WITH THEIR CEREBRAL yet aggressive brand of hard rock, Pulse Ultra is out to prove that Celine Dion and Alanis Morisette aren't the only talented Canadian imports.
The Montreal-based foursome — vocalist Zo Vizza, guitarist Dominic Cifarelli, bassist Jeff Feldman and drummer Maxx Zinno — released their debut disc, "Headspace," only two months ago, and already they've landed a much coveted spot on the Ozzfest Tour.
With their monstrous yet melodic riffs, their introspective lyrics and their complex, arty sound, the guys are making new friends at every tour stop; they've even won over headliners System of a Down, who claim Pulse
Ultra is their favorite new band of 2002.
"There are lots of ups and downs with touring," says the 23-year-old Feldman. "We're playing the second stage, so sometimes we'll play at 9 a.m. then we have the whole day to kill. But, I can't complain because we love playing our music in front of so many people. It's an amazing opportunity."
And Pulse Ultra is no stranger to opportunity.
The band actually landed their record deal with Atlantic after Cifarelli hand-delivered a copy of the band's demo to Taproot, who was in Montreal for a show. The guitarist simply knocked on the door of their tour bus with a six-pack in hand and asked Taproot guitarist, Mike DeWolf, to give the demo a listen. The next day, Cifarelli received an email from Taproot's manager and the rest — as they say in the biz — is history.
"It really is kind of a Hollywood ending, I guess," laughs Feldman. "But we never doubted it was going to happen. I mean, we've been working towards this for 11 years. Right now I feel awesome and so fortunate, but at the same time I'm not surprised. Work hard and you'll be rewarded."
And work hard they did — especially in their hometown, which is more known for its dance and trip-hop scene than for fostering aspiring rock 'n' roll bands.
"Montreal is all about raves," says Feldman. "There's not really a 'scene' for local bands. But, even so, we didn't think that we needed to leave Montreal and go to L.A. in order put ourselves in close proximity to record companies. We just decided to write and practice out of Montreal; we thought, 'when we're ready, we'll make the big push.'"
And though their Ozzfest gig is certainly something to be proud of, Feldman guarantees it won't be the pinnacle of the band's career.
"It's only the beginning," he says.
Celine Dion may be Canada's favorite daughter, but Pulse Ultra, it seems, is making the "big push" to become the country's favorite sons.
Reach the reporter at Adrienne.frank@asu.edu.