The Other Children

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Other Children


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Origin = Montreal, Canada
Genre = Rock, Alternative, Post-punk, Pop
Years_active = 2001–present
Label = ShovelCat Records
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Current_members = Ben Pelchat (Vocals, Guitars, Synths, FX)
Sam Dufour (Drums, Vocals, Percussion, Syths, FX)
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The Other Children is a Canadian rock band based in Montreal.It features Ben Pelchat on vocals/guitar/bass/percussion/piano/programming, and Sam Dufour on drums/vocals/guitar/bass/percussion/synths/FX.

The 2006 debut (self-titled) album features some guest players, as does the live show.

Pelchat co-writes and produces with Dufour.

History

Formation and early days (2001-2002)

Ben Pelchat formed The Other Children in 2001 with college friend Mike Dyball (bass/fx/synths). The two put together The Other Children’s first demo.

The disk (titled Over There) was never officially released. It proved to be perhaps a little too ahead of its time. It was eventually put aside in favor of recording a full-length, more accessible rock album.

=Recording of “The Other Children” (2002-2005)=

The band decided in 2002 that they wanted a more “live” rock sound, as the first demo was mostly electronic in nature. They had spent time in Toronto that year, exploring different sounds and arrangements. Working on their live show there, they were inspired to enhance their sound.

They recruited drummer Jonathan Boles in June 2002 after auditioning numerous others.As a trio, they set off to record their rock debut at Ben Pelchat’s Suite Red Room studios in Montreal. The recording of the album was carried out at a vacation-like pace. The studios featured an indoor pool/hot tub/greenhouse area on the lower level that the band set up in to record the drum sounds. The guitars, bass, and vocals were recorded in the upper level of the studio – the “Red Room” – named after its bright red wood flooring and candle-lit vibe.Overall, the basic tracking for eight songs was completed over an immersive, month-long recording period that summer.

Later in 2002, things took a different turn. The band was suffering from a lack of revenue, due in part to a slim number of live show bookings.The mixing and producing of the album also proved a challenge, and had been delayed somewhat due to various road blocks.

By early 2003, Boles had left the band to join rock outfit Priestess.Dyball also joined the same band, putting his TOC involvement on the backburner.

By May 2003, Pelchat was contemplating a solo career, but ultimately decided to stick with the band format. Ben had other projects that year (including production work on soundtrack and advertising music, as well as his sister Kirsten’s debut album) which pushed back TOC’s debut release somewhat.

2004 proved to be a year of constant changes, as Pelchat moved between Montreal, Quebec, Houston, and Milton.

But the writing and production continued, and by mid-2005, Pelchat had almost finished the album.

Nearing completion however, several songs were dropped from the list, and new ones were added.As Ben put it: “I just kept writing *bigger and better* songs…I had no choice but to include some of them.”The addition of new material provided a much needed edge to the (now mostly older) play list.Last minute additions “Memory Eraser” and “Love & Hate (Make Me Sick)” had made the wait worthwhile.

By December 2005 Ben had finally finished producing, mixing, and mastering the album. The album would be ready for the New Year.

First album release (2006)

The Other Children’s self-titled debut album was released in January 2006 under Pelchat’s independent ShovelCat Records. Through a distribution deal with CD Baby the album is available on the traditional CD format, as well as for digital download through online retailers such as iTunes and Napster.

The cover art for the album features a half-face shot of Pelchat mirrored upon itself to form a complete face.

The aim was a low-fi look, to contrast the sometimes hi-tech rock sound.

Even though the album was initially intended as a stripped-down rock record, the final result is quite inspired, soulful, experimental, and eclectic.

Continuing saga (2006-????)

In early 2006, shortly after the debut’s release, Sam Dufour joined the ranks of TOC as their new drummer/percussionist/backup singer/co-songwriter.Sam was no stranger to Ben, as the two had played in (alternative rock band) Permabliss together in the late 90’s.The band is now continuing its prolific streak. Ben and Sam are putting together album 2 (tentatively titled BANG!), due for release in the latter half of 2007. Expected are bigger, bolder tunes from this always intriguing band.

Points of interest

trange confirmation

When the track listing on TOC’s first (2001) demo is aligned to center, the track list forms the shape of a little girl child.According to Pelchat, this was a complete accident: “We already had the names and track order chosen for the demo. It was only when we wrote out the final track listing that we noticed the shape. It was sort of eerie. In a strange way I suppose it was a confirmation that we had chosen the right name!” The track list with in center alignment is:

Over There

Fall To My Feet

Unwound

More

Song For An Action Movie

Untitled

DreamSet

Redemption

Blood Sunrise

Breath

Transmission Over

Discography

Studio Albums

BANG! (2008)

The Other Children (2006)

Demo Albums

Over There (2001)

Podcasts

[http://www.gcast.com/u/otherchildren/main Rarities - The Other Children and Friends, Vol. 1]

Other Projects

1. Kirsten Pitkanen – Audio Mink (2003), Ben Pelchat producer

2. The Finer Things – Original Soundtrack (2003), Ben Pelchat composer/producer

3. DJ ShovelCat – Derelict Technology (2004), Ben Pelchat’s alter ego

4. Jacks and ShovelCat – Find (Single, 2005), Ben Pelchat’s side project with Jermaine Troy Jackson

External links

*http://www.myspace.com/theotherchildren
*http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/otherchildren