The Inbreds
The Inbreds | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Alternative rock |
Years active | 1992–1998, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012 |
Labels | |
Members | Mike O'Neill Dave Ullrich |
Website | inbreds |
The Inbreds were a Canadian
Three of the four albums released during the band's existence reached number one on the Canadian national
History
The Inbreds consisted of singer/songwriter/bassist Mike O'Neill and drummer Dave Ullrich,[1] and were renowned for their unique bass and drums sound;[1] unlike conventional bass guitar technique, O'Neill actually played full chords on the instrument,[2] punctuated with single notes that allowed the bass line to sound as though two distinct instruments were being played at once.[4] A few of the band's songs, particularly on their third album It's Sydney or the Bush, did feature guitars, piano, horns, and other instruments, which were played by O'Neill or guest musicians such as Matt Murphy, Matt Kelly,[5] Mick Ball and Nick Bowers-Broadbent.[6]
Though perhaps most often associated with the 1990s Canadian East Coast alternative rock scene (often referred to at the time as the Halifax Pop Explosion), the Inbreds were actually formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1992,[1] where O'Neill and Ullrich, childhood friends originally from Oshawa,[7] were attending Queen's University.[8] They subsequently released cassettes of their own music on Ullrich's PF (Proboscis Funkstone) Records.[9] The band soon gained a small but loyal following.
Their 1993 debut LP,
The band's second album
Around this time the band became the object of a bidding war between Sub Pop and TAG Recordings.[10] Because their friends in the bands Jale and The Hardship Post, who were both signed to Sub Pop, were reporting that their relationships with the label were souring, The Inbreds chose to sign with TAG.[10] O'Neill also said the duo wouldn't sign to Sub Pop because the label wanted the duo to add a guitarist to the band. That label rereleased Kombinator in the United States,[15] and brought them on a tour.[16]
Their third album,
After several months of touring and promotions behind Winning Hearts, O'Neill and Ullrich unexpectedly decided to retire the band, playing their final show in summer 1998.[21]
Post-breakup
O'Neill and Ullrich have both released material since the breakup of the Inbreds, O'Neill as a solo artist and Ullrich with the band
In 2007, Ullrich and O'Neill reformed the band to record a version of "Dope Fiends and Booze Hounds" for the Rheostatics tribute album The Secret Sessions, their first new recording since their 1998 breakup. O'Neill went on to play the character Thomas Collins in the seventh season of Canadian television show Trailer Park Boys and still resides in Halifax. In the same year, Wanna Be Your Friend: A Tribute to the Inbreds was also released, featuring covers of Inbreds songs by artists including Chris Murphy, In-Flight Safety, The Superfantastics, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees and Ruth Minnikin.[24] The album also featured three bonus tracks of the Inbreds themselves performing covers, including "Dope Fiends and Booze Hounds" alongside The Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" and The Super Friendz' "Down in Flames".[24]
The Inbreds have reunited several times in recent years for live performances, playing at the Herohill Hearts Music showcase in October 2008, as well as taking part in the 2008
They performed another reunion show at Toronto's Gladstone Hotel on September 29, 2016, to promote vinyl reissues of their albums Kombinator, It's Sydney or the Bush and Winning Hearts on Label Obscura.[26]
Discography
Studio albums
- 1993: Hilario
- 1994: Kombinator
- 1996: It's Sydney or the Bush
- 1998: Winning Hearts
- 2004: The Kombinator Demos
- 2004: B-Sides
EPs
- 1992: Let's Get Together
- 1992: Darn Foul Dog
- 1993: Egrog
- 1993: Split (with the Shermans)
- 1996: Double Yolk
Live albums
- 2004: 1997 Live in Calgary
Singles
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Amelia Earhart (Navigator)" | 1994 | Kombinator |
"You Will Know" | 1995 | |
"Any Sense of Time" | ||
"North Window" | 1996 | It's Sydney Or The Bush |
"Moustache" | 1997 | Winning Hearts |
"Yelverton Hill" |
DVD
- 2004: Home Movies
See also
- Music of Canada
- Canadian rock
- List of Canadian musicians
- List of bands from Canada
- Category:Canadian musical groups
References
- ^ a b c d "Kingston's Inbreds don't need guitars". Toronto Star, July 8, 1993.
- ^ a b c d "The Inbreds didn't expect to find success: But innovative Juno-nominated duo is making some big waves". Calgary Herald, March 7, 1996.
- ^ "Reinventing the rhythm section: Inbreds carve a new path with bass, drums...and nothing else". Toronto Star, January 25, 1996.
- ^ a b "Simple, memorable songs; The Inbreds torment in style". Edmonton Journal, February 7, 1998.
- ^ "And then there were three ...; Bass-and-drums duo The Inbreds adds a guitarist to its alternative-rock mix". Edmonton Journal, November 7, 1996.
- Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, February 13, 1997.
- ^ "Their approach to music sets Inbreds apart". Windsor Star, October 31, 1996.
- Kingston Whig-Standard, July 8, 1993.
- ^ Kingston Whig-Standard, March 2, 1995.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-55022-992-9. p. 73-74.
- ^ "Inbreds tackle hot rock with intuitive licks". Toronto Star, November 17, 1994.
- Halifax Daily News, August 16, 1996.
- ^ "Tragically Hip to tour Canada". The Globe and Mail, May 6, 1995.
- ^ "Juno nominees reflect success of female singers". The Globe and Mail, February 1, 1996.
- ^ "Kingston duo's charm hard to deny". Vancouver Sun, August 17, 1995.
- ^ "Surprise! Inbreds find another opportunity: Kingston band now looks south". The Province, August 17, 1995.
- ^ "Inbreds' North Window a sweet visual". Ottawa Citizen, November 16, 1996.
- ^ "Major Juno nominees". Toronto Star, January 30, 1997.
- Halifax Daily News, April 25, 1997.
- ^ "Tight schedule for Edgefest". Ottawa Citizen, June 27, 1998.
- ^ "‘I’ll always be writing music’". Queens University Journal, July 30, 2012. Mark Louie
- ^ "The Inbreds at Santa Cruz". blogTO. March 13, 2005. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ^ Ben Rayner, "Duo discovers that Inbreds in the bone". Toronto Star, March 10, 2005.
- ^ a b "Inbreds Tribute Album Features Sloanies And Halifax Scenesters". Chart Attack, August 8, 2007.
- ^ "The Inbreds: Lee's Palace, Toronto ON March 24". Exclaim!. March 25, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ^ "The Inbreds Launch Vinyl Reissue Series, Reunite for Toronto Show". Exclaim!, June 21, 2016.
External links
- The Inbreds official website