Organ Thieves

Organ Thieves Bio

“The thing about this band is I find that everyone delivers their own entity, whether it be a mad bass line, a stellar noise from the pedals or lyrics that are so honest that it becomes clear that Organ Thieves have a style all their own. Overall, this band is young but their hearts are filled with truth and wisdom. They have a message and want people to hear it, and I think people should wake up and listen.” – I Heart The Music

In his own words... here's how the Conductor of Organ Thieves, Chuck Coles, describes the band:

This is how it happened. How the band started. I'm not very proud of certain things that happened, but I would not change a thing,

It was in early 2000 that I was in and out of the hospital for having too much fun. Completely broken for the first time I graduated to a man who could write his version of a love song. This was a very inspiring and important time in my life that opened up a side I was afraid to exercise. During this time I found myself writing verse from many perspectives, about things that plagued my mind.

Exposed to music at an early age, my family home echoed with the sounds of Irish jigs and traditional country and southern rock. By the time I was 8, I discovered hip hop and reggae, (which I always felt I had to hide it from my parents like a dirty movie) At 13, I felt like an outcast in school, and I was failing at living up to the precedented education system. I thought the radio was what you had to listen to and when I realized I was in control of what I wanted to hear, my life and happiness improved 100%. I had found punk rock and to this day, I still find it hard to find my place in the society we live in.

Early career saw me performing with Murder Culture in Toronto. It was here that a tiny thread began to unravel which would later become the patchwork of the Organ Thieves. An old friend from childhood was there, and after a long, substance induced walk down memory lane, we grabbed a guitar and found ourselves back in our childhood playground. We played some songs together and it wasn't until 2009 that we revisited those songs played on that fateful night. Mike Smith (bass) has always been a great friend and musician. He was one of the few who told me I had something to offer musically.

A second introduction would solidify the ground work for this project. I was introduced to a CD that simply said BB on it. I thought it was a Bad Brains CD, so I threw it on. Wild ripping guitar and challenging arrangements filled my ears, and I was instantly hooked. I found out later it was Dave Baksh (guitar and back-up vocals /true gentleman) from Sum 41. A chance meeting at a party with him led to an offer to sit in on some music they were working on. Dave wanted to start playing reggae in Toronto, something I was all too familiar with since my early 20's. Thus began our jamming, playing small shows for food & drink. We did this for a couple weeks with different musicians. Dave was one of these musicians. I swear the second he played his first chord, we had something. It’s not worth trying to describe- I could never do it justice. Dave and I spent more time together talking about life changes. I wanted to be there for him. I still am to this day. I have respect for someone who gives up what everyone else in music is trying to do and instead focus on what is in their heart and what feels right. That was the most punk rock thing I have seen in a long time.

Matt Worobec a close friend of mine had to leave the band to deal with real life, so I called Theo right away to take over on drums. I was a fan of his playing before he joined, it's been a pleasure and experience sharing ideas with him while writing the new record. Theo is one of the most talented people I know and brings a great energy to the band.

So there is a little window into Organ Thieves. I hope you enjoy the project that we are putting our lives into. We wanted to share it with you. New album is coming out this year, so stay connected...

Lots of love, Chuck (Organ Thieves)