Allan Carl Newman (born April 14, 1968) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

musician and

singer–songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...

. He was a member of the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

bands Superconductor and

Zumpano Zumpano was a Canadian power pop group in the 1990s. The band, whose music style resembled such contemporaries as Sloan (band), Sloan and The Super Friendz, consisted of vocalist/guitarist Carl Newman, keyboardist Michael Ledwidge, bassist Ste ...

in the 1990s. Following the breakup of those bands, he reemerged as the leader of

the New Pornographers The New Pornographers are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1997 in Vancouver. Presented as a musical collective of singer-songwriters and musicians from multiple projects, the band has released eight studio albums to critical acclaim for th ...

in 2000, a band who have enjoyed both commercial and critical success. In 2004, Newman launched his solo career, performing as A. C. Newman. He has stated that he chose "A. C." for his solo career because "it sounded like a pseudonym, but it's not a pseudonym."

Superconductor and Zumpano

Newman began his musical career in the 1990s as a member of the

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

/pop group Superconductor. During the 90s, Newman often filled in on second guitar with metal band Nemesis Gypsy. After a brief stay, he joined the Vancouver-based pop group

. The band released two albums with Newman in the mid-1990s, ''

Look What the Rookie Did ''Look What the Rookie Did'' is the debut album by Canadian band Zumpano, released in 1995. The album is available for listening online. Videos were released for the singles "The Party Rages On" and "I Dig You". Production The album was produce ...

'' and ''

Goin' Through Changes ''Goin' Through Changes'' is the second and final album by Canadian band Zumpano. It was produced by Keith Cleversley and released in 1996 by Sub Pop. The album is available for listening online. A video was made for the song "Behind the Beehi ...

'', both of which received favorable reviews. Though Zumpano never officially announced their breakup, they have not recorded any new material since the 90s. Between the demise of Zumpano and the debut of the New Pornographers, Newman had an acting role in his future New Pornographers bandmate

Blaine Thurier Blaine Thurier (born 1967) is a Canadian musician and film producer. He plays synthesizer with the Canadian indie pop supergroup The New Pornographers. His videos for The New Pornographers have been critically well received. Thurier has written a ...

's microbudget film ''

Low Self-Esteem Girl ''Low Self-Esteem Girl'' is a Canadian comedy-drama film, directed by Blaine Thurier and released in 2000.Ken Eisner"Low Self Esteem Girl" ''Variety'', July 10, 2000. Shot on digital video for a budget of less than $10,000,Louie Leger"Low Self Est ...

''.

The New Pornographers

Newman is a founding member of the successful Vancouver-based

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

. The band has released eight full-length albums since 2000, all of which received favorable reviews. In 2007, ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...

'' ranked the group's debut album, ''

Mass Romantic ''Mass Romantic'' is the debut studio album by Canadian indie rock supergroup The New Pornographers. Produced by David Carswell and band bassist John Collins, it was released on Mint Records on November 28, 2000. The album was three years in the ...

'', the 24th best indie album of all time. Newman is the band's main songwriter and vocalist, and is generally regarded as the band's leader.

Solo career

In 2004, Newman debuted as A.C. Newman the solo artist. ''

The Slow Wonder ''The Slow Wonder'' is the debut solo album by A. C. Newman, who is better known as the frontman of The New Pornographers and Zumpano. It was released in 2004 on Matador Records and Last Gang Records. Reception ''The Slow Wonder'' was met with ...

'', his first album, was well received. His musical sensibilities as a solo musician have been compared to those of

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voca ...

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...

, and

Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...

. Newman is married to Christy Simpson, formerly the marketing manager at

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apart ...

, the New Pornographers' record label. Newman's second solo album, titled ''

Get Guilty ''Get Guilty'' is A.C. Newman's second solo album, released on January 20, 2009, on Matador Records/Last Gang Records. The album was recorded during the summer of 2008 at Brooklyn's Seaside Lounge and produced by Newman and Phil Palazzolo. The fi ...

'', was released on Matador Records on January 20, 2009. "Prophets" was featured in the end of the fourth season finale of ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

''. In October 2012, Newman's third album was released: '' Shut Down The Streets''. Recorded in

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 in 2000 ...

, the album features contributions from New Pornographers colleague

Neko Case Neko Richelle Case (; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and cri ...

. Newman has said that ''Shut Down The Streets'' "is all about birth, death, happiness and sadness, chronicling a time in my life where all those things had to learn to coexist side by side."AC Newman: Shut Down the Streets - Album Preview
Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-02. In June 2013, the album was longlisted for the

2013 Polaris Music Prize The 2013 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 23, 2013

. In November 2012, Newman appeared in the music video alongside television personality Whip Nicken for "I'm Not Talking". The video was shot in Los Angeles and directed by the General Assembly. Newman composed the score for '' The F Word'', directed by

Michael Dowse Michael Dowse (born April 19, 1973) is a Canadian director. Life and career Born in London, Ontario, to Irish parents, he was trained as a film editor. His first full-length movie, ''FUBAR'' was shot on a digital camera with a tiny budget, but w ...

. Newman contributed a cover of the

Bill Fay Bill Fay (born William Fay; 1943) is an English singer-songwriter. His early recordings were released by Deram Records, Deram, but following the release of his second album in 1971, Fay was dropped by the label. His work enjoyed a growing cult ...

song, "Be Not So Fearful," to the soundtrack album, ''The Walking Dead Original Soundtrack - Volume 2'', released in March 2014.

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2009) #99 US * '' Shut Down the Streets'' (2012)

Compilations

*'' Music from the OC: Mix 4'' - (Track ''"On The Table"'') (2005 ·

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

WEA The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of the ...

)

with The New Pornographers

*''

'' (2000) *''

Electric Version ''Electric Version'' is the second studio album by Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. It was released on Matador Records and Mint Records on May 6, 2003. ''Electric Version'' placed at number seven in ''The Village Voice''s Pazz & J ...

'' (2003) *''

Twin Cinema ''Twin Cinema'' is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. It was released on August 23, 2005. The album was shortlisted for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize. As of 2010 it has sold 138,000 copies in US and 20,000 ...

'' (2005) *'' Challengers'' (2007) *''

Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi P ...

'' (2010) *''

Brill Bruisers ''Brill Bruisers'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian indie rock band the New Pornographers. It was released on August 26, 2014 and debuted at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' 200. In describing the album, A.C. Newman called it "a celebration re ...

'' (2014) *'' Whiteout Conditions'' (2017) *''

In the Morse Code of Brake Lights ''In the Morse Code of Brake Lights'' is the eighth studio album by Canadian indie rock band the New Pornographers, released on September 27, 2019.Daniel Sylvester"The New Pornographers: In the Morse Code of Brake Lights" ''Exclaim!'', September ...

'' (2019)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, A. C. 1968 births Living people Canadian male singers Canadian rock guitarists Canadian male guitarists Canadian rock singers Canadian songwriters Canadian indie rock musicians Canadian record producers Musicians from Vancouver Writers from Vancouver The New Pornographers members