Treble Charger | |
---|---|
Origin | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Indie rock, pop punk |
Years active | 1992 2012 –present | –2006
Labels | ViK Nettwerk RCA Sonic Unyon Smokin' Worm |
Members | Greig Nori Bill Priddle Richard Mulligan Rosie Martin |
Past members | Morris Palter Trevor MacGregor |
Treble Charger is a Canadian rock band formed in 1992 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Greig Nori, vocalist and guitarist Bill Priddle, bassist Rosie Martin and drummer Richard Mulligan. They began with a melodic indie rock style but evolved into more of a pop punk band after signing to a major label in 1997. They disbanded in 2006 and reunited in 2012. Between 1996 and 2016, Treble Charger was among the Top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada. [1]
Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the band consisted of Nori, Priddle, Rosie Martin and Morris Palter and was named NC-17 (after the movie rating) until 1994 when an American band with the same name threatened to sue. They adopted the name Treble Charger, but named their debut album NC17 . NC17 was released independently at first by Smokin' Worm in 1994, [2] but it was a hit on campus radio, MuchMusic, and CFNY when it was re-released by Sonic Unyon Records in 1997. [3]
In 1995, the band released Self Title , which included a CD-ROM track promoting 30 of Treble Charger's favourite Canadian indie bands, including The Inbreds, Change of Heart, By Divine Right, Hayden and Thrush Hermit.
In 1996, Treble Charger signed with RCA Records in the United States.
1997's Maybe It's Me was the band's major label debut. Palter recorded drums for only a few tracks, and, after Nori considered recording the rest of the drums himself, session drummer Mike Levesque stepped in. The album featured a more polished, commercial sound than the band's earlier albums, and launched the hit "Friend of Mine". Soon afterward, Trevor MacGregor joined as the band's drummer. That lineup, along with several of their songs from this album, were also featured in the 1999 film Mr. Music. The band played the role of an 'undiscovered' indie band that gets discovered and helps to turn fictional Tone Records around from its slump. Wide Awake Bored , released in 2000, completed the band's evolution to a pop-punk style. This album also featured the hit singles "American Psycho" and "Brand New Low". [4]
In 2001, Treble Charger performed at the Snow Jam festival in Halifax. [5] In 2002, the band released Detox , featuring hit single "Hundred Million" and "Don't Believe It All".
Priddle, identified with Treble Charger's early indie rock direction rather than the later pop-punk, left the band in 2003. Initially, it was said he was taking a break from the group, [6] but it later came out the departure was permanent, and Nori had asked him to leave sooner than Priddle had intended. [7]
Kelly Osbourne guitarist Devin Bronson filled in for Priddle for the rest of the Detox tour. Priddle continued his collaborations with Broken Social Scene and is a member of his new band The Priddle Concern.
By this time, their work with and the success of their proteges Sum 41, whom Nori produced, had started to eclipse Treble Charger's own career. In late 2004, it was reported that Treble Charger itself was on hiatus, but an animated version of the group, including Priddle, would appear, with Sum 41, on The Comedy Network series Kevin Spencer . [8]
However, a message posted on July 20, 2004, on their official website said they were continuing to record and the band was still together. But on September 1, 2005, Nori said in an interview:
The hits "American Psycho" and "Brand New Low" were featured in EA Sports Hockey game NHL 2002 and "Hundred Million" was used in NHL 2003 and in Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild. EA also used "Wear Me Down" and "Business" from the Wide Awake Bored album in Triple Play 2002. "American Psycho" was used in promotional advertisements for the direct-to-video movie American Pie: Band Camp and featured in the movie Dude, Where's My Car?
On February 3, 2006, Nori disbanded Treble Charger, ending their 14-year career.
Nori has stopped managing Canadian band Sum 41, although he now manages other bands. He is currently a "musical guru" for the Canadian reality show disBAND (since renamed Much Discovered) on MuchMusic. Priddle pursues a solo career in Toronto, and released a solo album in 2008 with his new band The Priddle Concern. MacGregor currently writes music for TV and film. Palter went on to pursue degrees in contemporary percussion performance and continues to perform solo and chamber music of contemporary composers all over the world.
Treble Charger was one of the inaugural inductees into the Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame on September 30, 2006, during the grand opening weekend of the Steelback Centre, the city's new sports and entertainment arena.
Nori produced Organ Thieves' first full-length studio album Somewhere Between Free Men and Slaves , which was recorded between 2010–2012 and released on April 3, 2012.
On January 15, 2012, a Twitter account was opened for the band, with the opening tweet saying "Wow - it's been a while. Might be time to knock the dust off...", which led to speculations about the band reuniting, also following Nori's tweet "Thinking I should probably call Bill, and maybe pick up some new guitar strings, hmmmm." [9] On January 20, 2012, it was confirmed that the band will reunite (without Martin and MacGregor) and has announced plans to play a reunion show at The Indie Awards in Toronto as part of Canadian Music Week. [10] Another show was confirmed for March 21, 2012 in Toronto, with the band playing alongside Organ Thieves. The band played three more Canadian festival shows, in June, July and November. [11]
In 2013, the band played one headlining show on July 12, in Windsor, Ontario, with support from The Trews and Neverending White Lights.
Nori and Priddle entered the studio to record new music in September 2014. [12] During a 2018 headlining of the Rotaryfest, the band mentioned the possibility of a new album. [13]
The band will hold a VIP fundraiser on March 7, 2024, to raise money for the Algoma University music program.
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
---|---|---|---|
CAN [14] [15] | |||
NC17 |
| — | |
Self Title |
| — | |
Maybe It's Me |
| 77 | |
Wide Awake Bored |
| 9 | |
Detox |
| 10 | |
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CAN [17] | CAN Alt. [18] | US Alt. [19] | |||
1994 | "Red" | — | — | — | NC17 |
"10th Grade Love" | — | — | — | ||
1995 | "Even Grable" | — | 6 | — | Self Title |
1996 | "Morale" | 41 | 16 | — | |
"Sick Friend Called" | — | — | — | ||
1997 | "Friend of Mine" | 41 | 9 | — | Maybe It's Me |
"How She Died" | — | 19 | — | ||
"Red (re-recorded)" | — | 20 | 48 | ||
1998 | "Ever She Flows" | — | — | — | |
2000 | "American Psycho" | — | 4 | — | Wide Awake Bored |
2001 | "Brand New Low" | — | × | — | |
"Business" | — | × | — | ||
2002 | "Hundred Million" | — | × | 49 | Detox |
"Don't Believe It All" | — | × | — | ||
2003 | "Ideal Waste of Time" | — | × | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. "×" denotes periods where charts did not exist or were not archived. |
Change of Heart was a Canadian alternative rock band, active from 1982 to 1997. They had one Top 40 hit, "There You Go" in 1992, as well as several hits on Canada's modern rock charts, including "Trigger" and "Little Kingdoms".
Wide Awake Bored is Treble Charger's fourth album, released on April 24, 2001 in the United States. "American Psycho", "Brand New Low", and "Business" had their music videos, and some notable radio airplay.
Maybe It's Me is Treble Charger's third album, released in 1997. The album featured three hit singles: "Friend of Mine", "How She Died" and a re-recorded version of "Red".
Detox is Treble Charger's fifth studio album, released in August 2002. The album was certified Gold in Canada. Detox was also nominated for "Rock Album of the Year" at the 2003 Juno Awards.
Self Title is Treble Charger's EP originally released in February 1995. It was re-released by RCA on November 26, 1996, and BMG in 1997. The album was nominated for "Best Alternative Album" at the 1997 Juno Awards.
NC17 is the debut album by Treble Charger released on July 4, 1994. It was re-released by Sonic Unyon in 1997. "Red" from this album was also re-recorded for Maybe It's Me. The album is named after the band's original name, before they changed it due to copyright issues with an American band having the same name.
Greig Andrew Nori is a Canadian producer and musician from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and is well known as the frontman, co-lead vocalist and guitarist of the pop punk band Treble Charger. In the late 1990s, he began working as a producer with Sum 41 and was their in-house producer and manager until 2004. In 2007, Greig went back to the studio to produce for the pop punk bands Cauterize and Hedley, for their albums Disguises and Famous Last Words, respectively.
Tristan Psionic was a Canadian indie rock band. The band members also founded the music label Sonic Unyon.
Bill Priddle is a Canadian indie rock musician, currently working as co-lead vocalist and guitarist in the band Treble Charger. He has also been a member of Broken Social Scene, Don Vail and The Priddle Concern.
Chore were a Canadian post-hardcore band from Dunnville, Ontario.
"Hundred Million" is a song by Canadian rock band Treble Charger. It was released as the lead single from the band's fourth album, Detox. The song features backing vocals by Deryck Whibley and percussion by Steve Jocz, both from Sum 41. The song received a CASBY Award for "Favourite New Single" in 2002. The song peaked at No. 49 on the Radio & Records Alternative chart in 2003.
Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School was a high school located on Wellington St. in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Adjacent to Algoma University, with Anna McCrea Elementary School in between them, this school was founded in 1957 and named after the late Canadian financier and industrialist, James Hamet Dunn. Sir James Dunn and Anna McCrea schools were created on the lands of the former Shingwauk Indian Residential School, during a period of Indigenous educational integration.
Morris Palter is a Canadian drummer/percussionist who specializes in contemporary/classical chamber and solo percussion music. He also plays novelty ragtime xylophone and drum kit, and is also a composer, and university professor who was a founding member of the band Treble Charger.
Trevor MacGregor is a Canadian musician, best known as the last and longest-standing drummer in the punk band Treble Charger. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario and composes music for film and television.
The Priddle Concern is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario by Bill Priddle.
The Priddle Concern is the debut solo album by The Priddle Concern, a project of former Treble Charger guitarist and songwriter Bill Priddle.
Don Vail is a Canadian indie rock band, formed by Mitch Bowden and David Dunham, formerly of the band Chore, and Bill Priddle, formerly of Treble Charger and Broken Social Scene.
Organ Thieves is a southern and soul-influenced experimental hard rock side project by Brown Brigade guitarists Chuck Coles and Dave Baksh, formed by Coles in mid-2008. It has since become their main project.
Somewhere Between Free Men and Slaves is the first full-length studio album by Canadian hard rock band Organ Thieves, released on April 24, 2012, through MapleMusic Recordings, through the Canada iTunes service, later followed by a physical CD release on May 8, 2012.
"Red" is a song by Canadian rock band Treble Charger. The song was originally released on their 1994 album, nc17, and was released as a single. The song was nominated for "Favourite New Song" at the 1995 CASBY Awards. In 1996, the song placed at number eight on the greatest Canadian songs of all time poll by music magazine Chart. In 1997, the song was re-recorded and re-released as the third and final single from their album Maybe It's Me.
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