Broken Social Scene
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Broken Social Scene are a Canadian indie rock supergroup formed in 1999 in Toronto, Ontario.
The band's core members are Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. This duo recorded and released the band's post-rock debut album, Feel Good Lost, in 2001, with contributions by Justin Peroff, Charles Spearin and Bill Priddle. However, when they played shows to support the album, Drew and Canning found it difficult to put together an entertaining show based on Feel Good Lost, which was an almost entirely instrumental album.
As a result, they brought in a number of friends from the Toronto indie scene -- Andrew Whiteman, Jason Collett, Metric's Emily Haines and Leslie Feist -- to flesh out their live show with lyrics and vocals. Over time, the band also came to include contributions from James Shaw, Evan Cranley, Justin Peroff, John Crossingham and Stars's Amy Millan.
All of the later guest musicians joined with Drew, Canning, Peroff and Spearin to record the band's second album, You Forgot It in People, in 2002 on the label Arts & Crafts. This album, an eclectic, restlessly creative collection of experimental yet accessible pop songs, became the band's critical and commercial breakthrough -- it was greeted with ecstatic reviews, and landed on many music critics' year-end Best-Of lists. More notably it won the Alternative Album of the Year Juno Award in 2003.
The album also included musical contributions by Priddle, Jessica Moss, Brodie West, Susannah Brady and Ohad Benchetrit, but these were credited as supporting musicians rather than band members. On the supporting tour, the band consisted of Drew, Canning, Peroff, Whiteman and Jason Collett, along with whoever else was available to attend any individual show. Amy Millan and Gentleman Reg also joined for some shows.
In 2003, the B-sides and remix collection Bee Hives was released.
Broken Social Scene released their third full-length, self-titled album on October 4, 2005, with new contributors including k-os, Jason Tait and Murray Lightburn. The inside booklet accompanying album also noted several new faces as part of Broken Social Scene. A limited edition EP, E.P. To Be You And Me was also printed along with the album. For the first time David Newfeld, who has produced Broken Social Scene's albums, is listed as a band member.
The group appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on January 31, 2006 performing "7/4 (Shoreline)".
At the 2006 Juno Awards, they performed "Ibi Dreams of Pavement" at the show and Broken Social Scene (album) won the Alternative Album of the Year award.
Contents |
Discography
- Feel Good Lost - (2001)
- You Forgot It in People - (2002)
- Bee Hives - (2004)
- Broken Social Scene - (2005)
Videography
- Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl (directed by Yael Staav)
- Stars & Sons (August 2003, directed by Christopher Millls)
- Cause = Time (December 2003, directed by George Vale & Kevin Drew)
- Almost Crimes (2004, directed by George Vale & Kevin Drew)
- Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day) (November 2005, directed by Experimental Parachute Moment)
Current lineup
Listed in the order and as they appear in the liner notes accompanying the group's 2005 release Broken Social Scene, as well as the tour that followed:
- Brendan Canning
- Kevin Drew
- Justin Peroff
- Charles Spearin
- Andrew Whiteman
- Jason Collett
- David Newfeld
- Leslie Feist
- Emily Haines
- James Shaw
- Evan Cranley
- Amy Millan
- Ohad Benchetrit
- Martin Davis Kinack
- Jo-ann Goldsmith
- Torquil Campbell
- John Crossingham
Touring lineup history
Image:Broken Social Scene live 20040708.jpg From 2002 to 2004 female vocalists Emily Haines, Leslie Feist and Amy Millan rotated between availability from their own bands, until a full time replacement was found in 2005 with Lisa Lobsinger. From time to time (most notably at hometown shows in Toronto) any one of the ladies will usually resume their role on their trademark songs, and appear unannounced prior to the show.
- 2001: Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Brodie West
- 2002: Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin, Jason Collett, Emily Haines, Leslie Feist, Evan Cranley
- 2003: Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin, Jason Collett, Leslie Feist, Evan Cranley
- 2004: Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin, Jason Collett, Amy Millan, James Shaw, Evan Cranley
- 2005: Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin, Lisa Lobsinger, John Crossingham, Julie Penner, Ohad Benchetrit, Leslie Feist
Collett took time off to promote his solo release Idols of Exile, and to attend to his family, prior to the 2005 fall tour. Spearin, also recently having a newborn child, will be absent from the early 2006 traveling schedule across Europe, although he is scheduled to tour Australia with them.
Awards and nominations
2003
- You Forgot It in People - Winner: Alternative Album of the Year Juno Award.
2004
- Stars and Sons - Christopher Mills, Broken Social Scene - Nomination: Video of the Year Juno Award.
2006
- Broken Social Scene - Winner: Alternative Album of the Year Juno Award.
Related bands
Most of the musicians who have worked with Broken Social Scene are members of other bands as well. These include:
- KC Accidental - Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin
- Apostle of Hustle - Andrew Whiteman
- Feist - Leslie Feist
- Jason Collett - Jason Collett
- Do Make Say Think - Charles Spearin and Ohad Benchetrit
- Junior Blue - Justin Peroff and Kevin Drew
- Metric - James Shaw and Emily Haines
- Raising the Fawn - John Crossingham
- Stars - Evan Cranley, Amy Millan, and Torquil Campbell
- Treble Charger - Bill Priddle
- Valley of the Giants - Brendan Canning and Charles Spearin
- The Weakerthans - Jason Tait
- FemBots - Jason Tait and Julie Penner
- Reverie Sound Revue - Lisa Lobsinger
- K-OS - Kheaven Brereton
- The Dears - Murray Lightburn
Jason Collett performs as a solo artist under his own name. Andrew Whiteman's "solo" project Apostle of Hustle features other members of BSS. Kheaven Brereton is a hip-hop artist who goes by the stage name k-os. Leslie Feist is also a solo artist, although her albums are credited simply to Feist.
Junior Blue and Valley of the Giants are both BSS-style collaborative bands that were formed after You Forgot It in People was recorded and released.
Canning was previously in the bands hHead and By Divine Right. Drew and Spearin were previously in the band KC Accidental. Whiteman was previously in the bands Que Vida and Bourbon Tabernacle Choir.