Richard Reed Parry (born October 4, 1977) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, best known as a core member of the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
-winning
indie rock
Indie rock is a 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 music they produc ...
band
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 ...
, where he plays a wide variety of instruments, often switching between guitar, double bass, drums,
celesta, keyboards, and
accordion.
Life and career
Parry comes from a musical family. His late father was
David Parry of the
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 ...
band
Friends of Fiddler's Green. His mother,
Caroline Balderston Parry, was a poet and musician, and his sister,
Evalyn Parry, is a theatre artist, songwriter, and
spoken word
Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
performer.
Parry attended
Canterbury High School in Ottawa,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada and was one of a dozen members of the Literary Arts program (first generation). His classmates include ''
Stargate: Atlantis'' writer
Martin Gero
Martin Gero (born July 6, 1977 in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Canadian screenwriter and co- executive producer for ''Stargate Atlantis'' and the creator of '' Blindspot''.
Born in Switzerland, Gero spent much of his childhood in Ottawa, Ontar ...
and ''
The Holmes Show'' comedian Kurt Smeaton.
In the mid 1990s, he worked summers at a
vegetarian camp in near
Chelsea, Quebec
Chelsea is a municipality located immediately north of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, and about north of Ottawa. Chelsea is located within Canada's National Capital Region. It is the seat of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality ...
, called ''Camp Au Grand Bois''.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he studied
electroacoustics
Acoustical engineering (also known as acoustic engineering) is the branch of engineering dealing with sound and vibration. It includes the application of acoustics, the science of sound and vibration, in technology. Acoustical engineers are typica ...
and contemporary dance at
Concordia University in Montreal.
The
Bell Orchestre was formed in 2005, along with Sarah Neufeld, Tim Kingsbury as well as Stefan Schneider and French horn player Pietro Amato. Parry primarily plays double bass and is the de facto producer. Bell Orchestre released ''
As Seen Through Windows'' with
Arts & Crafts Records on March 10, 2009. It was recorded with
John Mcentire in Soma Electric Studios in Chicago, Illinois. The album since won a 2011
Juno Award for best instrumental album.
A long-time core member of
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 ...
, he co-produced and collaborated on the debut
EP, ''
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 ...
'', before the first lineup of the band fell apart. Helping to reform and recreate the band, Parry brought in Bell Orchestre bandmate
Sarah Neufeld, and New International Standards bandmates,
Tim Kingsbury
Tim Kingsbury (born 1977) is a Canadian musician and member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire. He plays bass guitar, guitar, and occasionally keyboards.
Early life
Kingsbury spent his early years living in and around Guelph, Ontario. He comes ...
and
Jeremy Gara
Jeremy Gara (born June 6, 1978) is a Canadian drummer from Ottawa, Ontario. He is most well known as the drummer of the band Arcade Fire. Gara is an active performer in a number of other projects, including work as a solo performer.
Career
Ga ...
.
He has also made musical contributions to albums by
The National,
Little Scream,
Sufjan Stevens,
The Unicorns
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
and
Islands
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
. On the latter's critically acclaimed 2006 album
Return to the Sea, he played several instruments, sang background vocals and arranged strings, and appeared with the band's 2016 10-year-anniversary shows where they played the album in full.
Parry has also performed in a cover band called Phi Slamma Jamma along with
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 ...
bandmates
Will Butler,
Jeremy Gara
Jeremy Gara (born June 6, 1978) is a Canadian drummer from Ottawa, Ontario. He is most well known as the drummer of the band Arcade Fire. Gara is an active performer in a number of other projects, including work as a solo performer.
Career
Ga ...
, and
Tim Kingsbury
Tim Kingsbury (born 1977) is a Canadian musician and member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire. He plays bass guitar, guitar, and occasionally keyboards.
Early life
Kingsbury spent his early years living in and around Guelph, Ontario. He comes ...
. The group performed at the 2011
POP Montreal Festival as well as the 2012
Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Festival.
On January 20, 2007, Parry returned to Canterbury High to perform a concert with Arcade Fire in the school's cafeteria. Only 400 students and staff were permitted to attend the show. Beforehand, those chosen had the opportunity to preview new, unreleased songs from the Arcade Fire's upcoming album. After the show, there was a brief autograph period and the students met with the band members.
He was also formerly a member of the band the New International Standards, with
Tim Kingsbury
Tim Kingsbury (born 1977) is a Canadian musician and member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire. He plays bass guitar, guitar, and occasionally keyboards.
Early life
Kingsbury spent his early years living in and around Guelph, Ontario. He comes ...
and
Jeremy Gara
Jeremy Gara (born June 6, 1978) is a Canadian drummer from Ottawa, Ontario. He is most well known as the drummer of the band Arcade Fire. Gara is an active performer in a number of other projects, including work as a solo performer.
Career
Ga ...
. His first work for Orchestra, entitled ''For Heart, Breath and Orchestra.'' It was recorded by the
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumfr ...
, on their 2011 album ''From Here on Out'' alongside pieces by
Jonny Greenwood and
Nico Muhly
Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestras ...
. He has also written commissioned works for
Kronos Quartet
The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...
,
yMusic
yMusic is an American sextet Chamber music, chamber ensemble from New York City. Consisting of a trumpet, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, and cello, the group was formed in Brooklyn by trumpeter CJ Camerieri and violinist Rob Moose in 2008.
Ca ...
and
Bryce Dessner
Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, as well as a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother Aaron is also a member of the group. Together they write the music, in coll ...
, and his chamber works also have been performed by the Calder Quartet and Warhol Dervish.
Parry appeared at each night of the 2012
All Tomorrow's Parties
"All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''.
Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...
festival, mounting a "moving surround sound sci-fi composition for bicycles and boomboxes" entitled ''Drones/Revelations'', as well as performing songs with a folk trio called ''Quiet River of Dust'', and as part of a chamber music ensemble performing Parry's ''Music for Heart and Breath''. The lineup included
Owen Pallett
Michael James Owen Pallett (born September 7, 1979) is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Under their erstwhile moniker of Final Fantasy, Pallett won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album '' He Poos Clouds''. Palle ...
,
Nico Muhly
Nico Asher Muhly (; born August 26, 1981) is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. A prolific composer, he has composed for many notable symphony orchestras ...
,
Bryce Dessner
Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, as well as a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother Aaron is also a member of the group. Together they write the music, in coll ...
,
Aaron Dessner
Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...
,
Gaspar Claus,
Nadia Sirota
Nadia Sirota (born in New York) is an American viola player. Her father is Robert Sirota, a composer and conductor.
Life and career
Sirota is best known for her singular sound and expressive execution, coaxing solo works from the likes of N ...
,
Kyle Resnick, and Dave Nelson.
He occasionally performs as drummer and backup singer with
Little Scream.
Parry has also collaborated with
The National, arranging vocals and writing guitar parts for their songs on their 2010 album ''
High Violet
''High Violet'' is the fifth studio album by The National, which was released on May 10, 2010 in Europe and on May 11, 2010 in North America via 4AD. The band produced the album themselves, assisted by Peter Katis with whom they worked on their ...
'' and appeared with them singing and playing guitar and double bass in their
Vevo
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...
live event as well as on their
Late Night with David Letterman appearance in 2011. He has joined them frequently onstage as a guest during many performances, including
Lollapalooza 2010 (at which Arcade Fire also performed) and also during a brief segment of Arcade Fire's 2011 midwestern US tour in which The National acted as openers. Parry has also collaborated with
Bryce Dessner
Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, as well as a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother Aaron is also a member of the group. Together they write the music, in coll ...
of The National on classical compositions, performing together at the Edinburgh Festival in 2015.
Parry recently co-hosted a BBC 6 Music Takeover programme with the members of The National called Arcade Fire and the National Takeover
Parry and brothers Aaron & Bryce Dessner who play guitar in The National have been long-term friends since meeting on the American alt-rock circuit, regularly appearing on the same festival bills worldwide.
Their friendship was cemented when Richard from the Arcade Fire contributed to a number of songs on The National's album
High Violet
''High Violet'' is the fifth studio album by The National, which was released on May 10, 2010 in Europe and on May 11, 2010 in North America via 4AD. The band produced the album themselves, assisted by Peter Katis with whom they worked on their ...
, most notably playing double bass and guitar on 'Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks', and doing the vocal harmony arrangements on 'Conversation 16' and 'Sorrow'. During this show Parry mentioned he was producing an album by a local Montreal artist named
Little Scream.
In July 2018 Parry announced the upcoming release of two albums: ''Quiet River Of Dust Vol. 1'' and ''Quiet River Of Dust Vol. 2''.
The albums are inspired by Buddhist myths, death poems, British folk songs, and a recent trip to Japan.
Between 2019 and 2021, Richard Reed Parry produced The Sadies 2022 album Colder Streams at Montréal's Skybarn. This was the last album by The Sadies to feature founding member Dallas Good, who passed away suddenly of natural causes on February 17, 2022, at the age of 48. Shortly after, Parry announced via Instagram that he and Dallas had been working on an album on and off since 2008 with the working title The Watchtower. Unfinished at the time of Dallas Good's death, Parry plans to finish the album.
Discography
Solo works
* ''
Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell ''(2 tracks on compilation LP), (
Yep Roc, 2012)
* ''
From Here on Out
''From Here on OUT'' is an American sitcom on Here TV, starring Terry Ray, T.J. Hoban, Suzanne Whang, Juliet Mills, Austin Robert Miller, Adrian Gonzalez and Michael Lanham. The series, which premiered on February 28, 2014, is the first original ...
''
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumfr ...
, (LP,
Analekta, 2012)
* ''
Spirit of Talk Talk'', (track on compilation LP,
Fierce Panda
Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash (band), Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Superg ...
, 2012)
* ''
Have Not Been the Same'', (track on compilation LP,
Zunior, 2012)
* ''
Music For Heart and Breath ''
Kronos Quartet
The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...
,
yMusic
yMusic is an American sextet Chamber music, chamber ensemble from New York City. Consisting of a trumpet, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, and cello, the group was formed in Brooklyn by trumpeter CJ Camerieri and violinist Rob Moose in 2008.
Ca ...
,
Bryce and
Aaron Dessner
Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums; a co-founder of the indie ...
,
Nadia Sirota
Nadia Sirota (born in New York) is an American viola player. Her father is Robert Sirota, a composer and conductor.
Life and career
Sirota is best known for her singular sound and expressive execution, coaxing solo works from the likes of N ...
, (LP,
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
, 2014)
*''
Quiet River of Dust'' (LP,
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 ...
, 2018)
*''Quiet River of Dust Vol. 2: That Side of the River'' (LP,
ANTI-/Secret City Records, 2019)
*''
The Nest'' (soundtrack LP, 2020)
Arcade Fire
* ''
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 ...
'' (EP,
Merge
Merge, merging, or merger may refer to:
Concepts
* Merge (traffic), the reduction of the number of lanes on a road
* Merge (linguistics), a basic syntactic operation in generative syntax in the Minimalist Program
* Merger (politics), the comb ...
, 2003)
* ''
Funeral'' (LP, Merge, 2004)
* ''
Neon Bible
''Neon Bible'' is the second studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. It was first released on March 5, 2007, in Europe and a day later in North America by Merge Records. Originally announced on December 16, 2006, through the band's ...
'' (LP, Merge, 2007)
* ''
The Suburbs'' (LP, Merge, 2010)
* ''
Reflektor
''Reflektor'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on October 28, 2013, through Sonovox Records internationally and Merge Records in the United States. A double album, it was recorded between 2011 and 2 ...
'' (LP, Merge, 2013)
* ''
Everything Now
''Everything Now'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on July 28, 2017, through Sonovox Records (physical release), Columbia Records, and Rough Trade Records. It was produced by Arcade Fire, alongside T ...
'' (LP, Sonovox, 2017)
* ''
We'' (LP, Sonovox, 2022)
Bell Orchestre
* ''
Bell Orchestre'', (demo, 2002)
* ''
Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light
''Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light'' is the debut release of Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 ...
'', (album, 2005)
* ''
As Seen Through Windows'', (LP, released on March 10, 2009)
* ''
Who Designs Nature's How'', (EP, released on August 25, 2009)
Little Scream
* ''
The Golden Record'', (LP,
Secretly Canadian
Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Secretly Canadian is a label included in Secretly Group, which ...
, 2011)
The National
* ''
Trouble Will Find Me'', (LP, 4AD, 2013)
* ''
High Violet
''High Violet'' is the fifth studio album by The National, which was released on May 10, 2010 in Europe and on May 11, 2010 in North America via 4AD. The band produced the album themselves, assisted by Peter Katis with whom they worked on their ...
'', (LP, 4AD, 2010)
Barr Brothers
* ''
Sleeping Operator'', (LP,
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 ...
, 2014)
Islands
* ''
Return to the Sea'', (LP,
Rough Trade, 2007)
The Unicorns
* ''
Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?'', (LP,
Rough Trade, 2004)
References
*"Bell de Jour – Montreal's Bell Ochestre Catching Fire" by Sarah Liss in ''
Now Magazine''
Interview with Richard Parryat ''Torontoist.com''
Bell Orchestre articleMarch 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parry, Richard
1977 births
Living people
Arcade Fire members
Canadian record producers
Canadian indie rock musicians
Musicians from Ottawa
Grammy Award winners
Concordia University alumni
Bell Orchestre members
Parry family (Canada)