The Hidden Cameras
Encyclopedia
The Hidden Cameras are a Canadian
indie pop
band. Fronted by singer-songwriter Joel Gibb
, the band consists of a varying roster of musicians who play what Gibb once described as "gay
church
folk music
". Their live performances have been elaborate, high-energy shows, featuring go-go dancers in balaclavas, a choir, and a string section.
, Owen Pallett
, Laura Barrett
, Don Kerr
, Magali Meagher (of The Phonemes), Mike Olsen
(of the Arcade Fire) and Maggie MacDonald
.
imprint in the UK
, and on the independent label
EvilEvil in Canada.
, on Rough Trade and also on EvilEvil in Canada. Their EP, The Arms of His 'Ill, was released by California
label Absolutely Kosher Records
in the same year, and features jacket art specially created by Paul P. and G.B. Jones. In November 2005, the band collaborated with Toronto Dance Theatre
on the show In the Boneyard at the Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario. Dancers joined the band throughout the show, playing instruments, and the band performed on-stage in costume.
Three of the songs from Mississauga Goddam, namely "We Oh We", "I Believe in the Good of Life" (a rerecorded version of the same song from the first album), and "Builds the Bone", are featured in the Canadian motion picture Whole New Thing
. "We Oh We" is also featured on the soundtrack of the German film Sommersturm
(Summer Storm).
, their 2006 recording was released on Rough Trade in Europe, EvilEvil in Canada and, in the U.S., on the Arts & Crafts
label. The Hidden Cameras' song "Boys of Melody" is featured on the soundtrack of the John Cameron Mitchell
film Shortbus
, which premiered in 2006. Also that year, they performed in a Take-Away Show video session shot by Vincent Moon
.
, was mastered in May 2009. The music video for "In the NA", a song from this album, was screened at the 19th Annual Inside Out Film and Video Festival
. The album was released on 22 September 2009.
Five songs from the Origin:Orphan
album were redone by electronic pop band from Barcelona Hidrogenesse
and released under the name of Hidrogenesse versus The Hidden Cameras in May 2010. Also a video for "He Falls to Me" was done by Darío Peña.
in the United Kingdom
, Arts & Crafts
in the U.S., and EvilEvil in 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...
indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band. Fronted by singer-songwriter Joel Gibb
Joel Gibb
Joel Gibb is a Berlin-based Canadian artist and singer-songwriter who leads the "gay church folk" group The Hidden Cameras. He was born in Kincardine, Ontario.-Career:...
, the band consists of a varying roster of musicians who play what Gibb once described as "gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
church
Church music
Church music may be defined as music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclestiacal liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. This article covers music in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. For sacred music outside this...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
". Their live performances have been elaborate, high-energy shows, featuring go-go dancers in balaclavas, a choir, and a string section.
2001–2002: Ecce Homo
The band's first album, Ecce Homo, was released independently in 2001 on EvilEvil. It was after this first release that Gibb assembled a band and they began to perform in venues varying from art galleries to churches to porn theatres to parks. Since these early days The Hidden Cameras have played host to a number of notable musicians, including Reg VermueReg Vermue
Reg Vermue is a Canadian indie rock singer from Guelph, Ontario. Born in Trenton, Ontario, he records as Gentleman Reg. His musical style has been compared to Elliott Smith, Aimee Mann, The Smiths and Cat Power...
, Owen Pallett
Owen Pallett
Michael James Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist from Toronto, Ontario. He won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds....
, Laura Barrett
Laura Barrett
Laura Barrett is a Canadian indie pop singer-songwriter, best known for incorporating the kalimba into her music. In addition to her solo work, Barrett has also performed as a member of The Hidden Cameras, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables, Woodhands and Sheezer....
, Don Kerr
Don Kerr
Don Kerr is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and record producer.He was a member of Rheostatics from 1995 to May 2001. He plays in Ron Sexsmith's band, and sometimes with The Kelele Brothers. He and Sexsmith released an album together, Destination Unknown, in 2005...
, Magali Meagher (of The Phonemes), Mike Olsen
Michael Olsen (musician)
Michael Olsen is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, composer and arranger living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.He has collaborated live on tour and on records with bands and artists such as: The Arcade Fire, K-OS, Jim Guthrie, Kevin Hearn, The Constantines, Gentleman Reg, Great Lake...
(of the Arcade Fire) and Maggie MacDonald
Maggie MacDonald
Maggie MacDonald is a writer, playwright and musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario.-Early life and education:MacDonald grew up in Cornwall, Ontario, where she became active in the local independent rock music scene. She put on shows and creating a fanzine called Saucy, which gained attention...
.
2003: The Smell of Our Own
Their 2003 album, The Smell of Our Own was released through the popular Rough TradeRough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
imprint in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and on the independent label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
EvilEvil in Canada.
2004–2005: Mississauga Goddam and The Arms of His 'Ill
In 2004, they released their third album, Mississauga GoddamMississauga Goddam
Mississauga Goddam is a 2004 album by The Hidden Cameras.The title is an allusion to Nina Simone's civil rights anthem "Mississippi Goddam" , suggesting suburbia as the real battleground for LGBT equality.The album was released on Rough Trade Records in the United Kingdom and EvilEvil in...
, on Rough Trade and also on EvilEvil in Canada. Their EP, The Arms of His 'Ill, was released by California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
label Absolutely Kosher Records
Absolutely Kosher Records
Absolutely Kosher Records is an independent California-based record label founded in 1998 in San Francisco by Cory Brown. The label moved to Berkeley in 2002 and then to Emeryville in October 2006 when it partnered with Misra Records...
in the same year, and features jacket art specially created by Paul P. and G.B. Jones. In November 2005, the band collaborated with Toronto Dance Theatre
Toronto Dance Theatre
The Toronto Dance Theatre is a Canadian modern dance company based in Toronto, Ontario. Described by The Canadian Encyclopedia as "one of the foremost modern-dance companies in Canada", the company tours nationally and internationally and regularly performs at the Harbourfront Centre and Winchester...
on the show In the Boneyard at the Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario. Dancers joined the band throughout the show, playing instruments, and the band performed on-stage in costume.
Three of the songs from Mississauga Goddam, namely "We Oh We", "I Believe in the Good of Life" (a rerecorded version of the same song from the first album), and "Builds the Bone", are featured in the Canadian motion picture Whole New Thing
Whole New Thing
Whole New Thing is a 2005 Canadian dramatic film which was directed by Amnon Buchbinder. The script is co-written by Amnon Buchbinder and Daniel MacIvor. Filmed entirely on location in Mahone Bay and Halifax, Nova Scotia, during winter and over the course of 15 days, the film is an unconventional...
. "We Oh We" is also featured on the soundtrack of the German film Sommersturm
Summer Storm
Summer Storm is a 2004 German coming-of-age film directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner, starring Robert Stadlober, Kostja Ullmann, Alicja Bachleda-Curuś, and Marlon Kittel...
(Summer Storm).
2006: Awoo
AwooAwoo
AWOO is an album by The Hidden Cameras, released in 2006.The album was released on EvilEvil in Canada in August. It was released on September 4 on Rough Trade in the UK and was also released on Arts & Crafts in the United States on September 19....
, their 2006 recording was released on Rough Trade in Europe, EvilEvil in Canada and, in the U.S., on the Arts & Crafts
Arts & Crafts (record label)
Arts & Crafts Productions is a Toronto-based independent artist services company, offering expertise as an independent record label, management firm, merchandiser and music publisher both in Canada and internationally...
label. The Hidden Cameras' song "Boys of Melody" is featured on the soundtrack of the John Cameron Mitchell
John Cameron Mitchell
John Cameron Mitchell is an American writer, actor, and director. He is best known for his motion pictures Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus and Rabbit Hole.- Early life:...
film Shortbus
Shortbus
Shortbus is a 2006 comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colorful characters trying desperately to connect in New York City. The characters converge in a weekly Brooklyn artistic/sexual salon loosely inspired by...
, which premiered in 2006. Also that year, they performed in a Take-Away Show video session shot by Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon
Vincent Moon is an independent filmmaker from Paris mainly known for his field work music videos of indie rock related musicians as well as some notable mainstream artists like Tom Jones, R.E.M. or Arcade Fire. Besides making music videos he also makes experimental films and documentaries...
.
2009: Origin:Orphan
Their fifth album, Origin:OrphanOrigin:Orphan
Origin:Orphan is the fifth studio album by The Hidden Cameras, released September 22, 2009. It is the band's first release on Arts & Crafts....
, was mastered in May 2009. The music video for "In the NA", a song from this album, was screened at the 19th Annual Inside Out Film and Video Festival
Inside Out Film and Video Festival
The Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario, devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film and video works...
. The album was released on 22 September 2009.
Five songs from the Origin:Orphan
Origin:Orphan
Origin:Orphan is the fifth studio album by The Hidden Cameras, released September 22, 2009. It is the band's first release on Arts & Crafts....
album were redone by electronic pop band from Barcelona Hidrogenesse
Hidrogenesse
Hidrogenesse is a Spanish pop band whose members are Carlos Ballesteros and Genís Segarra . Although they have been together since 1997, they didn't release anything until 2000, with "Así se baila el siglo XX", a smart, cynical approach to the new millennium through the inventions of the 20th...
and released under the name of Hidrogenesse versus The Hidden Cameras in May 2010. Also a video for "He Falls to Me" was done by Darío Peña.
Discography
The band's material has been released on a variety of labels, including Rough TradeRough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Arts & Crafts
Arts & Crafts (record label)
Arts & Crafts Productions is a Toronto-based independent artist services company, offering expertise as an independent record label, management firm, merchandiser and music publisher both in Canada and internationally...
in the U.S., and EvilEvil in Canada.
Albums
- Ecce Homo, 2001
- The Smell of Our OwnThe Smell of Our Own-Track listing:# "Golden Streams" – 4:28# "Ban Marriage" – 4:15# "A Miracle" – 2:50# "The Animals of Prey" – 4:04# "Smells Like Happiness" – 3:08# "Day Is Dawning" – 5:06# "Boys of Melody" – 4:59# "Shame" – 5:28# "Breathe on It" – 2:52...
, 2003 - The Hidden Cameras Play the CBC SessionsThe Hidden Cameras Play the CBC SessionsThe Hidden Cameras Play the CBC Sessions is a limited edition EP by The Hidden Cameras, released in 2004 on Rough Trade Records.The EP collects live tracks that the band recorded for broadcast on CBC Radio in March 2002.-Track listing:...
, 2003 - Mississauga GoddamMississauga GoddamMississauga Goddam is a 2004 album by The Hidden Cameras.The title is an allusion to Nina Simone's civil rights anthem "Mississippi Goddam" , suggesting suburbia as the real battleground for LGBT equality.The album was released on Rough Trade Records in the United Kingdom and EvilEvil in...
, 2004 - The Arms of His 'Ill'The Arms of His 'Ill'The arms of his "ill" is the title of a 10 inch EP by the band The Hidden Cameras.The EP was released in 2004 on the Berkeley, California-based label, Absolutely Kosher. It was later re-released as a CD also. All songs were written, performed and recorded by Joel Gibb. The EP features Lex...
, 2004 - AwooAwooAWOO is an album by The Hidden Cameras, released in 2006.The album was released on EvilEvil in Canada in August. It was released on September 4 on Rough Trade in the UK and was also released on Arts & Crafts in the United States on September 19....
, 2006 - Origin:OrphanOrigin:OrphanOrigin:Orphan is the fifth studio album by The Hidden Cameras, released September 22, 2009. It is the band's first release on Arts & Crafts....
, 2009
Singles
- "Ban Marriage" (2003)
- "A Miracle" (2003)
- "I Believe in the Good of Life" (2004)
- "Learning the Lie" (double single release)(2005)
- "Death of a Tune" (2006)
- "Awoo" (2006)
- "In the NA" (2009)
- "Underage" (2010)
- "Do I Belong?" (2011)
Soundtracks
- Rebels Rule, directed by Will MunroWill MunroWilliam Grant "Will" Munro was a Toronto artist, club promoter, and restaurateur known for his work as a community builder among disparate Toronto groups...
, 2002 - Sommersturm, directed by Marco KreuzpaintnerMarco KreuzpaintnerMarco Kreuzpaintner is a German film director and screenwriter.-Life:Kreuzpaintner was born March 11, 1977 in Rosenheim in Bavaria, Germany. He studied History of Art in Salzburg. He is a self-taught filmmaker with a background in film, advertising and music video production. He was the assistant...
, 2004 - ShortbusShortbusShortbus is a 2006 comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colorful characters trying desperately to connect in New York City. The characters converge in a weekly Brooklyn artistic/sexual salon loosely inspired by...
, directed by John Cameron MitchellJohn Cameron MitchellJohn Cameron Mitchell is an American writer, actor, and director. He is best known for his motion pictures Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus and Rabbit Hole.- Early life:...
, 2006 - Whole New ThingWhole New ThingWhole New Thing is a 2005 Canadian dramatic film which was directed by Amnon Buchbinder. The script is co-written by Amnon Buchbinder and Daniel MacIvor. Filmed entirely on location in Mahone Bay and Halifax, Nova Scotia, during winter and over the course of 15 days, the film is an unconventional...
, directed by Amnon Buchbinder and co-written by Daniel MacIvorDaniel MacIvorDaniel MacIvor is a Canadian actor, playwright, theatre director and film director. He was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia and educated at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and then at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario....
, 2006 - Small Town Gay BarSmall Town Gay BarSmall Town Gay Bar is a 2006 documentary directed by Malcolm Ingram that focuses on two gay bars in the rural deep Southeast United States, one in Shannon, Mississippi, and one in Meridian, Mississippi...
, directed by Malcolm IngramMalcolm IngramMalcolm Ingram is a Canadian independent film director, pornographic film director, and podcaster. He was born in 1968 and hails from Toronto. He has made Drawing Flies under View Askew Productions, which was produced by Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith, Tail Lights Fade, and Small Town Gay Bar, a...
, 2006 - The Lollipop GenerationThe Lollipop GenerationThe Lollipop Generation is the first feature film by G.B. Jones.The Lollipop Generation premiered as the Gala Feature presentation of the Images Festival in Toronto on April 3, 2008....
, directed by G.B. Jones, 2008