It’s every record store’s employee’s dream: to one day sell your own records amongst all the latest chart toppers.  For the three boys from Halifax (twins Mike and Matt Johnson along with Shawn Scott) who make up Shyne Factory this dream became reality.  Shyne Factory is one of the first artists to be a part of “HMV exposed”, an initiative by the mega music chain to expose new artists to the masses. 

 “It’s really sweet, they take care of everything” agrees Shawn Scott, bassist for the band, in a conversation that finally took place after a few hours of phone tag.  Both Mike and Matt work at HMV in Nova Scotia, and that’s how they met up with the people who would eventually hook them up with the exposed gig. 

                In Toronto to play as a part of Canadian Music Week, the band also made their first ever national TV appearance with an interview on MuchMusic.  “It was pretty surreal, we’re just three boys from Halifax on national TV!” says Scott.  The band has appeared on local television in Halifax, but this was their first time going coast to coast.   Much has been pretty good to Shyne Factory, their independent video for “I’m Not Sorry” is currently airing, and the band was back in town in late March to shoot the partially VideoFACT funded “Bring Me Down”. 

                It’s a long way to come for three guys who met in grade ten and released their first independent LP at 17 (Candy Coated).  Now, they’re in their 20s and in October of 1999, released their latest disc Lava on indie label Red Liquorice. “You do a lot of maturing between 17 and 23…a lot happens and there’s more to write about” says Scott on the band’s maturing sound.  The album has drawn comparisons to Sloan in recent media articles to which Shawn replies: “people want to make a comparison because that’s what they know from Halifax”.  Regardless, the album is a fun, energetic record complete with harmonic vocals and the tightness that comes with playing with people you know and trust.

                As for the future of Shyne Factory?  Having already released two albums, played NXNE, SXSW, the International Pop Overthrow festival (L.A), and CMW, received national airplay on MuchMusic, and been cited as “local heroes” by Exclaim! Magazine (under the community/college station listings for CKDU in Halifax), you might think that the band is going to sit down and relax.  Wrong!  Asked what is in the future for his band, Scott laughs and says “touring, touring, and more touring”.  Expect to hear a lot more from (possibly) ‘the next big thing’ out of the Halifax indie rock scene.