Sloan (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name =

---

Img_capt = Sloan performing at Olympic Island in Toronto, Ontario, 2004
Img_size =
Landscape = yes
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Genre = Rock, power pop, indie pop
Years_active = 1991–present
Label = Yep Roc, Murderecords, Sony BMG, Geffen
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.sloanmusic.com/ www.sloanmusic.com]
Current_members = Chris Murphy Patrick Pentland Jay Ferguson Andrew Scott
Past_members =

Sloan is a power pop quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

History

Early years

The band was formed in 1991 when Chris Murphy and Andrew Scott met at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) in Halifax; Patrick Pentland and Jay Ferguson joined soon after. In 1992 the band created their own record label, Murderecords, for themselves and other Halifax area bands, and released the "Peppermint EP".

Name

According to Sloan's official website [cite web
title = Fan F.A.Q. - Top 10 Questions (Aug 2000)
url= http://www.sloanmusic.com/a/about/faq/fanfaqtop10#name
accessdate = 2006-07-28 ] , the band's name refers to a friend's nickname. Their friend Jason Larsen was called "Slow One" by his French-speaking boss, which with the French accent sounded more like "Sloan". The original agreement was that they could name the band after their friend's nickname as long as he was on the cover of their first album. As a result, it is Larsen who appears on the cover of the "Peppermint EP".

Geffen

Later in 1992 Sloan released their full-length album "Smeared" on Geffen Records. In 1994 Geffen did not promote their second album, "Twice Removed", due to artistic disputes, [http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2005/03/0105.cfm ChartAttack.com: Sloan's Twice Removed Named Top Canadian Album Of All Time (2005)] ] although it sold well in Canada. "Spin" named it one of the "Best Albums You Didn't Hear" in 1994. A 1996 reader poll by Canadian music magazine "Chart!" ranked it as the best Canadian album of all time, only two years after its release. [http://www.chartattack.com/top50/all100.html ChartAttack.com: Top 100 Albums Of All Time (1996)] ] The same poll in 2000 ranked the album third, behind Joni Mitchell's "Blue" and Neil Young's "Harvest". [http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2000/06/3001.cfm ChartAttack.com: Top 50 Albums Of All Time (2000)] ] However, in the 2005 poll once again ranked the album first.

Murderecords

After being dropped from the Geffen roster, the band went on hiatus and were rumoured to have broken up, but in 1996 they released the widely praised "One Chord to Another" on their own Murderecords label. Following 1998's "Navy Blues" album, Sloan released their first live album "4 Nights at the Palais Royale" in 1999. Those albums were followed by "Between the Bridges" in 1999, and "Pretty Together" in 2001.

eeking US success

Sloan made a concerted effort to break into the US market on their 2003 release Action Pact. Songs were recorded in L.A. with Tom Rothrock producing. The glossier, radio-ready sound failed to raise Sloan's profile in the US, though they continued to be highly popular in Canada. [cite web
title = Ladies and gentleman...Sloan (2006)
url= http://www.iheartmusic.net/serendipity/index.php?/archives/421-Ladies-and-gentleman...Sloan.html
accessdate = 2008-06-20 ]

Sloan's first compilation album "", included two new songs, "All Used Up" and "Try to Make It". The Japanese release included two additional new tracks.

"Never Hear the End of It"

Now signed to Yep Roc Records for their US releases, they put out their eighth disc, "Never Hear the End of It" in 2006. The double album contained 30 tracks with all the members of the band contributing new songs on this album. The album met with widespread critical acclaim and became the highest charting Sloan album in the US up to that point.

In 2008, Sloan followed up their longest album with their shortest and most recent release "Parallel Play".

ongwriting

All four members of Sloan write their own songs, and when they play live they switch instruments accordingly. Usually the band performs as follows: Murphy is on lead vocals and plays bass, Pentland is also on lead vocals and plays lead guitar, Ferguson plays rhythm guitar, and Scott plays drums.

While Murphy has written an overall majority of the band's songs, Pentland is nonetheless responsible for having written many of Sloan's most recognizable hits. Perhaps more noteworthy, however, is the fact that every member of the group has contributed at least two songs per album, with only the following exceptions: On 1992's debut LP, "Smeared", Scott and Pentland are credited with just one song each, while on 2003's "Action Pact", Scott has no songs, for according to "Eye Weekly", that album's producer, Tom Rothrock, essentially randomly selected tracks out of the band's submissions in the interest of creating a more streamlined sound. Scott's songwriting output at that time may also have been somewhat diminished because he had recently become a father. [cite web
title = Sloan finds focus with new producer
work = Eye Weekly
url= http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_08.14.03/music/sloan.html
accessdate = 2006-07-28 ]

Discography

tudio albums

*1992: "Peppermint EP"
*1992: "Smeared"
*1994: "Twice Removed"
*1996: "One Chord to Another"
*1997: "Recorded Live At A Sloan Party!"
*1998: "Navy Blues"
*1999: "Between the Bridges"
*2001: "Pretty Together"
*2003: "Action Pact"
*2006: "Never Hear the End of It"
*2008: "Parallel Play"

Live albums

*1999: "4 Nights at the Palais Royale"

Compilations

*1994: "DGC Rarities Volume 1" - Track #11 "Stove/Smother" - 4:44 (Eric's Trip cover)
*2005: ""

Guest appearances

* 2007: "Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" (features a cover of Dion's "Little Diane" with Sloan playing their usual instruments and Cuomo on vocals)

Honours and awards

"Twice Removed" was named the best Canadian album ever recorded in a 1996 reader poll by "Chart! magazine". In the 2000 poll, the album was voted third, but in the 2005 poll it once again ranked first.

Juno Awards

*1994: Nominated – Best New Group
*1995: Nominated – Best Alternative Album ("Twice Removed")
*1997: Won – Best Alternative Album ("One Chord to Another")
*1999: Nominated – Best Rock Album ("Navy Blues")
*2000: Nominated – Best Album Design (Catherine Stockhausen and Lee Towndrow, "Between the Bridges")
*2002: Nominated – Best Rock Album ("Pretty Together")
*2002: Nominated – Best Single ("If It Feels Good Do It")
*2007: Nominated – Best Rock Album ("Never Hear the End of It")

East Coast Music Awards

*1993: Nominated – Album of the Year ("Smeared"), Entertainer of the Year, Pop Rock Recording of the Year, Song of the Year ("Underwhelmed"), Video of the Year ("Underwhelmed")
*1996: Won – Alternative Recording of the Year
**Nominated – Pop Rock Recording of the Year, Video of the Year ("People of the Sky")
*1997: Won – Alternative Recording of the Year, Group of the Year
** Nominated – Pop Rock Recording of the Year
*1998: Nominated – Single of the Year ("Everything You've Done Wrong"), Video of the Year ("Everything You've Done Wrong")
*1999: Nominated – Group of the Year, Video of the Year ("Money City Maniacs")
*2001: Nominated – Group of the Year
*2002: Won – Video of the Year ("If It Feels Good Do It")
**Nominated – Album of the Year ("Pretty Together"), Entertainer of the Year, Group of the Year, Rock Recording of the Year, Songwriter of the Year ("If It Feels Good Do It")
*2003: Nominated – Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year ("The Other Man"), Video of the Year ("The Other Man")
*2004: Won – Video of the Year ("The Rest of My Life")
** Nominated – Album of the Year ("Action Pact"), Group of the Year, Rock Recording of the Year ("Action Pact"), Single of the Year ("The Rest of My Life"), Songwriter of the Year ("The Rest of My Life")
*2006 Nominated – Single of the Year ("All Used Up")
*2007 Won – Rock Recording of the Year ("Never Hear the End of It")
** Nominated: Album of the Year ("Never Hear the End of It"), Group of the Year

References

External links

* [http://www.sloanmusic.com Sloan] official website
* [http://www.icebergradio.com/sloan "Never Hear the End of It"] album launch
* [http://beingtheremag.com/column.php?id=308&issue=21 Being There Magazine feature]
* [http://www.viruscomix.com/sloan.html Sloan vs Nickelback (comic)]
* [http://sloan.yupislyr.com Sloan] message board
*myspace|sloan|Sloan