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Down with Webster

Down with Webster is a Canadian rap rock band from The Beaches area of Toronto who signed with Universal Motown in April 2009. The band first achieved commercial success with the release of the 2009 EP, Time to Win, Vol. I which consisted of the singles "Rich Girl$", "Your Man" and "Whoa Is Me". Their major-label debut album, Time to Win, Vol. II (2011) featured the track "She's Dope". The 2014 follow-up album Party for Your Life included the songs "One in a Million" and "Chills." The band has been nominated for Juno Awards, MuchMusic Video Awards and Canadian Radio Music Awards.

History

1998–2007: Career beginnings

Down with Webster originally started as an instrumental jazz band that was formed in a music class at Glen Ames Senior Public School in 1998 by band members Patrick Gillett and Tyler Armes. They, along with the original members of the band, quickly named the group toward the end of class after the beloved titular character from the 80s sitcom Webster, who is played by Emmanuel Lewis. Following a victory at their school's "Battle of the Bands" competition, the group was joined by Andrew Martino and Martin "Bucky" Seja, students from Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, and other members who attended Malvern Collegiate Institute. As a jam band, they made reggae, funk and jazz inspired music in Armes' father garage. Hip-hop elements were incorporated into their music once Seja became a part of the group and rapped along with Gillett, who also brought an influence of blues rock to the band.

The band released a six-track CD-R EP titled The Reverb Session July '03. This release was primarily sold at concerts in 2003 and 2004. Hype man Kyle "Kap" Fairlie, a former actor whose voice work includes roles in the Nelvana series Redwall, Franklin, Babar and Rolie Polie Olie, and the film The Little Bear Movie, and rapper Cameron "Cam" Hunter would later join the band's lineup. In 2007, the band released their debut independent self-titled album.

2008–2012: Time to Win, Vol. I & II

The group built a following through their energetic shows. Jill Langlois of Chart recounted their performance at Canadian Music Week in March 2008: "...the band exploded onto the stage and never slowed down or stopped. Words will never really describe the Down With Webster experience." She described them as "flashy and obnoxious, but fun and loveable". In June, the group was named 'Best Unsigned Artist in Canada' by Rogers Mobile and received a recording prize worth $25,000. After facing years of rejection, they captured the attention of music executives including musicians Gene Simmons and Timbaland, who wanted to sign the band to their respective record labels. The former had aspirations for them to appear in a reality series to grow their audience as well. According to Timbaland, "That group is the most amazing and creative, innovative group that's going to come out in 2010." Ultimately, they signed with Universal/Motown. The band's debut gold-certified EP Time to Win, Vol. I was released on October 6, 2009. The lead single from EP "Rich Girl$", which sampled the Hall & Oates track of the same name, peaked at No. 21 on the Canadian Hot 100. In the fall of 2009, they opened for Forever the Sickest Kids on the Cheap Date Tour.

The follow-up single "Your Man" peaked at No. 12 on the Hot 100, and was certified double platinum in digital downloads by the CRIA. The first headlining tour, WINTOUR I, had the band tour Canada and the United States in January and February 2010. The tour started in Halifax on January 7 and ended on February 1 in Vancouver. The band also opened for Timbaland on two dates in February on the Shock Value II Tour. They were nominated for 'New Group of the Year' at the 2010 Juno Awards, losing to Arkells. Additionally, they received nominations for 'UR Fave: New Artist' and 'Pop Video of the Year'. at the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards. The third single "Whoa Is Me", was released on June 15, 2010, and peaked at No. 13 on the Canadian Hot 100. Over the summer, they played at festivals such as the SCENE Music Festival, the Ottawa Bluesfest and the Sarnia Bayfest, where they opened for the Black Eyed Peas. After finishing the Streets of Gold Tour with 3OH!3, the band would "lock ourselves in the studio for a couple of months" and finish their forthcoming album. The tour was completed on November 24, 2010, at Albuquerque, New Mexico. They then performed at the pregame show for the 98th Grey Cup. In December, they won the 'Online Artist of the Year' at the 2010 Canadian New Media Awards.

WINtour II, a cross-Canada tour that supported their upcoming album began on February 22, 2011, in Lethbridge, Alberta and ended on March 12 in Toronto. They were nominated for two awards at the Juno Awards of 2011, Group of the Year and Pop Album of the Year. The band also performed at the awards ceremony on March 27. They received four nominations at 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards, winning one for Pop Video of the Year for "Whoa Is Me". On May 12, 2011, it was announced that hype man Kyle "Kap" Fairlie was no longer in the band, citing their reason as "6 guys going in one musical direction that didn't quite fit with the 7th." The group played at summer festivals and exhibitions including the Red River Exhibition and Capital Ex, where Armes' former band the Midway State was their supporting act. The first single from their upcoming album, "She's Dope", was released on May 23, 2011. It peaked at No. 18 on the Hot 100. "Big Wheels" was released as the album's second single on September 9, 2011, and peaked at No. 51 on the Hot 100. Time to Win, Vol. II was released on October 31, 2011, and reached No. 9 on the Canadian Albums Chart. On December 20, 2011, the band released their iTunes Session EP that included live versions of songs from the album. In 2012, they embarked on the third edition of their WINtour. "Royalty" and "Jessica" became the final singles from the album. The band made a cameo appearance in the Canadian comedic film The Movie Out Here later that year.

2013–2015: Party for Your Life

On March 20, 2013, the band released the single "One in a Million". They continued opening for Marianas Trench on the second leg of the Face The Music Tour in Canada after opening for them in the fall of 2012. On August 13, 2013, the band released the song "Party for Your Life". It was later revealed that Party for Your Life is also the name of the upcoming album, originally scheduled for release on October 22, 2013. The album was later pushed back to January 28, 2014, to include newer material in the album. It peaked at No. 2 on the Canadian Albums Chart and was nominated for Pop Album of the Year at the Juno Awards. Their version of "Saturday Night" was played during the NHL's 2013–14 season on Hockey Night in Canada. "Chills" was released on December 17, 2013, becoming the band's fourth single to reach the top 20 of the Canadian Hot 100 and spending 34 weeks on the chart—longer than any song they released previously. On February 9, 2014, an alternate version of "Feel So Alive" was played during the CBC Olympic broadcasts of the 2014 Winter Olympics. The band toured from 2014, starting the fourth and final installment of their WINtour series across Canada, to opening slots in 2015 in the US. Their DJ Dave "Diggy" Ferris decided to stop touring with the group in 2014 after his girlfriend became pregnant with their first child. In the US, they joined the tours of Hoodie Allen, Timeflies and Jonny Craig.

2016–present: Other projects, V and reunion

In 2016, Armes released two songs that he had made with Gillett under the name Best Night Ever. Proceeds from the singles supported Kids Help Phone and The Trevor Project. Seja started a new project called Karter Park with original band member, Kierscey.

Gillett opened up about his struggles with mental health and created music with Armes, Martino and Hunter while maintaining his sobriety which later became a part of an album, released under the band name Honors, titled Feel Better (2018).

During the summer of 2020, the group released the songs, "Love Is Not Enough" and "Take Us Alive" from an album called V which was recorded back in 2015. Armes shared that V is their final album after its surprise release in February 2021.

The band members remain active in the music industry. Seja and Hunter signed a publishing deal as songwriters. Hunter has also continued to release solo albums. Martino worked on Hunter's music as well as the soundtracks for the My Little Pony web series Tell Your Tale and television special Bridlewoodstock. Armes produced the scores for the CBC series, Anyone's Game and Run the Burbs. Gillett releases music independently. Ferris is a real estate agent that djs on occasion.

On April 1, 2024, Down with Webster returned and announced via social media that the band will be having a reunion tour in the summer with tour dates coming soon. On April 3, it was announced that the group will headline the Super-Spike Volleyball tournament on July 19 and 20.

Members

Current members

Cameron Hunter — rap vocals, vocals
Martin "Bucky" Seja – rap vocals, vocals
Patrick Gillett – guitar, rap vocals, lead vocals
Tyler Armes – bass guitar, keyboards
Andrew "Marty" Martino – drums

Past members

Kyle "Kap" Fairlie – backing vocals
Dave "Diggy" Ferris — turntables
Kierscey Regozo – keyboards
Matt Campitelli – guitar
Mitchell Wong – saxophone

Influences

Their influences range across many genres including pop, rock, hip-hop, jazz and electronic music. Armes has cited Michael Jackson; electronic artists Justice and Skrillex; and jazz fusion musicians Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorious as inspirations, while Gillett and Hunter has credited hip-hop groups Beastie Boys, Wu-Tang Clan and Cypress Hill; and rock bands Aerosmith, Rage Against the Machine and Led Zeppelin for helping the band shape their blend of music.