Biography (English) | Biografia (Polski)
Send us a translation in your language! Just e-mail it to portal@portalband.com!
The Team | Q&A
Rosco Brooks - Kevin Hoskin - Kenton Thomas - Bill George
A visit to Portal’s studio is not a typical look behind the scenes at the “rock-start” life style so often exuded by today’s young musicians. The posters of Maynard James Keenan and Trent Reznor, lava lamps casting predictable shadows across garage sale shag, and the musty aroma of “contemplative stimulation” are all noticeably absent in this particular cradle of creativity. Instead, the walls are adorned with maps and post-it notes, and servers and computer towers line the floor. With the exception of a few scented candles scattered across the desktops, at first glance one might think the business-like atmosphere a sterile environment for the cultivation of the mind, but the band insists that true inspiration comes from within, not from a contrived simulation of mood and emotion. If you’ve ever heard Portal’s music, it’s difficult to argue with them.
Portal is a propulsive amalgam of powerfully packaged grooves, insightful lyrics, and moralistic ideals. Intelligent by design and intellectual by nature, the band actively challenges listeners and members alike to demand more from music, more from society, and more from life itself. Portal deftly combines the progressive rhythmic complexity of Tool, the richly textured orchestration of VAST, the intricate production of Filter, and the raw emotive pull of Nine Inch Nails into a brilliant array of insightfully stimulating music. Add Portal's rich tapestry of global instrumentation and a socially conscious lyrical motivation, and one is left with a truly unique sonic and psychosomatic experience.
Portal began in 2000 as an exploratory outlet for founder and creative core, Kenton Thomas. Raised on classical piano, Kenton began developing technique and an appreciation for musical composition right from the young age of four, but it was not until his teen years that he started to explore the diverse world of popular music, eventually drawn in by the thriving west-coast grunge movement propagated by the Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden. It was the latter of these that sparked Kenton’s initial interest in unorthodox time signatures and complex rhythms, now a signature of Portal’s sound, and drove his exploration deeper into progressive and ethereal realms, unearthing the likes of Tool and Nine Inch Nails, and gaining his first in-depth taste of the digital music revolution. Recording gear and time away from university were a natural next step, and a year of recording and developing material eventually yielded Portal’s first EP.
From the band’s first live performance, a second place finish at the University of Alberta’s Battle of the Bands in 2001, to their win at the Adopt-A-Band Independent Artist Challenge later that year, to being selected as a finalist in the 2002 National Songwriting Competition, Portal has continued to evolve, grow and mature. Despite various successes and setbacks, Kenton feels each and every step has been building towards this moment. Even Portal’s line-up was not solidified until last year when guitarist Rosco Brooks and drummer Bill George were added to the fold, but its current incarnation is the most capable yet. “The last four years have been an unforgettable voyage, but it’s really been more of an education than anything else,” says bassist and original member Kevin Hoskin. “For Portal, the real journey starts here.”
Element is, without a doubt, Portal’s most mature anthology to date, and one that Kenton and the band consider to be the first true representation of their visions and tastes. The album is a collection of songs from Portal’s last release that the band painstakingly picked apart, rebuilt from the ground up, and moulded into a product they can finally call their own. “The purpose of Element was experimentation, through and through,” says Kenton. “From vocal approach to percussive instrumentation, mixing techniques and graphic design – nothing was sacred. We used six different snare drums during the recording process. I wanted us to fully explore our individual and collective tastes, as well as our capabilities and limitations, and come out the other side with a much better idea of where we’ve been, where we’re going, and who we are. If nothing else, we achieved that goal beautifully, and we will be more successful in the years to come because of it.”
In an age when decisions are all-too-often governed by beaurocratic executives, disconnected pop producers, and the proverbial “bottom line”, the artistic integrity that Portal has displayed through their work on Element is an inspiring demonstration of a focussed dedication to one’s craft, and a meticulous attention to detail. Five years of growth and maturation, three years of creative development, and ten months of hard work have finally come to fruition. This is Portal, in the state of mind and environment they find most comfortable.
This is Portal, in their element.
. The Team .
Portal's success, and continued existence both on and off the stage, would not be possible if it weren't for the efforts of a select few individuals:Kenton Thomas - Kenton is Portal's founder and creative core. In addition to his performance roles as frontman, singer, and rhythm guitar player, Kenton also continues to perform most of Portal's managerial and clerical duties. He is Portal's chief creative contributor, executive producer, and promotional liaison.
Kevin Hoskin - Aside from Kenton, Kevin is Portal's only remaining original performing member. Although Kevin is currently on a leave-of-absence from performing with the band, he played an integral role in the production of Portal's current CD, Element, contributing a remix of "With You" and mastering the entire project from his studio in London, ON. Kevin is completing his studies in Audio Engineering and Production at OIART this summer, and will be returning to London again in the fall for a one year internship.
Rosco Brooks - Ross filled a temporary role with Portal for several months before becoming a permanent performing member early in 2004. He is Portal's lead guitarist, and adds backing vocals on stage. Ross also contributed a number of textural tracks and valuable input during the recording process for Element.
Bill George - Bill has been Portal's drummer since January, 2004. Despite dividing his time between a number of different projects as a session drummer and performer, Bill has become an integral part of Portal's live performances, acting not only as the band's anchor on stage, but also helping Kenton to manage Portal's samplers and sequencers.
Greg Kiyomi - Greg has had one foot in the door since Portal's inception, filling a variety of roles for the project during the course of the last few years. His most recent contribution was his first musical one, remixing two songs included on Element. He has also been instrumental in Portal's Web design and server and forum maintenance, and was a graphics and music consultant throughout much of Element's recording process.
Andrew Gautier - On the eve of Element's release and Kevin's upcoming internship, it was necessary to secure an interim bass player for performances, and none could have been a better fit for Portal than Andrew. Andrew is the bass player for one of Portal's favourite hometown bands, Neevah, and has in turn been a fan of Portal for a number of years. His familiarity with Portal's material, and his rock-like presence on bass have made him a welcome addition to the line-up.
Kanadyjski zespół Portal powstał w roku 2000, z inicjatywy Kenton'a Thomas'a, który zaczął przygodę z muzyką już w wieku czterech lat. Pierwszym instrumentem Kenton'a było klasyczne pianino, i na nim powstawały jego pierwsze kompozycje. Będąc nastolatkiem, zawróciły mu w głowie grunge'owe kapele z zachodniego wybrzeża Stanów, takie jak: Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots i Soundgarden. Chęć eksplorowania szerokiego wachlarza zespołów z pogranicza rocka i metalu doprowadziły go do grup Tool, Vast, Filter i Nine Inch Nails. Te inspiracje najbardziej uwidocznione są w brzmieniu grupy Portal.
W swojej rodzimej Kanadzie Portal uzyskał wiele nagród na różnych festiwalach; drugie miejsce w Battle Of Bands (2001), wygrana Adopt-A-Band Independent Artist Challenge (2001) i finał National Songwriting Competition (2002). Zespół nieustannie szukał swojego miejsca na rockowej scenie, przez pierwsze dwa lata pozycje gitarzysty i perkusisty podlegały licznym rotacjom, aż w końcu, w 2003 roku jego skład ustabilizował się, kiedy do Kenton'a i basisty Kevin'a Hoskin'a dołączył gitarzysta Rosco Brooks i perkusista Bill George. W roku 2005 grupa wydała własnym sumptem ep-kę 'Element', którą uważa za swoje najbardziej reprezentatywne wydawnictwo i pierwszą prawdziwą wizytówkę ich potencjału.
Na ep-ce 'Element' znajdziemy zbiór utworów z całej historii zespołu, które zostały przebudowane od podstawy i nagrane z największą dbałością o szczegóły, tak by wreszcie stworzyć produkt, który z dumą może być markowany znakiem Portal. Płytę można nabyć za pośrednictwem strony portalband.com lub CD Baby. Znajduje się na niej 6. utworów studyjnych, jeden koncertowy i kilka remiksów. Całość wyprodukował sam Kenton Thomas.
Po umieszczeniu kilku utworów Portal na stronie ActiveRocka, pojawiła się bardzo miła notka na portalband.com "Dziękujemy ACTIVEROCK.CIV.PL dla sprzyjania PORTAL w Polsce. My nigdy nie miał tak wielu Polscy goście PORTALBAND.COM i my jesteśmy bardzo wdzięczny za pomoc." Bardzo urocza polszczyzna i dowód na to, że stosunek tej grupy do fanów jest absolutnie wyjątkowy.
"Celem płyty 'Element' było eksperymentowanie", mówi Kenton Thomas. "Od podejściu do wokali, poprzez szerokie instrumentarium, techniki miksowania i oprawę graficzną; nie było rzeczy niemożliwych. Użyliśmy sześciu różnych werbli w trakcie nagrywania płyty. Chciałem byśmy w pełni pokazali swoje indywidualne i wspólne gusta, a także nasz potencjał i ograniczenia, zdanie sobie z tego sprawy pomoże nam stanąć po drugiej stronie i zastanowić się kim jesteśmy i dokąd zmierzamy. Jeżeli to się uda, osiągniemy w pełni nasz cel i będziemy dzięki temu w przeciągu kilku następnych lat odnosić więcej sukcesów."
opracowanie: Sebastian, activerock.civ.pl.