By: Sheena Lyonnais
March 06, 2010

If there’s one thing I know about Diemonds, it’s that they don’t mess around.  They’re a balls-to-the-wall classic rock influenced band lead by the pint-sized prowess that is Priya Panda. The local poster band for ripped jeans, rock star dreams and gritty, cigarette scented rock’n’roll, Diemonds will be the Juliet to your whiskey-filled weekend.  I’ll let Priya Panda tell you why.

How are you doing and where are you right now?

I'm feelin' fuckin' righteous about Diemonds in 2010! And turn around, I'm right behind you...

There are a lot of bands playing CMW, why should I watch yours?

Midnight is when the party starts! ‘Cause the last show we played was three months ago and it was in front of 4000 people in Shillong, India! Plus, we're debuting our new album in its entirety, live. I can't even wait!

What are you doing to prepare for CMW?

Practicing like crazy. Writing new tunes mostly and drinking as much as I possibly can.

What are you hoping to get out of the festival?

A good kick off show for our tour and if even one person there has a wicked party and digs it, then we've done our jobs.

Tell me a tour story that is crazy but true.

In India, to promote our album, we had to stand on the back of a flat bed truck while they blasted our album through the town square. This was at top speed with a million directions of traffic going at all times. I'm pretty sure the driver was drunk. It was total sensory overload! It was highly, highly dangerous. Then at the end of that show, after drinking all day, we all got to carry real, loaded AK-47s!! It was nuts.

What are you/your band working on at the moment?

We're preparing for our upcoming Canadian tour with Dirty Penny from Santa Cruz, CA in March. The Toronto show is March 26th at Wrongbar….be there! Then we come back and record our new album with Jon Drew. It's supposed to be out in late summer and then we're gonna tour the U.S. Hell yeah!

Any last parting words for us music-hungry Toronto folk?

Bang your head ‘til you're dead, baby! You only live once!

Diemonds
 CMW Showcase:

Thursday March 11, 2010 @ 12:00AM

Silver Dollar's Comfort Zone, 480 Spadina Ave 416-975-0909


19+ All wristbands accepted

For more information, check out: www.myspace.com/diemonds