F-105 II: Side A Out Now
3 songs off F-105 II: Side A make their radio debut on CIUT FM. Listen to Nov.15.24 show at 36:40 mark
Wonderful review of F-105 II: Side A from author of The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
Tickets to see F-105 at THE LEGENDARY HORSESHOE TAVERN FRI DEC 27 on sale here
Din to host's new weekly MANIC MONDAY'S Open Mic at Lola
F-105 SUMMER TOUR 2024 kicks off in LA on Sun Jul 28 and ends with a performance at FANEXPO Toronto late Aug.23.24
Din sings with JUNO nominated and BILLBOARD charting Sultans Of String at Downie Wenjack event in Burlington Oct 22 2023
The full band is in the studio with our label Meriläinen Music to record F-105 II: Side A. To be released 2024
F-105 DIY Hero's Journey Panel at FANEXPO Canada Sun Aug.28.22
F-105 SUMMER TOUR 2022: From LA To Thunder Bay video playlist here
Din presents the DIY Hero's Journey panel at Toronto ComicCom 2022 with performances by F-105
Evergreen nominated for best 'Folk' video at the 2022 CANADIAN INDEPENDANT MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS
Quotes
"I'm hooked. Toys is quite the funky little workout. Played it for my wife, she was dancing. Songs For Our Kids is a great bit of retro 1979 Brit-punk. And I think (You Say You're) Not Special might be the tune that resonates the most. This needs to be put in front of young people everywhere. It's a great message and could help someone with low self-esteem.
Great material and I love the voice. Soothing, and authoritative all at once.”
– JAIMIE VERNON, The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
"Can honestly say that the world is in for a treat with the new mixes of the already fantastic F-105 III songs!"
– DOMINIC JONES, The SWU podcast
"F-105 III differs from his previous EP. With the world in an unprecedented period of change, Din sought to explore what is left behind for younger generations, which is most evident in the groovy yet cerebral lead single Toys.”
– CANADIAN BEATS
"The EP [F015 II Side B] is so acoustic and folky that we found ourselves wanting to feature it here... the themes of the album relate to self-reflection, the places we’ve gone in our lives and one’s place in the universe"
– ROOTS MUSIC CANADA
"Finally Found a Way from F-105 II: Side B is really a grade A tune that both rocks and rolls, and all with little more than an acoustic guitar and a lot of heart. It will put a spring in your step"
- PHIL TAYLOR, Erin Radio 91.7 FM Music Director
“Evergreen made me feel instantly uplifted. It reaches in and instills hope, it has the same effect for me as The Beatles Let It Be, comforted that things will be ok. Meaningful and beautiful. Also, Shades of Neil Young and Bono”
– KATE MATUSZEWSKI, President, Elliot Lake Entertainment Series
"Love what I'm hearing. The singer-songwriter genre is sadly lacking these days. Evergreen has a full on James Taylor vibe, and If I Were About To Die is more contemporary - love the message and backing vocal call and response."
– JAIMIE VERNON, The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
"I'm listening to Finally Found A Way and this is a real deal folk-rock jam!"
– CHANCELOR MARACLE, CFRC 101.9 FM Kingston ON
"If I Were About To Die incorporates intriguing vocal harmonies, and Finally Found A Way features a nice fat sound with acoustic guitar and harmonica playing a swingy groove. Bull Out Of The Gate has a country rock edge to it.
Evergreen is the lead track, a love song with a northern geography woven into the words. The song is not afraid to situate itself along the Canadian Shield or Muskoka Waters, like the steadfast evergreen of its title."
– ANYA WASSENBERG, Art and Culture Maven
"Loved Rebel Girl, and the timely message of the chorus. Really dug the bass line, the octave vocals, and that keyboard solo, total Ray Manzarek vibe/ Break on Through, yeah! The 80s alt 60s acid vibe fits the rebellious spirit nicely."
– DAVID W. COLLINS, Lucasfilm / The Soundtrack Show host
"F105 is exactly what you’d expect from a band who’s stolen their name from the most mysterious elements of Canadian aerospace myth and legend [CF-105 Avro Arrow]. Like its name sake, F105 brings the listener on a journey that is sleek in design, cutting the edge of all sonic barriers before them and landing the listener in the heart of every matter they’ve put to tape, track after track. One part geek-dom, one part rock and one part solid musicianship, equate to an album that pushes the listener into the stratosphere of the new can-pop-rock landscape."
– STEVE KRAUS, CKLU 96.7 FM Sudbury ON
"I just really like this artist"
– HOWIE ZOWIE, CHRW 94.9 FM London ON
"Din's vocals are raw and expressive. Viljo and Elsa is a highlight of the album, a mesmerizing waltz about Finnish immigrants coming to Canada"
– ANYA WASSENBERG, Art and Culture Maven
"Very cool!!!! [Rebel Girl]"
– BONNIE BURTON, Author, CNET
"Two years is a long time to wait for an album, but I can promise you, F-105 was worth the wait. The music is always enjoyable and I love how he blends vocal sounds. Din’s lyrics are sometimes fun, sometimes serious and always thought-provoking."
– MELISSA MINNERS, G-Pop album review
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About
If you were to ask Din (aka F-105), what motivates and moves him to make music, he’d have one answer: To use the force of music to tell the stories and express the common emotions that connect us all in the human experience. He has honed his songwriting and performance style for two decades (touring worldwide), playing coffee shops, clubs and festivals. As F-105 (and formerly The Soles), Din has built a reputation as a songwriting force, a singer with pipes, and a commanding stage presence, second to none. Din’s heart lies in authentically expressing his emotions and only writes songs to that effect, not what he thinks others will like. He has learned (through 9 albums and touring), that the only thing that connects with anyone else is your own truth. Din lives to make music that finds the common threads that makes all people one
In its four releases, F-105 has explored genres ranging from the pop punk geekdom infused psychedelia of "Rebel Girl" off the self-titled F-105 LP (2018) to indie rock of “Desert Planet”, to the alt country rock of “Mileage”, along with authentic folk tracks like "Finally Found a Way" and “Evergreen”. On F-105 III Baby Makes Three Mix (2024), F-105 went full on funk in "Toys, pop-punk on “Songs for Our Kids”, and finally, a waltzy ballad with “(You Say You’re) Not Special"
Hot off the afterburners of F-105 III: Baby Makes Three Mix, F-105 releases another EP for 2024. The band played live for 2 years to prepare 6 songs for a 6 hour live off the floor beds session at the Meriläinen Music recording studio. They did it in 5 hours! Din sang temp "guide" vocals thinking he'd redo them at another session. However, not being concerned about his performance ironically made his recorded "guide" vocals sound natural and just like he does them love. So they decided to keep them. No click tracks, no auto tune. Just rock n roll. This is a testament to how Din (vocals/guitar), Isaac Daniel Eng (bass/vocals), AJ Jiang (keys/vocals) and Elvis Lewis (drums/vocals) gelled over those two years.
Din’s former project, The Soles (5 albums), had significant success on commercial radio with the experimental electronic rock EP Anodos Kathodos (2014). “RFR” off that EP gave him a small but global fanbase in Star Wars fandom. The combined rock, folk, punk, and reggae of The Soles’ Broken Ghost EP (2011) was a college radio hit charting across Canada As the principal songwriter of both F-105 and The Soles, Din has explored Indigenous issues on songs like “No Man’s Land” from the debut F-105 LP. “Sky (In the Name of You)”, off The Soles You Burst into Fire Again LP (2010), and songs like “Whisper” and “The Unknown” of the 5th and final The Soles release, Sand in The Sun LP (2016). These songs sprang from decades of experience as an activist for Indigenous rights
Din is also established visual artist, who’s vision has always been the marriage of his audio and visual art. He designs all his album covers, posters and band merch, to work in harmony with his music to convey his emotions and message with streamlined intent Meriläinen Music Inc.
Highlights and Press
• F-105 III interview with Din at CanadianBeats.ca
• 'Evergreen' nominated for best 'Folk' video at the 2022 Canadian Independent Music Video Awards Feb, 2022
• Din to present The DIY Hero's Journey panel at Toronto ComiCon 2022 with performances from F-105 Mar 18, 2021
• F-105 journey into 'Outer Space' - Fantha Tracks May 4, 2021
• Commerical radio debut of F-105 II: Side B on Erin Radio 91.7 FM Mar 28, 2021
• F-105 II: Side B feature article in Roots Music Canada Mar 2021
• 'Outer Space (I'm Coming Home)' debuts on Skywalking Through Neverland, The Star Wars Underworld, and Culture Slate podcasts Mar 2021
• F-105 II: Side B review by Art And Culture Maven Mar 2021
• Songs from F-105 II: Side B makes college radio debut on CIUT (Toronto), Radio Crown (Baltimore), CFRU (Guelph), CHRW (London ON) Feb/Mar 2021, and Desert Planet Disks (Podcast) etc. Feb/Mar 2021
• Din's panel on the Hero's Journey in his songwriting at the first ever virtual Star Wars festival Aug 2020
• Story of debut album song 'Viljo And Elsa' featured in Finish-Canadian cultural magazine Oct 2019
• 'F-105 First Flight World Tour' concluded with four shows in at Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019 - video
• Debut album featured on 94.9 CHRW London Ontario Jan 2019
• Din hosted CIUT 89.5 FM 'Ruby Slippers' show in Toronto, incl. F-105 songs Oct 2018
• Completed F-105 First Flight World Tour (Leg 1). Entire tour video playlist here Sept 2018
• Canadian Beats F-105 album review Sept 2018
• Art and Culture Maven F-105 album review Aug 2018
• G-Pop F-105 album review Aug 2018
• Performance at Skylight festival in London, Ontario Jul 2018
• Rebel Girl plays with interview on national CBC radio with interview Jul 2018
• Continued weekly feature of album tracks at CIUT FM Toronto Jun 2018
• Rebel Girl debuts live with interview on Skywalking Through Neverland Mar 2018
• Completed a 20 show solo tour, from Victoria BC to Orlando FL to workshop F-105 songs Jan-Apr 2017
• Din appeared live at Star Wars Celebration Orlando 2017 Podcast Stage Apr 2017
Live Highlights
• Din with JUNO nominated BILLBOARD charting Sultans of String at Burlington Performing Arts Centre Oct 22 2023
• F-105 California Tour 2022 incl. live at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim May 26-June 2
• F-105 Live at Toronto ComiCon 2022 Mar 2022
• F-105 Live in Victoria BC Dec 2021
• F-105 Live at Finn Festival Canada 2021 Jun 2021
• F-105 Live at Skylight Festival Paris ON Jul 2021
• F-105 live at Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019
• Full 'F-105 First Flight World Tour' Live YouTube Playlist 2018-2019
• F-105 live at Star Wars Celebration Orlando Apr 2017
• Din performed on CHCH Morning Live in Hamilton with his group The Soles Feb 2017
• Din sings at World Cup Of Hockey Sept 2016
• Din headlines Grace Hartman Amphitheatre, Sudbury ON with his group The Soles Aug 2013
• Din sings at Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010