The Stills were a

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 ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from

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 ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, formed in 2000 and disbanded in 2011.

History

The band's original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Tim Fletcher, guitarist Gregory Paquet, bassist Olivier Corbeil and drummer

Dave Hamelin Dave Hamelin (born October 3, 1980) is a Canadian musician, songwriter and producer known for his work with indie rock band the Stills. Originally the band's drummer, he moved to guitar and co-lead vocalist in 2005 when guitarist Greg Paquet lef ...

. The band members had known each other since the age of 12 and played in various bands prior to forming the Stills, including

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

, Amentum, and The Undercovers. Their EP, ''

Rememberese ''Rememberese'' is the debut EP by Canadian indie rock band the Stills, released on June 17, 2003 by Vice Records (and in the UK by 679 Recordings). Produced by Gus Van Go, it contained "Still in Love Song" and that song's extended remix, as we ...

,'' was released on June 17, 2003, by

Vice Records A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tr ...

(and in the UK by

679 Recordings 679 Artists (formally known as Sixsevenine and 679 Recordings) was a Warner Music Group-owned record label based in London, England. It was started by Nick Worthington who after leaving XL Recordings in 2001, started the company with Warner M ...

), followed by their debut album; both were produced by

Gus Van Go Gus van Go is a music producer, mixer, and musician. He is best known for his work with the Montreal band The Stills, with credits for production, mixing, writing and arranging three albums and one EP with the band. He has also produced and mixed ...

. ''

Logic Will Break Your Heart ''Logic Will Break Your Heart'' is the debut album by the Montreal-based indie rock band the Stills. The album was released in North America on October 21, 2003, and in the UK on February 23, 2004. It included the singles "Lola Stars and Stripes ...

'' was released in North America on October 21, 2003, and in the UK on February 23, 2004, and included the singles "Lola Stars and Stripes", "Changes Are No Good" and "Still in Love Song". Keyboardist Liam O'Neil played on several of the album's tracks. The album elicited critical acclaim and comparisons to

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

and Echo & the Bunnymen, with

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

citing its "brooding post-punk soundscapes and art rock swagger". Paquet left the band in 2005 to finish his university degree, and Hamelin moved to guitar, sharing lead vocal duties with Fletcher. Julien Blais joined as drummer, and O'Neil became a full-time member of the band on keyboards. The Stills' second album, ''

Without Feathers ''Without Feathers'' (1975, ) is one of Woody Allen's best-known books, spending four months on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller List. It is a collection of essays and two one-act plays, ''Death'' and ''God''. Title meaning The title ''Without ...

'', was released May 9, 2006, on Vice Records (and in the UK by

Drowned in Sound Recordings ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

). Again produced by Van Go, it marked a distinct shift in sound, from the 1980s-influenced

post-punk revival Post-punk revival (also known as garage rock revival,J. Stuessy and S. D. Lipscomb, ''Rock and roll: its History and Stylistic Development'' (London: Pearson Prentice Hall, 5th edn., 2006), , p. 451. new wave revival,. and new rock revolution) is ...

ism of the debut to a happier, more

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

-oriented sound, which

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

termed "cheerful and heartfelt". It featured guest appearances from Sam Roberts,

Emily Haines Emily Savitri Haines (born 25 January 1974) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the lead singer, keyboardist and songwriter of the rock band Metric and a member of the musical collective Broken Social Scene. As a solo artist, she has pe ...

(

Metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathem ...

) and

Jason Collett Jason Collett is a Toronto-based Canadian singer-songwriter. He has released six solo studio albums, and is a former member of Broken Social Scene. His latest album, ''Song & Dance Man'', was released in February, 2016. Early life Collett was bo ...

(

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 ...

). They supported

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and gar ...

on that band's UK spring tour in 2007. They signed with Arts & Crafts for the release of their third album, ''

Oceans Will Rise ''Oceans Will Rise'' is the third and final album by Montreal indie rock band the Stills, released August 19, 2008. In late 2007, Toronto-based record label Arts & Crafts signed the band to a worldwide recording deal. Once again working with p ...

,'' which was released August 19, 2008. Critics noted that the album "reconciled the mannered 1980s sound that first got them noticed with the open-hearted earthiness of their sophomore effort". On July 20, 2008, the Stills played in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, opening for

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

, for the city's 400th anniversary. On February 7, 2009, they played at

Nathan Phillips Square Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or ''New City Hall'', at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named for Nathan Phillips, mayor of Toro ...

as part of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

's WinterCity Festival, and again supported Kings of Leon on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in March 2009. On March 28, 2009, the Stills were awarded two

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 ...

s (Canada's music awards) for their album ''Oceans Will Rise'', in the categories of Best New Group and Best Alternative Album. On April 29, 2010, the band announced that Paquet was rejoining the band and Hamelin was moving back to drums. On April 15, 2011, the Stills announced on their site that they had officially disbanded.

Other projects

In 2009, Hamelin, O'Neil and Broken Social Scene drummer

Justin Peroff Justin Peter Papadimitriou (born October 13, 1977), family name changed to Peroff, is best known as the drummer for the Toronto-based indie rock collective Broken Social Scene. He is a credited actor, appearing in the major motion picture ''How to ...

formed the band Eight and a Half, releasing their self-titled debut in 2012. O'Neil played various instruments on

's 2010 album ''

Come Around Sundown ''Come Around Sundown'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon, released in Ireland, Australia and Germany on October 15, 2010, followed by releases in the United Kingdom on October 18 and North America on October 19. The o ...

'', and is involved with hip-hop act Da Gryptions. Fletcher sang background vocals on

the Sam Roberts Band Sam Roberts (born October 2, 1974) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has released seven albums. His debut EP ''The Inhuman Condition'', reached the Canadian charts in 2002. He and his bandmates have released three albums as Sam Roberts an ...

's 2014 album '' Lo-Fantasy'' and played guitar for Canadian rapper

k-os Kevin Brereton (born February 20, 1972), better known by his stage name k-os (; "chaos"), is a Canadian alternative rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. His given name may also be cited as Kheaven, a spelling he later adopted. The alias "k ...

. In 2014, he formed the band Beat Cops with

Mikey Heppner A priestess is a Ordination of women, female priest, a woman having the authority or power to administer religious rites. Priestess may also refer to: * Priestess (album), ''Priestess'' (album), an album by Gil Evans * Priestess (band), a Canadian ...

of Priestess, releasing the album ''Mean Streets'' in 2015. That same year, Fletcher released the album ''Punks on the Moon'' with his project Voizes. Fletcher then formed Megative with ex-Stills producer Gus Van Go, songwriting duo Like Minds (Jesse Singer and Chris Soper) and dancehall performer Screechy Dan. In 2017, the ensemble debuted with the single "More Time". On July 27, 2018, Megative released their self-titled debut album on Last Gang Records.

Members

* Tim Fletcher –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

(2000–2011) * Greg Paquet – guitar (2000–2005, 2010–2011) * Olivier Corbeil (a.k.a. Oliver Crowe) – bass, backing vocals (2000–2011) *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, lead vocals, guitar (2000–2011) * Liam O'Neil –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

(2005–2011) * Julien Blais – drums (2005–2010)

Discography

Albums

EPs

* ''The Stills'' promo sampler (2003, self-released) * ''

'' (2003, Vice Records/

) *''The Stills: Live EP'' (2004, Atlantic Records) *''Live Studio Session'' (2006, Atlantic Records)

Singles

* "Lola Stars and Stripes" (2004, Vice Records/679 Recordings) * "Changes Are No Good" (2004, Vice Records/679 Recordings) * "Still in Love Song" (2004, Vice Records/679 Recordings) * "In the Beginning" promo (2006, Vice Records) * "Destroyer" promo (2006, Drowned in Sound Recordings) * "Helicopters" (2007, Drowned in Sound Recordings) * "Being Here" (2008, Arts & Crafts) * "Don't Talk Down" (2008, Arts & Crafts) * "I'm With You" (2009, Arts & Crafts)

Compilation appearances

* "Retour à Vega" on '' Wicker Park (Soundtrack Album)'' (2004,

Lakeshore Records Lakeshore Entertainment Group, LLC is an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum (1933–2002). Lakeshore Entertainment is headquart ...

) * "In the Beginning" on '' Music from the Motion Picture "P.S. I Love You"'' (2007,

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

) * "Soft Revolution" on '' Do You Trust your Friends? (Remix album released by Stars)'' (2007, Arts & Crafts International)

Music videos

* "Still in Love Song" (2003) - directed by Josh & Xander * "Lola Stars and Stripes" (2003) - directed by Oliver "Twist" Gondry * "Changes are No Good" (2004) - directed by Dominic DeJoseph * "Love and Death" (2004) - directed by

Chris Grismer Chris Grismer is a Canadian director and producer of film, television and music videos, now residing in Los Angeles. His credits include ''Designated Survivor'', ''Killjoys'', ''The Vampire Diaries'', '' The Originals'', ''The Nine Lives of Chloe ...

* "In the Beginning" (2006) - directed by Associates in Science * "Destroyer" (2006) - directed by Eddy Morretti * "Helicopters" (2007) - directed by George Vale * "Being Here" (2008) - directed by Teqtonik * "Don't Talk Down" (2008) - directed by Christopher Mills * "I'm With You" (2009) - directed by

Carlos and Jason Sanchez Carlos and Jason Sanchez (Carlos born 1976 and Jason born 1981 in Montreal, Quebec) are Canadian fine art photographers known for their large-scale dramatic images. Thematically, their work centers on the psychological reflections of their subject ...

References

External links

* The Stills biographyat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Interview with Tim Fletcher at groundcontrolmag.com
11/8/2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stills, The Musical groups established in 2000 Musical groups disestablished in 2011 Musical groups from Montreal Canadian indie rock groups Arts & Crafts Productions artists English-language musical groups from Quebec 2000 establishments in Quebec 2011 disestablishments in Quebec Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year winners Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year winners 679 Artists artists