Constantines is an indie rock band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

History

Constantines was formed in 1999 by vocalist and guitarist

Bryan Webb Bryan Webb (born 1977), sometimes credited as Bry Webb, is a Canadian singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the indie rock band Constantines. History Webb began his musical career playing in the emo band Shoulder in 1994, re ...

, drummer Doug MacGregor and guitarist Paul Bright, all of whom had played together in the emo band Shoulder from 1994 to 1997; with the addition of bassist Dallas Wehrle. Bright was asked to leave early on and was replaced by

Steve Lambke Steve Lambke is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He is a vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band Constantines, and formerly released solo material under the name Baby Eagle. Biography Lambke grew up in Cambridge, Ontario where he played wit ...

. Their style has been described as "art-punk", and they have been compared to bands like The Clash,

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

, The Replacements, and

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...

. The name of the band is taken from an episode of ''Coast to Coast with

Art Bell Arthur William Bell III (June 17, 1945 – April 13, 2018) was an American broadcaster and author. He was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program ''Coast to Coast AM'', which is syndicated on hundreds of ...

'', in which Bell was playing recordings of ghost voices in static, and one of the ghosts' names was Constantine. From their hometown of Guelph the band relocated to London, Ontario and then to Toronto, where in 2001 they released their self-titled first album. ''

Constantines Constantines is an indie rock band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. History Constantines was formed in 1999 by vocalist and guitarist Bryan Webb, drummer Doug MacGregor and guitarist Paul Bright, all of whom had played together in the emo band Shou ...

'' enjoyed widespread play on

campus radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produce ...

and was 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 Best Alternative Album. The first track, "Arizona", is based on the suicide of

Danny Rapp Daniel Earl Rapp (May 9, 1941 – April 3, 1983) was an American singer and the frontman for the group Danny & the Juniors. The group is best known for their 1958 hit "At the Hop". Career Rapp's musical career began in 1955 with the formation ...

, the lead singer of Danny and the Juniors of " At the Hop" fame. The song begins with the lyric "This is a song about the death of Danny Rapp. And that great gospel jest called rock 'n' roll." That year they performed at the El Mocambo in Toronto with Oneida and Grand Total. In 2002 they added keyboard player

Evan Gordon Islands is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The group was founded in 2005 by Nicholas Thorburn and Jamie Thompson, shortly after the breakup of The Unicorns, of which both were members. Their current lineup includes Thorburn, o ...

to the lineup and released the EP ''

The Modern Sinner Nervous Man ''The Modern Sinner Nervous Man'' is an EP album by the Constantines. It was released April 16, 2002 on the Suicide Squeeze Suicide Squeeze Records is a Seattle, Washington-based independent record label that releases rock, pop, and metal ...

''. Gordon left the band soon after to pursue his own song writing. He was replaced by Will Kidman, and the band released '' Shine a Light'' in 2003. This album was the band's first to be released outside of Canada on the

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 ...

record label. It topped the !earshot National Top 50 chart in September that year. ''Shine a Light'' also earned the band their second Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year. In 2004, the label Sub Pop reissued the band's self-titled album. The next year, they embarked on a cross-Canada tour with The Weakerthans called ''The Rolling Tundra Revue''. Later in the year their album '' Tournament of Hearts'' was released September 27 by Toronto record label

Three Gut Records Three Gut Records was a Guelph, Ontario, Canada based independent record label. It was founded in 1999 by Lisa Moran and Tyler Clark Burke as a vehicle for releasing albums by their friends; it became an influential player in Canadian music with ...

in Canada, and on October 11 by Sub Pop in the United States. The members of Constantines have occasionally played shows under the name Horsey Craze, covering Neil Young songs. In early 2006, they released a vinyl only split-album with The Unintended. Constantines recorded four Neil Young covers for the LP, while The Unintended performed four Gordon Lightfoot songs. In 2007, following the demise of their Canadian former record label Three Gut Records, Constantines signed with Arts & Crafts. On January 15, 2008, they released a limited edition 7" on white vinyl, entitled ''Hard Feelings''. Their fourth full-length album, ''

Kensington Heights ''Kensington Heights'' is the fourth full-length album by the Constantines. It was released on the Arts & Crafts record label on April 15, 2008, in Canada, and on April 29, 2008, in the US. The track "Hard Feelings" was released as the album's ...

'', was released on April 15 in Canada and April 29 in the US. Guitarist Steve Lambke has released four albums and a split 12" under the name

Baby Eagle The Jericho 941 is a double-action/single-action semi-automatic pistol developed by Israel Military Industries (now Israel Weapon Industries) introduced in 1990. It was first imported into the United States in 1990 by K.B.I., Inc. of Harrisburg ...

, and keyboard player Will Kidman has recorded under the name

Woolly Leaves Constantines is an indie rock band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. History Constantines was formed in 1999 by vocalist and guitarist Bryan Webb, drummer Doug MacGregor and guitarist Paul Bright, all of whom had played together in the emo band Shou ...

. In December 2009, the band celebrated their tenth anniversary with a tour of southwestern Ontario. Shortly thereafter, keyboardist Will Kidman left the band. This, coupled with Webb's move from his home in Montreal back to Guelph, fueled rumours of the band's demise. Although Webb hinted that the band might return. The Constantines at Hillside Festival 2015

The Constantines at Hillside Festival 2015

Constantines went on an unofficial hiatus for several years. In 2014 Constantines reformed for a reunion tour, performing at festivals around Canada, including SappyFest and at Kazoo!Fest in Guelph."Constantines Mitchell Hall, Guelph ON, April 8"
''Exclaim!'', By Tom Beedham, Apr 09, 2017 In May 2015 the band performed at Massey Hall in Toronto with Chad VanGaalen Constantines were on the line-up for Wayhome summer 2017 music festival in Oro-Medonte, Ontario. and once more performed at Kazoo!Fest. In 2020, Constantines digitally self-released charity single "Call Me Out" written in 2017 and recorded in 2018. The song was not published on streaming platforms and instead was only made available as a purchasable Bandcamp download with 100% of its proceeds being donated to Black Lives Matter Toronto and the

Unistʼotʼen Camp The Unistʼotʼen Camp is a protest camp and indigenous healing centre in northern British Columbia, Canada. It is located within the traditional territory of the Unist'otʼen clan of the Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nation peoples. Established after t ...

Legal Fund.

Members

Current members

*Will Kidman – keyboards, guitar, percussion, backing vocals *

– guitar,

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 ...

, vocals *Doug MacGregor –

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 ...

– vocals, guitar *Dallas Wehrle – bass guitar, backing vocals

Former members

– keyboards

Discography

Albums

*''

'' (

) – June 5, 2001 ( Sub Pop Records - August 10, 2004) *'' Shine a Light'' (Three Gut Records/Sub Pop Records) – August 19, 2003 *'' Tournament of Hearts'' (Three Gut Records) – September 27, 2005 / (Sub Pop Records) - October 11, 2005 *''

'' ( Arts & Crafts) – April 15, 2008

EPs

*''

'' (EP, Suicide Squeeze Records) – April 16, 2002 *''

Nighttime Anytime ''Nighttime Anytime'' is an EP by the Constantines released on July 8, 2003, on Sub Pop. The first two tracks are songs that were later released on the album '' Shine a Light''. The third track is a Talking Heads cover, and the final track is ...

'' (EP,

) – July 8, 2003

Singles

*''Young Lions'' (single, Sub Pop) – August 10, 2004"A Completely Biased Ranking of the 60 Best Canadian Indie Rock Songs of the 00s Part II"
''Vice'', Cam Lindsay Apr 10 2017 *''Hard Feelings'' (7" single, Arts & Crafts) – January 15, 2008 *''Islands in the Stream'' (7" single with Feist, Arts & Crafts) – 2008 *''Our Age'' (7" single, Arts & Crafts, B-side is cover of "

Fuckin' Up ''Fuckin' Up'' (also censored as ''Fu##in' Up'') is a live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse (band), Crazy Horse under the name Neil & the Horse, released on April 26, 2024, through the Other Shoe Productions ...

" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse) – November 25, 2008 *''Too Slow for Love'' (Electronic-only companion for Kensington Heights) – March 17, 2009 *''Thank You For Sending me An Angel'' (7" included in vinyl reissue of ''Shine A Light'' ) 2014 *''Call Me Out'' (digital, self-released) - June 9, 2020

Splits

* ''

Constantines Play Young/Unintended Play Lightfoot ''Constantines Play Young/Unintended Play Lightfoot'' is a 2006 split album released only on vinyl by independent record label Blue Fog Recordings. The LP features Canadian indie rock band the Constantines covering four songs by Neil Young on s ...

'' LP (Blue Fog Records) – 2006

Compilation appearances

* ''The 20 Year Design Theory'' (AntiAntenna Recordings) – "The Young and the Desperate" – June 1, 2001 * ''Patient Zero'' – "Young Lions" (Sub Pop) – June 1, 2004 * ''

CBC Radio 3 Sessions, Vol. 1 ''CBC Radio 3 Sessions, Vol. 1'' is a compilation album released in 2004, compiling tracks from live sessions performed on CBC Radio 3. Track listing # Sloan - "Losing California" (3:02) # The New Pornographers - "The Fake Headlines" (2:52) ...

'' – "Blind Luck (live)" – June 15, 2004 * ''Wide Awake, Crescent Shaped: Volume 10'' – "St. You (live)" – June 15, 2004 * ''Songbook Of Songs'' (Sub Pop) – "Working Full-Time" – May 24, 2005

TV appearances

*''

Beautiful Noise ''Beautiful Noise'' is the tenth album by Neil Diamond and his third with Columbia Records, released in 1976. "Dry Your Eyes" was performed with The Band at their farewell show and is featured in Martin Scorsese's ''The Last Waltz''. Overvi ...

References

External links

Constantines
official website *
Constantines
on former label

Constantines
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantines, The Suicide Squeeze Records artists Musical groups established in 1999 Canadian indie rock groups Musical groups from Guelph Sub Pop artists Arts & Crafts Productions artists 1999 establishments in Ontario