Patrick Pentland

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Patrick Pentland

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Img_capt = Patrick Pentland performing with Sloan at the Sudbury Summerfest 2007 in Sudbury, Ontario
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1969|9|20
Newtownards, Northern Ireland, UK
Died =
Origin = Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Instrument = Guitar
Voice_type =
Genre = Indie rock
Occupation = Musician
Years_active = 1991–present
Label = Murderecords
Associated_acts = Sloan, Destroy Tomorrow 666
URL = [http://www.sloanmusic.com/ www.sloanmusic.com] ,
Notable_instruments =

Patrick Pentland (born 20 September 1969) is a member of the Canadian rock band, Sloan. All four members of Sloan write and sing their own songs, and Pentland also plays guitar, bass, and keyboards, and occasionally plays the drums live.

Patrick was born in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, UK. He emigrated to Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, in 1975 with his father (Richard), mother (Patricia) and sister (Danielle). In 1977 Patrick's father's work saw them moving to Montego Bay, Jamaica, for 18 months. Returning to Nova Scotia in 1979, they settled in Middle Sackville, one hour from Halifax, where Patrick remained until he moved out of the family home in 1991.

Patrick attended Sackville High and Millwood High. After graduating he attended the University Of King's College, entering the school's prestigious Journalism program. He left the program in his second year, and eventually graduated with a BA in History, of which he claims to have retained very little knowledge.

It was during high school that he became serious about playing music, guitar in particular. Patrick's father, Dick Pentland, had played in rock bands, or show bands as they were known, in Northern Ireland throughout the 1960s and early '70s. This had an impact on Patrick, who wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. He had learned recorder in grade school, and played saxophone in his junior high school band, but he eventually settled on guitar as his main instrument.

Patrick's first group was a hard rock band, Prosecutor, which came together in the fall of 1984, and covered Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, plus a few originals influenced by those bands. The intended name was actually Persecutor. The band played two shows, both in the spring of 1985, one in the local recreation centre that they rehearsed in, and the second on the lawn outside a local music store. By this time, however, Patrick had moved away from the hard rock sound of the band, becoming more interested in harder metal, having discovered bands like Motorhead, Venom, and the first two Metallica records.

Through this music he became exposed to punk rock, especially American hardcore. Several trips back to Northern Ireland had also exposed him to the Sex Pistols and post-punk bands like the Cure, early Cult, and the Jesus and Mary Chain. By 1986 Patrick had formed a hardcore band with Cliff Gibb (later of Thrush Hermit), John Johnson (later of The Donner Party Reunion), and Scott Hiltz, called The Ripping Convulsions. The name was shortened to the Convulsions by their first gigs, several house parties in the suburbs outside of Halifax. The group recorded several tapes, and performed a handful of shows in the Halifax punk scene, before disbanding in 1987.

Patrick, Cliff Gibb and John Johnson attempted a noisecore outfit, recording one song under the name Toxic Waste. Patrick and Cliff, along with future JALE and Trike member Melanie Rusinak, then formed Happy Co. in late 1987, having discovered American alt. guitar bands such as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., and the Pixies. Although the songs were more in line with faster punk bands like Husker Du, there was a new sense of melody coming out in Patrick's song writing as well as a penchant for vocal harmonies. Again, Happy Co. played a handful of gigs in the Halifax scene, which by then included Kearney Lake Road, which featured future Sloan members Chris Murphy and Jay Ferguson. The band continued on into 1990, adding Brad Baxter on second guitar, but ground to a halt when the members decided to devote more time to finishing their various post secondary pursuits.

In January of 1991 Patrick was approached by Chris Murphy to join a new band he had started with Jay Ferguson called Sloan. Along with drummer Andrew Scott, the band quickly compiled a setlist of original songs, and played their first show, at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, two weeks after Patrick joined.

Pentland has written for several music publications, and dabbled in blogging with revealing entries about the band's performances and tours, including Sloan's 1997 tour in the U.S. with Fountains of Wayne and Matthew Sweet. [ [http://www.sloanmusic.com/a/about/patricksustour Patrick's US tour journal (Summer '97) | SloanMusic.com ] ]

In 2005 he began releasing electronic/ambient music online under the name Destroy Tomorrow 666 [http://www.myspace.com/jptp link title] . He has been a resident DJ in several prominent Toronto clubs. He has also contributed a song to the children's show Role Play, and performed music for several television commercials.

Patrick lives in Toronto, Ontario. He has a son named Marshall, and a daughter named Ivy.

References

External links

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