Staggered Crossing, sometimes nicknamed StagX, are 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...

 roots rock

Roots rock

Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...

 band.

Early years

The original group was formed in 1996 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...

 by four high school friends, Julian Taylor

Julian Taylor (singer)

Julian Taylor is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter. Formerly associated with the band Staggered Crossing, he has continued to record and perform as a solo artist since that band's breakup in 2007....

 (JT), David E.G. Marshall, Dan Black and Jeremy Elliott. The group quickly gained a local following in North Toronto due to their frequent performances. Later in 1996 they recorded their first EP with Toronto musician and producer, Darrell O'Dea

Darrell O'Dea

Darrell O'Dea is a Canadian musician and recording engineer. He has been a member of Staggered Crossing , Renann , Andy Stochansky and BOY...

 .

David Marshall left in 1997 to attend university in Montreal, leaving the group without a lead guitarist. They added their producer, Darrell O'Dea

Darrell O'Dea

Darrell O'Dea is a Canadian musician and recording engineer. He has been a member of Staggered Crossing , Renann , Andy Stochansky and BOY...

, and guitarist Bruce Adamson to the line-up. They became one of the local Toronto scene's fixture bands, playing Lee's Palace

Lee's Palace

Lee's Palace is a concert hall located on the south side of Bloor Street West east of Lippincott Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The facility consists of a converted motion picture theatre and can accommodate several hundred guests.- Founding :...

, the Horseshoe Tavern

Horseshoe Tavern

The Horseshoe Tavern is a concert venue located at 370 Queen Street West in downtown Toronto, and has been in operation since 1947. Owned by "JC", Ken Sprackman, Craig Laskey and Naomi Montpetit, the venue is a significant part of Canadian musical lore...

, Reverb, 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...

 and many other venues on a regular basis .

After hearing the group's first EP, producer and publisher, Frank Davies (TMP) signed them to a development deal. Under Davies development they wrote and recorded almost 40 songs from 1997 to 1999, many of which have been released on various EPs and live bootleg recordings.

Warner Music (1999-2001)

The band were signed to Warner Music Canada

Warner Music Canada

Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA International, which later changed its name to Warner Music International in 1990. It was founded in 1967 as Warner Reprise Canada Ltd...

 in 1999. Later that year they signed with manager Larry Wanagas, founder of Bumstead Records

Bumstead Records

Bumstead Records was originally a small record label in Edmonton, Alberta, founded by Larry Wanagas in 1979 and run primarily out of Homestead Recorders. Wanagas launched k.d. lang's career and continued for 15 years with many tours, multi-platinum sales, accolades and awards. The management arm...

, who had managed acts such as Big Sugar

Big Sugar

Big Sugar is a Canadian blues-rock band, they were active from 1991 to 2004 and again since April 2010. The band has sold more than half a million albums in Canada.-History:...

, k.d. lang

K.D. Lang

Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress...

, Susan Aglukark

Susan Aglukark

Susan Aglukark, OC , is an Inuk musician whose blend of Inuit folk music traditions with country and pop songwriting has made her a major recording star in Canada. Her most successful single is "O Siem", which reached #1 on the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts in 1995...

, The Trews

The Trews

The Trews are a Canadian rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, consisting of vocalist Colin MacDonald, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald, bassist Jack Syperek, and drummer Sean Dalton...

 and BOY. The band's self-titled full-length debut came out in 2001. The first single, "Further Again" was a notable success, ending the year as the sixth most played song on rock radio in Canada . Subsequent singles "A Million Works of Art" and "Old Man" also received significant airplay.

The band continued to tour and perform across Canada with groups such as Big Sugar

Big Sugar

Big Sugar is a Canadian blues-rock band, they were active from 1991 to 2004 and again since April 2010. The band has sold more than half a million albums in Canada.-History:...

, Blue Rodeo

Blue Rodeo

Blue Rodeo is a Canadian pop and country rock band, which was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have been signed with Warner Music Group since their debut album Outskirts in March 1987...

, Nickelback

Nickelback

Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....

, The Guess Who

The Guess Who

The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...

, Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...

, 54-40

54-40

54•40 is a Canadian alternative rock group from Tsawwassen, British Columbia.The band takes their name from the slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!", coined to express the expansionist agenda of James K...

, Wide Mouth Mason

Wide Mouth Mason

Wide Mouth Mason is a Canadian blues-based rock band, consisting of Shaun Verreault , Safwan Javed , and Gordie Johnson . Former bassist Earl Pereira was also co-founder of Wide Mouth Mason...

, Crowbar

Crowbar (Canadian band)

Crowbar was a Canadian rock band based in Hamilton, Ontario, probably best known for their 1971 hit "Oh, What a Feeling".- History :From 1969 to 1970, most of the members of the group had been a backup band for Ronnie Hawkins under the name "And Many Others"...

, and Spirit of the West

Spirit of the West

Spirit of the West are a Canadian folk rock band, who were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which made them one of Canada's most successful alternative rock acts in the 1990s.-Early years:The band began...

. Other highlights included an appearance on the Mike Bullard show and the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities naming their self-titled album the Best Contemporary Music Recording of the Year at Universities and Colleges in 2001 .

Bruce Adamson left the group to further his career in publishing and law in 2001. In an attempt to return to the sound of their early years the band parted with producer and band member, Darrell O'Dea

Darrell O'Dea

Darrell O'Dea is a Canadian musician and recording engineer. He has been a member of Staggered Crossing , Renann , Andy Stochansky and BOY...

. The band also parted ways over creative differences later that year with Warner Music Canada, opting instead to start their own label.

Independent Record Label

The band's original guitarist, David Marshall, re-joined the group in December 2001. Soon after, Staggered Crossing formed their own publishing company and record label, Bent Penny Records. In 2002 they recorded and released an ironically-titled follow-up, Last Summer When We Were Famous

Last Summer When We Were Famous

Last Summer When We Were Famous is an album by Staggered Crossing, released in 2002.- Track listing :#"Felony#"Everyone Says#"Photograph#"Business as Usual#"Heart Attack #"Confessions#"Obvious Way to My Heart...

with producer Jay Bennett

Jay Bennett

Jay Walter Bennett was an American guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer, and singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Wilco.-Early life and work with Wilco:...

 of Wilco

Wilco

Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...

 fame .

Their Burgundy & Blue

Burgundy & Blue

Burgundy & Blue is an album by Staggered Crossing, released in 2004. It was produced by Ed Zych and was the bands first recording on Bent Penny Records.- Track listing :#"Burgundy & Blue#"Grow#"My Disease#"Trail of Broken Hearts...

album followed in 2004. In mid-January 2006 it reached the Top 10 on the weekly Nielsen SoundScan

Nielsen SoundScan

Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...

 sales charts for the Toronto market, perhaps spurred by the group's New Year's Eve show at the popular Toronto venue Lee's Palace

Lee's Palace

Lee's Palace is a concert hall located on the south side of Bloor Street West east of Lippincott Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The facility consists of a converted motion picture theatre and can accommodate several hundred guests.- Founding :...

, where they covered Nirvana

Nirvana (band)

Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...

's Nevermind

Nevermind

Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...

in its entirety .

Breakup

Following a number of recording sessions referred to as "1978", the year in which all four members were born, the band officially announced their breakup on August 29, 2007 . In a press release the band assured fans and the media that their parting was amiable, stating:

... While it would certainly be more fun to announce a break up because of 'creative differences' or because of some monumental and catastrophic fight between bandmates, neither is the case. We simply cannot continue to commit the time, energy and enthusiasm to this band that we love so much. We are still great friends and this change is not the end of our musical collaborations.

The band continues to play together on an informal basis. Notably, the band reunited for a concert at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Ontario Thursday July 9, 2009 to pay tribute to the music of Jay Walter Bennett

Jay Bennett

Jay Walter Bennett was an American guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer, and singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Wilco.-Early life and work with Wilco:...

, who produced the band's second album, "Last Summer When We Were Famous". Bennett had recently died at his home. Bruce Adamson, Dan Black, Julian Taylor, David Marshall and Jeremy Elliott were all present. In conjunction with the concert, a tribute single entitled 'Pull You Through' and written by Bennett's former band Titanic Love Affair was released to Canadian radio .

Members

• Julian Taylor, vocals and guitar
• Dan Black, bass guitar
• Jeremy Elliott, drums
• David E.G. Marshall, guitar (a founding member of the group, left in 1997 and returned in December 2001)
• Darrell O'Dea, keyboards, guitars and vocals (1997 to December 2001)
• Bruce Adamson, lead guitar (1997 to December 2001)

Studio albums

• Mold (1997)
• 4-Song EP (2000)
• Staggered Crossing (2001)
• Last Summer When We Were Famous
  Last Summer When We Were Famous
  Last Summer When We Were Famous is an album by Staggered Crossing, released in 2002.- Track listing :#"Felony#"Everyone Says#"Photograph#"Business as Usual#"Heart Attack #"Confessions#"Obvious Way to My Heart...
  
  (2002)
• Burgundy & Blue
  Burgundy & Blue
  Burgundy & Blue is an album by Staggered Crossing, released in 2004. It was produced by Ed Zych and was the bands first recording on Bent Penny Records.- Track listing :#"Burgundy & Blue#"Grow#"My Disease#"Trail of Broken Hearts...
  
  (2004)

Music videos

• "Further Again" (2001)
• "A Million Works of Art" (2001)
• "Felony" (2002)
• "Business As Usual" (2003)

Singles

• "Further Again" (2001) - Top 10
• "Million Works of Art" (2001) - Top 40
• "Old Man" (2001)
• "Felony" (2002)
• "Business as Usual" (2003) - Top 100
• "Everyone Says" (2003)
• "Grow" (2004)
• "Perfect Prize" (2005) - Top 20
• "Don't Get Me Started" (2005) - Top 100
• "Pull You Through" (2009)