Brian Byrne (born January 13, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. He was the second vocalist for the band
I Mother Earth
I Mother Earth, or IME, is a Canadians, Canadian rock band. The band formed in 1990 and reached its peak in popularity in the mid-to-late 1990s. After an eight-year hiatus, the band reunited in 2012. Between 1996 and 2016, I Mother Earth was among ...
.
Biography
Brian joined his first band in
Corner Brook
Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,333 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. ...
in 1988, a
hair-metal
Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam r ...
band called Pandemonium. The band also featured John Kennedy, Rick Waterman, Todd Cook, and the late Kris Waterman, who selected the 13-year-old Byrne as the lead singer for the band.
Byrne lived in Steady Brook and
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
in the early 1990s, where he worked at different times as cook, dishwasher, bartender, night cleaner, office worker, ski instructor, and rock climbing instructor. He fronted bands such as Mess and Klaven (the latter with Adam Gontier of
Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in Norwood, Ontario in 1992 originally as "Groundswell" and played in various local Norwood backyard parties and area establishments before disbanding in 1995 and regrouping in 1997.
...
) before eventually joining rock band
I Mother Earth
I Mother Earth, or IME, is a Canadians, Canadian rock band. The band formed in 1990 and reached its peak in popularity in the mid-to-late 1990s. After an eight-year hiatus, the band reunited in 2012. Between 1996 and 2016, I Mother Earth was among ...
in 1997. He recorded two albums with them, ''
Blue Green Orange
''Blue Green Orange'' is the third album by the Canadian rock band I Mother Earth, released by Universal on July 13, 1999. It was the band's first album with new lead singer Brian Byrne. The album featured covers in blue, green, or orange. The al ...
'' (1999) and ''
The Quicksilver Meat Dream
''The Quicksilver Meat Dream'' is the fourth album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Universal on April 8, 2003. It is allegedly a concept album, though the details on the concept are left to the fans.
The album ...
'' (2003).
His solo debut, ''
Tuesdays, Thursdays and if it Rains'', was released on April 11, 2006. In support of the album he toured Canada, playing both acoustic solo sets and with a full backing band. In November 2006, Byrne opened for
INXS
INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...
on their Canadian dates.
Byrne appeared in an Ontario Travel tourism television commercial that debuted in March 2007; he sings the song "There's No Place Like This" to images of people in Ontario enjoying themselves across the province.
Byrne released his second solo album, ''
Tailor Made'', on September 4, 2007. His touring band consisted of Bob Egan (
Blue Rodeo
Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, a ...
,
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
),
Christian Tanna
Christian Tanna is a Canadian drummer and music event organizer based in Peterborough, Ontario. He is best known for his work with the band I Mother Earth.
Early life
Tanna was born Christian Koshowski in Hamilton, Ontario. His family moved to Pe ...
(I Mother Earth), Gerry Finn (
David Usher
David Usher (born April 24, 1966) is a British-born Canadian musician, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and activist best known as the front man for the band Moist. He has also released a number of solo albums. He is the founder of Reimagin ...
) and Justin Mahoney.
In September 2007 the band played a
CCMA CCMA may refer to:
*Central Committee of Anti-Fascist Militias, during the Lluís Companys's government of Catalonia, in the Spanish Revolution
*Canadian Country Music Association, the association of the Canadian country music industry
*Catholic Ca ...
showcase in
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...
, and later toured Eastern Canada, doing shows with
The Divorcees and as the supporting act for
Corb Lund
Corb Lund is a Canadian country and western singer-songwriter from Taber, Alberta, Canada. He has released eleven albums, three of which are certified gold. Lund tours regularly in Canada, the United States and Australia, and has received several ...
.
Byrne is currently on Blacktop Records with a three-song EP titled ''Boots and Blood'', a preview for his third full-length solo album.
As of May 2011, Brian is currently a tattoo artist at Bonded Ink in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. He later relocated to Peterborough, Ont.
On January 24, 2012, I Mother Earth announced an end to its hiatus. The group is producing new music with Byrne again on lead vocals. They have played a number of live shows at venues across Canada. Byrne also continues to perform as a solo act.
With his wife Tara, in 2012, founded OCD Collective to raise money for families to cover autism and mental health needs.
In 2015, Byrne began work as a radio announcer with Live 105, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
In early 2016, Byrne announced he was trying out to become Stone Temple Pilots' new vocalist.
Discography
I Mother Earth
*''
Blue Green Orange
''Blue Green Orange'' is the third album by the Canadian rock band I Mother Earth, released by Universal on July 13, 1999. It was the band's first album with new lead singer Brian Byrne. The album featured covers in blue, green, or orange. The al ...
'' (1999, Mercury/Universal)
*''
The Quicksilver Meat Dream
''The Quicksilver Meat Dream'' is the fourth album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Universal on April 8, 2003. It is allegedly a concept album, though the details on the concept are left to the fans.
The album ...
'' (2003, Universal)
Solo albums
*''
Tuesdays, Thursdays and if it Rains'' (2006, Kindling/Warner)
*''
Tailor Made'' (2007, Kindling/Warner)
Singles
* "Far From Good" – 2006
* "Oscar Thomas Finn" – 2006
* "Crazy" – 2007
* "Boots And Blood EP" – 2010
* "Arizona" – 2014
References
External links
Far From Goodat YouTube
Oscar Thomas Finnat YouTube
Boots and Blood EPat
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Brian
1975 births
Living people
People from Corner Brook
Canadian rock singers
Canadian alternative rock musicians
Singers from Newfoundland and Labrador
Alternative rock singers
21st-century Canadian male singers
21st-century Canadian singers
I Mother Earth members