Graham Van Pelt is a Canadian musician currently based on

Salt Spring Island Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settled b ...

. He performed in Montreal based acts

Miracle Fortress Miracle Fortress is a Canadian indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec. The band's studio work is primarily a solo, project of songwriter Graham Van Pelt, who is accompanied by the rest of the band during live shows. Band history Van Pelt, a m ...

and

Think About Life Think About Life is an indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formed in 2005. Biography The group was founded by drummer Matt Shane and keyboardist Graham Van Pelt.Dunlevy, T'Cha. "Feckless abandon", ''The Gazette'', 2006-06-08, p. D3. ...

throughout the 2000s. Since 2018 Van Pelt has been releasing material under his own name.

Life and career

In 2005 Van Pelt founded

with Matt Shane, and Martin Cesar. The group released two albums via

Alien8 Recordings Alien8 Recordings is an independent record label founded in 1996 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The label was founded by Sean O'Hara and Gary Worsley. The label released material from prominent noise artists such as Merzbow, Think About Life, A ...

and toured North America, Europe, and Asia between 2005-2011. The group reunited for a performance at 16th edition of

POP Montreal POP Montreal is an annual music festival occurring in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the early fall, usually at the end of September or the beginning of October. More than 400 bands are scheduled to play in more than 50 venues across the city, most ...

in 2017. Between 2005 and 2014, Van Pelt released material under the moniker

. He released two albums, and a series of singles, under this name via Montreal's

Secret City Records Secret City Records is a Canadian independent record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The music label was founded in 2006 by Andrew Rose and Justin West, originally as sublabel of Justin Time Records. It became fully independent in late ...

. His debut '' Five Roses'' was shortlisted for the 2007 edition of the

Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was incr ...

. Miracle Fortress' sophomore album ''

Was I the Wave? ''Was I the Wave?'' is the second studio album by Miracle Fortress, released on April 26, 2011. The album departs from the indie rock of '' Five Roses'', and is instead more of an electronic offering. As with ''Five Roses'', all songs were compose ...

'' marked the beginning of a more electronic direction for Van Pelt. In 2018, Van Pelt announced that he would be releasing new material under his own name. His debut album ''Time Travel'' was released on October 19, 2018, via

Arbutus Records Arbutus Records is a Montreal based record label and Artist Management, management company founded by Sebastian Cowan in 2009. The label is named after the street by the same name in Vancouver, where Cowan grew up. The label have also begun expand ...

. He supported the release with multiple tours across North America and Europe, including dates supporting with Kllo, COMA, and

Blue Hawaii ''Blue Hawaii'' is a 1961 American musical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written Americ ...

, and performances at the Red Bull Festival Montreal, Zemlika Festival, The New Colossus, Savannah Stopover,

Focus Wales Focus Wales (stylised as FOCUS Wales) is an international multi-venue showcase music and arts festival held annually in Wrexham, Wales. It is Wales' biggest music industry event and was first held in 2010. The event showcases emerging Welsh mus ...

, Great Escape, and Festival Santa Teresa. On April 17, 2020, Van Pelt released the ''Sense Appeal'' EP via Arbutus Records and No Bad Days. The EP features remixes from Yu Su and Gene Tellem. ''Salt Spring: Sun and Shadow'', a collection of instrumental tracks recorded by Van Pelt on Salt Spring Island was released on May 28, 2021, via Arbutus Records.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Time Travel'' (2018,

) * ''Salt Spring: Sun and Shadow'' (2021, Arbutus Records)

EPs

* ''Sense Appeal'' (2020, Arbutus Records / No Bad Days)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van P Living people Canadian DJs Canadian record producers Canadian male songwriters Musicians from Toronto Year of birth missing (living people)