Mir is a Canadian

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

and pop music group founded in 1996 and based in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. Asif Illyas is the band's lead

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, guitarist and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. His brother Shehab Illyas is the bassist and

, and Adam Dowling is drummer and a second

. The brothers were born in Sri Lanka and raised in England; Dowling is a Nova Scotia native and former drummer for Ashley MacIsaac.

History

In 1997, the brothers independently released their six-track EP, ''What's Wrong With Being Sexy?''. Dowling joined them in 1998. In 1999, they were signed by

East West Records East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in London, England. History Upon its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had one hit with t ...

and, in 2000, released their debut album, ''Invisible Science''. ''Invisible Science'' garnered four award nominations from the

East Coast Music Association The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mus ...

: Pop/Rock Recording of the Year in 2001 and, in 2002, the single "Invisible Science" brought nominations for Recording of the Year, Song of the Year and Group Recording of the Year. Asif Illyas was nominated for Songwriter of the Year. Also in 1999, Mir launched its annual event, The MIR Supershow, a 25-band concert that celebrates and raises money for the Centre For Diverse Visible Culture. In April 2003, Mir took part in 'Atlantic Scene', a showcase of Atlantic culture that took place at the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one of a number of ...

in Ottawa. That year, the band's song "State of Emergency" was included in the compilation album ''The Great Stupa'', along with songs by artists such as Joni Mitchell, Sting and

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

. In 2004, Mir released their second album, ''7 Directions''. At the 2005 East Coast Music Awards, the album received nominations for Rock Recording of the Year and Video of the Year. Also that year, East West re-released ''Invisible Science'' in Europe, as ''Invisible Science MMIV''. They went on tour in Europe, and played the

Rock am Ring and Rock im Park The ( German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at the Zeppelinfel ...

festivals. Also in 2005, Mir organized a fundraiser for victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka, and in 2006 they traveled to Sri Lanka with a CBC news crew who were documenting the relief and reconstruction efforts. In 2006, Mir released ''The Acoustic Record'', which brought them to the attention of Germany's Silversonic Records, who signed them to a deal to promote an album which combined songs from ''The Acoustic Record'' and ''7 Directions''. The deal also included another European tour. At the 2006 East Coast Music Awards, ''The Acoustic Record'' brought nominations for Alternative Recording of the Year and Group Recording of the Year. In 2008, the band released the album ''OK2Go!''. It was nominated for Pop Recording of the Year at the 2009 East Coast Music Awards. Asif Illyas was nominated as Songwriter of the Year for "U Dream". While they did not officially disband, Dowling has been playing for the country music singer George Canyon. In 2013, Asif Illyas released a solo project titled ''Synesthesia''. The album won the award for World Recording of the Year at the 2014 East Coast Music Awards. He has also recorded on albums for

Cutting Crew Cutting Crew are an English rock band formed in London in 1985. They are best known for their debut album ''Broadcast'' and hit single, "(I Just) Died in Your Arms". History 1985–1986: Formation While still in his teens, Nick Van Eede (bo ...

Gordie Sampson Gordon Francis Sampson (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer from Big Pond, Nova Scotia. Beginning his career as a performer on his hometown island of Cape Breton, both in bands and on his own, Sampson has gone on t ...

, Rita MacNeil and

Lennie Gallant Lennie Gallant, CM is a Canadian singer-songwriter and instrumentalist from Prince Edward Island. His music crosses into the folk rock and country music genres, while celebrating the musical heritage of his home province. He has been presented ...

. In 2013, Shehab Illyas, recording under the name 'Knight', released the album ''Top of the World''. It was accompanied by a 30-minute film which he wrote and directed. He has also been recording on albums, and/or shooting videos, for

Alan Doyle Alan Thomas Doyle (born May 17, 1969) is a Canadian musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea. Life and career Alan Doyle was born and raised in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, in a Roman Cath ...

and Ria Mae and

Beòlach Beòlach is a Canadian instrumental folk music group from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.Dan MacDonald"Beòlach releases long-awaited CD" ''Halifax Chronicle-Herald'', January 10, 2020. They are most noted for their 2020 album ''All Hands'', which ...

Discography

* 1998: ''What's Wrong with Being Sexy?'', Independent * 2001: ''Invisible Science'', East West Records * 2004: ''7 Directions'', MapleNationwide * 2004: ''Invisible Science MMIV'', East West Re-Release Europe * 2005: ''The Acoustic Record'', Independent * 2006: ''7 Directions'', Silversonic Records Re-Release Europe * 2008: ''OK2GO!'', Fontana North * 2008: "A Soldier's Carol" Christmas EP

Compilation Inclusions

* 2003: ''The Great Stupa'', Wintrup Musik Publishing

References

External links

Mir
official website
Mir
at MySpace

Asif Illyas official website

Knight official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Mir Canadian alternative rock groups Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups from Halifax, Nova Scotia 1996 establishments in Nova Scotia