Spencer Krug

Spencer Krug
Spencer Krug w/ Sunset Rubdown at the Hi-Dive in Denver, CO, on April 16, 2007.
Background information
Born	May 4, 1977 (1977-05-04) (age 34) Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Indie rock
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, accordion, kick drum
Years active	2002 (2002)–present
Labels	Sub Pop, Absolutely Kosher, Global Symphonic, Jagjaguwar, DSA
Associated acts	Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes, Swan Lake, Fifths of Seven, Moonface

Spencer Krug (pronounced /ˈkruːɡ/ kroog) is a Canadian musician. He is currently the singer, songwriter and keyboardist for the indie rock bands Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown. He has also performed with other Canadian bands including Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, Fifths of Seven, and ska band the Two Tonne Bowlers, playing various instruments. His involvement in many musical acts has garnered him a noticeably high output of work, being credited on several releases a year.^[1] While his distinctive voice and singing style have drawn equal parts praise and derision, his songwriting abilities have been much-lauded in the music press, and he has been called "arguably the most talented songwriter of this generation."^[2]

Overview

Krug was born on May 4, 1977 and raised in Penticton, British Columbia,^[3][4] where at age 12, he first began playing piano. Soon after he picked up guitar, focusing on the two instruments. Upon leaving Penticton, he moved to Victoria, British Columbia where he helped found the indie rock band Frog Eyes with his then-roommate, Carey Mercer.^[5] Krug took part in a March 2001 recording session that would later become Frog Eyes' first LP, The Bloody Hand.^[5] Shortly afterwards, however, Krug left the band and moved to Montreal, Quebec where he studied creative writing and musical composition at Concordia University.^[6] In April 2003 Krug formed Wolf Parade alongside fellow singer/songwriter/guitarist Dan Boeckner.^[7]

Wolf Parade's first show was opening for Arcade Fire on the ’03 "Us Kids Know" tour.^[7] Apologies to the Queen Mary, Wolf Parade's debut album, was produced by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock and released on Seattle indie label Sub Pop on September 27, 2005.

Also in 2005, Krug teamed up with Beckie Foon (A Silver Mt. Zion, Set Fire to Flames, Esmerine) and Rachel Levine (Cakelk), forming the instrumental string/piano/accordion-based trio Fifths of Seven.^[8] Later that year, the band released Spry from Bitter Anise Folds.

As a side project to Wolf Parade, under the moniker Sunset Rubdown, Krug self-produced 5 EPs, each one focusing on specific thematic composition and instrumentation – acoustic guitar; piano and hand claps; synths and drum machines, etc. – of original songs. In the summer of 2005 selections from each of those EPs were compiled and released as the LP, Snake's Got a Leg. Originally a solo project, Sunset Rubdown expanded in the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006 to include Camilla Wynn Ingr (Pony Up!), Jordan Robson-Cramer (XY Lover, Magic Weapon, and Miracle Fortress) and Michael Doerksen. This new line-up released its first collaborative efforts: a 5 track self-titled EP, Sunset Rubdown, in January 2006, followed by the band's second LP, Shut Up I Am Dreaming, in May 2006. Sunset Rubdown's third LP, Random Spirit Lover, was released October 2007 on Jagjaguwar Records. Sunset Rubdown's fourth LP, Dragonslayer, was released in 2009 on Jagjaguwar Records.

Krug rejoined Frog Eyes as their keyboardist in the spring of 2006 and helped put out The Future Is Inter-Disciplinary or Not at All and Tears of the Valedictorian.^[5] Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes toured that year together, allowing Krug to participate in both bands simultaneously. Krug also recorded material for the indie rock supergroup Swan Lake alongside Frog Eyes' Carey Mercer and Destroyer's Dan Bejar. The group released their debut album, Beast Moans, on November 21, 2006 through Jagjaguwar Records.

In mid-2008, Krug toured with Wolf Parade in support of their second LP entitled At Mount Zoomer on June 17, 2008. On March 24, 2009 Swan Lake released their second album, Enemy Mine. Sunset Rubdown's most recent album, entitled Dragonslayer, was released on Jagjaguwar Records on June 23, 2009. In January 2010, Krug released Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums under the Moonface moniker.^[9] In June 2010, Wolf Parade released their third full album, Expo 86.^[10] A world tour supporting the new album followed, after which Wolf Parade went on indefinite hiatus. ^[11]

Krug is currently touring in support of Moonface's new album, Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped, with future plans to record with the band Siinai. ^[12]

Discography

Main article: Spencer Krug discography

Fifths of Seven

• Spry from Bitter Anise Folds (2005) DSA

Frog Eyes

• The Bloody Hand (2002) Global Symphonic
• The Future Is Inter-Disciplinary or Not at All (2006) Acuarela Discos
• Tears of the Valedictorian (2007) Absolutely Kosher

Sunset Rubdown

• Snake's Got a Leg (2005) Global Symphonic
• Sunset Rubdown EP (2006) Global Symphonic
• Shut Up I Am Dreaming (2006) Absolutely Kosher
• Random Spirit Lover (2007) Jagjaguwar
• Introducing Moonface (2009) Global Symphonic
• Dragonslayer (2009) Jagjaguwar

Moonface

• Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums (2010) Jagjaguwar
• Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped (2011) Jagjaguwar

Swan Lake

• Beast Moans (2006) Jagjaguwar
• Enemy Mine (2009) Jagjaguwar

Wolf Parade

• Wolf Parade (4-song EP)(2003) Self-Released
• Wolf Parade (6-song EP) (2004) Self-Released
• Wolf Parade (EP) (2005) Sub Pop
• Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005) Sub Pop
• At Mount Zoomer (2008) Sub Pop
• Expo 86 (2010) Sub Pop

Notable contributions

• In 2005, Krug contributed to the UNICEF benefit song, "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" along with Dan Boeckner.
• Krug played keyboard for Destroyer's European Tour of Notorious Lightning & Other Works.^[13]

References

1. ^ http://stereogum.com/archives/progress-report/progress-report-spencer-krug_047841.html
2. ^ http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/sunset-rubdown/random-spirit-lover.htm
3. ^ Birth date reported: Freedom for Mama’s Girls, May 4, 2007.
4. ^ Age reported in 2006: David Berry "Spencer Krug is Just Parading as a Wolf, it Seems", Vue Weekly, 2006.
5. ^ ^{a b c} Soft Abuse Records, "Frog Eyes: Biography", softabuse.com, retrieved January 16, 2008.
6. ^ Michael Petitti, "Third Act: Sunset Rubdown collate again to create another stunner", Tucson Weekly, October 11, 2007.
7. ^ ^{a b} Sub Pop Records, "Wolf Parade: Biography", subpop.com, retrieved January 16, 2008.
8. ^ Fifths of Seven Official Website, "Review Section", fifthsofseven.com, retrieved January 16, 2008.
9. ^ Jagjaguwar Official Website, "JAG 146 Moonface – Dreamland EP: marimba and shit-drums", www.jagjaguwar.com, retrieved July 29, 2010.
10. ^ Sub Pop Official Website, "Sub Pop Records : Wolf Parade : EXPO 86" subpop.com, retrieved March 2, 2011.
11. ^ Tom Breihan, "Wolf Parade Go on Indefinite Hiatus", pitchfork.com, November 29, 2010.
12. ^ Jagjaguwar Official Website, "Moonface: Updates From Finland & New Tour", jagjaguwar.com, September 7, 2011.
13. ^ Daniel Gill, "Swan Lake preps debut full-length on Jagjaguwar", Force Field PR, August 6th, 2006.

External links

• Official Wolf Parade page
• Official Sunset Rubdown page
• Official Fifths of Seven page
• Official Swan Lake page
• Official Moonface page

Persondata
Name	Krug, Spencer
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 4, 1977
Place of birth	Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Date of death
Place of death