A lot can change in the span of a decade but Kitchener, Ontario’s very own Handheld have turned out to be one of Southern Ontario’s greatest consistencies. Driven by speed, energy, and a well blended mix of melodic hooks and good old fashioned fun, Handheld have evolved into one of Canada’s best punk rock outfits.

Pat Dietrich (drums), Andy Dietrich (vocals), Ricky Guerrero (bass) and Craig Retzler (guitars) have spent the better part of ten years perfecting what they describe as “hands-on-music.” From designing their own on-line support to pumping out five self-financed releases, to booking their own domestic tours, Handheld have crafted a complete understanding that hard work and good music go hand in hand. Having toured Southern Ontario, Quebec, and Eastern Canada on numerous occasions, Handheld have become a hybrid of stubborn energy and natural connection; characteristics that have allowed their fans to grasp on to a real experience instead of being beaten over the head with in vogue trash and cookie cutter trends. It’s an ethos that’s paid off and in the fall of 2007 saw Handheld sign a two album deal with Year Of The Sun Records. Their Year Of The Sun self-titled debut saw label head Chris Benn work with the band for the first time. “Handheld has always been a staple band in the Ontario music scene and it was a great pleasure to finally work with them,” says Benn. “As far as Year of the Sun goes, I feel very privileged to have Handheld as part of our family and I’m really proud of the record that we’re putting out together.”

With their new album, slated to hit stores in early 2008, Handheld have perfectly captured skate punk’s raw quickness with rock’s polished sheen. From the punchy opener “Sharp Point” to the driving pulse of tracks such as “Countless Hours” and “Incarcerated” fans of Bad Religion and Belvedere have simply found themselves a new band to discover. With tours of both Eastern and Western Canada planned to support the new disc and their video for their first single “World Today” currently blasting off on YouTube, Handheld are poised to take their place at the forefront of Canadian music. Why are we so sure? That’s easy, it’s because this isn’t just music.

Learn more about Handheld at www.myspace.com/handheld.

Learn more about Year of the Sun at http://www.yearofthesun.com.

Previews - Handheld

01. Handheld-Sharp Point -
02. Handheld - Dull Picks and Broken Sticks -
03. Handheld - Unscathed -
04. Handheld - Not So Evil -
05. Handheld - Incarcerated -
06. Handheld - Countless Hours -
07. Handheld - Push The Trend -
08. Handheld - Prerecorded -
09. Handheld - Never Breathe -
10. Handheld - Can We Go On -
11. Handheld - Take Two -
12. Handheld - More Than Receding -
13. Handheld - Write Me Off -
14. Handheld - Disassociate -
15. Handheld - Awaiting -
16. Handheld - World Today (bonus track) -

Bonus - Album package comes with complete artwork including two PDF pages.

Album File Size - MP3 Format - 175.3 MB
Album File Size - CD-Quality Lossless FLAC Format - 359.4 MB