Sebastien Grainger
Sebastien Grainger | |
---|---|
Grainger in 2011 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Sebastien Grainger |
Born | 11 April 1979 |
Origin | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Rock, dance-punk |
Instruments | Vocals, guitars, synth, piano, drums |
Labels | Ache, Sound Virus, Last Gang, Vice, 679, Saddle Creek, Outside Music, JVC Japan |
Associated acts | The Rhythm Method, Death from Above 1979, Femme Fatale |
Sebastien Alexandre Grainger (born 11 April 1979) from Mississauga, Ontario is a Canadian singer and musician, best known as drummer and singer of the dance-punk duo Death from Above 1979 and the singer and guitarist for his band Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains.[1] He is part owner of Giant Studios in Toronto with Jimmy Shaw of Metric.
Solo work
Sebastien signed with Saddle Creek Records in the USA, Outside Music in Canada and JVC in Japan to release his debut solo album, entitled "Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains", which was released on 21 October 2008. It was recorded between Giant Studio in Toronto and Mountain City Studio in Montreal. Grainger wrote and performed nearly all the parts on the record with the exception of a few songs that were recorded as a full band. He is currently playing shows across North America. When performing live, Grainger is joined by bassist Nick Sewell, drummer Leon Taheny and synthesiser and guitar player Andrew Scott. Together they have toured with Bloc Party, Metric, Hot Hot Heat & Albert Hammond Jr..
In 2009 Sebastien Grainger took part in an interactive documentary series called City Sonic. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had him discuss his past experiences with the El Mocambo.[2]
Other projects
Death from Above 1979
Grainger is best known to the public for having been the singer and drummer in the duo Death from Above 1979, with bassist Jesse F. Keeler. The "1979" on the end of the band's name originated from Grainger's birth year, which he has tattooed on his forearm. Death from Above 1979 broke up in 2006, citing personal and artistic differences. However, on 5 February 2011, Grainger officially announced that the band was reforming, and have been playing shows in North America, and also Australia, as part of the Stereosinic Dance Music Festival.
The Rhythm Method
The Rhythm Method is Grainger's dance/computer music alias. He has released one double a-side 7" in the UK for the songs "Renegade Silence/When You Go Out" available from 50 Bones Records. An alternate mix of "Renegade Silence" will be available on Grainger's LP "Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains" labeled as "featuring The Rhythm Method".
Girl on Girl
Grainger has released remixes for Death from Above 1979's "Black History Month" and Metric's "Poster of a Girl" under the alias "Girl on Girl", a collaboration with The Mountains' Leon Taheny. Earlier similar electronic works were once available, under the aliases "The Great White Hype" and "Synsonic Pro-Model", through a dedicated Myspace page, that has since vanished.
Bad †i†s
An electronica band consisting of Grainger with Josh Reichmann formed in 2010. It has so far seen the release of Garbage Night EP/7" (Hand Drawn Dracula) and the playing of a few shows.[3]
Collaborations and contributions
- Grainger's voice was featured in the Does It Offend You, Yeah? song "Let's Make Out".
- He contributed drums to the track "Sunday Morning" by Canadian hip-hop artist k-os. He appears in the song's music video as a homeless man who is recruited as a drummer.
- He has collaborated with rising French electronica artist DatA. Their first single together, "Rapture", is available now. Other collaborations will follow on DatA's debut full-length release, including "One in a Million" on 28 April 2009.
- Grainger played drums both live and on one record for Keeler's pre-Death From Above 1979 solo project Femme Fatale.
- He contributed backing vocals to "Twice Born", a song on The Chemistry of Common Life, Toronto hardcore punk band Fucked Up's 2008 LP.
- He collaborated with Canadian rapper k-os on the song "BlackWater" off his mixtape The Anchorman Mixtape.
- He provided vocals for the song "Water in Hell" by the Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene on their album Forgiveness Rock Record.
- In 2011, he participated in the National Parks Project, collaborating with musicians Jennifer Castle and Dan Werb, and filmmaker Catherine Martin, to produce and score a short documentary film about Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve in Quebec.
- Grainger collaborated with artist Zowie on the track "Love or Hate (Zowie VS Sebastien Grainger)".[4]
- Grainger also produced two of the tracks on fellow Canadian band Nightbox's debut EP.
- Grainger's voice sample is used in "Untrust Us" by Crystal Castles.
- He provided vocals on the song "H.U.N.T." by Felix Cartal.
Discography
Solo
- 2008 American Names (Digital EP/7" Vinyl)
- 2008 Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains (LP)
- 2008 DatA feat. Sebastien Grainger - Rapture (EP)
- 2009 DatA feat. Sebastien Grainger - One in a Million (EP)
- 2013 Going With You (EP)
- 2013 Yours To Discover (LP)
The Rhythm Method
- 2008 Renegade Silence/When You Go Out (7" vinyl double A-side)
- 2009 Finish Me Off (EP)
Death from Above 1979
- 2002 Heads Up (EP)
- 2004 Romantic Rights EP (EP)
- 2004 You're a Woman, I'm a Machine (LP)
- 2005 Romance Bloody Romance: Remixes & B-Sides (LP)
- 2014 The Physical World (LP)
References
- ↑ Hughes, Josiah."Sebastien Grainger Moves Mountains", Exclaim!, November 2008.
- ↑ "Watch Sebastien Grainger at the El Mocambo Video | City Sonic Films | Toronto Music Mobile Video". Citysonic.tv. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
- ↑ "Bad †i†s". Facebook. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
- ↑ https://soundcloud.com/zowiemusic/zowie-love-or-hate-mastered