In Medias Res (band)
In Medias Res | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Also known as | IMR |
Origin | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Genres | Indie rock, post-rock |
Years active | 1999 | -present
Labels | Anniedale, File Under: Music, Heavy Lark |
Members | Andrew Lee Ash Poon Ryan Flowers Robert Tornroos |
Past members | Steve Watts |
Website | inmediasres |
In Medias Res (also known as IMR) is an
Background
Prior to the In Medias Res' formation, Lee and Poon played in a band with the latter's older brother and another bassist. They won a Battle of the Bands show at Lee's high school, competing against another group that Flowers and Tornroos played in (Lee, Flowers and Tornroos attended the same high school).[1] After Poon's brother left town, Watts joined the band, having known the group's members from summer camp.[2] Playing out of a church basement,[3] In Medias Res formed in 1999.[2] A year later, Flowers replaced the band's original bassist.[3]
The band's name, frequently misspelled or mispronounced in the media and at shows, is a literary term referring to a narrative that begins in the rising action portion of a story; translated from Latin, it means "in the middle of things."[4] Poon has explained that the band "chose the name because the middle is where the real story is, like our music."[5]
During the band's early years, they all lived separately in Richmond, British Columbia, with the exception of Watts, who resided in nearby Surrey.[5] Watts has recalled wanting to quit at one point in the band's beginning stages until they played a show in 2000 with Seattle indie band Pedro the Lion,[2] a band they grew up idolizing.[3] Poon has further identified opening for Pedro the Lion as a turning point in the band's career, commenting "It...let us know that we could make this a viable musical endeavor." The show was held at Trinity Western University, where the band played regularly and subsequently developed much of their early fan base.[3]
Early self-proclaimed musical influences include Pedro the Lion, the
Studio releases
After selling out 500 copies of their second EP, Intimacy,[8] In Medias Res independently released Of What Was, their first full-length album, in April 2003 to favourable local reviews.[9][10] Distributed by Vancouver's Scratch Records,[3] In Medias Res sold out their initial 1,000 copies of the album within a year-and-a-half, before re-releasing it under local label Anniedale Records on May 24, 2005.[3][11] (By the time of their next full-length release in January 2011, Of What Was sold over 2,000 copies.)[12]
Watts has described the album as a turning point in the band's musical identity, referring to their previous work as more characteristic of their collective stylistic taste in such bands as Pedro the Lion and Radiohead.[11] It was produced by Jonathan Anderson of Jonathan Inc.,[8] a fellow Vancouver indie act, who In Medias Res has worked and performed with extensively.
Following their debut LP's re-release under Anniedale, In Medias Res took six years to put forth their next effort, sparking rumours of the band's dissolution during the period in between.[12] Lee later commented on the band's seeming hiatus, stating that they were in "too comfortable" a state that "didn't require [them] to push." He added that "We had to field all kinds of rumours as people wondered if were still together, which didn't help the situation that was brewing internally."[13] In 2006, an article featuring an interview with In Medias Res stated that the band was working on new material.[3] Leading up to their second LP, the band made a new 11-minute track entitled "The Dark Crystal" available for download on Bandcamp.com. Released on December 15, 2010, the band allowed the track to be purchased on a name-your-price basis.[13] "The Dark Crystal" was recorded Mushroom Studios (Vancouver) in 2008 and featured cover art re-appropriated from a Norwegian photographer.[14] Watt declared it in an earlier interview as "one of the best pieces [they have] ever written/recorded."[15]
The following month, nearly eight years after the initial release of their first LP, In Medias Res digitally self-released
Following drummer Steve Watts' departure from the band (in order to pursue his studies in Scotland; he was replaced by Robert Tornroos), In Medias Res began to experiment with a more ambient sound. Featuring a lap steel guitar, keyboard and synthesized beats, the band released Variations on March 3, 2012. The two-track EP contained re-arrangements of "Come Back Down" and "The Dark Crystal". It was recorded live off the floor at Buena Vista Studios (Vancouver) by Anderson.[23]
Two years after It Was Warm and Sunny, the band released "The Center", a track intended for the second LP, but was ultimately left out.[24]
Live performances and touring
In Medias Res is known for their energetic live performances. After playing a show in a smaller-sized Vancouver venue in February 2011, a concert review declared that the location "could not contain the band's intense sound."[25] Lead guitarist Ash Poon is known to have his eyeglasses fall off of his face,[26] or to inadvertently break his strings as a byproduct of the band's on-stage movement and intensity.[5] Lee's voice has been described in live performances as "broken", yet "emotive".[27] In the years between their first two LPs, they have refined their setlist for acoustic and symphonic arrangements to perform as an alternative to their usual shows. The re-arranged songs, complemented by a violin and cello, are not available on any studio recordings, however.
Aside from playing local venues in
After releasing It Was Warm and Sunny under File Under: Music in July 2011, In Medias Res announced a month-long, 12-date Canadian tour, beginning with a show in Vancouver. While the majority of the tour took place in
In Medias Res has also participated in such annual summer festivals as the Woodsong Arts and Music Festival in
Personal lives
Providing a background for Lee's lyrics is his education in writing and philosophy, which he received at
's campus), Watts left the band following It Was Warm and Sunny's release to further pursue his education in Scotland.Discography
EP
- Intimacy (2002)
- Amo Audio (2006)
- The Dark Crystal (2010)
- Variations (2012)a
- The Center (2013)
Full-length
- Of What Was (2003)b
- It Was Warm and Sunny When We First Set Out (2011)c
aDigitally self-released on March 6, 2012, through Bandcamp.com[23]
bSelf-released on July 8, 2003, and re-released under Anniedale Records on May 24, 2005.
cDigitally self-released on January 4, 2011, and re-released under File Under: Music on June 12, 2011.
References
- ^ Leary, Joe (February 11, 2011). "Vancouver band you can be proud of". TVWeek. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c Little, Mark; Slobadian, Mayan. "Google: Every band's best friend". The Peak. Simon Fraser University. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Transcending the Christian stigma". Christian Info Society. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ Tony Newton. "Hoth to a flame". Terminal City. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Bryan, Chris. "The unconventional route". The Richmond Review. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ "in medias res biography". in medias res. Archived from the original on September 3, 2007. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ Hopkins, Michelle (February 26, 2003). "Creative soul starts in the middle". Richmond News. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ a b c "In Medias Res - Of What Was" (PDF). Anniedale Records. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 20, 2008. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ Baker, Jordan A. "In Medias Res "Of What Was" (Self-Released)". pastepunk.com. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- Discorder. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- ^ a b Larocque, Mike. "The Amazing Res". Vue Weekly. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ a b "In Medias Res". File Under: Music. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ^ a b Leonard, Christine (August 18, 2011). "Stuck in the middle with you". Fast Forward Weekly. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- ^ "The Dark Crystal". Bandcamp.com. December 15, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ^ a b Douglas, Nicole; Skulstad, Kenji. "Q&A with In Medias Res". Mars' Hill. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
- ^ "It Was Warm And Sunny When We First Set Out". In Medias Res. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
- ^ The Vancouver Sun. Postmedia News. Retrieved July 9, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "In Media Res - It Was Warm and Sunny When We First Set Out". Discorder. March 3, 2011. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "In Medias Res shows unflappable spirit on It Was Warm and Sunny When We First Set Out". The Georgia Straight. February 10, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
- ^ Hudson, Alex (June 23, 2011). "Vancouver's In Medias Res Sign to File Under: Music for Latest LP". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ a b deVries, Philip (October 12, 2011). "In Medias Res "Hollis" (video)". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- ^ a b Hughes, Josiah (March 7, 2012). "In Medias Res Announce Canada/U.S. Tour, Drop New Music Video". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
- ^ a b "Variations (drum loops and pedal steel)". BandCamp.com. March 12, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
- ^ Adams, Gregory (February 5, 2013). "In Medias Res "The Center"". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
- Discorder. February 20, 2011. Archived from the originalon September 28, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ Lai, Ben. "No complaints here". Only Magazine. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ Ranta, Alan (July 11, 2011). "Adaline / In Medias Res / Rococode: Biltmore, Vancouver BC November 5". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- ^ "In Medias Res North American Tour '05". Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ Hudson, Alex (July 15, 2011). "In Medias Res Take New LP on Cross-Canada Tour". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- Global Lethbridge. August 2, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- Global BC. August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ Adams, Gregory (November 11, 2011). "In Medias Res Extend North American Tour". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ Hughes, Josiah (December 5, 2011). "In Medias Res Cancel December Tour Due to Family Emergency, Share New Track". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- ^ "Woodsong Arts & Music Festival". Woodsong Arts & Music Festival. Retrieved July 15, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- Sled Island. Archived from the originalon July 5, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.