Beija Flor was an
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 ...
band formed in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
, Alberta, in 2003. The band was made up of Stephen van Kampen (vocals, guitar), Paul van Kampen (vocals, piano), Dan Wilson (vocals, drums), Brett Gunther (vocals, guitar), Henry Hsieh (vocals), (
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
), and Hoyee Wong (vocals, violin).
The band was known for its self-orchestrated light shows, consisting of colored and strobe lights controlled by Stephen through a circuit of foot switches. "Beija-flor" means "hummingbird" in Portuguese.
History
Beija Flor was formed in 2003 by brothers Stephen and Paul van Kampen, Matt Bayliff, and Jon Reddit. In 2005, they released their debut album, ''The Quiet One and the Lonely One''.
Reddit left the band and Stephen and Paul's long-time friend Brett Gunther took the vacant guitar spot. Henry Hsieh and Hoyee Wong joined the band in late 2006.
In 2007, they released their second album ''Beija Flor Presents The American''. which was produced by
The Summerlad's Arran Fisher and recorded by Fisher and Diego Medina. The single, ''The American'' reached No. 1 in the Top 30 most requested songs on Calgary's
CJSW
CJSW-FM is a campus radio station, broadcasting at 90.9 FM, from the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. CJSW is a member of the National Campus and Community Radio Association and the University of Calgary Tri-Media Alliance i ...
radio for the week ending January 15, 2008. Beija Flor was also featured on
CBC Radio 3 across Canada on various New Music segments.
In the spring of 2009, Bayliff left the band and was replaced by Dan Wilson. The band broke up in 2010.
In 2011, Wilson and the van Kampen brothers formed the band The Magnetic North (not to be confused with the British band of the same name). Hsieh co-founded the band Friendo and Reddit became a member of War Baby.
Discography
Albums
* ''The Quiet One and the Lonely One'' (2005), Vulpine Records
* ''Beija Flor Presents The American'' (2007), Independent
Compilation inclusion
*''Megatunes 21st Anniversary Compilation'' (2009), Independent
See also
*
Canadian rock
*
List of bands from Canada
This is a list of bands from Canada. Only bands appear here; individual musicians are listed at list of Canadian musicians.
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See also
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*
List of Canadian musicians
*
:Canadian musical groups
References
External links
Official Website of Beija Flor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beija Flor
Musical groups established in 2003
Canadian indie rock groups
Musical groups from Calgary
2003 establishments in Alberta