The Black Maria
Encyclopedia
The Black Maria was a rock band from Toronto
, Canada. After touring and recording actively between 2003–2007, the band has gone into a permanent hiatus.
Band members include vocalist Chris Gray, guitarists Alan Nacinovic and Scott Swain, keyboard and bassist Mike De Eyre, and drummer Theo McKibbon. They signed with Victory Records in 2004 and recorded their debut, "Lead Us To Reason", at Signal To Noise Studios with producer Mike Green.Lead Us to Reason
was released on January 25, 2005. Lead us to Reason did well for an independent release, selling upwards of 50,000 copies and opening the door to tours with several successful bands.
The band has been through some turmoil, losing guitarist Kyle Bishop, ex frontman for Grade
, as well as drummer Derek Petrella, Ex Damn 13 member Mike Charette briefly played with The Black Maria for a handful of tour dates following the departure of Bishop.
They released their new album, A Shared History of Tragedy
, in the US on September 5, 2006. The release date for Canada was pushed back to September 19, 2006. The second album, written and produced with Scott and Theo in the band, sold slightly less than Lead Us To Reason but was received very warmly by critics in contrast to the mixed reviews of its predecessor. CD Artwork was done by Oliver Nacinovic.
The Black Maria was a winner of Yahoo! Music's "Who's Next?" at LAUNCHcast
. Adam Veselisin played drums on the "Who's Next" video. Veselisin was asked to fill in for Derek Petrella for a Zao/Juliana Theory & Rise Against/Alexisonfire tour after he had suffered a broken arm. Petrella soon returned after just four weeks in April 2005.
Each member of the band has a long history of music in their lives before forming the band. The band was named after the notorious vans used by police to transport prisoners in the early 20th century (most often referred to as a paddywagon).
Their first show was in Toronto in 2003
. The band has played with Queens of the Stone Age
, MxPx
, The Distillers
, Goldfinger
, Paramore
, Alexisonfire
, Rise Against
, Silverstein
, The Alkaline Trio, The Lawrence Arms
, Chevelle
, Taproot
, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
and joined Evanescence
on their Canadian tour in January 2007 which also included Stone Sour
.
The band announced in mid-2007 that they would no longer be actively recording or touring. Some of the members remain active with various music projects and music production endeavors.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada. After touring and recording actively between 2003–2007, the band has gone into a permanent hiatus.
History
The Black Maria was formed in 2003, based out of the Greater Toronto Area in Canada.Band members include vocalist Chris Gray, guitarists Alan Nacinovic and Scott Swain, keyboard and bassist Mike De Eyre, and drummer Theo McKibbon. They signed with Victory Records in 2004 and recorded their debut, "Lead Us To Reason", at Signal To Noise Studios with producer Mike Green.Lead Us to Reason
Lead Us To Reason
-Track listing:# The Memento – 3:16# Betrayal – 3:39# Organs – 2:48# Our Commitment's a Sickness – 3:30# The Distance from the Bottom – 3:45# The Lines We Cross – 3:17# Mirrors and Cameras – 3:54# Sirens – 3:05# To Have Loved – 3:49# Ash – 3:19...
was released on January 25, 2005. Lead us to Reason did well for an independent release, selling upwards of 50,000 copies and opening the door to tours with several successful bands.
The band has been through some turmoil, losing guitarist Kyle Bishop, ex frontman for Grade
Grade (band)
Grade was a Canadian hardcore/emo group. Grade's first release was the Grade/Believe split which was released in 1994 on a small Canadian label - Workshop Records. And Such Is Progress followed in 1997 and Separate the Magnets was released in 1998, earning them critical praise and high profile...
, as well as drummer Derek Petrella, Ex Damn 13 member Mike Charette briefly played with The Black Maria for a handful of tour dates following the departure of Bishop.
They released their new album, A Shared History of Tragedy
A Shared History Of Tragedy
A Shared History of Tragedy is the second album from Canadian rock band The Black Maria.-Track listing:# "The Perilous Curse"# "Waking Up with Wolves"# "Nothing Comes Easy But You"# "Van Gogh"# "A Call to Arms"# "Lucid"# "The Concubine"...
, in the US on September 5, 2006. The release date for Canada was pushed back to September 19, 2006. The second album, written and produced with Scott and Theo in the band, sold slightly less than Lead Us To Reason but was received very warmly by critics in contrast to the mixed reviews of its predecessor. CD Artwork was done by Oliver Nacinovic.
The Black Maria was a winner of Yahoo! Music's "Who's Next?" at LAUNCHcast
LAUNCHcast
Yahoo! Music Radio is an Internet radio service offered by CBS Radio through Yahoo! Music. The service, formerly offered by LAUNCH Media, and originally developed by Todd Beaupré and Jeff Boulter, debuted on November 11, 1999, and was purchased by Yahoo! in October, 2001...
. Adam Veselisin played drums on the "Who's Next" video. Veselisin was asked to fill in for Derek Petrella for a Zao/Juliana Theory & Rise Against/Alexisonfire tour after he had suffered a broken arm. Petrella soon returned after just four weeks in April 2005.
Each member of the band has a long history of music in their lives before forming the band. The band was named after the notorious vans used by police to transport prisoners in the early 20th century (most often referred to as a paddywagon).
Their first show was in Toronto in 2003
2003 in music
-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...
. The band has played with Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
, MxPx
MxPx
MxPx is a pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington with connections to the Christian punk scene. The band has recorded eight studio albums, four EPs, four compilation albums, a live album, a VHS tape, a DVD and released 20 singles....
, The Distillers
The Distillers
The Distillers were an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1998. They released their first two albums on Hellcat Records/Epitaph Records before moving to Sire, part of the Warner Music Group. The Distillers were originally formed by Australian-born Brody Armstrong , a woman with a...
, Goldfinger
Goldfinger (band)
Goldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994. Currently, the band is composed of vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann, guitarist Charlie Paulson, bassist Kelly LeMieux, and drummer Darrin Pfeiffer...
, Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
, Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
, Rise Against
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
, Silverstein
Silverstein (band)
Silverstein is a Canadian post-hardcore band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 2000. Their band name is a reference to the famous children's author Shel Silverstein, whom the band had admired and read the stories of as children. They have released a total of five studio albums, three EP's, a...
, The Alkaline Trio, The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. They have released five full-length albums and toured extensively.-Pre-history:...
, Chevelle
Chevelle
Chevelle is an American alternative metal trio that formed in 1995 in Grayslake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The band was originally composed of two brothers and a local friend: Pete Loeffler , Sam Loeffler , and Matt Scott . Matt was later replaced by brother Joe Loeffler...
, Taproot
Taproot (band)
Taproot is a four-piece rock group from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They are most known for their hit single "Poem" , as well as a number of other singles from 2000 to the present.-Pre-formation:...
, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. and currently recording for Matador Records. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured internationally...
and joined Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...
on their Canadian tour in January 2007 which also included Stone Sour
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band from Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2006, the group has been composed of Corey Taylor , Jim Root , Josh Rand, , Shawn Economaki and Roy Mayorga . Original drummer Joel Ekman left the group in 2006...
.
The band announced in mid-2007 that they would no longer be actively recording or touring. Some of the members remain active with various music projects and music production endeavors.
Discography
- Lead Us to ReasonLead Us To Reason-Track listing:# The Memento – 3:16# Betrayal – 3:39# Organs – 2:48# Our Commitment's a Sickness – 3:30# The Distance from the Bottom – 3:45# The Lines We Cross – 3:17# Mirrors and Cameras – 3:54# Sirens – 3:05# To Have Loved – 3:49# Ash – 3:19...
(2005) (Victory RecordsVictory RecordsVictory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
) - A Shared History of TragedyA Shared History Of TragedyA Shared History of Tragedy is the second album from Canadian rock band The Black Maria.-Track listing:# "The Perilous Curse"# "Waking Up with Wolves"# "Nothing Comes Easy But You"# "Van Gogh"# "A Call to Arms"# "Lucid"# "The Concubine"...
(2006) (Victory RecordsVictory RecordsVictory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
)