Spencer Krug ( ) (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian musician. He is the singer, songwriter and keyboardist for the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

Wolf Parade Wolf Parade is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003 in Montreal. The band released three full-length albums before taking a five-year hiatus in 2011. They announced their return in 2016, releasing a self-titled EP in May of that year, and a ...

and also records under the name Moonface. He has also performed with other Canadian bands including

Sunset Rubdown Sunset Rubdown is a Canadian art rock music group from Montreal. The band began as a solo project for Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, who released his debut, '' Snake's Got a Leg'', in early 2005. By the next year the project expanded to become a fu ...

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

Frog Eyes Frog Eyes are an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada fronted by Carey Mercer. Their 2010 album Paul's Tomb: A Triumph was a longlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize. They have released eight albums and two EPs an ...

, Fifths of Seven, and ska band the Two Tonne Bowlers, playing various instruments. His involvement in many musical acts has garnered him a noticeably high output of work, being credited on several releases a year. He is known for his distinctive voice and songwriting abilities.

Overview

Krug was born on May 4, 1977 and raised in

Penticton, British Columbia Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia Interior, Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its pop ...

, where at age 12, he first began playing piano. Soon after, he picked up guitar, focusing on the two instruments. Upon leaving Penticton, he moved to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

where he helped found the indie rock band

with his then-roommate, Carey Mercer.Soft Abuse Records
"Frog Eyes: Biography"
, Softabuse.com. Retrieved January 16, 2008. Krug took part in a March 2001 recording session that would later become Frog Eyes' first LP, '' The Bloody Hand''. Shortly afterwards, however, Krug left the band and moved to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

where he studied creative writing and musical composition at

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

. In April 2003 Krug formed

alongside fellow singer-songwriter/guitarist

Dan Boeckner Dan Boeckner (; born 5 February 1978) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist and podcaster. He is best known as one of the frontmen of Wolf Parade, which he helped found in 2003. Since 2013, he has also been a member of the Montreal-based ba ...

.Sub Pop Records
"Wolf Parade: Biography"
Subpop.com. Retrieved January 16, 2008. Wolf Parade's first show was opening for

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...

on the ’03 " Us Kids Know" tour. ''

Apologies to the Queen Mary ''Apologies to the Queen Mary'' is the 2005 first full-length album by Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade. Background Songwriting and vocals are split between guitarist Dan Boeckner and keyboardist Spencer Krug. According to interviews with ...

'', Wolf Parade's debut album, was produced by

Modest Mouse Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members are lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenced ...

frontman

Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he c ...

and released on Seattle indie label

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

on September 27, 2005. Also in 2005, Krug teamed up with

Beckie Foon Rebecca Foon (born 13 December 1978) is a Canadian cellist, vocalist, and composer from Montreal, Quebec. Foon currently records under her own name, as well as the alias Saltland, and is a member and co-founder of the Juno Award-winning modern c ...

(

A Silver Mt. Zion A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

Saltland Rebecca Foon (born 13 December 1978) is a Canadian cellist, vocalist, and composer from Montreal, Quebec. Foon currently records under her own name, as well as the alias Saltland, and is a member and co-founder of the Juno Award-winning modern ch ...

Set Fire to Flames Set Fire to Flames was a Canadian instrumental music ensemble consisting of thirteen musicians from Montreal, Quebec.

Esmerine Esmerine is a Canadian modern chamber music group that incorporates genres such as post rock, drone music, post punk, and Turkish folk. Founded in Montreal in 2000 by Bruce Cawdron (drums) and Beckie Foon (cello), current members also include per ...

) and Rachel Levine (Cakelk), forming the instrumental string/piano/accordion-based trio Fifths of Seven. Later that year, the band released '' Spry from Bitter Anise Folds''. As a side project to Wolf Parade, under the moniker

, Krug self-produced five EPs, each one focusing on specific thematic composition and instrumentation – acoustic guitar; piano and hand claps; synths and drum machines, etc. – of original songs. In the mid-2005 selections from each of those EPs were compiled and released as the LP, '' Snake's Got a Leg''. Originally a solo project, Sunset Rubdown expanded in the late 2005 and early 2006 to include Camilla Wynn Ingr ( Pony Up!), Jordan Robson-Cramer (XY Lover, Magic Weapon, and

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 Michael Doerksen. This new line-up released its first collaborative efforts: a 5 track self-titled EP, ''

'', in January 2006, followed by the band's second LP, '' Shut Up I Am Dreaming'', in May 2006. Sunset Rubdown's third LP, '' Random Spirit Lover'', was released October 2007 on

Jagjaguwar Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Jagjaguwar is a label included in Secretly Group, which also includes ...

Records. Sunset Rubdown's fourth LP, ''

Dragonslayer A dragonslayer is a person or being that slays dragons. Dragonslayers and the creatures they hunt have been popular in traditional stories from around the world: they are a type of story classified as type 300 in the Aarne–Thompson classifica ...

'', was released in 2009 on Jagjaguwar Records. Krug rejoined

as their keyboardist in early 2006 and helped put out '' The Future Is Inter-Disciplinary or Not at All'' and '' Tears of the Valedictorian''. Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes toured that year together, allowing Krug to participate in both bands simultaneously. Krug also recorded material for the indie rock supergroup

alongside Frog Eyes' Carey Mercer and

Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

Dan Bejar Daniel Bejar (; born October 4, 1972) is a Canadian singer and musician from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the frontman of Destroyer, and is a member of indie rock band the New Pornographers. Overview In 2006, he joined with Carey Mercer ...

. The group released their debut album, '' Beast Moans'', on November 21, 2006 through Jagjaguwar. In mid-2008, Krug toured with Wolf Parade in support of their second LP entitled ''

At Mount Zoomer ''At Mount Zoomer'', the second full length LP from the Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade, was released on June 17, 2008.Wolf Parade Discography"''At Mount Zoomer'' - SP720" ''Sub Pop Records'', retrieved April 29, 2008. Album title The album ...

'' on June 17, 2008. On March 24, 2009 Swan Lake released their second album, '' Enemy Mine''. In January 2010, Krug released ''Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums'' under the Moonface name. In June 2010, Wolf Parade released their third full album, ''

Expo 86 The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communicatio ...

''. A world tour supporting the new album followed, after which the band went on indefinite hiatus. Krug's first full-length album as Moonface, '' Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped'', was released in August 2011. Krug then teamed up with the Helsinki-based band Siinai to record his second full length Moonface album, '' With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery'', which was released on April 17, 2012. On June 29, 2012, Krug confirmed that Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown disbanded and would no longer be touring or releasing albums. On August 27, 2013, Jagjaguwar Records announced Krug's third full length Moonface album, '' Julia With Blue Jeans On'', released October 29, 2013. Krug's fourth full length Moonface album, ''My Best Human Face'', in collaboration with Finnish rock band Siinai, was released on June 3, 2016.

Personal life

As of 2021, he resides on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

. He and his wife had their first child, a son, in April 2020.

Discography

Fifths of Seven

*'' Spry from Bitter Anise Folds'' (2005) DSA

Frog Eyes

*'' The Bloody Hand'' (2002) Global Symphonic *'' The Future Is Inter-Disciplinary or Not at All'' (2006) Acuarela Discos *'' Tears of the Valedictorian'' (2007)

Absolutely Kosher Absolutely may refer to: * ''Absolutely'' (Boxer album), the second rock music album recorded by the band Boxer * ''Absolutely'' (Madness album), the 1980 second album from the British ska band Madness * ''Absolutely'' (ABC album), a comprehensi ...

Sunset Rubdown

*'' Snake's Got a Leg'' (2005) Global Symphonic *'' Sunset Rubdown EP'' (2006) Global Symphonic *'' Shut Up I Am Dreaming'' (2006)

*'' Random Spirit Lover'' (2007) Jagjaguwar *'' Introducing Moonface'' (2009) Global Symphonic *''

'' (2009) Jagjaguwar

Moonface

*'' Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums'' (2010) Jagjaguwar *'' Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped'' (2011) Jagjaguwar *'' With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery'' (2012) Jagjaguwar *'' Julia With Blue Jeans On'' (2013) Jagjaguwar/Paper Bag Records *''City Wrecker (EP)'' (2014) Jagjaguwar/Paper Bag Records *''With Siinai: My Best Human Face'' (2016) Jagjaguwar/Paper Bag Records *''This One’s For The Dancer & This One’s For The Dancer’s Bouquet'' (2018) Jagjaguwar

Swan Lake

*'' Beast Moans'' (2006) Jagjaguwar *'' Enemy Mine'' (2009) Jagjaguwar

Wolf Parade

*'' Wolf Parade (4-song EP)''(2003) Self-Released *'' Wolf Parade (6-song EP)'' (2004) Self-Released *'' Wolf Parade (EP)'' (2005)

*''

'' (2005, reissued 2016) Sub Pop *''

'' (2008) Sub Pop *''

'' (2010) Sub Pop *'' EP 4'' (2016) Self-Released *''

Cry Cry Cry Cry Cry Cry was a folk Supergroup (music), supergroup, consisting of Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky, and Dar Williams. The band released a single eponymous album of cover songs on October 13, 1998. The trio toured in 1999 to support the album. ...

'' (2017) Sub Pop *''

Thin Mind ''Thin Mind'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade. It was released on January 24, 2020 through Sub Pop. Background ''Thin Mind'' is Wolf Parade's fifth studio album and their first to be released since the departure ...

'' (2020) Sub Pop

Solo albums

*'' Fading Graffiti'' (2021) Pronounced Kroog *'' Twenty Twenty Twenty Twenty One'' (2022) Pronounced Kroog

Notable contributions

* In 2005, Krug contributed to the

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

benefit song, "

Do They Know It's Hallowe'en? "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" is a charity record inspired by "Do They Know It's Christmas?". It was released on October 11, 2005, in Canada on Vice Records by a cast of rock artists and other performers under the name "North American Hallowe ...

" along with

. * In 2006, Krug contributed piano and synthesizer to Islands' first album, "

Return to the Sea Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...

" * Krug played keyboard for Destroyer's European Tour of ''

Notorious Lightning & Other Works ''Notorious Lightning and Other Works'' is an EP by Destroyer, released on January 25, 2005, on Merge Records. After shocking many fans by supporting the synth-driven album '' Your Blues'' with the avant-guitar band Frog Eyes, Dan Bejar decided ...

''.Daniel Gill
"Swan Lake preps debut full-length on Jagjaguwar"
''Force Field PR'', August 6, 2006.

References

External links

Official Wolf Parade page

Official Sunset Rubdown page

Official Fifths of Seven page

Official Swan Lake page

Official page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krug, Spencer 1977 births Living people People from Penticton Canadian singer-songwriters Canadian indie rock musicians Musicians from British Columbia Concordia University alumni Paper Bag Records artists 21st-century Canadian male singers Canadian male singer-songwriters