From the wilds of the boreal forest, just under the lower tundra & to the west of the Canadian shield…cut by Winds that blow from the tops of mountains that men can only dream of, One Soul Thrust is Rock. Pure, unadulterated rock…descended from the sounds that informed our Ancestors, the Ones who honoured the Goddess of the Land. This band’s work is elemental. It comes from the bones; it goes back to the bones. With fire & paydirt. And the kind of endurance that only That Which is Real can ever have.
One Soul Thrust – aka 1ST – musically breathes fire & whispers rain. This is due to a primal symbiosis between members, but it all begins with the band’s signature sound via songwriter/lead vocalist, Salem Jones. To grasp her sound, consider a sacred vocal marriage between the clarity of Ann Wilson & the sass of Alice Cooper. Wielding presence and mystique, a devil-may-care maturity & an utter arsenal of intelligent lyrics & cool arrangements, Salem is the full meal deal of rock singers. Add drummer Todd Pretty’s powered-by-the-Gods of Thunder rock grooves, guitarist Jag Mollerup’s from-down-the-deep-Earth solos, bassist Anna Portalupi's sizzling attack and you have what one US journalist called “one of Canada’s best kept secrets”. Their classic rock-influenced style doesn’t compromise. It can’t. From pure rock to soulful blues, it’s a kind of purist rock that’s executed with precision, experience & creativity…all formed in The Crucible of Life. This band has been together for 12 years.
1ST is not- thankfully- a secret to all, specifically some of the best of the global rock community. Well-known Italian producer Alessandro Del Vecchio, who has worked with rock’s finest, chose to produce all of their CD’s. Notably on the first album, Salem made history by being the first Canadian singer (and the second female singer in the world) to record a duet with The Voice of Rock, Deep Purple's Glenn Hughes. The song “Go Home & Melt” was played by indie radio in over 38 countries around the world and Hughes loved her voice and songs enough to suggest they work together again. Further to the respect this singer has, Paul Rodgers of seminal rock band Bad Company, actually handed his microphone to her to sing solo in his finale during a concert at Edmonton’s Jubilee Auditorium in Sept. of 2011. 1ST was also hailed as true talent that year by A&R industry veteran Michael Moore. In addition to taking 140 songs to #1, Moore is credited with co-discovering Steve Ray Vaughn and successfully launching Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Ozzy’s Bark at The Moon. Needless to say, he knows it when he hears it.
These prolific, lifelong musicians’ self-titled debut CD, “1ST” came out to great reviews in 2009, a 2nd album, “Know One Knows”, was very well-received in early 2012 & their 3rd album "Hold The Vision, Trust The Process" was released in two parts, digital-only in 2016. Recorded in 2019, their 4th offering, "Slaves to the Sky, Masters to the Mess" released in October, 2020 on vinyl and digitally, one month later. The vinyl version is a full-on double album & side "North" - these sides are interestingly called East, South, West & North - features re-masters of 4 hits from previous works. STTS, MTTM is an incredibly well-written groovy, funky rock record, true to the aforementioned bones. It's a testament to fantastic songwriting, seasoned performances & the unique voice of Jones leading the band with integrity & authenticity.
Holding to that authenticity, 1ST eschews the social media fan grab. They have this Patreon page and they perform mostly for what they call their SRS (secret rock society). They can be found playing fantastic private theatre shows for that SRS, the people they call their “beloved SoulThrusters”. In a world filled with "fame for the sake of fame", (which incidentally, is a quote from a cut from Hold The Vision, Trust The Process), One Soul Thrust remains standing in their truth. Throwing down Rock. Burning with Fire. Uttering the call of that bracing Wind. And Listening to the Voices of the Ancestors.
