Sebastien Grainger
Encyclopedia
Sebastien Alexandre Grainger (born 11 April 1979) from Mississauga, Ontario
, Canada
is a Canadian
singer and musician, best known as drummer and singer of the dance-punk duo Death from Above 1979
and the singer and guitarist for his current band, Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains. He is part owner of Giant Studios in Toronto
with Jimmy Shaw of Metric
.
in the USA, Outside Music
in Canada and JVC
in Japan to release his debut solo album, entitled "Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains", which was released on 21 October 2008. It was recorded between Giant Studio in Toronto
and Mountain City Studio in Montreal
. Grainger wrote and performed nearly all the parts on the record with the exception of a few songs that were recorded as a full band. He is currently playing shows across North America. When performing live, Grainger is joined by bassist Nick Sewell, drummer Leon Taheny and synthesiser and guitar player Andrew Scott. Together they have toured with Bloc Party
, Metric
, Hot Hot Heat
& Albert Hammond Jr..
In 2009 Sebastien Grainger took part in an interactive documentary series called City Sonic
. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had him discuss his past experiences with the El Mocambo
.
, with bassist Jesse F. Keeler
. The "1979" on the end of the band's name originated from Grainger's birth year, which he has tattooed on his forearm. Death from Above 1979
broke up in 2006, citing personal and artistic differences. However, on February 5, 2011, Grainger officially announced that the band was reforming.
's "Black History Month" and Metric's
"Poster of a Girl" under the alias "Girl on Girl", a collaboration with The Mountains' Leon Taheny. Earlier similar electronic works were once available, under the aliases "The Great White Hype" and "Synsonic Pro-Model", through a dedicated Myspace page, that has since vanished.
formed in 2010. It has so far seen the release of an EP "Garbage Night" and the playing of a few shows.
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....
, Canada
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...
is a Canadian
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...
singer and musician, best known as drummer and singer of the dance-punk duo Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
and the singer and guitarist for his current band, Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains. He is part owner of Giant Studios 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...
with Jimmy Shaw of Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Solo work
Sebastien signed with Saddle Creek RecordsSaddle Creek Records
Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Conor Oberst and Justin Oberst in 1993 . Conor soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel...
in the USA, Outside Music
Outside Music
Outside Music is a Canadian record label and distributor, founded by Lloyd Nishimura in 1995. In 2007, it expanded to include an artist management division which counts Jill Barber, Matthew Barber, One Hundred Dollars and Sunparlour Players as management clients.Outside has released countless...
in Canada and JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
in Japan to release his debut solo album, entitled "Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains", which was released on 21 October 2008. It was recorded between Giant Studio 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 Mountain City Studio in 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...
. Grainger wrote and performed nearly all the parts on the record with the exception of a few songs that were recorded as a full band. He is currently playing shows across North America. When performing live, Grainger is joined by bassist Nick Sewell, drummer Leon Taheny and synthesiser and guitar player Andrew Scott. Together they have toured with Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
, Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
, Hot Hot Heat
Hot Hot Heat
Hot Hot Heat is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1999 from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.-Career:Dustin Hawthorne and Steve Bays had been in many different bands together since 1995 and met Hawley in 1998. In 1999, Hawley bought a Juno 6 keyboard and asked Bays to try playing it, as no one...
& Albert Hammond Jr..
In 2009 Sebastien Grainger took part in an interactive documentary series called City Sonic
City Sonic
City Sonic is a documentary series about Toronto-based musicians and the places that influenced their music. The first five City Sonic films were previewed at Toronto's 2009 North by North East Music and Film Festival.-Films:...
. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had him discuss his past experiences with the El Mocambo
El Mocambo
The El Mocambo Tavern is a live music and entertainment venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Spadina Avenue, just south of College Street, the bar played an important role in the development of popular music in Toronto since the 19th century...
.
Death from Above 1979
Grainger is best known to the public for having been the singer and drummer in the duo Death from Above 1979Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
, with bassist Jesse F. Keeler
Jesse F. Keeler
Jesse Frederick Keeler is a Canadian musician. He is known as the bassist of Canadian dance punk duo Death from Above 1979, and for being one half of the electronic music duo MSTRKRFT....
. The "1979" on the end of the band's name originated from Grainger's birth year, which he has tattooed on his forearm. Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
broke up in 2006, citing personal and artistic differences. However, on February 5, 2011, Grainger officially announced that the band was reforming.
The Rhythm Method
The Rhythm Method is Grainger's dance/computer music alias. He has released one double a-side 7" in the UK for the songs "Renegade Silence/When You Go Out" available from 50 Bones Records. An alternate mix of "Renegade Silence" will be available on Grainger's LP "Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains" labeled as "featuring The Rhythm Method".Girl on Girl
Grainger has released remixes for Death from Above 1979Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
's "Black History Month" and Metric's
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
"Poster of a Girl" under the alias "Girl on Girl", a collaboration with The Mountains' Leon Taheny. Earlier similar electronic works were once available, under the aliases "The Great White Hype" and "Synsonic Pro-Model", through a dedicated Myspace page, that has since vanished.
Bad †i†s
An electronica band consisting of Grainger with Josh ReichmannJosh Reichmann
Josh Reichmann is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter.Formerly associated with the band Tangiers, since that band's breakup he has performed under the stage name Jewish Legend...
formed in 2010. It has so far seen the release of an EP "Garbage Night" and the playing of a few shows.
Collaborations and contributions
- Grainger's voice was featured in the Does It Offend You, Yeah?Does It Offend You, Yeah?Does It Offend You, Yeah? are a British electronic rock band from Reading, Berkshire.-History:Does It Offend You, Yeah? were formed in 2006 in Reading, UK by James Rushent and Dan Coop and soon joined by Rob Bloomfield and Morgan Quaintance....
song "Let's Make Out". - He contributed drums to the track "Sunday Morning" by Canadian hip-hop artist k-osK-osKevin Brereton , better known by his stage name k-os , is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer...
. He appears in the song's music video as a homeless man who is recruited as a drummer. - He has collaborated with rising French electronica artist DatA. Their first single together, "Rapture", is available now. Other collaborations will follow on DatA's debut full length release, including "One in a Million" on April 28, 2009.
- Grainger played drums both live and on one record for Keeler's pre-Death From Above 1979 solo project Femme Fatale.
- He contributed backing vocals to "Twice Born", a song on The Chemistry of Common LifeThe Chemistry of Common LifeThe Chemistry of Common Life is the second full-length studio album by Canadian hardcore punk band Fucked Up. It was released on October 7, 2008 on Matador Records in CD and double LP formats and on Welfare Records in Reel-to-reel Audio Tapes...
, Toronto hardcore punk band Fucked UpFucked UpFucked Up is a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Canada. The band won the 2009 Polaris Music Prize for the album The Chemistry of Common Life.-History:The band formed and played their first shows in early 2001...
's latest LP. - He collaborated with Canadian rapper k-osK-osKevin Brereton , better known by his stage name k-os , is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer...
on the song "BlackWater" off his mixtape "The Anchorman Mixtape" - He provided vocals for the song "Water in Hell" by the Canadian indie rock band Broken Social SceneBroken Social SceneBroken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
on their album Forgiveness Rock RecordForgiveness Rock RecordForgiveness Rock Record is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock musical collective Broken Social Scene, released by the Arts & Crafts record label on May 4, 2010...
. - In 2011, he participated in the National Parks ProjectNational Parks ProjectThe National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project. Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system, the project sent three Canadian musicians and a filmmaker to each of 13 Canadian national parks, one in each province and...
, collaborating with musicians Jennifer CastleJennifer CastleJennifer Castle is a Canadian songwriter, based in Toronto, Ontario.She released two albums under the name Castlemusic before signing to Flemish Eye for her third album, which she released under her own name but titled Castlemusic....
and Dan Werb, and filmmaker Catherine Martin, to produce and score a short documentary filmDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Mingan Archipelago National Park ReserveMingan Archipelago National Park ReserveThe Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve is a national park reserve located in the eastern area of Quebec, Canada, on the north shore of Gulf of St. Lawrence. It features the Mingan Archipelago, a chain of around 40 islands....
in QuebecQuebecQuebec 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....
.
Solo
- TBA 2011 Yours To Discover (LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
) - 2008 American Names (Digital EP/7" Vinyl)
- 2008 Sebastien Grainger & The MountainsSebastien Grainger & The MountainsSebastien Grainger & The Mountains is the second studio album and first LP by Sebastien Grainger. The album was originally released in 2008.-Track listing:#"Love Can Be So Mean" – 3:26#"Who Do We Care For?" – 2:28...
(LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
) - 2008 DatA feat. Sebastien Grainger - Rapture (EP)
- 2009 DatA feat. Sebastien Grainger - One in a Million (EP)
The Rhythm Method
- 2008 Renegade Silence/When You Go Out (7" vinyl double A-side)
- 2009 Finish Me Off (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
)
Death from Above 1979
- 2002 Heads Up (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - 2004 Romantic Rights EP (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - 2004 You're a Woman, I'm a MachineYou're a Woman, I'm a MachineYou're a Woman, I'm a Machine is an album by Canadian band Death from Above 1979, released on October 26, 2004 by Vice Records in the United States, Last Gang Records in Canada, Ache Records on vinyl, and Victor Entertainment in Japan...
(LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
) - 2005 Romance Bloody Romance: Remixes & B-Sides (LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
)