Benjamin's Kite

The origins of "Benjamin’s Kite” date back to the mid-80's when high school friends Robert Leader (drums) and Bryan Vamos (keyboards) started jamming together with a various assortment of local musicians. Over the next few years cover material by progressive rock idols such as Genesis, Rush and Pink Floyd slowly gave way to original material and the band (now with Greg Lewis on bass and Chris Chinchilla on vocals) under the name “Benjamin’s Kite”, recorded an album with the help of producer/guitarist Russ Walker. The album was recorded at Chalet Recording Studio in Claremont, Ontario in 1987/1988 and eventually mastered by Terry Brown (of Rush fame) at Metalworks in Mississauga. Chris departed shortly after the recording which lead to the shelving of the album and a search for a new vocalist.

While shopping the album at MIDEM in early 1989, Robert met Robbie Brennan (vocals, guitars) and he soon joined. Robbie brought a more accessible flavour to the music and a new album of music was recorded with producer Terry Brown, at Metalworks in 1990/1991. The band's name was shortened to “The Kite” and the album, of the same name, was released in September, 1991. The first single, "Days of Youth" went as high as number 18 on the Canadian AOR charts and the band toured through eastern Canada, playing on their own and warming up for bands such as Glass Tiger, Gowan and Trooper. Over the following couple of years priorities shifted and the band disbanded in 1993.

In 2016 a recording project was launched with the idea of reviving some of the unreleased songs and combining these with new compositions. The goal was to create an authentic progressive rock album that harkened back to the great progressive rock albums of the 1970’s such as Genesis’ Selling England by the Pound and Yes’ Close to the Edge. The album features several conceptual pieces. “A Trail of Tears” recounts the forced relocations of Native American peoples of the Southeastern United States in the mid-19^th Century. “Concrete and Steel” takes the listener on a dizzying journey through Manhattan while “Baja Chase” brings to life a roller coaster race across the Baja Peninsula. The title track “Antediluvian Euphonies” captures the essence of the album with a tongue in cheek characterization of the music. This album will appeal to listeners that miss the artistic flights of the early progressive rock giants.