Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
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 ...
."Rich Aucoin doesn't know when to quit"
Postmedia News
Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is a Canadian media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in newspaper publishing, news ...
, November 7, 2011. He has toured throughout North and South America, Europe and Australia; sometimes touring by bicycle for charity. He's released 5 studio LPs and a handful of EPs and singles and won several Canadian awards including
Sirius XM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
Indie Awards' Emerging Artist of the Year. Oftentimes, his albums act as alternative scores to films in the same way as
Dark Side of the Rainbow
Dark Side of the Rainbow – also known as Dark Side of Oz or The Wizard of Floyd – is the pairing of the 1973 Pink Floyd album ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' with the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz.'' This produces moments of apparent synchronici ...
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
album ''
The Dark Side of the Moon
''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. The album was primarily developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of ...
''. He has used a number of experimental recording techniques on his albums but is perhaps best known for his ever-evolving interactive communal sing-a-long multi-media live show.
Albums
1.1 - ''Personal Publication EP''
At the end of his philosophy degree (
University of King's College
The University of King's College, established in 1789, is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Roper, Henry. "Aspects of the History of a Loyalist College: King's College, Windsor, and Nova Scotian Higher Education in the Nineteenth Century." Anglic ...
/
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in 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 fou ...
2006 BA Hons. Philosophy & Contemporary Studies), Aucoin started work on his first EP, ''Personal Publication''. Aucoin recorded and performed it by himself with just one microphone (a
Behringer
Behringer is an audio equipment company founded by the Swiss engineer Uli Behringer on 25 January 1989, in Willich, Germany. Behringer was the 14th largest manufacturer of music products in 2007. Behringer is a worldwide, multinational grou ...
B-1) and played over a dozen instruments on the EP. During this time Aucoin went on tour playing vibraphone/drumset and synth in
The Hylozoists
The Hylozoists are a Canadian instrumental rock supergroup formed in 2001 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The band's name is derived from hylozoism and was started as a side project of record producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Aucoin.
H ...
; his older brother, Paul Aucoin's band in Spring 2006 along with
Fembots (band)
FemBots are a Canadian indie rock band from Toronto formed in 1998. FemBots are known for their unique sound of combining instrumental everyday items, junk instruments, and traditional instruments in their music.
Background
The band's core membe ...
and
Cuff the Duke
Cuff the Duke is a Canadian alt-country band from Oshawa, Ontario. They play a blend of traditional country and folk music with indie rock influences.
History
Cuff the Duke formed in Oshawa, drawing their name from a shirt purchased by front- ...
.
Inspired by seeing ''Dark Side of The Rainbow'' at a midnight screening at The Oxford Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Aucoin set out to write an EP to sync up to
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss" '' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special)
''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' (also known as ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'') is a 1966 American animated television special, directed and co-produced by Chuck Jones. It is based on the 1957 children's book of the same name ...
in the same manner that one can sync up Pink Floyd's ''Dark Side of The Moon'' with the film ''The Wizard of Oz''. Aucoin put the video up on Youtube where it garnered some light virality until it was taken down after receiving a Cease & Desist from Dr. Seuss Enterprises LP.
Aucoin played his first show December 20, 2006 at Tribeca in Halifax and released ''Personal Publication'' EP in the winter of 2007 after meeting long-time producing partner Joel Waddell who came on to complete the mixing process with Aucoin. The self-released EP marked the debut of Aucoin touring outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia as he did his first Canadian tour that spring/summer across Canada by bicycle where he raised money for
Childhood Cancer Canada
Childhood Cancer Canada (CCC) is a foundation dedicated to fighting childhood cancer. It was founded in 1987. The foundation works to improving the lives of children with cancer and their families through its support programs and investment in coll ...
."Rich Aucoin's CD captures joie de vivre and desperation of youth" ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', November 9, 2011. Aucoin finished the tour after 30 dates from Victoria, BC to Halifax, NS and then geared up for another tour in The Hylozoists across Canada doing support for
The Besnard Lakes
The Besnard Lakes ( ) are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, the band also includes Kevin Laing (drums), Richard White (guitar), Sheenah Ko (keyboa ...
where, at the end of the tour, Aucoin faced a health crisis when the shift in touring styles led to a series of seizures upon return to Halifax.
1.2 - ''Publication Publication EP''
In the winter of 2008, Aucoin set out to do the opposite of the first EP and record a record with as many friends and collaborators as possible and, as the idea grew, it became impossible to fit everyone onto just an EP length of time and so the EP started turning into what would become Aucoin's debut LP, ''We're All Dying To Live''.
1.3 - ''We're All Dying To Live''
''We're All Dying To Live'' was released in November 2011, performed at
Halifax Pop Explosion
The Halifax Pop Explosion was a music festival and conference that occurred every fall, typically two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The term "Halifax Pop Explosion" also came to be adopted in the 1990s as the name o ...
at St. Matthew's United Church with a one-night-only band of about 80 performers, the performance won Best Live Show In The Past Year in that year's Best Of Awards by Halifax's Weekly The Coast. Aucoin began writing the album in the winter of 2008 and wrote it to sync up with a film he cut together out of around 35 films from the public domain into one film that intercuts classics like
Night of the Living Dead
''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American independent horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, with a screenplay by John Russo and Romero, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven peop ...
to
It's a Wonderful Life
''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas by medium#Films, Christmas Fantasy film, fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern se ...
.
Aucoin set out to record the album on the road again with just one microphone, this time a Rode NT2 and an Mbox and Pro Tools 32 Track LE and his laptop. Aucoin ran a series of half marathons raising money for
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is a Canadian charity dedicated to advocacy, education, and the funding of research surrounding heart disease and stroke.
Nomenclature
In November 2016, the organization re-branded as ''Heart & Strok ...
while stopping in each city across Canada to record with as many musicians as possible.
Aucoin recorded with several Canadian band members including Jay Ferguson of Sloan, You Say Party, Michael Small of The Meligrove Band, Rae Spoon, Tim Kingsbury of The Arcade Fire, Bob Wiseman, The Constantines, Julie Penner of Broken Social Scene, Joel Plaskett, Jenn Grant, Windome Earle, Stephen Carrol of The Weakerthans, Wayne Petti of Cuff The Duke, FemBots, The Dubervilles, Gobble Gobble, Peter Togni, Wildlife, Hey Rosetta, Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees, Dan Mangan, Paul Bandwatt of Rural Alberta Advantage, Bernard Lakes, David Myles, Crissi Cochrane, Heavy Blinkers, The Diableros, Tyler Messick, Tanya Davis, The Golden Dogs, BA Johnston, Laura Barrett, The First Aid Kit, Immaculate Machine, Cary Pratt, Amelia Curran, Jimmy Lightning of Do Make Say Think, Jon McKeil, Rebekah Higgs and Wax Mannequin.
Aucoin recorded with these and other musicians across Canada on the tour either in the venues while playing shows together or at studios like: Break Glass with Jace Lasek, Hotel 2 Tango with Howard Bilerman, Common Ground with Andrew Watt, Echo Chamber with David Ewenson, Halla with Paul Aucoin and at St. Mary's Basilica Cathedral with Peter Togni and Aucoin was also able to record a small portion while at
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
on his first tour to the UK when he guested on musician Doug Taylor's album. The album was mixed and mastered in the UK as well mixed by
David Wrench (music producer)
David Wrench is a Welsh people, Welsh musician, songwriter, producer and Mixing engineer, mixer based in London. His work has been nominated for Grammy Award, Grammys, Brit Awards and shortlisted for numerous Mercury Prize nominations including ...
and mastered by Nilesh Patel at The Exchange and produced by Aucoin and Joel Waddell. The album appeared on the !earshot Campus and Community National Top 50 Albums chart in January, 2012. It was given Album of The Week by the
National Post
The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
and was a longlisted nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize in June of that year."Polaris Prize long list includes lots of Toronto bands" ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', June 14, 2012.
1.4 - ''Ephemeral''
Aucoin started work on ''Ephemeral'' in spring 2010 which would be a collection of songs more representative of the high-energy live show. Aucoin decided to go back to syncing the album with just one piece of media rather than the collage of public domain films for ''We're All Dying to Live'' and so ''Ephemeral'' plays as an alt soundtrack to the 1979
Will Vinton
William Gale Vinton (November 17, 1947 – October 4, 2018) was an American animator and filmmaker. Vinton was best known for his Claymation work, alongside creating iconic characters such as The California Raisins. He won an Oscar for his wor ...
claymation masterpiece of
The Little Prince
''The Little Prince'' (french: Le Petit Prince, ) is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 an ...
. Aucoin made a choir of approximately 20,000 by bringing out a microphone during his festival performances over the summer of 2012 all over Canada/US and Europe and recorded the audiences singing along to a new unreleased song which would become ''Ephemeral’''s opening track, Meaning In Life. The album also opens with a vocal sample of
Wayne Coyne
Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips.
Early life
Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
from
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...
talking to Neil Fridd of Terror Pigeon (and long-time collaborator with Aucoin) about “being into long things” after Fridd and Aucoin had just gotten off stage as costumed dancers for a Lips festival show in 2011 at the
Hangout Music Festival
The Hangout Music Festival (commonly referred to as Hangout Fest or Hangout) is an annual three-day music festival held on the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama. The main stages are the Hangout Stage and the Surf Stage (located on opposit ...
where Aucoin was also performing. The album cover image is of the iconic moon landing footprint and is the one image that sums up humankind's history at the
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is an observatory in Los Angeles, California on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, ...
in Los Angeles on their History of The Universe timeline.
Aucoin recorded again at Hotel 2 Tango with Howard Bilerman, Rooster studios with Don Kerr, Echo Lake with Daniel Ledwell, Dream House with Alex Bonenfant, and again at St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica in Halifax with Peter Togni. The album was mixed by a number of mixers: Elijah Walsh, Peter Chapman, Eric Broucek, Graeme Campbell, Graham Walsh, Stephen Paul, Daniel Ledwell and Mick Guzauski and was produced by Aucoin and Joel Waddell and was mastered by Dave Cooley. It was released by Bonsound and debuted at The Halifax Pop Explosion in 2014. The album features around a dozen players including
Maylee Todd
Maylee Todd is a Canadian independent musician, performance artist and producer based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Todd released her first solo album, ''Choose Your Own Adventure,'' in 2010, and her second record, ''Escapology,'' in 2013. Both w ...
and
Allie X
Alexandra Ashley Hughes (born 31 July 1985), known by her stage name Allie X, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and visual artist. She began her career as an indie pop artist in Toronto in the mid-2000s, playing with local bands and writing and ...
. Aucoin received the cover of
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
Magazine and his second long-listing for The Polaris Music Prize. Also during this time, both ''Ephemeral'' and ''We're All Dying to Live'' were put out by France label Platinum as Aucoin began to frequently tour France and Europe.
1.5 - Rich Aucoin with Symphony Nova Scotia
In 2015, Aucoin was invited to perform with
Symphony Nova Scotia
Symphony Nova Scotia is a Canadian orchestra based in Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary recital space is at the Dalhousie Arts Centre's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium.
History
Symphony Nova Scotia began in 19 ...
in its fusion program in collaboration with The Halifax Pop Explosion. Although it was never officially recorded, the performance was a collection of newly arranged versions off Aucoin's first two albums arranged by Aucoin.
1.6 - ''Release''
''Release'', originally called to be called ‘Death’, began tracking in the winter of 2016 at Old Confidence Lodge and syncs with Disney's
Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)
''Alice in Wonderland'' is a 1951 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the '' Alice'' books by Lewis Carroll. The thirteenth release of Disney's animated features, the film premiered in L ...
. The album also features around 70 performers including: the drumming of Justin Peroff of
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadians, Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Cannin ...
as well as Tony Dallas of Brat Boy and Jeremy Malvin of Chrome Sparks, vocals of
Rose Cousins
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
and Reeny Smith, acoustic guitar of
Dan Mangan
Daniel Mangan (born April 28, 1983) is a Canadian musician. He has won two Juno awards and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Australia, having released 5 studio LPs and numerous EPs and singles. He has scored for featur ...
and the bass of Commander Meouch of
TWRP (band)
TWRP (pronounced ''twerp''), formerly known as Tupper Ware Remix Party, is a Canadian rock band originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Initially founded in 2007, the band moved to Toronto in 2011 with a change in members and musical direction. T ...
. During the recording process, Aucoin was robbed of his laptop and lost much of the record in January 2017 forcing him to start again with what back ups remained. Every track on ''Release'' has vocal manipulation and synths made out of vocal samples from its singers and the song The Past is completely made from vocal samples by Aucoin.
''Release'' was recorded in at Rec Room with Sheldon Zaharko, Taurus Recording with Thomas D’arcy, The Nook with David Plowman, Sonology with Jeff McMurrich, Planet Studios with Jean-Bruno Pinard, Hotel 2 Tango with Howard Bilerman, Virtue and Vice with Ben Talmi, Echo Lake with Daniel Ledwell, Old Confidence Lodge with Diego Medina, Alley Road with Lukas Pearse, Sonic Temple with Darren Van Niekerk, New Scotland Yard with Thomas Stajcer and again with Peter Togni recording church organ at Cathedral Church of All Saints and was produced by Aucoin and Joel Waddell and was mixed by Howie Beck and mastered by Noah Mintz. Cover image is a 3D printed life-sized version of Aucoin's skull and was painted by artist Laura Dawe and photographed by photographer Meghan Tansey Whitton and designed by Seth Smith. The album was released in May 2019 by
Dine Alone Records
Dine Alone Records is a Canadian and American independent record label, founded in St. Catharines and Toronto by Joel Carriere. The label is now based in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles.
History
Dine Alone was born out of founder Joel Ca ...
' Haven Sounds imprint.
1.8 - ''United States''
For Aucoin's first record after the first trilogy, Aucoin returned to his roots of cycling across a country for tour only this time across America in Spring 2018. Aucoin wrote the entire album while on his bicycle with a series of vocal memos while he cycled from Los Angeles to New York raining money fo Mental Health America and The
Canadian Mental Health Association
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a Canadian non-profit mental health organization that focusing on resources, programs and advocacy. It was founded on April 22, 1918, by Dr. Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers. Originally nam ...
. Aucoin documented his tour with
Paste (magazine)
''Paste'' is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publication fro ...
. This is Aucoin's first album not to be synced with an existing media as Aucoin wrote a track for each state he cycled through based on the observations of the American landscape and society. It was written and recorded by Aucoin while on tour and then later re-realized primarily at Taurus Recording with Thomas D’arcy and Old Confidence Lodge with Diego Medina, mixed by Howie Beck and produced by Aucoin and Joel Waddell with ‘Walls’ was mixed and produced by Kevin Maher and was mastered by Brian ‘Big Bass’ Gardner. Its cover is a photo taken by Aucoin of a large car dealership's enormous American Flag flying at half-mast. It was the second release by Dine Alone's Haven Sounds for Aucoin in October 2020. The first single for the record “How It Breaks" went #1 on the CBC Top 20 Countdown in June 2020. Aucoin released a stand-alone single in 2022 called We're In It Together which featured a choir made up of 100 fans emailing their voice memos and home recordings to Aucoin and featured: Dr. Sung of TWRP, Ninja Brian of
Ninja Sex Party
Ninja Sex Party (often abbreviated as NSP) is an American musical comedy duo consisting of singer Dan Avidan and keyboardist Brian Wecht. They formed in 2009 in New York City and are currently based in Los Angeles. They are also known as two thi ...
and Dylan Germick of Planet Booty.
1.9 - ''Synthetic: A Synth Odyssey - Season 1''
Aucoin began work for ''Synthetic: A Synth Odyssey'' in March 2020 while doing an Artist In Residency at the
National Music Centre
The National Music Centre (NMC; french: Centre nationale de musique) is a non-profit museum and performance venue located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The centre's permanent building, branded Studio Bell, is located at 850 4th Street S.E. in Down ...
in Calgary, Alberta. With the bulk recorded just before the pandemic shutdowns beganm ''Synthetic'' was paused in April 2020 as Aucoin shifted to work on music for the documentary No Ordinary Man (film) directed by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt. Aucoin plays all the sum 37 synthesizers on Season 1 which was released in October 2022 by We Are Busy Bodies. The album is mixed by Howie Beck and produced by Aucoin, Joel Waddell and Gordon Huntley. The album features the legendary Tonto synthesizer made famous by
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...
in his film
Phantom of the Paradise
''Phantom of the Paradise'' is a 1974 American rock musical comedy horror film written and directed by Brian De Palma and scored by and starring Paul Williams. In the film, a naïve young singer-songwriter (played by William Finley) is tricked ...
and used by greatest like
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
. The album was mastered by Noah Mintz and designed by Mat Dunlap. The cover for each of the four seasons of the album features the synthesizers used on each. The album is nominated for a
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
for Electronic Album of The Year.
Live Show
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
has said "Aucoin's sweat-soaked shows are near legendary events of mosh-pit euphoria, surfboard situations and dancing underneath a multicoloured parachute". Aucoin might be best known for his live show in Canada. It began with Aucoin playing like a silent film era pianist on the size of the stage with the focus being on the screen he was playing the music to accompany but then slowly morphed into a communal singalong dance-party with Aucoin frequently in the middle of the audience leading the choruses. The show has always involved a mixed media performance involving a collage of images which the show runs in sync to with everything from the films Aucoin composed the music to synchronize with to viral videos and memes to anything and everything as visual samples. Often times, the framing of a night at the movies is used with opening previews of the other bands on the bill to fake advertisements and a crowd singalong of all the major media companies’ fanfares mashed up together. Aucoin gave out custom 3D glasses in 2009 for his sets which were partially in 3D. Aucoin has been known to make a personalized show for every performance given thousands of fans personalized intro credits in the opening credits of the show; messages usually revolve around topical humour or cultural references like “So and So doesn't settle for anything, except Catan”. Aucoin has narration and other comedy elements added between songs to give time for costume changes and other props like crowd surfing on a real surf board. Another signature element has been the use of a multi-coloured parachute like the kind used in elementary school gym class which he throws over the audience and leads the singing dance party underneath. The shows have had heavy use of many other props with everything from water gun fights to balloon drops and usually a sea of confetti. Group movement plays a big role with Aucoin leading the audience through many interactive moments and large group coordination. Aucoin may play either solo with samples or with a various configuration of backing band members from all over North America and Europe. Some configurations are drums, bass, synths, guitar, horns and back up singers to having larger bands with strings and choral groups. Reoccurring members have featured: Joel Waddell on drums, Darryl Smith on guitar, Erik VanLunen on bass as the core Halifax-based band with R Sun on keyboards and Nathan Pilon on Saxophone. Satellite bandmates have included: Tony Dallas of Fake Shark, Phil Maloney of Hey Rosetta!, Jeremy Malvin of Chrome Sparks, Brad Weber of Caribou, Antoine Woodmann of Monolithe Noir, Baudouin and Guillaume Marnez of Encore, Aucoin had nearly 90 musicians join him for his album release for ''We're All Dying To Live'' at the Halifax Pop Explosion in 2011 at St. Matthew's Church. Aucoin also was backed by Choir! Choir! Choir! at The Toronto Urban Roots Festival in 2015. Aucoin has also been a promoter of th Gender Is Over! If You Want It Trans-rights campaign and worn their tank top while performing since 2017. Aucoin also developed a performance character in 2019 for his first shows doing support for TWRP and, keeping with the sci-fi style of the band, Aucoin developed The Space Cowboy and would enter stage to the
Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...
track The Joker and its line “some people call me the space cowboy”. Aucoin has announced to retire this version of the show at the end of 2025.
Aucoin has toured extensively across North America as well as Europe, South America and Australia. Beginning with much DIY touring around America with Terror Pigeon and Gobble Gobble, Grimes, Moon King, Born Gold to doing major US touring with TWRP and Planet Booty and major France touring with Salut C’est Cool and Naive New Beaters and several major Canadian support tours with Hey Rosetta!, K-os, Lights, Arkells, Hot Hot Heat and The Mounties. Aucoin has played many major festivals over the years including: Osheaga, Ottawa Bluesfest, Vielles Charrues, Eurockéennes, Calvi on The Rocks, Sakifo, Toronto Urban Roots Festival, Regina Folk Festival, Best Kept Secret, Montreal Jazz Festival, The Hangout, Trans Musicales, Berlin Music Fest, Art Basel Miami, Halifax Jazz Festival, Panoramas, Festival Eletronika, C/O Pop Koln, Pemberton, World Pride, Victoria Jazz Festival, Rifflandia, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Luminato Art Festival, Iceland Airwaves, The Great Escape, Australian Music Week, Canadian Music Week, CMJ, NXNE, Sled Island, Dawson City Music Festival, SXSW, and Pop Montreal. Aucoin also has the record as the artist who played his hometown Halifax Pop Explosion more than any other artist during its run. Aucoin has supported: Dan Deacon, Girl Talk, Deerhoof, of Montreal, Caribou, Holy Fuck, The Constantines, The Weakerthans, July Talk, Zeus, Mac DeMarco, Plants & Animals, Rubblebucket, Peelander-Z, Austra, Tegan and Sara, A Tribe Called Red, Mother Mother, Shad, Sloan, Joel Plaskett, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Izia, Melissa Auf Der Maur and opened festival stages for: M83, Andrew WK, Of Monsters and Men, The National, Mavis Staples, The Flaming Lips & The Tragically Hip.
Videos
Aucoin is also known for his ambitious music videos which include his first for Push being an early 3D Music video in 2009. His second video, for It, involved recreating several iconic film scenes from classic films from Forrest Gump, Ghostbusters, Taxi Driver, Top Gun, Princess Bride, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Die Hard to films he wrote the record to It's A Wonderful Life and Night of The Living Dead. The video went somewhat viral getting nearly a half a million views. Aucoin followed this with the same team including producers Jason Levangie & Marc Tetreault of Shut Up & Colour and director Noah Pink for "Brian Wilson Is A.L.I.V.E." which won the
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', March 24, 2013. This video involved filming a mini biopic of Beach Boys lead songwriter Brian Wilson which lead to Brian Wilson promoting the video on Twitter in September 2012. Aucoin also worked with animator Joel Mackenzie who made the 2014 Prism-nominated video for Yelling In Sleep. The next live-action video Want To Believe, also in 2012, was again with Shut Up & Colour and this time with director
Jason Eisener
Jason Eisener is a Canadians, Canadian screenwriter, producer, editor and Film director, director.
Life and career ''Grindhouse'' faux trailer contest and ''Hobo with a Shotgun'' (2007 - 2011)
In 2007, Eisener entered and won the ''Grindhouse (f ...
. The concept written by Aucoin and developed by Eisener was a story about a washed up supernatural detective being inspired by a group of kids to keep the dream alive and shows them on a number of episodic adventures, was a
Vimeo
Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...
Staff Pick and was a mix of
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
meets
The Goonies
''The Goonies'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy film co-produced and directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on a story by Steven Spielberg. In the film, kids who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astori ...
and other 80's nostalgia. Aucoin's next album, ''Release'', involved making a number of videos including the title track's video having Aucoin float off the coast of Nova Scotia in a suit while a drone slowly pans out overhead, directed by Dave Hung, the video took several attempts at filming for the one-shot take. Meaghan Tansley-Whitton's video for The Mind has a non-distinct silver-draped figure standing on a number of Nova Scotia's iconic coastlines. Shot in Hollywood, Mike Bromley's video for The Dream involves Aucoin dressing as a Hollywood costumed performer and was shot hidden camera and in a run and gun style on Hollywood Boulevard. Meags Fitzgerald's Prism-nominated video for The Middle, involved time-lapse overhead filming of her ambidextrous drawing; she also used stop animation to animate the drawings as well. Hanlon McGregor & Mihaly Szabados’ video for The Change was a theatre interpretation of a gender transition. Dustin Harvey's video for Eulogy of Regret is another theatre-based interpretation of the themes of the song and is an expanded theatre-piece itself entitled ''How Quickly Things Change'', that work involves extra verses as well that Aucoin wrote for the work. Aucoin also made a 360 VR video with Pete Macdonald and AJ King and audio spatializing by Kyle Varley for The Past which has 6 frames of Aucoin's mouth surrounding all the sides of the viewer, the spatialization has 6 stems of the song being able to be mixed by the viewer depending on the direction viewed. Aucoin also teamed up with producers Stephanie Hooker and Martin Wojtunik of Mad Ruk for The Other and was co-directed by Aucoin and Ian Angus for a dystopian sci-fi about a planet of humanoids all distinguished by masquerade masks. The video makes use of several buildings with brutalist architecture to achieve the exteriors as well as Aucoin himself making the Douglas Trumbull style miniatures filmed at the beginning of the video. Picking up where 2013's Ian Angus edited huge parachute performance compilation video for Are You Experiencing? left off, Aucoin made a few found footage edited videos for United States’ How It Breaks, Reset and Dopamine. The subjects were: protests, gun violence and a collection of Aucoin's photography documenting his bicycle tour across America in 2018, respectively. Aucoin also made a video with wrestling action figures for the track Kayfabe in 2020 when making a live video was not an option during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Aucoin returned to working with Shut Up & Colour for Walls, a video paying homage to classic and iconic music videos, it is also a sister video to their first video together of classic films for It. The video pays homage to: Prince's When Doves Cry, Beastie Boys’ Sabotage, Alanis Morissette's Ironic, Madonna's Like A Virgin, Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, Ok Go's Here It Goes Again, Talking Heads’ Once In A Lifetime, Buggles’ Video Killed The Radio Star, Psy's Gangnam Style, Beyonce's Single Ladies, Justin Bieber's Sorry, Drake's Hotline Bling, Radiohead's Just, Fatboyslim's Praise You, MC Hammer's Can't Touch This, Aha's Take On Me, Foo Fighter's Everlong, and both Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit and the Weird Al parody Smells Like Nirvana. The video was nominated for a Prism Prize and was shared by
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
on social media. For ''Synthetic'', Aucoin recruited Levangie of Shut Up & Colour as well as directors Ian Angus and Noah Pink to travel to the Mojave desert and make a film based on his performance character The Space Cowboy for the track Space Western, the music video is unconventionally being released as a set of theatrical trailers rather than standard track length content style.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''We're All Dying to Live'' (2011)
* ''Ephemeral'' (2014)
* ''Release'' (2019)
* ''United States'' (2020)
* ''Synthetic: Season 1'' (2022)
Image:Rich Aucoin.jpg, Performing in Sydney, Nova Scotia at the gala concert of the 2010
East Coast Music Awards
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 ...