The Awkward Stage

Last updated
The Awkward Stage
Origin Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres Indie pop
Years active2006-2009
Labels Mint Records
MembersShane Nelken
Tygh Runyan
Tony Koelwyn
Chris Mitchell
Website theawkwardstage.ca (defunct)

The Awkward Stage was a Canadian indie pop band from Vancouver fronted by singer-songwriter Shane Nelken. [1] The band's supporting lineup consisted of Tygh Runyan on lead guitar, Tony Koelwyn on drums and Chris Mitchell on trumpet and keyboards.

Contents

History

Nelken, who works as a cremationist, had a longtime side career as a musician, supporting a number of artists including A. C. Newman, New Pornographers and Sparrow. [2] [3] He put together The Awkward Stage (which included drummer Kurt Dahle), [4] and released a debut album, Heaven Is for Easy Girls, on Mint Records in 2006. [5] [6] Nelken performed much of the music himself, with some help from violinist Kim Koch and trumpeter Shaun Brodie. [7] The album charted on Canadian campus radio [8] and CBC Radio 3, which named the band's song "We're Going for a Ride" one of its Top 94 songs of 2006. [9]

With Tygh Runyan, Tony Koelwyn and Chris Mitchell, The Awkward Stage released a second album, Slimming Mirrors, Flattering Lights, in 2008. [10] [11] The songs were written and arranged by Nelkin. [2]

The band has been inactive since 2009.

Discography

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References

  1. CMJ New Music Report. Vol. Issues 967-990. CMJ Network. 2006. p. 80.
  2. 1 2 "The Awkward Stage Slimming Mirrors, Flattering Lights" Archived 2021-11-30 at the Wayback Machine . AllMusic Review by Mark Deming
  3. "Tragically unhip" Archived 2023-08-16 at the Wayback Machine . Georgia Straight, by Jennifer Van Evra on January 3, 2007
  4. "Vancouver Buzz: Little Hamm On Big Screen And The Awkward Stage Sign To Mint". Chart Attack - Aug 4, 2006[ dead link ]
  5. "The Awkward Stage – Heaven Is For Easy Girls". discogs.com. Discogs. October 2006. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  6. "The Awkward Stage Heaven is for Easy Girls" Archived 2019-08-14 at the Wayback Machine . Exclaim!, By Chris Whibbs Oct 01, 2006
  7. "The Awkward Stage Heaven Is for Easy Girls" Archived 2017-06-20 at the Wayback Machine . Pop Matters, by Michael Keefe 29 November 2006
  8. "The Dears Return To The Top Of The Chart". Chart Attack - Oct 24, 2006[ dead link ]
  9. CBC Radio 3 - Top 94 Tracks of 2006, radio3.cbc.ca, 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  10. "The Awkward Stage – Slimming Mirrors, Flattering Lights". discogs.com. Discogs. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  11. "The Awkward Stage Slimming Mirrors, Flattering Lights" Archived 2019-08-14 at the Wayback Machine . Exclaim!, By Chris Whibbs Jun 10, 2008