SIDEBURN Music

Vocalist Roland Pierrehumbert and rhythm guitarist Fred Gudit first circled the Genocide wagons in 1986... the band was ambitious and definitely all heavy metall; after all, the moniker points to a tune from Judas Priest's pivotal 1976 Sad Wings of Destiny album. The band's style most certainly fit the times: loud 'n proud and no holds barred. Roland and Fred, with guitarist Oliver Perdizat, bassist J.D. Aeby, and drummer Patrick Aeby slaved the circuits for five long, hard years before the band's debut EP, Roots in Rock, recorded and mixed by Dirk Steffen in Hamburg (Accept) , appeared. It was followed by the '92 release, Showtime. With these independent discs, Genocide began forging its name in stone with sharp tunes and a good, old-fashioned work ethic.

Change was on the horizon for the band. 1994 saw Genocide hooking up with major distribution, BMG Records, and in the following year it released Stranded. The album marked a bit of a departure from the band's pure metal approach, branching off into a more traditional rock / boogie direction. The band's lineup also began to shift with its sound.

On the momentum of Stranded's raw power, Genocide embarked on a major tour with none other than fellow Swiss giants, Krokus. Things were happening in a major way... but something, still, was missing.

Sideburn is born

1997, the self-proclaimed "rebaptism" as Sideburn saw the band's redirected approach, which resulted in the bare-knuckled Sell Your Soul (For Rock 'n' Roll) album. Sideburn seemingly made no apologies for the full-scale change.

The name "Sideburn," in fact, is also admittedly rooted in rock tradition; it stems from the facial adornment of none other than Elvis Presley and, also, "because it sounded so rock and roll." Relentless gigging, including a pinnacle supporting slot for KISS at Hallenstadion in Zurich.

The metamorphosis further realized itself when J.J. (bass) and Patrick (drums) left Sideburn. In search of replacements who fully embraced the pub rock style to which the band was headed, drummer Lionel Blanc and bassist Michel Demierre joined the ranks in 1999. Soon after, Stephane packed up his guitar and the vacant slot was filled by David Pariat. The line up now solid (for a while), Sideburn embarked on its quest for pub-rock perfection.

Following a brief hiatus where the realigned band tightened the screws a few turns, Sideburn resurfaced in 2001 with Crocodile and later with Gasoline in 2004 (both on the German label Point). Swiss production guru Juerg Naegeli (who helmed Showtime) also re-enlisted for both discs. These releases continued to exhibit the band's progressive dedication to the favored Aussie sound. They understood that the groove and the energy could work in harmony and that this simple equation was what separated successful pub rockers from the wannabees. As a result, they were beginning to carve their own place within the genre rather than fitting themselves into the pocket of any single sound.

Over this period, the band's reputation as a tight, dedicated outfit both in the studio and live led to an impressive list of supporting tour engagements. Sideburn opened for legends Def Leppard, Motorhead, Dio, Ted Nugent, Thin Lizzy, and Doro... and even Meat Loaf. There were, too, the road treks with soulmates Krokus and one memorable gig with Rose Tattoo.

Amidst this whirlwind of activity came one more change in personnel. David left the fold in 2005 and Sideburn recruited the well-traveled axman simply known as Boris, who seemed to be the natural choice given his ecclectic past which had crossed paths previously traveled by the band.

2006 marked the 20th anniversary of the Sideburn/Genocide project. The band celebrated the milestone with the career spanning anthology titled Archives. It's an interesting study where listeners can witness the huge degree of evolution and maturation which the band had undergone in its first two decades (15 as a recording artist).

2008 saw the release of "Cherry Red", which received some fantastic feedbacks from the press worldwide. This led the Fox's Studio to choose the song "Six feet under" to be featured in an episode of the last season of the famous show “24” with Kiefer Sutherland.

2010 see the band working on their new release with the Multi-Platinum producer Beau Hill (over 50 millions album sold Ratt, Gary Moore, Winger, Twisted Sister), as co-producer and mixer.

For the fans, since september 2010, they can challenge themself by playing the song “Cherry Red” on the platform of the ultimate music game, Rockband 3 (for XBOX 360).

The new album “Jail” will be released on the 25th of February 2011 by Metal Heaven (Europe & Japan).

12 songs in the pure Sideburn’s tradition with a liver production and some rawer compositions.