Winter Equinox
Encyclopedia
Winter Equinox were a post-rock
/experimental band hailing from Dundas
& Waterloo
, Ontario
, Canada
, formed in May 2004.
The band was a mainly instrumental quartet that created music with elements of post-rock, electronic, glitch, and experimental sounds. The band placed an emphasis on heavily layered arrangements to create intense soundscapes, combined with occasional lyrical melodies and catchy bass grooves. Members of the band were classically-trained and influenced by jazz
and rock music
.
Winter Equinox utilized a wide variety of instruments such as keyboards, bass, guitar, drums, percussion, flute, clarinet, melodica, and programmed rhythms to define their sound. The band took influences from artists such as Tortoise
, Do Make Say Think
, Mogwai
, Caribou, Sigur Rós
, Explosions in the Sky
, The Notwist
, M83
, and Boards of Canada
.
The band played many shows around the southern Ontario area. While playing live, they often employed a backdrop with self-produced videos playing behind them that synced up to the music. Notably, the band was invited to perform at Wavelength Magazine's Music Series while being featured within their monthly issue. They have also played alongside such acts as Caribou
, The Organ
, Matt Pond PA
, and Holy EF. In the summer of 2005, Winter Equinox self-recorded and produced their debut album, Safe and Sound, released on Crony Records in August 2005. It was described Stylus Magazine
's Theon Weber as " one of the great unnoticed albums of 2005." Following the release of their CD, the band toured out to Quebec
and Eastern Canada
as well as around Ontario.
Winter Equinox broke up in March 2006. The band's last show was on December 11, 2005 at The Casbah in Hamilton
, Ontario, performing with Caribou and Holy Fuck. Weber currently creates solo music under the name Solitary Extraction. Lauren Yakiwchuk is currently in the duo Knife-Like Objects.
Winter Equinox had their song "Two Eyes" featured in the Canadian drama series, Whistler
, in the fall of 2007. It was episode 4 of season 2 of the show.
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
/experimental band hailing from Dundas
Dundas, Ontario
Dundas is a formerly independent town and now constituent community in the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It's nickname is the Valley Town. The population has been stable for decades at about twenty thousand, largely because it has not annexed rural land from the protected Dundas Valley...
& Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
, 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....
, 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...
, formed in May 2004.
The band was a mainly instrumental quartet that created music with elements of post-rock, electronic, glitch, and experimental sounds. The band placed an emphasis on heavily layered arrangements to create intense soundscapes, combined with occasional lyrical melodies and catchy bass grooves. Members of the band were classically-trained and influenced by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
.
Winter Equinox utilized a wide variety of instruments such as keyboards, bass, guitar, drums, percussion, flute, clarinet, melodica, and programmed rhythms to define their sound. The band took influences from artists such as Tortoise
Tortoise (band)
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
, Do Make Say Think
Do Make Say Think
Do Make Say Think is a Canadian instrumental post-rock band from Toronto, Ontario. Their music combines jazz style drums, distorted guitars and wind instruments, as well as a prominent use of the bass guitar.-Biography:...
, Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
, Caribou, Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
, Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky is an American post-rock band from Texas. The band has garnered popularity beyond the post-rock scene for their elaborately developed guitar work, narratively styled instrumentals, what they refer to as "cathartic mini-symphonies," and their enthusiastic and emotional live shows...
, The Notwist
The Notwist
The Notwist are a German indie rock band. Formed in 1989, the band moved through several musical incarnations despite maintaining a relatively stable lineup...
, M83
M83 (band)
M83 is a musical act by French musician Anthony Gonzalez. It is named after a spiral galaxy, Messier 83. The band was founded in 2001 by Gonzalez and former member Nicolas Fromageau in Antibes, France...
, and Boards of Canada
Boards of Canada
Boards of Canada are a Scottish electronic music duo consisting of brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin...
.
The band played many shows around the southern Ontario area. While playing live, they often employed a backdrop with self-produced videos playing behind them that synced up to the music. Notably, the band was invited to perform at Wavelength Magazine's Music Series while being featured within their monthly issue. They have also played alongside such acts as Caribou
Caribou (musician)
Daniel Victor Snaith is a composer, musician and recording artist under stage names Caribou, Manitoba and Daphni. Under the supervision of Kevin Buzzard, he obtained a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London.- Career:...
, The Organ
The Organ
The Organ was a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2001 in Vancouver, British Columbia. They officially broke up on December 7, 2006, due to illness and personal conflicts in the band.-Early years:...
, Matt Pond PA
Matt Pond PA
Matt Pond PA is a New York based band formed in Philadelphia by singer-songwriter Matt Pond. They have released eight LPs and eight EPs since 1998....
, and Holy EF. In the summer of 2005, Winter Equinox self-recorded and produced their debut album, Safe and Sound, released on Crony Records in August 2005. It was described Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
's Theon Weber as " one of the great unnoticed albums of 2005." Following the release of their CD, the band toured out to 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....
and Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada is generally considered to be the region of Canada east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces:* New Brunswick* Newfoundland and Labrador* Nova Scotia* Ontario* Prince Edward Island* Quebec...
as well as around Ontario.
Winter Equinox broke up in March 2006. The band's last show was on December 11, 2005 at The Casbah 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, performing with Caribou and Holy Fuck. Weber currently creates solo music under the name Solitary Extraction. Lauren Yakiwchuk is currently in the duo Knife-Like Objects.
Winter Equinox had their song "Two Eyes" featured in the Canadian drama series, Whistler
Whistler (TV series)
Whistler is a Canadian television drama centring on the aftermath of the mysterious death of a local snowboard legend. The series was created by Kelly Senecal and developed by Patrick Banister, John Barbisan, Mindy Heslin, and Susan James.-Premise:...
, in the fall of 2007. It was episode 4 of season 2 of the show.
Discography
- Safe and Sound - August 2005
- Demo 02 EP - January 2005
- Demo 01 EP - August 2004