- Constantines
-
Constantines 
Constantines playing the Vancouver 2010 OlympicsBackground information Also known as Horsey Craze Origin Guelph, Ontario, Canada Genres Indie rock Years active 1999–2010 (hiatus) Labels Three Gut, Arts & Crafts, Sub Pop Associated acts Shoulder, Baby Eagle, Woolly Leaves, Deloro Website arts-crafts.ca/constantines Members Steve Lambke
Doug MacGregor
Bryan Webb
Dallas WehrlePast members Evan Gordon
Will KidmanConstantines is an indie rock band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Contents
History
The band was formed by Steve Lambke, Bryan Webb, Doug MacGregor, and Dallas Wehrle in 1999, following the break-up of Webb and MacGregor's emotional hardcore band Shoulder. Their style has been described as "art-punk", and they have been compared to bands like The Clash, Fugazi, Bruce Springsteen, The Replacements, and Nick Cave.
The name of the band is taken from an episode of Coast to Coast with Art Bell, in which Bell was playing recordings of ghost voices in static, and one of the ghosts’ names was Constantine.[1]
From their hometown of Guelph the band relocated to London, Ontario and then to Toronto, where in 2001 they released their self-titled first album. Constantines enjoyed widespread play on campus radio and was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Alternative Album. The first track, "Arizona", is based on the suicide of Danny Rapp, the lead singer of Danny and the Juniors of "At the Hop" fame. The song begins with the lyric "This is a song about the death of Danny Rapp. And that great gospel jest called rock 'n' roll."
In 2002 they added keyboard player Evan Gordon to the lineup and released the EP The Modern Sinner Nervous Man. Gordon left the band soon after to pursue his own song writing. He was replaced by Will Kidman, and the band released Shine a Light in 2003. This album was the band's first to be released outside of Canada on the Sub Pop record label.
In 2005, they embarked on a cross-Canada tour with The Weakerthans called The Rolling Tundra Revue. Later in the year their album Tournament of Hearts was released September 27 by Toronto record label Three Gut Records in Canada, and on October 11 by Sub Pop in the United States.
The members of the Constantines have occasionally played shows under the name Horsey Craze, covering Neil Young songs. In early 2006, they released a vinyl only split-album with The Unintended. The Constantines recorded four Neil Young covers for the LP, while The Unintended performed four Gordon Lightfoot songs.
In 2007, following the demise of their former Canadian record label Three Gut Records, the Constantines signed with Arts & Crafts. On January 15, 2008 they released a limited edition 7" on white vinyl, entitled Hard Feelings. Their fourth full-length album, Kensington Heights, was released on April 15 in Canada and April 29 in the US.
Guitarist Steve Lambke has released three albums and a split 12" under the name Baby Eagle, and keyboard player Will Kidman has recorded under the name Woolly Leaves.
In December 2009, the band celebrated their tenth anniversary with a tour of southwestern Ontario. Shortly thereafter, keyboardist Will Kidman left the band. This, coupled with Webb's migration from his home in Montréal back to Guelph, fueled rumours of the band's demise.[2] In an August 2010 radio interview, however, Webb said, "I think we're just slowing down. We'll just say, 'see you around.'"[3]
Members
Current members
- Steve Lambke – guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Doug MacGregor – drums
- Bryan Webb – vocals, guitar
- Dallas Wehrle – bass guitar, backing vocals
Former members
- Will Kidman – keyboards, guitar, percussion, backing vocals
- Evan Gordon – keyboards
Discography
Albums
- Constantines (Three Gut Records) – June 5, 2001
- Shine a Light (Three Gut Records) – August 19, 2003
- Tournament of Hearts (Three Gut Records) – September 27, 2005
- Kensington Heights (Arts & Crafts) – April 15, 2008
EPs
- The Modern Sinner Nervous Man (EP, Suicide Squeeze Records) – April 16, 2002
- Nighttime Anytime (EP, Sub Pop) – July 8, 2003
Singles
- Young Lions (single, Sub Pop) – August 10, 2004
- Hard Feelings (7" single, Arts & Crafts) – January 15, 2008
- Islands in the Stream (7" single with Feist, Arts & Crafts) – 2008
- Our Age (7" single, Arts & Crafts, B-side is cover of "Fuckin' Up" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse) – November 25, 2008
- Too Slow for Love (Electronic-only companion for Kensington Heights) – March 17, 2009
Splits
- Constantines Play Young/Unintended Play Lightfoot LP (Blue Fog Records) – 2006
Compilation Appearances
- The 20 Year Design Theory (AntiAntenna Recordings) – "The Young and the Desperate" – June 1, 2001
- Patient Zero – "Young Lions" (Sub Pop) – June 1, 2004
- CBC Radio 3 Sessions, Vol. 1 – "Blind Luck (live)" – June 15, 2004
- Wide Awake, Crescent Shaped: Volume 10 – "St. You (live)" – June 15, 2004
- Songbook Of Songs (Sub Pop) – "Working Full-Time" – May 24, 2005
TV Appearances
See also
- Music of Canada
- Canadian rock
- List of bands from Canada
- List of Canadian musicians
- Category:Canadian musical groups
References
External links
- Constantines official website
- Constantines on former label Three Gut Records
- Constantines on Sub Pop
- Constantines on Myspace
Categories:- Musical groups established in 1999
- Canadian indie rock groups
- Musical groups from Guelph
- Sub Pop artists
- Arts & Crafts (record label) artists
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
