A siblings-led Canadian hard rock quartet whose
Stones-ian swagger and big melodic hooks invoke names like
the Black Keys,
the Struts,
Jet, and
Royal Blood,
Bleeker were founded in the Northern Ontario town of Orillia. Originally operating under the moniker
Bleeker Ridge, the band was formed in 2003 around the talents of brothers
Taylor (vocals) and
Cole Perkins (guitar) and
Dan (guitar) and
Dustin Steinke (drums). The group spent seven years gigging, recording, and honing its sound before inking a deal with Roadrunner Records in 2009. They recorded their debut LP, Small Town Dead, with producer
Bob Marlette (
Shinedown,
Default,
Seether) and released it the following year. Tours with
Airbourne,
Buckcherry,
My Darkest Days, and
Papa Roach followed, and in 2013 they issued the first single, "Last Cigarette," from their forthcoming sophomore outing, Four. In 2015 the band hooked up with producer/
Sixx: A.M. vocalist
James Michael to record its third studio long-player. During that time drummer
Dustin Steinke was asked to join
Sixx: A.M. on their upcoming tour, and
Bleeker, who had decided to drop "Ridge" from their name, added bass player Mike Van Dyk to their roster. Erase You, the band's inaugural release under the new name, arrived in 2016 via the Eleven Seven label. ~ James Christopher Monger