Craic The Lens

Craic The Lens started as a way for guitarist/vocalist, Justin Wilson, to try something new. A product of eastern Canadian roots and someone influenced by his father’s tales of a childhood in Nova Scotia, that something became a nod to the Celtic genre and a reason to step behind a microphone. In late 2011 – in Dublin, Ireland – he began writing what would become the first Craic The Lens album. Performing the majority of the musical duties on his own, the album was completed in May of 2012. Eventually, Wilson recruited life-long friend, Taylor Lang, and recent Newfoundland import, Aiden Dunne, to fill out his live sound. And they just sort of never left. In July 2012, Craic The Lens released their self-titled EP with the single “Waiting in the Water” finding its way to radio stations across the country and in eastern U.S. cities. That September, the band was approached by banjoist, Jake Hall, who would become the band’s official fourth member. After playing steadily for more than a year – it was time to record a follow-up. In June 2013, they began recording the first songs for "The Cannon". A completely independent work, the 10-song album was released on June 5, 2014 to a packed house at one of Calgary’s premier venues, Broken City. That same month, the band was chosen as a winner of X92.9FM’s annual Xposure contest with their single, “The Jig Is Up.” PRESS In their time together, the band has received attention both locally and beyond. They were featured in regular rotation for several months on Calgary’s X92.9 FM in late 2012, and also charted on CJSW 90.9 FM, where they performed live on-air in the fall. They have also received airplay on radio shows and podcasts across North America, most notably on Radio Crystal Blue in Philadelphia, Quebec City’s CKRL 89.1 FM “Illusions Auditives”, and Windsor, Ontario's CJAM 99.1 FM. Through the WiFi PR Group, with who they signed with in the summer of 2013, Craic The Lens was included on a compilation given out at the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago, with the song "Tip Your Hat To Broken Crowns". In February 2014, a feature article from www.imveryape.com focused on another, "The Jig Is Up", and in May 2014 the band was chosen to be one of the top ten finalists in the eighth annual Xposure contest from X92.9. In June, they were also filmed and interviewed for an upcoming Canadian music documentary, "Between Rock and a Hard Place", which includes acts such as The Sheepdogs, Gob, and The Dudes. Check us out on Itunes! https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/craic-the-lens-ep/id541083848 Music