Priya Thomas
Encyclopedia
Priya Thomas is a Canadian
artist and musician born in Hamilton
, Ontario
and raised on the South Shore of Montreal
, Quebec
.
Thomas is a classically trained musician whose first instrument was the violin. Thomas is also a classically trained dancer who performed publicly for many years prior to releasing her first record in 1996. Thomas' was born into a diverse family; her father was a Syrian Orthodox minister, and her mother was a physicist. Thomas started writing her own music at the age of 11 by piecing together her own journal entries. She attended the Sacred Heart Convent School in Montreal and earned her B.A in Religious Studies at McGill University, and an M.A in Fine Arts at York University. Thomas has released five cd's in Canada since 1996. She has toured with twice with John Cale
, the British band James, and shared the stage with Radiohead
, The Fall, Sam Philips
, Rufus Wainwright
, the Dears
, Wooden Sky and Rock Plaza Central. A record with co-written with Saul Davies of James remains unreleased; and she has worked with several other musical contributors including Stephen Pitkin of Elliott Brood, Lindy Vopnfjord (Major Maker), Mike O'Brien (Jason Collett), Royal Wood, Ian Ilavsky of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band and Murray Lightburn
of the Dears.
Priya Thomas currently resides in Toronto
; and works out of her home studio, often engineering sessions herself. She is a multi-instrumentalist; contributing guitar, piano, bass, drums, and violin on recordings. In October 2008, Priya Thomas released Priya Thomas is Blood Heron (Renovation Tracks), on SunnyLane Records. The record has earned critical acclaim and comparisons to the first-take home recordings released by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Sufjan Stevens, and Tom Waits.
Priya Thomas stopped writing music following the sudden and traumatic death of her closest longtime friend and musical supporter, John Michael Auden McVey in march of 2009. Thomas has begun work on a new record; as well as a new project under the name Iroquois Falls.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
artist and musician born in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and raised on the South Shore of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Thomas is a classically trained musician whose first instrument was the violin. Thomas is also a classically trained dancer who performed publicly for many years prior to releasing her first record in 1996. Thomas' was born into a diverse family; her father was a Syrian Orthodox minister, and her mother was a physicist. Thomas started writing her own music at the age of 11 by piecing together her own journal entries. She attended the Sacred Heart Convent School in Montreal and earned her B.A in Religious Studies at McGill University, and an M.A in Fine Arts at York University. Thomas has released five cd's in Canada since 1996. She has toured with twice with John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
, the British band James, and shared the stage with Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, The Fall, Sam Philips
Sam Phillips (singer)
Leslie Ann Phillips, aka Sam Phillips is an American singer and a songwriter.-Biography:Phillips was born in Glendale, California. She began her musical career as a vocalist in the early 1980s, singing background parts for Christian artists Mark Heard, Randy Stonehill and others...
, Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
, the Dears
The Dears
-History:The band formed in 1995 and released their first album, End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, in 2000. Their orchestral, dark pop sound and dramatic live shows cemented The Dears at the foundation of the then-emerging Canadian indie renaissance...
, Wooden Sky and Rock Plaza Central. A record with co-written with Saul Davies of James remains unreleased; and she has worked with several other musical contributors including Stephen Pitkin of Elliott Brood, Lindy Vopnfjord (Major Maker), Mike O'Brien (Jason Collett), Royal Wood, Ian Ilavsky of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band and Murray Lightburn
Murray Lightburn
Murray Lightburn is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for The Dears.Lightburn has been called "the black Morrissey" due to his vocal similarity to the former The Smiths lead singer. Incidentally, The Dears toured as Morrissey's opening act during...
of the Dears.
Priya Thomas currently resides in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
; and works out of her home studio, often engineering sessions herself. She is a multi-instrumentalist; contributing guitar, piano, bass, drums, and violin on recordings. In October 2008, Priya Thomas released Priya Thomas is Blood Heron (Renovation Tracks), on SunnyLane Records. The record has earned critical acclaim and comparisons to the first-take home recordings released by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Sufjan Stevens, and Tom Waits.
Priya Thomas stopped writing music following the sudden and traumatic death of her closest longtime friend and musical supporter, John Michael Auden McVey in march of 2009. Thomas has begun work on a new record; as well as a new project under the name Iroquois Falls.
Discography
- 1996: In The Throes of the Microscope
- 1998: Armageddon Weather Channel
- 2003: Songs for Car Commercials
- 2006: You and Me Against the World Baby
- 2008: Priya Thomas is Blood Heron
External links
- Official Site
- Priya Thomas on Bandcamp
- Priya Thomas on Itunes
- Priya Thomas Digital Journal, The Yoga Examiner
- Iroquois Falls Tumblr
- Iroquois Falls Facebook Page
- Iroquois Falls Videos
- Iroquois Falls Twitter
- Priya Thomas on Zunior
- Independent Records Ltd (UK label): Priya Thomas
- Priya Thomas on cbc radio3
- Priya Thomas on Last FM