Panacea

".from movement to movement you never knew what you were going to hear but you always liked it." -Mcgill Tribune



".their performances are utterly intoxicating." -The Concordian



"Panacea's powerful songs can stand alone, but together they send out a decree; they force a reformation of thought, and their sets become musical narratives."-The Concordian



" You can't label them; they have too much creativity and too much power."-Ronald Nurse (Grimskunk/Indica Records associate)



"{Panacea} is experimental, progressive jazz that caresses and jars the senses, often at the same time. and what they do is tell some interesting stories in a language not totally familiar, yet with enough phrases we can identify that we are comfortable listening."-Calvin Daniels, Yorkton This Week



Five Montreal musicians make up this experimental band. With diverse backgrounds and personalities, the group works to create new music, blending the many sub-genres of jazz and heavy electronica into classically infused compositions.

Plant was formed in Montreal in September 2004 as an experimental collective called Panacea. Twin brothers Ben and Josh Dodds, having completed jazz studies in Edmonton, posted an ad looking for musicians with whom to play and write new music. Trombonist Eli Chalmer, a classical music student at McGill University and Keyboardist Gregory Burton, a jazz student at Concordia University, answered the call. The group found common ground in their artistic expression and began extensive rehearsals for the next nine months. What came out was a high-energy, heavy modern jazz sound that the group was eager to showcase.

After their debut in Montreal in April 2005, the group traveled south to Vermont, where they played a show and ran into trumpet player Nick Kirshnit. The Julliard alumni and Manhattan School of Music dropout joined up on the spot.

In August 2005, Panacea(now known as Plant) landed a Thursday-night house gig at 1221 Crescent St. Pub in Montreal. With these weekly shows, the band turned the pub into its home, putting on a different show every week, often collaborating with different artists, and garnering a large amount of underground support. In April 2006, they released their first EP, “March of T.” At the release party, the band brought in an avant-garde brass Quintet to play between their sets. The response from Panacea’s fans to this art music was phenomenal. This response inspired Panacea to start an ongoing series called the Montreal Renaissance. In this series, the band brought in a different classical chamber ensemble once a month, each month, to play between Panacea’s sets at Crescent St. Pub. For this, the Montreal Mirror dubbed Panacea “classical revivalists.”

In April 2007, Panacea(now known as Plant) released their first full-length album, titled “Panacea.” Following the release they embarked on a two-month tour across Canada and the Northern States. Panacea has opened for the Mike Clark trio, and Josh Roseman and has played festivals with groups such as Antibalas, Golgol Bordello, Toubab Krewe and Bill Frisell.

On November 29th, 2007, Panacea became Plant.



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