavered. This is evident in the release of the band’s first single “Follow the Format” in 2014.

After spending much of 2015 writing and recording their debut album “Modern Disease”, The band solidified their line-up in 2016 with Jake Olexyn (vocals), Rob Bacon (guitar), Devin Vassallo (Drums), and Ross Vanosch (bass) in anticipation of the album’s release in June of the same year. Citing influences such as Underoath, Every Time I Die, Emery, and Silverstein, the album tells a personal story of life’s experiences and displays an emotional journey through the band’s diverse musical capabilities.

The band’s passion is bringing their music to a live setting. Their live performance is honest, visceral and energetic. It is their opportunity to connect with fans and leave every bit of what they put into their songs on the stage each time they play. Each member of the band believes that the purpose of their music is to be experienced up close and in person. The Burden has taken as many opportunities as possible to bring their music beyond Prince George, playing shows in some of Western Canada’s major cities such as Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna & Edmonton. In August of 2016 they had the opportunity to share the stage with Shreddy Krueger (In Vogue Records).

Following a small run of western Canada shows in the summer of 2016 they were approached by Jordan Chase (of well-known bands ‘Stutterfly’, ‘Secret & Whisper’ and ‘Shreddy Krueger’) to work with him to produce their next music project. The result is the bold and passionate new EP ‘The Presence of Past Tense’. This short collection of songs represents a brave step for The Burden into embracing the future of their musical identity, as well as shedding the weight of the struggles that held the band back in their earliest years.