Hamilton's Poor Angus makes Searchlight semi-finals

Hamilton's Poor Angus is making a habit of beating the odds, vaulting over dozens of other bands to land in the semi-finals of the CBC Music Searchlight competition.

"We believe we've got a good tune, and we're just thrilled that people are supporting us," said Poor Angus' Brian LeBlanc.

After defeating Montreal's Motel Raphael and Kitchener-Waterloo's Ambre McLean, the band is now up against Sherman Downey and The Ambiguous Case from St. John's.

'We hope you'll jump onboard and show that there's as much civic pride here as anywhere else in the country.' —Brian LeBlanc, Poor Angus

"They have a heck of a lot of hometown support," LeBlanc said. "There would be no shame in going down to that group."

Poor Angus' Searchlight entry, Something I Can't See, is a lilting, Celtic-style ballad. Sherman Downey's Thick as Thieves is actually the closest stylistic match the band has faced thus far for its Celtic overtones and folky twang.

Ironically, the guys from Poor Angus are huge fans of Newfoundland music mainstays like Great Big Sea, Ron Hynes and Ryan's Fancy.

Leblanc says no matter what happens in the coming weeks — win or lose — the band is much richer for the competition and the experience. They've seen web traffic, Facebook likes and email kudos all jump exponentially in the last couple of weeks.

"In our eyes we've already won," LeBlanc said. "We've quadrupled our fan base and people are listening to our music across the country."

Hamilton has rallied behind the band time and time again, LeBlanc says, and he hopes that the city is up to the task once more.

"We hope you'll jump onboard and show that there's as much civic pride here as anywhere else in the country," LeBlanc said.

Click here to vote for Poor Angus in the CBC Music Searchlight Competition. The poll for the top four closes Sunday, April 7, 2013 at midnight ET. Check back Monday Apr. 8 when we reveal the top two bands.