Wintersleep is 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 formed in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

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 guitarist Paul Murphy, guitarist and keyboardist Tim d'Eon, and drummer Loel Campbell. In 2002, Jud Haynes joined the band as bass guitarist until 2007. In 2005, Mike Bigelow joined on keyboards until 2006, after which he played bass, until 2016. Since 2006, Jon Samuel has served as a backing vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist, while Chris Bell has served as a backing vocalist and bass guitarist since 2016. Bigelow returned to the band in 2021. In 2005, Wintersleep opened for Pearl Jam for two shows in

St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

at the Mile One Stadium. The band received a Juno Award in 2008. Ben Rayner
"Wintersleep's hit echoes U.S. political tenor"
''

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 pa ...

'', November 29, 2016. page E1 To date, Wintersleep have released seven studio albums.

History

First three albums: 2001–07

Wintersleep formed in 2001.True, Chris " Wintersleep Biography, ''

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 databa ...

'', Macrovision Corporation Originally from the small town of

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a town in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. A port town, industries include fishing, and tourism. It is the terminus of a ferry service to Bar Harbor, Maine, run by Bay Ferries. History Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq, the regi ...

, members Paul Murphy and Tim d'Eon had known each other through their previous progressive rock band, Kary, which they formed in the mid-1990s, while still in high school, with drummer Mark d'Eon and bassist Jesse Luke. Kary released two official albums, ''The Sound of Beauty Breathing'' in 2001 and ''Light'' in 2004, before disbanding. Murphy was friends with drummer Loel Campbell, a native of Stellarton, with whom he recorded a number of songs. Tim d'Eon and bassist Jud Haynes soon joined them, and they named themselves Wintersleep. They released two albums through Dependent Music, a label and artist collective formed in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1994. In 2006, Wintersleep signed with Labwork Music, a partnership label of

Sonic Unyon Sonic Unyon Recording Company is an independent record label based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Their former retail store was located on Wilson Street near James Street North. The label has put out releases by bands including Tristan Psioni ...

and

EMI Music Canada EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

, and re-released their first two studio albums. The re-releases included bonus tracks and videos not featured in the originals. On October 2, 2007, Wintersleep released their third full-length album, '' Welcome to the Night Sky''. A limited edition of the record, on vinyl, with alternative artwork, was published by Hand Drawn Dracula. They won the 2008 Juno Award for New Group of the Year.

New albums, increased exposure: 2009–14

Wintersleep was selected as one of the opening acts by

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 his concert at Halifax Common on July 11, 2009. That year, the band toured in support of ''Welcome to the Night Sky'' and also began writing their next record, '' New Inheritors'', which came out on May 17 in Europe and May 18 in North America. Their fifth album, '' Hello Hum'', was published in 2012. Nf 100

The group's song "Weighty Ghost" was used in the 2008 film '' One Week'', in both the trailer and one of the final scenes. In 2010, the song was included in ''The Top 100 Canadian Singles'' by ''

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 ...

''s

Bob Mersereau Bob Ellis Mersereau is a Canadian arts journalist.Rockingham, Graham �"Randy Bachman: lord of the song"''The Spec'' He is a music columnist and longtime arts reporter for CBC Television in New Brunswick.Late Show with David Letterman'' on January 14, 2011. In 2011, the song appeared on the TV series '' Being Human'' and was also used in the background of a

Molson Canadian Molson Canadian is a brand of 5% abv lager beer (4% in Ireland) brewed by Molson Brewing, the Canadian division of Molson Coors Brewing Company. The beer was introduced in 1959. Awards Molson Canadian has won several beer industry awards, inclu ...

commercial, advertising the "Red Leaf Project". In 2013, "Weighty Ghost" became the theme music of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

television crime drama ''

Cracked Cracked may refer to: Television * ''Cracked'' (British TV series), a 2008 British comedy-drama television series that aired on STV * ''Cracked'' (Canadian TV series), a 2013 Canadian crime drama series that aired on CBC * "Cracked", a Season 8 ( ...

''. Wintersleep toured extensively during 2013, including as the opening act for Scottish indie band

Frightened Rabbit Frightened Rabbit were a Scottish indie rock band from Selkirk, formed in 2003. Initially a solo project for vocalist and guitarist Scott Hutchison, the final lineup of the band consisted of Hutchison, his brother Grant (drums), Billy Kennedy ...

, who invited them on their UK tour and later their North American tour. Wintersleep also opened for Frightened Rabbit on the latter's North American dates in early 2018. In 2014, the band recorded eleven tracks at The Sonic Temple studio in Halifax. That year, they also performed on a moving streetcar at the

North by Northeast North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual music and arts festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival's main focus is live music, but it also includes an eSports gaming tournament, comedy, a conversations series, a flea mark ...

festival in Toronto.

New label and further releases: 2015–present

In December 2015, Wintersleep signed with

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 Car ...

. In January 2016, they premiered the song "Amerika" through ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

s blog. On March 4 of that year, the band released their sixth studio album, ''The Great Detachment'', through Dine Alone. Rush bassist and vocalist,

Geddy Lee Geddy Lee (born Gary Lee Weinrib; July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968, at the re ...

, played on the track "Territory". On Valentine's Day 2018, Wintersleep announced that their first three albums would be reissued on vinyl, with a bonus 7" single including previously unreleased tracks. In December 2018, the band announced their next album, '' In the Land Of''. It was released on March 29, 2019, by Dine Alone. The album release was supported by a national tour, from March 20 to May 3, 2019, with some but not all dates featuring Partner as the opening act. Wintersleep was joined by Montreal band Caveboy as the opening act at four Ontario tour dates. ''In the Land Of'' went on to be long-listed 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 ...

. In September 2019, Wintersleep embarked on a tour of Europe, following the worldwide digital release of "Free Fall" and "Fading Out", on September 9, 2019. The two singles were originally released on

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

and became the top-selling release of the national event.

Other projects

The band's members frequently collaborate outside of Wintersleep. Murphy and d'Eon played together in the band Kary. Drummer Campbell also performed with Kary and is a member of several other projects, including Contrived,

Holy Fuck Holy Fuck is a Canadian electronica band from Toronto. They were a part of Dependent Music, a music label and artist collective that began in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 2004 until its closing. They were then a part of the Young Turks label and in ...

, Hayden, Chikita Violenta,

Land of Talk Land of Talk is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2006 from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band is led by singer and guitarist Elizabeth Powell. History Before becoming the front-person for Land of Talk, Elizabeth Powell began her career as a ...

, The Holy Shroud, and The Remains of Brian Borcherdt. Murphy collaborated with various other musicians, including his brother, on his solo project Postdata. ''Let's Be Wilderness'', the 2018 album by Postdata, features Campbell and d'Eon. Bigelow plays bass in Contrived with Campbell and also performs with Holy Fuck and The Holy Shroud. d'Eon played guitar for Contrived before Samuel joined the group, appearing on Contrived's first record, ''Pursuit of Plots'', and the second album, ''Dead Air Verbatim''. Samuel was a member of Halifax band Slight Return.

Band members

Current * Loel Campbell – drums, guitar (2001–present) * Paul Murphy – vocals, guitar (2001–present) * Tim d'Eon – guitar, keyboards (2001–present) * Jon Samuel – keyboards, backing vocals, guitar (2006–present) * Mike Bigelow – bass guitar (2007–2016, 2021–present), keyboards (2005–2006) Past * Jud Haynes – bass guitar (2002–2007) * Chris Bell – bass guitar, backing vocals (2016–2020)

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Videography

Awards

* 2008: Juno Award for New Group of the Year * 2008:

Much Music Video Award The iHeartRadio MMVAs were an annual awards show broadcast on Much to honour the year's best music videos that was last held in 2018. Originally debuting in 1990 as the Canadian Music Video Awards, the awards were renamed in 1995 to the MuchMu ...

– VideoFACT Award for "Weighty Ghost"

References

External links

*
Labwork Music
record label
2012 Off-stage video recording session
with ''They Shoot Music Don't They'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Wintersleep Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canadian indie rock groups Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year winners Sonic Unyon artists