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Save Me Now - Music Video - Let It Ride EP



Well I Do - Music Video - Let It Ride EP



#MusicYouDanceTo

Checkerboard Floors want to play music you dance to, and they've been doing it for well over a decade.

Iain Key from Louder Than War wrote that "ultimately Checkerboard Floors, with their layered harmonies and sunny disposition transport me to a place I've only seen on TV or film, such as Degrassi High or a John Hughes movie which always seemed more idyllic than growing up in a dark and wet Manchester".

Aside from their energy-packed live shows that have crowds singing and dancing along, nothing more clearly demonstrates the Hamilton Ontario band's drive than the songs they've been releasing independently. That includes their latest EP, Let It Ride.

Let It Ride puts the trio's full range on display, as it powers through modern indie rock, to classic 70's / honky tonk vibes, to late 60's surf / soul, to vintage British Invasion pop-rock, and includes a contribution by Loretta Hale (The Loretta Hale Big Band, Andre Bisson Band) on cello.

Fans have characterized the sound as "a tasty blend of Blue Rodeo / Sheepdogs / Chris Isaak / Blue Hawaiians."

Songs from the EP saw extensive radio play and charted in college radio, reaching #2 on the CFUR 88.7 Earshot Top 30 in Prince George, BC.

Each song from the EP was field tested live at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. The music video for the lead track, Well I Do, was nominated for a Canadian Independent Music Video Award for Best Rock Video (Dropout Entertainment).

Great Dark Wonder described that song as "delivering fabulous riffs that ooze 80s Hollywood action flick soundtrack vibes."

Tracking was done in Brant County and Hamilton, Ontario. All tracks were mixed and produced by singer-guitarist Derek Palango in Hamilton.

Checkerboard Floors are Derek Palango (vocals, guitar), Matt Outerson (bass, vocals), and Kevin Barrie (drums, vocals) who officially replaced founding member Rob Shorney in 2018. Founding member Tyler Wilson (guitar, vocals) departed from the group in 2022. The band originally came together through work and mutual friends in early 2009.

Hold Me Again



Could It Be



Long Weekend (Recorded At Sanderson Centre)



Canadian Tuxedo



Couldn't Ask For More



Music You Caffeinate To - Coffee With A Good Cause!



Check it out! It's something great from our friends at Altitude Coffee Roasters!

$2.00 from every bag sold will be donated to Guitars for Kids (Waterloo), a registered not-for-profit that collects and repairs guitars and gets them into the hands of kids that may otherwise not have access to one. You can order online at altitudecoffee.ca!

Praise For Checkerboard Floors And Art Project

"their live show is nothing short of a blast and you are sure to find yourself humming along with songs from the album"
     -BScene
a multi-layerd, dynamic album packed full of powerful riffs with an alt-rock touch
     -Hamilton Blues Lovers
"slick arrangements and crafty vocal interplay"
     -Barber Shop Podcast

Buy Art Project NOW!

Order a CD through PayPal or check out Dr. Disc Hamilton!

Copyright © 2026 Checkerboard Floors. Band photo by Ashlee Palango.