Poppy Seed have been on the Toronto independent music scene since the early 1990’s. Featuring songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Steven Bromstein and a changing assortment of collaborators, the band released their debut album, Days Dream of You which received positive critical reviews and provided Poppy Seed and the Love Explosion Orchestra opportunity to promote the album on a variety of media outlets in Toronto including appearances on Breakfast Television, Open Mike with Mike Bullard and CFNY’s Live in Toronto.
Poppy Seed and the Love Explosion have completed work on a follow-up full length album entitled Beyond the Seventh Sun. The latest release has been a labour of love for leader, Steven Bromstein. The album was recorded over a series of separate recording sessions over the past decade involving five different drummers. It features several epic tracks encompassing many of the musical influences featured on the band’s debut album. It mixes psychedelic and Kraut Rock influences with mid 90s Brit Pop sensibilities.
During the past decade, the band has performed live with a revolving cast of characters including Eddie Kalwa of the Rain Parade, Glenn Milchem of Blue Rodeo at such events as Kensington Rocks, although for the most part all attention has gone to the making of this new release.
The current line-up consists of Mitch Perkins formerly of Rusty on drums, James Strachan on keys, moogs and second guitar, and James Ansara on bass. The album includes appearances by Glenn Milchem of Blue Rodeo, Mike Armstrong of King Cobb Steelie, Chris Brown formerly of the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, Dominic Whelan of the Mahones, Gene Hughes of Telejet, as well as Krist Ladva, Joseph Bauman, Randy Curnew, James Strachan, James Ansara, Chad Allen and David Jager. The album production team included Peter Lesperance of Harem Scarem and Liverpool’s Mark Winer as master knob twiddler, producer and editor.
Videos for the majority of the tracks on Beyond the Seventh Sun have been produced that mix some live band performances with archival footage.
Steven Bromstein has been involved in the Toronto music scene since the early 90’s performing and promoting. In 1994 he began the legendary Sedated Sundays residency at El Mocambo Tavern. This featured everything that wasn’t fitting into the Pearl Jam/Nirvana format that was then ruling the club scene at the time. From folk to psych to whatever. 16mm films ran as features before the music started and then as visual eye candy during music performances. It was an atmosphere in which one never knew exactly what was going to happen. A pyrotechnic show? A solo set by Art Bergmann or Ron Hawkins? He also pioneered the multi-band tribute night doing evenings of the Velvet Underground, The Smiths, The Pixies, The Cure, Joy Division, New Order, Syd Barrett, Arthur Lee and Love, and the memory get hazy here…. At the time these happenings were rare and very well attended by the entire music scene, this was long before other people jumped in and started doing these nights all the time.
Further, Steven has promoted shows with the Silver Apples, the Magnetic Fields, E.A.R., Spectrum, Damon and Naomi, Colin Newman of Wire and Steve Wynn.
