Miracle Fortress | |
---|---|
Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Genres | Indie rock |
Years active | 2005–present |
Labels | Secret City, Rough Trade |
Members | Graham Van Pelt Adam Waito Jessie Stein |
Miracle Fortress is a Canadian indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec. The band's studio work is primarily a solo, project of songwriter Graham Van Pelt, [1] who is accompanied by the rest of the band during live shows.
Van Pelt, a member of the band Think About Life, recorded all of the music himself for five songs, and then self-released an EP, Watery Grave . In 2007, he released a debut album Five Roses under the name Miracle Fortress, on Secret City Records. [2] [3] The album received positive reviews, [4] and was included on the shortlist for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize, [5] which was ultimately won by Patrick Watson. [6] [7] Van Pelt recruited drummer Jordan Robson-Cramer of Sunset Rubdown and Magic Weapon, guitarist Jessie Stein of SS Cardiacs and The Luyas, and keyboardist Adam Waito of Telefauna to adapt Five Roses into a live show. [8] This group made a cross-Canada tour in 2007. [9] Nathan Ward, Adam Waito and Jessie Stein also took part in some of the shows. [10]
The style of the band's single, "Maybe Lately", was compared by critics to that of the Beach Boys. [11] [12]
Miracle Fortress' third album, Was I the Wave? was released in April 2011. [1] It was musically quite different from the previous album, with simpler instrumentation and more rhythm. [5] [13] The album won a GAMIQ Award for Electronic Album of the Year. [14]
In 2014, Van Pelt continues to release music as Miracle Fortress. [15]
The Dears are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The band is led by the husband-and-wife duo of singer-guitarist Murray Lightburn and keyboardist Natalia Yanchak.
Julie Elaine Doiron is a Canadian singer-songwriter of Acadian heritage. She has been the bass guitarist and co-vocalist for the Canadian indie rock band Eric's Trip since its formation in 1990. She has released ten solo albums, beginning with 1996's Broken Girl, and is also the lead singer for the band Julie and the Wrong Guys.
Leslie Feist, known mononymously as Feist, is a Canadian indie pop singer-songwriter and guitarist, performing both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene.
Chad VanGaalen is a Canadian musician, animator, and artist from Calgary, Alberta.
Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian folk rock band from Wainfleet, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto.
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was increased to $30,000 for the 2011 award. In May 2015, the Polaris Music Prize was increased to $50,000, an additional $20,000, sponsored by Slaight Music. Additionally, second place prizes for the nine other acts on the Short List increased from $2,000 to $3,000. Polaris officials also announced The Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, an award that "will annually honour five albums from the five decades before Polaris launched in 2006." Details about the selection process for this prize are still to be revealed.
The Sainte Catherines were a Canadian six-piece punk-rock band who formed in Montreal in 1999. The group's name comes from Rue Sainte-Catherine, one of Montreal's main streets. Their third record, The Art of Arrogance was released on local label Dare to Care Records in 2003 and on the German label Yo-Yo Records. In 2006, the band released its fourth LP, titled Dancing for Decadence. The album was released in the United States by Fat Wreck Chords. The Sainte Catherines are the first band from Quebec to be signed to Fat Wreck. In August 2006, The Sainte Catherines played their 500th show. They also released split 7-inch records with Fifth Hour Hero and Whiskey Sunday. In 2008, The Sainte Catherines won a GAMIQ Award for punk album of the year.
Patrick Watson is an American-born Canadian singer-songwriter from Montreal, Quebec. It also refers to the eponymous band formed by Watson, whose blend of cabaret pop and classical music influences with indie rock has been compared to Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley and Pink Floyd for its experimental musicianship. Patrick Watson's album Close to Paradise was awarded the Polaris Music Prize in 2007.
Skelliconnection is the second album by Canadian musician Chad VanGaalen. It was released on August 22, 2006 on Flemish Eye and Sub Pop. In addition to writing and recording the album, VanGaalen performed almost all of the instruments and drew the album artwork. Like VanGaalen's debut album, Infiniheart (2004), Skelliconnection comprises material from hundreds of homemade recordings.
Five Roses is the first album by Miracle Fortress, released on May 22, 2007. On July 10, 2007, the shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize was revealed. Five Roses was announced as a finalist, alongside such other acts as Arcade Fire, Julie Doiron, and Chad VanGaalen. The winner was announced at a gala ceremony on September 24, 2007, with the award going to Patrick Watson.
Graham Van Pelt is a Canadian musician currently based on Salt Spring Island. He performed in Montreal based acts Miracle Fortress and Think About Life throughout the 2000s. Since 2018 Van Pelt has been releasing material under his own name.
The 2007 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 24, 2007, at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto.
Secret City Records is a Canadian independent record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The music label was founded in 2006 by Andrew Rose and Justin West, originally as sublabel of Justin Time Records. It became fully independent in late 2008.
Jordan Robson-Cramer is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist musician based in Montreal, Quebec. He was the founder and front man of the band Magic Weapon, and former member of the bands Miracle Fortress. He is also an original member of the recently reformed Sunset Rubdown which is planning to record its 4th album in the coming year.
The Watery Grave EP was Graham Van Pelt's first release under his solo project Miracle Fortress. The self-released five-song EP was recorded in 2005 at Friendship Cove, a recording studio/indie rock venue owned by Van Pelt and fellow friend Jack Dylan. The success of Watery Grave gained Van Pelt the attention of record label Secret City of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This led to a collaboration that yielded his first full-length album Five Roses.
Think About Life is an indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formed in 2005.
This is a summary of the year 2011 in the Canadian music industry.
Adam and the Amethysts was a Canadian indie rock band formed in Montreal in 2004. The band was fronted by Adam Waito, a former member of Miracle Fortress. The band released two albums and toured mostly around North America.
Was I the Wave? is the second studio album by Miracle Fortress, released on April 26, 2011. The album departs from the indie rock of Five Roses, and is instead more of an electronic offering. As with Five Roses, all songs were composed, arranged, performed, produced, and engineered by Graham Van Pelt. For live performances, Van Pelt is accompanied on-stage by fellow Think About Life bandmate Greg Napier.
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan is a Canadian experimental music and performance art collective. Formed in Montreal, Quebec and currently operating in Toronto, Ontario, the group was founded by Ruby Kato Attwood and Alaska B – former members of the defunct Montreal noise rock band Lesbian Fight Club – and now features Ange Loft on vocals and percussion, Joanna Delos Reyes on vocals and guitar, Brendan Swanson on keyboards, Hiroki Tanaka on lead guitar, Brandon Lim on bass guitar, and Aylwin Lo on projections and lights. Ruby Kato Attwood left the band at the end of 2014. Past members have included John Ancheta on bass and acoustic guitar, Walter Scott, Shub Roy, Alana Ruth, and Adrienne Mak.
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