Canyon was an American

slowcore Slowcore is a subgenre of alternative rock and indie rock. The music of slowcore artists is generally characterized by bleak lyrics, downbeat melodies, slower tempos and minimalist arrangements. Slowcore is often used interchangeably with the ...

band from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, United States. Their style was heavily influenced by

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

History

The band was formed in 1999 after ex-

Boys Life ''Scout Life'' (formerly ''Boys' Life'') is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Its target readers are boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18. The magazine‘s headquarters are in Irving, Texas. ''Scout Life'' is publ ...

member Brandon Butler relocated from

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

to the Washington, D.C. area and briefly fronted the band Farewell Bend. Originally playing shows under the moniker Vita Bruno, the initial Canyon lineup consisted of members from several influential DC post-hardcore bands including John Wall from

Kerosene 454 Kerosene 454 was a punk rock band from Washington, D.C. They formed in 1992. The core of the group, brothers John and Jim Wall along with Erik Denno, went through a number of drummers before hooking up with Darren Zentek in time to record their ...

and Vin Novara from the Crownhate Ruin. The band released their first LP in 2001 on John Wall's

Slowdime Records Slowdime Records was a record label started in 1996 by Juan Luis Carrera and Amanda MacKaye. The label was originally started, according to a label bio, “with the intent to document the new inclinations and innovations that began to surface wit ...

and toured nationally afterwards. By the time the record was released, fellow Boys Life member Joe Winkle had arrived in D.C., prompting a lineup shift that saw the departure of Wall and Novara, along with the addition of keyboardist Derry deBorja, bassist Evan Berodt, and drummer Dave Bryson. The self-titled album was picked up and re-released by

Gern Blandsten Records Gern Blandsten Records is an independent record label based in Paramus, New Jersey. The label's acts have included The World/Inferno Friendship Society, Canyon, Chisel, the Van Pelt, Radio 4, The Flesh, Weston, Native Nod and Rye Coalition. ...

, who also released their second full-length, "Empty Rooms," in 2002. Further touring ensued, including an opening slot for former

Uncle Tupelo Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to atten ...

Son Volt Son Volt is an American rock band formed in 1994 by Jay Farrar after the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. The band's current line-up consists of Farrar (vocals, guitar), Andrew DuPlantis (bass guitar), John Horton (guitar), Mark Patterson (drums), and Ma ...

member

Jay Farrar Jay Farrar (born December 26, 1966) is an American songwriter and musician currently based in St. Louis. A member of two critically acclaimed music groups, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, he began his solo music career in 2001. Beyond his estab ...

, and the recording of a live album for DCN Records. The Canyon song "Mansion on the Mountain('Live in NYC' version)," from "Empty Rooms," is in the default library for

Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...

and subsequent versions of Windows. On November 19, 2010, Canyon reunited as a four-piece featuring Butler, Winkle, and a supporting rhythm section, to play at the Black Cat in Washington DC. deBorja, Berodt, and Bryson were not featured in this reunion.

Connections

Derry deBorja, Evan Berodt, and Dave Bryson later played with the DC-based

outfit Revival before deBorja and Bryson joined Son Volt as full-time members. Brandon Butler continues to play solo and with a backing band; he has released two albums for Gypsy Eyes Records, "Killer on the Road" and later "Lucky Thumbs." Vin Novara played with the DC band Perfect Souvenir, and is again playing with

1.6 Band 1.6 Band was an American hardcore punk band consisting of Kevin Egan (formerly of Beyond, later with The Last Crime, $24,000), Lance Jaeger (also of Beyond), Vin Novara (later with Crownhate Ruin, Canyon, Gena Rowlands Band, Alarms & Controls ...

. deBorja has been playing with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit since 2013.

Members

* Brandon Butler - guitar,

lap steel The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional a ...

, harmonica * John Wall - vocals, bass * Joe Winkle - guitar,

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...

, lap steel * Derry deBorja - Fender Rhodes, keyboards, accordion * Evan Berodt - bass guitar * Vin Novara - percussion * Dave Bryson - percussion * Amy Heath - trumpet * Yalan Papillons - vocals * Michael Pahn - hand claps

Discography

*''Canyon'' (

, 2001; re-released on

) *''Empty Rooms'' (Gern Blandsten, 2002) *''Live in NYC'' (DCN Records, 2003) *''Ten Good Eyes'' EP (Wichita Recordings, 2005)

References

External links

C A N Y O N - Official Site
* Canyon at Allmusic.com
Brandon Butler solo website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canyon Musical groups from Washington, D.C. Musical groups established in 1999 Wichita Recordings artists 1999 establishments in Washington, D.C.