Two Hours Traffic was a Canadian

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, based in Charlottetown,

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. They are named after a line in the prologue to

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

’s '' Romeo and Juliet''. Critics have drawn comparisons to 1970s power pop band

Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guiar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). The group broke up in early 1975, and reorganized with a ne ...

, but the band members tend to cite

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was incr ...

in 2008 for the album '' Little Jabs''. In 2013, the band performed on their final tour, disbanding afterward.

History

Founded by

Liam Corcoran Liam Corcoran (born July 3, 1984) is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Formerly the front-man of Two Hours Traffic, he is now an established solo artist. Career Two Hours Traffic Two Hours Traffic w ...

(lead vocals and guitar), and Alec O'Hanley (guitar, keyboards and vocals), the group added bassist Andrew MacDonald and drummer Derek Ellis to its roster in 2002 after meeting while attending the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' ...

. While all were age 19, the quartet recorded a demo titled ''

The April Storm Two Hours Traffic was a Canadian indie rock band, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They are named after a line in the prologue to Shakespeare’s '' Romeo and Juliet''. Critics have drawn comparisons to 1970s power pop band Big Star ...

''. After handing a copy of the EP to Canadian musician

Joel Plaskett William Joel MacDonald Plaskett (born April 18, 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genre ...

at one of his Charlottetown performances, a collaborative relationship formed. In 2005 the band released their full-length, self-titled ''

Two Hours Traffic Two Hours Traffic was a Canadian indie rock band, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They are named after a line in the prologue to Shakespeare’s ''Romeo and Juliet''. Critics have drawn comparisons to 1970s power pop band Big Star ( ...

.'' The group has performed and toured with various East Coast artists such as Plaskett himself,

In-Flight Safety In-Flight Safety is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003. In-Flight Safety was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award for Video of the Year for "Coast Is Clear". They are currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The group consists of vocalist ...

, and

Wintersleep Wintersleep is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2001.Heidi Ulrichsen"Wintersleep offers 'sneak peeks' of new album at Boreal" ''Sudbury Star'', June 30, 2014. The band's original lineup consisted of vocalist and gui ...

. The self-titled album was recognized with the group's first nomination at the 2006

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 mu ...

, for Rock Recording of the Year. Their videos "Better Sorry than Safe", "Stuck for the Summer" and "Jezebel" have been in rotation on MuchMusic. The group released a six-song EP entitled '' Isolator'' on September 26, 2006. ''Isolator'' was also produced by Joel Plaskett. It was nominated for Alternative Recording of the Year at the 2007 East Coast Music Awards. Their second full-length album, '' Little Jabs'', produced by Joel Plaskett, was released on

Bumstead Records Bumstead Records was a small record label in Edmonton, Alberta, founded by Larry Wanagas in 1979 and run primarily out of the Edmonton recording studio Homestead Recorders. Wanagas launched k.d. lang's career and continued for 15 years as her lab ...

in July 2007. Documentary film director

Ron Mann Ronald Mann (born June 13, 1958), credited professionally as Ron Mann, is a Canadian documentary film director. His work includes the films '' Imagine the Sound'' (1981); '' Comic Book Confidential'' (1988); ''Grass'' (1999) and ''Go Further' ...

directed the video for "Jezebel", Mann's first foray into music videos. ''Little Jabs'' has led to the band's most chart success to date, reaching the top ten of ''Chart'' magazine's Canadian College Radio Top 50 Chart. The band won Group of the Year and Alternative Rock Recording of the Year at the 2007 Music P.E.I. Awards. The group's songs have been featured in ''

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...

'', ''The O.C''., ''

The Secret Life of the American Teenager ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' (often shortened to ''Secret Life'') is an American teen drama television series created by Brenda Hampton. It aired on ABC Family from July 1, 2008 to June 3, 2013. The series received mixed to som ...

'', ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

'' and '' Castle''. Most recently their songs were featured on ''

18 to Life ''18 to Life'' is a Canadian sitcom television series that debuted on January 4, 2010, on CBC. The series is shown in Quebec on Vrak.TV with the title ''Majeurs et mariés''. Synopsis The show stars Stacey Farber and Michael Seater as Jessie H ...

''. In 2008, ''Little Jabs'' was shortlisted for the

Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was incr ...

. The band's 2009 album, ''

Territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

'' was produced by Plaskett as well, and mixed by Howard Redekopp. Two Hours Traffic were also winners of the 8th annual Independent Music Awards Vox Pop vote for best Poster (artwork by Rebecca Ford). In September 2011, it was announced that guitarist Alec O'Hanley would be leaving the band. The announcement also indicated that the band would carry on and are working on a new record for release in 2012. On January 26, 2012, the band announced that Nathan Gill would join as the new bassist, with MacDonald taking over on guitar. The band's fourth full-length album, ''Foolish Blood, ''was released on February 19, 2013 to positive reviews. Blurt Magazine praised the album saying, "Like a reincarnated Big Star, complete with sweet melodies that last for days and hooks sharp enough to piece flesh, the band's latest Foolish Blood (their seventh if you loop in EPs), is one of their strongest efforts to date". Exclaim! gave the album 8/10 and declared "Foolish Blood's low-end textures and diverse layers guarantee that the Maritime icons will remain relevant for years to come." NOW Magazine gave the album 4 stars and noted the band's "stunning pop chops".

Breakup

On October 28, 2013, the band announced a farewell tour to take place in the coming December, covering several Canadian cities. Corcoran clarified that a major reason for the split, despite the band's success, is that it is difficult to sustain an income in this business.Patch, Nick (November 2013).
P.E.I.'s Two Hours Traffic explain split
,

The Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...

. Reprinted in '' Truro Daily News'', November 19, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.

Other projects

Liam Corcoran is active as a solo artist. Alec O'Hanley is part of

Alvvays Alvvays (pronounced "always") is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and currently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin (vocals and guitar), Kerri MacLellan (keyboa ...

. Andy MacDonald and Derek Ellis are part of Charlottetown band Golden Cinema.

Nominations and awards

"Polaris Music Prize" 2008 - Short List Finalist ("Little Jabs") 2008 - Long List ("Little Jabs") "'East Coast Music Awards (ECMA)'" 2014 - Album of the Year ("Foolish Blood") - Nominated 2014 - Pop Recording of the Year ("Foolish Blood") - Nominated 2011 - Fan's Choice Video Of The Year - Nominated 2010 - Group Recording Of The Year ("Territory") - Nominated 2010 - Pop Recording Of The Year ("Territory") - Nominated 2008 - FACTOR Recording Of The Year ("Little Jabs") - Nominated 2008 - Pop Recording Of The Year ("Little Jabs") - Won 2008 - Video Of The Year ("Jezebel") - Nominated 2007 - Alternative Recording Of The Year ("Isolator") - Nominated "'Music Prince Edward Island (MPEI)'" 2014 - Pop Recording of the Year ("Foolish Blood") - Nominated 2014 - Group Recording of the Year ("Foolish Blood") - Nominated 2013 - Entertainer Of The Year - Nominated 2013 - SpinCount Touring Artist Of The Year - Nominated 2013 - Video Of The Year ("Amour Than Amis") - Nominated 2011 - Video Of The Year ("Noisemaker") - Nominated 2010 - Songwriter Of The Year ("Noisemaker") - Nominated 2010 - Group Of The Year - Nominated 2010 - Album Of The Year ("Territory") - Nominated 2010 - Pop Recording Of The Year ("Territory") - Nominated 2007 - Group Of The Year - Won 2007 - Alternative Rock Recording Of The Year - Won

Discography

* 2003: ''

'' (EP) * 2005: ''

'' * 2006: '' Isolator'' (EP) * 2007: '' Little Jabs'' * 2009: ''

'' * 2012: '' Siren Spell'' (EP) * 2013: '' Foolish Blood''

Founding Members

Image:Liam Corcoran at NXNE 2007.JPG, Liam Corcoran
lead vocals Image:Andrew MacDonald at NXNE 2007.JPG, Andrew MacDonald
bass guitar Image:Derek Ellis at NXNE 2007.JPG, Derek Ellis
drums Image:Alec O'Hanley at NXNE 2007.JPG, Alec O'Hanley
guitar

References

External links

Two Hours Traffic
official site
Two Hours Traffic
at

MapleMusic Recordings Cadence Recordings, formerly MapleMusic, is a Canadian independent record label founded by Andy Maize, Jeff Maize, Mike Alkier, Evan Hu, Lorique Mindel and Grant Dexter in 1999 and based in Toronto, Ontario. Other investors include Gary Slaight ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Two Hours Traffic Musical groups established in 2000 Musical groups from Charlottetown Canadian indie rock groups Canadian power pop groups Musical groups disestablished in 2013 2000 establishments in Prince Edward Island 2013 disestablishments in Canada