Ex-Sum 41 guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh aims to debut his new band, Brown Brigade, in the fall, but there's a little matter of finding the right singer first and wrapping up some legal paperwork.

"He has like 20, 25 songs demoed already, so he's pretty prepared," says his new manager Mike "Parkside" Renaud, who took on Baksh as a client when the guitarist told him of his plans to leave the multi-platinum-selling rock band.

Renaud is head of A&R at V2 Records Canada in Toronto, but also manages Sony BMG Music Canada artist Jeremy Fisher. He met Baksh when he was Sum 41's product manager at Aquarius Records, the Canadian label that licenses the band's recordings, and the two became close friends (Baksh will be godfather to Renaud's child, due in July).

"I'm helping him sort through the legalities of leaving the band, getting that all squared away before we strategize about moving forward with the band he's putting together now, and what kind of arrangements he wants to make with who," explains Renaud.

"We're going to try and tour the band in the fall. By August, we'll have all our things straightened away legally and we can really start focusing on the new band. We're not going to wait too long."

Baksh, who is based in Pickering, ON, announced publicly May 11 via a press release that he was leaving Sum 41. His new band, Brown Brigade, includes his cousin, bassist Vaughn Lal; drummer Lee Fairlea; and a second guitarist, "The Craigulator" (his guitar tech from Sum 41). He just needs a singer.

"The demos have no vocals. He's been doing them with Vaughn on his little home studio," says Renaud. "He's going to be doing a hybrid metal-reggae project, so it's going to be this heavy metal band and he's looking for a reggae-influenced Rastafarian singer."

Asked if the music sounds like a metal version of Bedouin Soundclash and Renaud says, "It's still evolving. The demos are definitely heavy, but there's a lot of reggae influences. I'm really looking forward to what it's going to sound like."

Baksh would like potential singers fitting the bill to email him at dave_brownsound@yahoo.com, but he is adamant that the person must live in the area.

"I'd prefer to keep it in the GTA and Durham," Baksh says. "The greatest thing about traveling the world and seeing the musical scenes is it's crazy how Durham actually compares.

"Durham has the best musicians in the world -- because we're so bored. We are very bored," he laughs.

Baksh says his departure from Sum 41 came as no surprise to his bandmates.

Admitting to being "very distant" recently to singer/guitarist Deryck Whibley, drummer Steve Jocz, and bassist Jason "Cone" McCaslin, the 25-year-old Baksh says, "All three of them, when we actually spoke, said, 'We saw this coming. We were kind of wondering.'"

As Baksh built up the courage to leave the punk/pop band he joined nine years ago in Ajax, ON and went on to sell millions of albums worldwide, he started withdrawing.

"Let's just say, I was pretty much your cookie-cutter depression case. You really want your friends around, but when they are around and you try to talk about something, you feel like all you're doing is complaining and it just sinks you even further," Baksh says.

"(The decision) took two-and-a-half years and it was weighed carefully because there's no ill will towards the guys in Sum 41. It's just a series of personal conflicts and problems with myself basically led to this decision. As soon as you get past a certain age, other things coming into play, such as life outside of the band - a mortgage, family problems at home, and things like that.

"The biggest decision was whether I wanted to go out and be a detriment to this band and just be doing it for the fans. It would have been really unfair to go out and treat these guys that I respect in that manner. It would be totally rude and not like me in any way."

While it might sound cliche, Baksh says the primary reason for his departure was musical direction. "As a guitar player, growing up, I always used to practice the entire album of "Symbolic" by Death, you know what I mean?"

As the rest of Sum 41 got to work on the follow-up to 2004's "Chuck," Baksh wasn't very involved. "I only received a few demos. That's it. I didn't write any of the riffs; all I did was write solos."

Clearly, the man had his heart on creating something heavier and had been working with his cousin on Brown Brigade any time Sum 41 was off the road.

Renaud says he has received a few calls from label types since news of Brown Brigade has surfaced, but when the singer is found and the demos are finished, they first plan on giving it to Island Def Jam in America, the label which signed Sum 41.

"Island has a 90-day option to pick him up as a solo artist," says Renaud. "Even regardless of that, he has a good relationship with them, so once we get the record together, we would probably give them a call anyway, but who knows? We haven't really gotten that far."

Baksh says just "pay attention to stickers of The Brown Knight," referring to Brown Brigade's mascot. That's when the band will rear its head.