The Brothers Creeggan was a Canadian
alternative rock/
jazz band composed of
Jim Creeggan (upright bass, guitar, bass guitar, vocals),
Andy Creeggan (guitar, piano, accordion, percussion, vocals) and Ian McLauchlan (drums). The group has released four albums: ''The Brothers Creeggan'' (1993), ''The Brothers Creeggan II'' (1997), ''Trunks'' (2000) and ''Sleepyhead'' (2002).
Biography
Growing up in
Toronto, brothers Jim and Andy Creeggan started in music by recording
cover songs of
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
and
George Thorogood
George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Delaware.
His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the ...
on a rented
4-track.
[
]
As teenagers, the pair performed in several groups, including the Synthetics, an
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
quartet that won a 1987 Canadian talent contest in which
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
was runner-up.
The brothers went on to become founding members of
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reach ...
.
Andy left Barenaked Ladies in 1995 to pursue a musical composition degree at
McGill University, while Jim continued as the band's bassist.
[
][
]
The Brothers Creeggan released their self-titled debut album in 1993. The song "Places" features backing vocals by Alanis Morissette.
[
]
The album "was almost a demo thing," according to Andy. "We finished it up and sent it to some friends."
A second album, ''The Brothers Creeggan II'', followed in 1997. Three years later, the duo added a third member, drummer Ian McLauchlan, and released their third album, ''Trunks''.
Andy said the album was "definitely a natural evolution from the first two albums," as the songs on ''Trunks'' "were more accessible and more continuous to each other."
Jane Stevenson of
Jam!
Jam! was a Canadian website which covers entertainment news. It was part of the Canoe.com online portal, formerly owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division, and now owned by Postmedia Network.
Jam! was the only media outlet ...
called the album "a delicate and sweet-sounding effort that combines the best of folk and jazz with gentle lead vocals from both Jim and Andy."
[
]
Allmusic's Theresa E. LaVeck described it as "an extended evening lullaby: soft, sweet, and sleepy (think
Simon & Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...
lite)."
[
]
The group's fourth album, ''Sleepyhead'', was released on
Nettwerk in 2002. Barenaked Ladies member
Ed Robertson and singer-songwriter
Sarah Harmer guest on album track "Anna on the Moon".
[
]
Tom Semioli of
Allmusic said that with the album, "the Brothers Creeggan have slipped a contemplative masterpiece into our midst."
[
]
The band went on hiatus in 2003. Jim stayed with the Barenaked Ladies; Andy went on to a solo career.
On 13 July 2009, drummer Ian McLauchlan died
[
] of complications following heart surgery.
Discography
References
External links
CanadianBands.com entryNPR story by Bellamy Pailthorp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brothers Creeggan, The
Musical groups established in 1992
Musical groups from Toronto
Canadian alternative rock groups
Canadian jazz ensembles
Barenaked Ladies
1992 establishments in Ontario
Sibling musical groups