Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian
post-hardcore band formed in
St. Catharines,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
[Ross, Mike.]
Band is a scream
", CANOE
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the ter ...
JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are
George Pettit
George Frederick Douglas Pettit(born October 2, 1982) is a Canadian musician best known as the lead vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. He is also currently active as the vocalist of Dead Tired.
Biography
Pettit grew up in Grim ...
(vocals),
Dallas Green (vocals, guitar, keyboards),
Wade MacNeil
Wade MacNeil (born May 5, 1984) is a Canadian musician best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire.
He is also the vocalist of the hardcore punk band Gallows, and the vocalist/guitarist/founder ...
(guitar, vocals), Chris Steele (bass) and
Jordan Hastings
Jordan "Ratbeard" Hastings (born March 15, 1982) is a Canadian musician born in Hamilton, Ontario. He is best known as the drummer of Alexisonfire, having replaced their former drummer Jesse Ingelevics. Hastings was originally intended to be a t ...
(drums, percussion). The band has won numerous awards, and in Canada their albums have all been certified either gold or platinum.
[CRIA Gold and Platinum Certifications for May 2007]
. Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It ...
(May 2007).[CRIA Gold and Platinum Certifications for April 2007]
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It ...
(April 2007)
History
''Alexisonfire'' (2001–2003)
Alexisonfire was formed in late 2001 in the aftermath of a three-band break up. Pettit was playing guitar in a metal band called Condemning Salem, Green was lead singer and guitar player in Helicon Blue, and MacNeil and Steele played in a punk band called Plan 9. These bands broke up at the same time, and Pettit, Steele, MacNeil and Green recruited drummer Jesse Ingelevics, and formed Alexisonfire. The band's name was derived from
Alexis Fire
Alexis Fire is an American pornographic actress and prostitute at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch. She began performing around 2000, and has since appeared in around 35 films.
Career
She appeared on the HBO documentary ''Cathouse'', about the Moonl ...
. When Fire discovered that they were using her website name as their band name, she threatened to sue, but it was discovered that the moniker was not registered, and no further action took place.
In 2002, the band released its first EP, ''Math Sheets Demo'', so named because the
CD was wrapped in
Jesse Ingelevics
Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike.Band is a scream", CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are George Pettit (voc ...
' math homework. This caught the attention of
recording engineer Greg Below and
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
journalist
Mitch Joel, who were setting up the record label
Distort Entertainment
Distort Entertainment is a Canadian independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario. The label specializes in bands performing hardcore punk-derived music, including Alexisonfire, Cancer Bats and Johnny Truant, but its sister division Distort L ...
and were looking for artists. Below was also working with
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
, which allowed the band to record at the company's in-house studio, and land a co-publishing and distribution deal.
On October 31, 2002, ''
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike.Band is a scream", CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are George Pettit ( ...
'' was released. Although there was a distribution deal with EMI, the album's success was mostly attributed to
word-of-mouth
Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
. They had already been playing dates in Ontario and New York with bands like
GWAR
Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. After th ...
,
Juliana Theory
The Juliana Theory is an American rock duo from Greensburg and Latrobe, Pennsylvania, United States. They signed to Tooth & Nail Records, and later to Epic Records for the release of the album ''Love''. They released four studio albums before ...
and
Glassjaw
Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and was a major part of the Long Island music scene in the early 2000s. The band has been influential i ...
; 2003 saw them touring in support of the album, crossing Canada twice, playing with
Spitalfield
Spitalfield was an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois signed to Victory Records.
Formed in 1998, Spitalfield caught the attention of Victory Records with their 2002 release ''The Cloak And Dagger Club EP'' and a year later released their ...
and
Billy Talent, appearing at
Hellfest
Hellfest (), also called Hellfest Summer Open Air, is a rock festival focusing on heavy metal music, held annually in June in Clisson, France. Its high attendance makes it the French music festival with the largest turnover. It is also one o ...
, and touring Europe with
Rise Against.
In October 2005, ''Alexisonfire'' was certified gold in Canada, marking over 50,000 sales.
[CRIA Gold and Platinum Certifications for October 2005]
. Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It ...
(October 2005). Retrieved on September 22, 2007. (In 2014,
Dine Alone Records
Dine Alone Records is a Canadian and American independent record label, founded in St. Catharines and Toronto by Joel Carriere. The label is now based in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles.
History
Dine Alone was born out of founder Joel Car ...
released a remastered version of the album.)
At the 2004
Canadian Independent Music Awards The Canadian Independent Music Awards, also known as the Independent Music Awards or Indies, are national awards presented annually to musicians to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. They were first inaug ...
, the video for the album's song "Pulmonary Archery" won Best Video. They were named Favourite Indie Band at the
CASBY Awards
The CASBY Awards were a Canadian awards ceremony for independent and alternative music, presented annually by Toronto, Ontario radio station CFNY, currently branded as 102.1 The Edge. CASBY is an acronym for Canadian Artists Selected By You.
The a ...
, and the video for the song "Counterparts and Number Them" was nominated for Best Independent Video at the
MuchMusic Video Awards.
''Watch Out!'' (2004–2005)
Alexisonfire recorded their second album with
Julius Butty at his Silo Studios near
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...
, ''
Watch Out!'' and was released on June 29, 2004. It was released worldwide, mainly through Distort but through
Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records is an independent record label based in Albany, New York. It was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo, singer for the punk bands Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better Than a Thousand.
The label originally existed solel ...
in the USA, and Sorepoint Records in the UK. It debuted at No. 6 on the
Nielsen Soundscan Top 200, sold 6,000 copies in its first week, received gold certification in Canada in twelve weeks, and certified platinum in 2007.
[ The critical reception came from the fact that the band was more focused from the eighteen months of touring, helping them harness more aggression, release more emotion, and fine-tune all the tracks. The album was noted as a real departure from their debut album, and was a critical success.
As soon as the album was released, the band went on tour, playing the Vans ]Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
on several US dates, and then heading to the UK, playing the Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fe ...
and other British gigs. (While playing Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
with Johnny Truant and The Blood Roses in, the members of all three bands had the word "Yeti" tattooed on themselves. On an episode of the MuchMusic program ''The New Music'', Pettit and Green said that the idea for the tattoos came from the 1988 Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy ...
film '' The Firm''.) The band spent all of 2005 on the road, touring the UK, US, Canada and Europe. They also played the Summer Sonic Festival
The , also known as Supersonic, is an annual two- or three-day rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba, Japan. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The line-up co ...
in Japan.
On June 14, 2005 Alexisonfire posted a statement on their website stating that founding drummer Jesse Ingelevics had left the band. He was replaced by Jordan Hastings, late of the band Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...
.
At the MuchMusic Video Awards, the video for the song "Accidents" won Best Independent Video, and the band was nominated for the Peoples' Choice Award – Favourite Canadian Group. At the Juno Awards of 2005, Alexisonfire won the award for New Group of the Year.
''Crisis'' (2006–2007)
On August 22, 2006 the band released their third studio album, ''Crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
'', which received rave reviews and continues to be deemed 'important'.
The album's release was marked with a party on a boat on the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
in London, England
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
. This also launched a 10-month world tour that took them through the UK, Australia, Canada and the US. They were now playing to crowds of up to 80,000 people, at the Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fe ...
, Festival d'été de Québec, and they headlined at the Brixton Academy
Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...
in London. They played the Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
, the Taste of Chaos
Taste of Chaos (or "TOC") was a live music tour that was started in the winter of 2005 by Kevin Lyman, the creator of the successful Warped Tour along with his friend and business partner, John Reese. The Taste Of Chaos tour catered to fans of ...
tour, the Saints & Sinners Festival and Australia's Soundwave festival. At this point, they were one of the most popular bands in Canada.
The band toured with Anti-Flag, Saosin
Saosin is an American rock band formed in Orange County, California in 2003 by Beau Burchell, Justin Shekoski, Zach Kennedy, and Anthony Green. The band released their first EP, '' Translating the Name'', in 2003. That year, vocalist Anthony G ...
, The Bled
The Bled was an American post-hardcore band from Tucson, Arizona, formed in 2001. They released four albums ('' Pass the Flask'', '' Found in the Flood'', ''Silent Treatment'' and '' Heat Fetish'') before disbanding in 2012.
History
Format ...
, Norma Jean, Every Time I Die
Every Time I Die was an American metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. For most of the band's career, the line-up was centred on brothers Keith (vocals) and Jordan Buckley (guitar), as well as rhythm guitarist Andy Williams wit ...
, Cancer Bats
Cancer Bats is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario. To date, they have released seven studio albums and six extended plays; with their most recent LP, ''Psychic Jailbreak'', having been released on 15 April 2022. The band is curr ...
, Attack in Black, Moneen
Moneen (sometimes stylised as .moneen.) is a Canadian indie rock band from Brampton, Ontario.
History
Moneen formed in 1999 after the dissolution of another band, called Perfectly Normal. The founding members were singer/guitarist Kenny Bridges ...
, Envy on the Coast, A Change of Pace
A Change of Pace is an American five piece pop punk band from Peoria, Arizona, United States. The band was on both the 2005 and 2006 Warped Tours.
Biography
A Change of Pace formed in 2001 when singer Torry Jasper and drummer Jonathan Kelly beg ...
, The Ghost of a Thousand
The Ghost of a Thousand were an English five-piece punk rock band from Brighton, England.
Career
The Ghost of a Thousand formed in the Winter of 2004 in Brighton and began touring extensively, playing alongside Blood Red Shoes, Poison the We ...
and The Dear & Departed, among others.
The tour produced three live albums: ''Live At Brixton Academy'' (London, 11/13/07), ''Live At Manchester Academy
The Manchester Academy, originally known as the University of Manchester Main Hall, is composed of four concert venues, located on the campus of the University of Manchester, in Manchester, England. The four venues are: Academy 1, 2 and 3 ...
'' (11/14/07), and ''Live At Birmingham Academy'' (now O2 Academy Birmingham
O2 Academy Birmingham is a music venue located in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.
Former venue (until 2009)
Live music on the site of the O Academy Birmingham's former Dale End venue dates back to 1964 when the venue was first opened a ...
) (11/16/07).
At this time, Pettit told a reporter: "The next record, I think, is us pretty much wanting to put the knife in screamo. I don't want to be the band that saves it, I want to be the band that kills it." Pettit later regretted making the statement.
At the 2006 CASBY Awards
The CASBY Awards were a Canadian awards ceremony for independent and alternative music, presented annually by Toronto, Ontario radio station CFNY, currently branded as 102.1 The Edge. CASBY is an acronym for Canadian Artists Selected By You.
The a ...
, ''Crisis'' won Favorite New Indie Release. At the 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards, the video for "This Could Be Anywhere in the World" won the award for Best Cinematography and was nominated for Best Rock Video. The band was also nominated for the Peoples' Choice Award – Favourite Canadian Group. At the Juno Awards of 2007, ''Crisis'' garnered a nomination for CD/DVD Artwork Design of the Year, Julius Butty received a Producer of the Year nomination for "This Could Be Anywhere in the World", and Alexisonfire was nominated for Group of the Year.
''Old Crows/Young Cardinals'' and ''Dog's Blood'' (2008–2010)
In 2008, MacNeil told a ''Bombshell Zine'' interviewer: "Alexis hasn't broken up, but we'll see what happens. We are at a crossroads now." As a result, by 2009, rumours that Alexisonfire was about to break up abounded, but the band announced the name of their new album on February 1st. They began recording ''Old Crows/Young Cardinals
''Old Crows / Young Cardinals'' is the fourth studio album from Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, released on June 23, 2009. The album was originally referred to by the shortened title of ''Young Cardinals'', until the name change was an ...
'' on the same day. By March 1st, the recording process was near completion and two songs were announced--"Midnight Regulations" and "Emerald St." On March 31, 2009, it was confirmed that Alexisonfire had signed to Dine Alone Records
Dine Alone Records is a Canadian and American independent record label, founded in St. Catharines and Toronto by Joel Carriere. The label is now based in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles.
History
Dine Alone was born out of founder Joel Car ...
, whose founder, Joel Carriere, had once been the band's manager.
On April 20, Alexisonfire released the song "Young Cardinals" for radio airplay. The music video premiered on MuchOnDemand on May 15, 2009; the album was released on June 23, 2009 and was very well received.
The band then went on a 300-date tour through Europe, the US and Canada, which lasted through December 2010.
In 2008, Dallas Green told Canoe.ca that he had sketched out new songs that he hoped would take the band into "new, weird territories". These songs would become the four-track EP ''Dogs Blood'', which was released in 2010. The band announced the release of ''Dogs Blood'' at the 2009 Verge Awards, hosted by The Verge (XM)
The Verge is a Sirius XM Canada channel featuring new and emerging rock bands from Canada. The channel is produced in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario for the entire SiriusXM platform. The channel's former names included Unsigned, and (un)Signed, which ...
, where ''Old Crows/Young Cardinals'' was nominated for Album of the Year and the band was nominated as Artist of the Year. At the Juno Awards of 2010
The Juno Awards of 2010 honoured music industry achievements in Canada for the latter part of 2008 and for most of 2009. These ceremonies were in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada during the weekend ending 18 April 2010. Primary ceremo ...
, ''Old Crows/Young Cardinals'' was nominated as Rock Album of the Year.
On February 16, 2010, the band was set to play a free all-ages show at the 2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gret ...
venue Live City Yaletown when, seconds into the show, the rush of the audience broke a barrier and people were trampled; 20 were slightly injured. Alexisonfire returned to 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 ...
later that year as headliners at the PNE Forum.
Also in 2010, the band released a collection of six songs available exclusively through iTunes as a digital download. The EP, ''iTunes Originals'', contained previously-recorded material from the group's discography, versions of some of their previously released songs performed slightly differently, and interviews with the band. On November 22, 2010, a digital version of their ''Aussie Tour 7"'' was released on iTunes. It contains two cover songs, originally by Midnight Oil and The Saints.
Disbandment and farewell tour (2011–2012)
In 2005, Dallas Green had launched a solo folk/rock side project called City and Colour
Dallas Michael John Albert Green (born September 29, 1980) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who records under the name City and Colour. He is also known for his contributions as a singer, rhythm guitarist and songwr ...
. The project had become very successful and between that and his commitments to Alexisonfire, he said that he suffered a nervous breakdown and that being in Alexisonfire was killing him. At the end of the ''Old Crows/Young Cardinals'' tour, Green told the band that he was leaving Alexisonfire, but that he would not announce his departure until the rest of the band decided on their future plans.
On February 14, 2011, Alexisonfire tweeted that they had been writing new music for their fifth studio album, describing it as "so heavy it's going to make ''Dog's Blood'' look like a ska record". Despite these statements, the album did not materialize and on August 5, 2011, Alexisonfire announced their break-up. In the statement, George Pettit cited the departures of both Green and MacNeil (who left to become the vocalist for Gallows
A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...
), and personal issues among the remaining members as reasons for breaking up. Pettit also described the break-up as not being "amicable". Alexisonfire planned on celebrating their tenth anniversary with one last headlining Canadian tour and "a series of releases", although Green had specifically said that, for him, their Dec 19, 2010 show in their hometown was their last concert.
In July 2012, Green stated he had been in contact with other ex-Alexisonfire members, and that he and MacNeil had been "starting to talk about doing some final lexisonfireshows, because when we did play our last show nobody knew it was our last show." In December 2012, Alexisonfire embarked on their farewell tour. It was initially nine dates, but it expanded to 30, with stops in Canada, the UK, Australia and Brazil. In December, the EP ''Death Letter
"Death Letter", also known as "Death Letter Blues", is the signature song of the Delta blues musician Son House. It is structured upon House's earlier recording "My Black Mama, Part 2" from 1930. House's 1965 performance was on a metal-bodied Na ...
'' was released, featuring new interpretations of songs spanning the band's previous four albums.
On December 25, 2013, the band released a limited-edition vinyl box set containing all the four albums as well as EPs, LPs, B-sides etc. One thousand copies were produced; they were sold out in 30 minutes. In August 2014, they released a slightly smaller second edition of the boxed set.
Reunion and ''Otherness'' (2015–present)
On March 9, 2015, the band announced a reunion tour, their first since their farewell tour in 2012, including dates at Reading and Leeds festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fe ...
, Sonic Boom, Heavy Montréal, X-Fest
X-Fest is an annual music festival held in various venues throughout the United States by Clear Channel Communications radio stations. It features alternative rock, hard rock, heavy metal, grunge, and industrial rock bands.
Noblesville, Indiana
T ...
and Riot Fest
Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival based in Chicago, Illinois, at Douglass Park. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. Riot Fest remains one of the largest independently owned m ...
. On September 19, 2015, at Riot Fest in Toronto, Wade MacNeil announced on stage that the band was officially back. The band later clarified this statement, reaffirming they had "no immediate plans" regarding new music or tours together, however they've played 100 concerts since 2015.
On February 12, 2016, the band released ''Live at Copps'', a recording of their performance on December 30, 2012, at the Copps Coliseum
FirstOntario Centre (originally Copps Coliseum) is a sports and entertainment arena at the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1985, it has a capacity of up to 19,000.
History
Hamilton was lef ...
in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...
, which was the last show of their 2012 farewell tour. The album was released for download through iTunes, as well as in a special 4-record set, and as a Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
video.
On June 22, 2016, Alexisonfire was announced as the main headliner for the 2017 Unify Gathering
Unify Gathering is an annual Australian music festival held in South Gippsland, Victoria, featuring artists of various genres including rock, metal, and punk.
Originally started in 2015 as a two-day music and camping festival, the event exp ...
in Victoria, Australia
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...
, and announced a tour with , Behind Crimson Eyes
Behind Crimson Eyes is a band based in Australia. The band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 2004. Their line-up currently consists of vocalist Josh Stuart, bassist Garth Buchanan, guitarist/ back up vocalist Aaron Schultz and Dan Kerby as drum ...
and The Getaway Plan
The Getaway Plan are an Australian rock music band, which formed in 2004. Founding mainstays are Matthew Wright on lead vocals, piano and rhythm guitar and Clint Ellis on lead guitar. They were joined in 2014 by Dan Maio on drums, and his br ...
through Australia and New Zealand. The band was then announced as a headliner at the annual Quebec festival Montebello Rock and, on February 27, 2017, the band made a surprise three-song appearance at the Toronto stop of Billy Talent's Afraid of Heights Tour
The Afraid of Heights Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Billy Talent in support of their album, ''Afraid of Heights (Billy Talent album), Afraid of Heights'', which was released on July 29, 2016. Drummer Aaron Solowoniuk did not be ta ...
. They played Toronto's Danforth Music Hall in December 2017, and spent the following June touring Germany and the UK before heading back to Canada to play the Festival d'été de Québec.
On February 1, 2019, the band posted a black image on their Facebook page. Later in the day, the band posted a teaser video featuring a building with a green neon light spelling out the words "Familiar Drugs". Later, on February 12, 2019, the band posted 3 illusive black pictures on their Instagram page. Fans soon figured out that by changing the brightness and contrast on these black pictures, it revealed the numbers 2,15 and 19. On February 15, 2019, the band released a new song called " Familiar Drugs", their first new material in nearly nine years. On April 16, 2019, the band released the music video for "Familiar Drugs," which was shot completely on VHS and cellphones.
On May 24, 2019 the band released another standalone single called "Complicit", followed by "Season of the Flood", on January 13, 2020.
Alexisonfire went out on a short tour in 2019, playing shows in London, New York City, Los Angeles and Toronto as well as a show at Ottawa Bluesfest
Ottawa Bluesfest is an annual outdoor music festival that takes place each July in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. While the festival's lineup historically focused on blues music at its inception, it has increasingly showcased mainstream pop, h ...
. This was followed by 2020 performances in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the band hosting a special one-time watch party on YouTube, showing a filmed performance of the final show on their farewell tour in December 2012 in Hamilton, Canada. Starting before the livestream was the premiere of their music video for their song, "Season of the Flood", which is made up of footage shot exclusively by AOF concertgoers in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver during the tour in January.
In an interview with the ''Toronto Star'' in 2019, George Pettit revealed that, in 2015, he had become a professional firefighter and that, even though the band had reunited, that new career would be his priority. He also remains the lead singer in his side project, Dead Tired.
Wade MacNeil continues as the lead singer for Black Lungs
Black Lungs is a side project of Alexisonfire's guitarist and vocalist, and current Gallows frontman Wade MacNeil. MacNeil created the side project similar to his first punk rock band Plan 9, a more relaxed and melodic sound than Alexisonfire. ...
and Gallows
A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...
. On May 21, 2021, MacNeil presented his latest project, Doom’s Children with his first single and video, "Flower Moon".
Jordan Hastings continues with his long-time side project, Cunter
Cunter ( Romansh, in German: Conters im Oberhalbstein) is a village and former municipality in the Sursés in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. On 1 January 2016 the former municipalities of Bivio, Cunter, Marmo ...
.
Dallas Green has continued on with City and Colour
Dallas Michael John Albert Green (born September 29, 1980) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who records under the name City and Colour. He is also known for his contributions as a singer, rhythm guitarist and songwr ...
, and with You+Me
In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers.
History
''You'' comes from the Proto- ...
, his collaboration with Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
.
In a June 2021 interview, Green stated that Alexisonfire was "trying to get all these new songs together for the first time in like ten years" implying that more new music was in the works. On March 10, 2022, the band announced their fifth studio album '' Otherness'', their first album of new studio recordings in thirteen years. It was released on June 24, 2022.
Musical style and legacy
The band describes their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls in mid-knife-fight"; in 2004, then-drummer Jesse Ingelevics described their sound as "Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mog ...
meets Sunny Day Real Estate
Sunny Day Real Estate is an American emo/indie rock band from Seattle, formed in 1992. The band currently consists of founding members Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar), Dan Hoerner (guitar) and William Goldsmith (drums), alongside Greg Suran (gui ...
". Others have described their music as post-hardcore, emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
, melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and ...
, and screamo
Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is an aggressive subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002Access date: ...
. The band members originally bonded over the myriad punk rock styles that their hometown scene consisted of, including moshcore, screamo, youth crew
Youth crew is a music subculture of hardcore punk, which was particularly prominent during the New York hardcore scene of the late 1980s. Youth crew is distinguished from other punk styles by its optimism and moralistic outlook. The original yout ...
, crust punk
Crust punk (also known as crust or stenchcore) is a form of music influenced by English punk rock and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the early 1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on politic ...
and emo. Their music is unique for its use of three main vocalists: one clean (Green), one unclean (Pettit) and one serving as a combination of the two (MacNeil). Their 2009 album ''Old Crows / Young Cardinals
''Old Crows / Young Cardinals'' is the fourth studio album from Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, released on June 23, 2009. The album was originally referred to by the shortened title of ''Young Cardinals'', until the name change was an ...
'' saw a more prominent overall use of clean vocals, with Pettit also providing further clean vocals, having occasionally done so on ''Crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
''. The band's first two albums include occasional spoken word
Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
vocals, also performed by Pettit.
Alexisonfire has been cited as an influence by bands such as Cancer Bats
Cancer Bats is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario. To date, they have released seven studio albums and six extended plays; with their most recent LP, ''Psychic Jailbreak'', having been released on 15 April 2022. The band is curr ...
, Silverstein, Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong is an American pop punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, and drummer Jake Massucco. They have released seven studio al ...
and 36 Crazyfists
36 Crazyfists were an American metalcore band formed in Anchorage, Alaska in 1994. The band's name comes from the Hong Kong martial arts film ''36 Crazy Fists'' (1977) starring Jackie Chan. To date they have released eight studio albums.
Histor ...
. ''Revolver'' Magazine additionally cited them as influencing the majority of the mid-2000s post-hardcore scene. Liam Cormier, lead vocalist of Cancer Bats
Cancer Bats is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario. To date, they have released seven studio albums and six extended plays; with their most recent LP, ''Psychic Jailbreak'', having been released on 15 April 2022. The band is curr ...
, stated "everyone will always remember Alexisonfire and Billy Talent as the two bands that brought heavy music to the forefront and broke that scene wide open in this country." The band has also been well-regarded for their live performances throughout the years. Ex-frontman of Grade
Grade most commonly refers to:
* Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance
* Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage
* Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope
Grade or grading may also ref ...
, Kyle Bishop, credited them for this in an interview with ''The Grid TO''. "Previous to them, Canadian content was pretty lame, palatable stuff," he said. "Then you had Alexis come in, George shredding his larynx and smashing his face against the wall. They destroyed everything. And a lot of people gravitated to that, and I've never seen that happen in Canada before. They opened up the door for a lot of bands to be appreciated, and brought a whole new group of people into punk rock." In an article for '' Exclaim!'', Ian Gormely praised the band for "opening doors for like-minded artists steeped in Southern Ontario's potent punk and metal scenes," and as having an "enduring influence in Canadian rock, and aggressive music in general".
Band members
Current members
* George Pettit
George Frederick Douglas Pettit(born October 2, 1982) is a Canadian musician best known as the lead vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. He is also currently active as the vocalist of Dead Tired.
Biography
Pettit grew up in Grim ...
– vocals , keyboards
* Dallas Green – vocals, guitar , keyboards
* Wade MacNeil
Wade MacNeil (born May 5, 1984) is a Canadian musician best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire.
He is also the vocalist of the hardcore punk band Gallows, and the vocalist/guitarist/founder ...
– guitar, vocals
* Chris Steele – bass
* Jordan Hastings
Jordan "Ratbeard" Hastings (born March 15, 1982) is a Canadian musician born in Hamilton, Ontario. He is best known as the drummer of Alexisonfire, having replaced their former drummer Jesse Ingelevics. Hastings was originally intended to be a t ...
– drums, percussion
Current touring musicians
* Matt Kelly – keyboards, organ, synthesizers, pedal steel, backing vocals
Former members
* Jesse Ingelevics – drums, percussion
Former touring musicians
* Kenny Bridges – bass
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike.Band is a scream", CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are George Pettit ( ...
'' (2002)
* '' Watch Out!'' (2004)
* ''Crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
'' (2006)
* ''Old Crows / Young Cardinals
''Old Crows / Young Cardinals'' is the fourth studio album from Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, released on June 23, 2009. The album was originally referred to by the shortened title of ''Young Cardinals'', until the name change was an ...
'' (2009)
* '' Otherness'' (2022)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Alexisonfire
official website
CanadianBands.com entry
Alexisonfire
at Exclaim!
Alexisonfire
unofficial blog and forum
Alexisonfire cover story
July 2009
Europunk: interview
Punk 76: interview
Leeds Music Scene: article
Spinner Interviews Alexisonfire
DINE ALONE RECORDS - View Releases
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexisonfire
Canadian post-hardcore musical groups
Screamo musical groups
Musical groups from St. Catharines
Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year winners
Musical groups established in 2001
Musical groups disestablished in 2011
Musical groups reestablished in 2012
Musical groups disestablished in 2012
Musical groups reestablished in 2015
Equal Vision Records artists
Defiance Records artists
Dine Alone Records artists
Hassle Records artists
2001 establishments in Ontario
2011 disestablishments in Ontario
2012 establishments in Ontario
2012 disestablishments in Ontario
2015 establishments in Ontario