Since their inception, CIGAR CLUB has established themselves as “one of Ontario’s premier alternative rock bands.” (Spill Magazine, 2021). Their style can be simply defined as “mood rock”; a taste between alternative/grunge edginess and contrasting emotive melodies.
Their first EP release, “Cigar Club,” made a significant impact, catching the attention of Canadian icon Ian D’sa (Billy Talent). This led to an invitation to perform at his curated event at the Bovine Sex Club (NXNE 2019). This was a turning point for the band – playing alongside heavy hitters such as, The Anti Queens (Stomp Records), Excuses Excuses (Known Accomplice Records) and Lowlives (Spinefarm Records). The aftermath of the show left CIGAR CLUB feeling inspired, with the thought that they needed to take their craft to the next level. This exposure, and drive, helped the band secure their first festival slot (Gussapolooza) and receive the Artist Development Grant from FACTOR Canada in 2020, to develop their debut LP. Their debut LP, “Day, Now,” crafted by Juno award-winning engineers Darren McGill (PUP, The Dirty Nil, Arkells), Anton Delost (Silverstein, Seaway, Cleopatrick), and Noah Mintz (Broken Social Scene, Billy Talent, Death From Above 1979), catapulted the band into the alternative scene as a staple within the GTA. With their singles, CIGAR CLUB was able to secure a festival slot during Oshawa Music Week, and a radio feature on 97.7 HTZ FM’s Rocksearch competition in 2020. This campaign led CIGAR CLUB to land three more festival slots on Aurorapalooza, Voodoo Rockfest, and an invitation back to Gussapolooza. After a successful album launch, the band earned acclaim from critics on multiple online publications such as Canadian Beats, Spill Magazine, and The Soundtrack, as well as several radio features on local Ontario stations – resulting in two sold out shows in Toronto for 2021, and earned the band thousands of new followers, even in the midst of a pandemic. This newfound exposure created opportunities for the band to tour, where they made their way to 8 cities across Ontario, developing demand for their music and expanding their fan base to the outskirts of the province.
Just before the kick off of the “Day, Now Tour,” CIGAR CLUB was invited to an industry showcase event, “Lemmon Stage,” hosted at the legendary El Mocambo. The band opened for R&B rising stars, The Free Label, and were supported by Gravely (2023 Rocksearch Champions). Owner of the El Mocambo, Michael Wekerle, was ecstatic with the band’s performance – inviting them back next month to play alongside The Drifts. This subsequent show was a huge success, selling out the El Mocambo, which had people lined up outside the venue trying to pay a premium to get inside. The band’s momentum continued as they performed across Ontario, selling hundreds of tickets on their first official tour. As the tour came to an end a collaboration with Harley-Davidson quickly followed. A scout from the El Mocambo show invited the band to play at the grand opening of Harley-Davidson’s largest motorcycle shop in Ontario, where the band was showcased as a formidable group within the rock scene and motorcycle culture, gifted with a one-of-a-kind, hand painted Harley-Davidson/CIGAR CLUB denim jacket.
Fueled from their achievements, the band teamed up with Graham Shaw (Crownlands) and Noah Mintz to record two tracks, “Dark Market,” and “Ocean Potion.” This recording session led to the writing of 7 complete songs in 2022. This was the start of CIGAR CLUB’s goal to secure funding towards a successive campaign. Using their newly developed network, they expanded their team and launched an online website and merch shop. They continued to play shows in Toronto developing their core market even further. After a series of shows and features on CMW, Toronto Guardian, and Lemmon Stage (The Rivoli), the band broke out of Ontario for their first performance in Montréal, where they were well received by the city’s artistically inclined culture. That summer they were slotted at Aurorapalooza playing alongside Cam Kahin (Dine Alone Records) and made yet another return appearance at Gussapolooza. This year at Gussapolooza, CIGAR CLUB received the fan favorite award, which is earned by having the most audience engagement and votes at the festival. This cemented a headlining slot for Gussapolooza in 2024. From these successes, booking agency Modo Live reached out to the band to open for Ready the Prince’s album tour, “Book of Õji” in Toronto. CIGAR CLUB gathered their trusted fans selling more than 50% of the total capacity at the venue on a 4-band bill. That night, the band sold out of merchandise with the new release of CIGAR CLUB beanies.
Unable to secure funding for their newly recorded tracks, CIGAR CLUB decided to release a single with their hard-earned money. The single, “Dark Market/Ocean Potion,” was distributed through Cadence Music Group via Universal
Music and is the bands most successful launch to date. Amassing 30k+ listeners on Spotify alone, the songs made their way to hundreds of fan curated playlists alongside modern day legends such as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Royal Blood and Queens of the Stone Age. This momentum caught the attention of campus and mainstream radio as the band peaked at 5000 monthly listeners, as well as several media publications. Seeing the opportunity to promote their new single the band embarked on their second tour through Ontario (The Dry Run Tour), where they made several stops to interview with radio hosts and writers, talking about their songwriting style, art approach and newly found sophistication. These stations and publications included: 94.9 FM (The Rock), 89.1 FM (MAX FM), 93.3 FM (CFRU), 99.1 FM (CJAM), 1280 AM (CJRU/MET Radio), MBM Vault (Durham College), Exclaim!, B-
Side Guys, Obscure Sound, Canadian Beats and more. As the B-Side Guys put it, “In a landscape often dominated by formulaic compositions, Cigar Club’s “Ocean Potion” stands as a testament to the power of genuine, emotion-driven music. It’s not just a song; it’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and find a piece of oneself within the melody. With “Ocean Potion,” Cigar Club doesn’t just contribute to the music scene; they elevate it, offering a beacon of hope and introspection for those willing to embark on this sonic journey.” (B-Side Guys, 2024).
During the tour, the band started to receive interest from record label Fuzzed and Buzzed, forming a relationship which led to an opening slot for stoner rock legends in the scene – Biblical (Tee Pee Records/New Damage Records). For the final show of the band’s tour, CIGAR CLUB partnered with, “Side Bar” (The Beaches, Tokyo Police Club), resulting in a sold out show at the Monarch Tavern and initiating a longing demand for new music, as the band performed future singles such as “Rain” and “A Cure For Loneliness,” which received significant ovation. For the remainder of 2024, CIGAR CLUB has been recording new music with 7 potential tracks in their pocket. They will be headlining Gussapolooza in September and are currently part of the, “Max FM/Tall Pines Music Festival Battle of the Bands Contest,” where they are aiming to win for their chance to play alongside City and Colour, July Talk, JJ Wilde and others at Tall Pines Music and Art Festival July 2024.
With their ever growing momentum, CIGAR CLUB is planning on releasing a new EP, implementing a reinforced strategy with their newly developed team, network and industry/campaign experience, to grow and expand outside their current market of Ontario.
