The Flashing Lights

Last updated
The Flashing Lights
Genres Alternative rock
Years active1990s-2000s
Past members

The Flashing Lights were a Canadian alternative rock band, active in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Contents

History

The Flashing Lights was founded by Matt Murphy, [1] as a side project, performing around Halifax when Murphy was not performing and recording with the band The Super Friendz. [2] The band primarily played as a cover band.

The Flashing Lights became Murphy's primary band following the Super Friendz' breakup in 1997. [2] Murphy and bassist Henri Sangalang moved to Toronto, where they recruited Gaven Dianda on keyboards, tambourine and harmonica, and Steve Pitkin on drums. [3] [4]

The band performed in Toronto at the Horseshoe Tavern in March, 1999, [5] and shortly after released its debut album, Where the Change Is, in April, 1999 on Halifax independent label Brobdingnagian Records, scoring a hit on modern rock radio stations in Canada with "Half the Time". [6] The album's tracks were reminiscent of 1960s British rock. [7] They followed up with the EP Elevature in 2000; Sangalang also appeared on Neko Case's album Furnace Room Lullaby the same year, and the band appeared at Edgefest on July 1.

The Flashing Lights' second album, Sweet Release, was released through Toronto's Outside Music in 2001 and was produced by Thrush Hermit's Ian McGettigan. [8] Also in 2001 they performed in Montreal with Duotang and The Datsons. [9]

The band subsequently went on hiatus; Murphy reunited the Super Friendz for their 2003 album Love Energy, and then took an acting role in the film The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico . He later joined the now-defunct Toronto band City Field, is currently a member of Cookie Duster, contributed a song to the soundtrack for the 2009 film Defendor , and had a small acting role in the film Leslie, My Name Is Evil .

As of 2015, he has joined with Mike O'Neill of The Inbreds and Chris Murphy of Sloan in the supergroup Tuns. [10]

Dianda currently plays with the band Saffron Sect, [11] and Pitkin played with The Violet Archers and is currently a member of Elliott Brood.

Discography

Related Research Articles

Murderecords is an independent record label that releases the music of the Canadian rock band Sloan. Originally formed in 1992 to produce just the records of that band, it later released work of other bands including Eric's Trip, The Hardship Post, Al Tuck, Stinkin' Rich, Hip Club Groove, The Inbreds, Thrush Hermit, and The Super Friendz, and was Canada's best-known indie label in the 1990s. Later, the roster was stripped bare, and released Sloan albums exclusively for nearly a decade. In 2008, however, albums by Will Currie and the Country French and Pony Da Look were released by the label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Murphy (Canadian musician)</span> Musical artist

Chris Murphy is a member of the Canadian rock band Sloan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Benvie</span> Canadian musician

Rob Benvie is a Canadian musician and writer who has performed with alternative rock acts Thrush Hermit, Bankruptcy, Camouflage Nights, and The Dears. He also records and occasionally performs live as Tigre Benvie.

King Cobb Steelie is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1991 from Guelph, Ontario, and later based in Toronto. The band's most successful single was 1997's "Rational", from the album Junior Relaxer. Their music fuses elements of punk, grunge, funk, jazz and dance. The core of the band is singer/songwriter Kevan Byrne and bassist Kevin Lynn. A variety of other collaborators, including Sam Cino, Al Okada, Gary Dutch, Geoff Walton, Steve Clarkson, Mike Armstrong, Nathan Lawr, Don Pyle and Michelle McAdorey, have contributed to individual albums.

The Super Friendz are a Canadian indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia. They were initially active between 1994 and 1997, before reforming in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Inbreds</span> Canadian alternative rock band

The Inbreds were a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 1992. Originally from Kingston, Ontario, the band relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1996 and remained based there until breaking up in 1998. The band was a duo, consisting of vocalist/bassist Mike O'Neill and drummer Dave Ullrich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Scott (drummer)</span> Canadian musician (born 1967)

Andrew Walter Gibson Scott is a Canadian musician born in Ottawa, Ontario and currently living in Toronto. His first bands include No Damn Fears, which featured Dave Marsh, Jennifer Pierce (jale), and Matt Murphy, which released one cassette, titled Spring 1990, prior to breaking up., and Oreo Reversed. Currently, Scott is a drummer with the Toronto-based band Sloan. Scott also plays guitar and occasionally sings lead vocals with the band, usually on songs he has written. Three of his songs, "500 Up", "People of the Sky", and "I've Gotta Try", have been released by Sloan as singles. Scott is married to actress and writer Fiona Highet. They have two children—a daughter, Stirling, and a son, Alistair.

Mike O'Neill is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actor, and screenwriter. Originally from Oshawa, Ontario, he has been based in Halifax, Nova Scotia since 1996. O'Neill was a member of indie-rock band The Inbreds in the 1990s before disbanding the group and embarking on a solo career. He was involved as both sound engineer and actor on the popular Canadian television series Trailer Park Boys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thrush Hermit</span> 1990s alt-rock band from Halifax, Canada

Thrush Hermit was a Canadian alternative rock band active in the 1990s, known for their "highly energetic, humorous, and unpredictable performances," as quoted by Vice News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Plaskett</span> Canadian singer-songwriter

William Joel MacDonald Plaskett is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genres, from blues and folk to hard rock, country, and pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halifax Pop Explosion</span>

The Halifax Pop Explosion (HPX) was a music festival and conference that occurred every fall, typically two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The term "Halifax Pop Explosion" also came to be adopted in the 1990s as the name of the Halifax alternative rock music scene as a whole, which at that time was dominated by power pop acts such as Sloan, Jale, The Super Friendz, and Thrush Hermit.

Camouflage Nights is a Canadian electronic rock band from Toronto fronted by Rob Benvie and Ian McGettigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plumtree (band)</span> Canadian indie rock/power pop band

Plumtree was a Canadian indie rock/power pop band formed in 1993 in Halifax which consisted of sisters Carla and Lynette Gillis, Amanda Braden, Nina Martin, and later Catriona Sturton. The band achieved moderate success during their seven years of activity, completing several tours of Canada and parts of the U.S., as well as releasing three full-length albums, a six track EP, and various singles, before finally disbanding in June 2000. Their single "Scott Pilgrim" was the inspiration for the title character in the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley.

Matt Murphy is a Canadian musician and actor. He is perhaps best known as the vocalist and guitarist of 1990s band The Super Friendz.

The Carnations were a Canadian indie rock band started in 1995 by Thomas D'Arcy on lead vocals and bass, and Stephen Krecklo on vocals and guitar. It expanded in 1996 to include Nathan Rekker on guitar and vocals, and Patrick Conan on drums.

Duotang is a Canadian indie pop duo from Winnipeg, composed of Rod Slaughter and Sean Allum.

Ian McGettigan is a Canadian rock musician and producer. He was the bassist and a singer and songwriter for Thrush Hermit.

Hip Club Groove was a Canadian hip hop band, active in the 1990s. Originally from Truro, Nova Scotia and later based in Halifax, the band consisted of rappers Derek "MC" Mackenzie and Cory "Cheklove Shakil" Bowles, and DJ Brian "DJ Moves" Higgins.

TUNS is a Canadian indie rock supergroup, consisting of Mike O'Neill of The Inbreds, Chris Murphy of Sloan and Matt Murphy of The Super Friendz. The band's name is a reference to the Technical University of Nova Scotia.

References

  1. ↑ "A Completely Biased Ranking of the 60 Best Canadian Indie Rock Songs of the 00s Part II". Vice, Cam Lindsay Apr 10 2017,
  2. 1 2 "Flashing Lights are go!" Archived 2012-07-01 at the Wayback Machine . Montreal Mirror , February 17, 2000.
  3. ↑ " Flashing Lights". AllMusic, biography by Gina Boldman
  4. ↑ Josh O'Kane (1 April 2016). Nowhere with You: The East Coast Anthems of Joel Plaskett, The Emergency and Thrush Hermit. ECW Press. p. 87. ISBN   978-1-77090-840-6.
  5. ↑ "Live Reviews: Flashing Lights March 6, 1999 The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON" [usurped] . Chart Attack, by Jim Kelly
  6. ↑ Michael Barclay; Ian A. D. Jack; Jason Schneider (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995. ECW Press. p. 705. ISBN   978-1-55022-992-9.
  7. ↑ "Record Time". Queens Journal, May 29, 2001 Joel McConvey, Pat Tanzola
  8. ↑ "Flashing Lights Come From the Ground Up". Exclaim!, By Patrick Lejtenyi, Jan 01, 2006
  9. ↑ "LIVE: The Flashing Lights w/ The Datsons and Duotang" [usurped] . Chart Attack, September 19, 2001. Review by: Natalia Yanchak
  10. ↑ "Sloan / Super Friendz / Inbreds Supergroup TUNS Announce Debut Album". Exclaim! , May 20, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Saffron Sect Interview: SXSW 2010". Spinner Canada , March 12, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.