Meet Phao – a venture of two brothers to create honest, motivating, straight up pop/rock for the masses. Canadians Kevin and Mike Gnandt started playing in 2005 and expanded to full band for energetic rock anthems with strong pop appeal. Basically, if Paramore and Nickelback had a child, they’d name it Phao. They worked with engineer and producer Wayne Young in Toronto to create the record that would truly jumpstart their career. “We wanted to walk the fine line of writing intense rock pieces and relevant pop songs, without losing the idea of solid songwriting,” says Mike. They came out with a GMA Canadian Covenant Award nominated album – for both Hard Music Song of the Year, Rock Song of the Year and Rock Album of the Year. They performed at the 2010 award ceremony. In addition, they co-wrote “Kaitlin’s Song (Coming Home), a track to benefit Kaitlin’s Legacy and Compassion Canada and saw it reach #1 on iTunes its first day out. As individuals, Phao desires to simply cultivate their love of music and songwriting, while showcasing it via records and live shows. They want to share art that can translate into real-life emotions. “I always want the lyrics to drip with something tangible that anyone could cling to,” says Mike. “Our goal is always to write solid songs and play them convincingly.” It’s these goals that influenced both of their 2012 releases. The Something Cold EP drops on April 3rd, followed by a full length release in June. Phao once again teamed up with producer Wayne Young, this time in Nashville, TN, to effectively captivate and record their art on both upcoming projects. The record explores catharsis and the struggle to cleanse from the past and constantly set and reach higher goals. “This record got me through a lot,” Mike reveals. “Whether a song’s content is angry, joyful or super sad, it’s relatable. A listener can take that and use it to describe their own story.” True music fans at heart, the guys in Phao strive to deliver excellent music and an excellent live experience. They love to travel and love to connect with fans. Now booking for spring and summer 2012, they ask you to check www.phaomusic.com for continued updates.