The Inbreds
Encyclopedia
The Inbreds were a Canadian
indie rock
band formed in 1992. Originally from Kingston
, Ontario
, Canada
the band relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1996. Three of the four albums released during the band's existence reached number one on the Canadian national university charts, and the band received two Juno
nominations. The band was prominent in Canadian indie rock circles throughout the 1990s and were known for their unique, minimalist bass and drums approach, and their upbeat and distinctive Beatlesesque pop and catchy melodies and harmonies.
and drummer Dave Ullrich
, and were renowned in Canadian indie rock circles in the 1990s for their unique, bass and drums sound. A few Inbreds' studio recordings did feature guitars, piano, horns, and other instruments, which were played by O'Neill or guest musicians such as Matt Murphy
.
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, where O'Neill and Ullrich met while attending Queen's University
. They subsequently released cassettes of their own music on drummer Dave Ullrich's PF (Proboscis Funkstone) Records. The band soon gained a small but very loyal following.
Their 1993 debut LP, Hilario, consisted of previously released material compiled from the band’s self-released Darn Foul Dog, Let's Get Together, and Egrog cassettes. The album brought the Inbreds to the attention of up and coming Toronto
band the Rheostatics
, who brought the band on tour with them. The Inbreds would later reach larger audiences while touring Canada, the US, and Europe
with more established rock acts of the day such as the Tragically Hip and Buffalo Tom
.
The band’s second album Kombinator, was released in 1994 and was produced by Rheostatics' drummer Dave Clark
. The album received heavy college radio airplay and a MuchMusic
Best Alternative Video nomination for the single Any Sense of Time.
In 1996, the band signed with major label TAG Records, a division of Atlantic Records
, and took advantage of the major-label budget to experiment with their sound. Their third album, It's Sydney or the Bush, was produced by 4AD
’s Lincoln Fong and presented a more traditional rock sound which expanded from their traditional bass and drums approach. Shortly after the release, the TAG Records label folded. The band carried on, capturing nominations for Best Alternative Band from the East Coast Music Awards and Best Alternative Album from the Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the American
Grammy Awards.
Around this time the band appeared on the bill of the Tragically Hip’s Another Roadside Attraction
summer festival tour of Canada. Also on the bill for several shows were Foo Fighters
. Foo Fighters' singer Dave Grohl
became a fan of the Inbreds’ music and was regularly observed listening to their sets from the side of the stage.
Winning Hearts, the band's fourth and final album, was released in 1998 on Sloan
's Murderecords
. With its return to the simple, bass and drums style of their earlier albums, Winning Hearts held the number one spot on Chart Magazine
's survey of Canadian Campus Radio for two consecutive months. After several months of touring and promotions behind Winning Hearts, O'Neill and Ullrich unexpectedly decided to retire the band, playing their final show on July 4, 1998, at a CFNY event in Toronto
.
s containing rare and unreleased Inbreds' material were subsequently released on Ullrich's independent label Zunior.
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
. 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. Also, "Any Sense of Time" was featured in the season 6 finale of the show.
The band reunited in 2008, playing at the Herohill Hearts Music showcase in October of that year. On October 22, 2008, O'Neill and Ullrich also played a one-off Inbreds reunion show in Halifax as part of the 2008 Halifax Pop Explosion
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band formed in 1992. Originally from Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
the band relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1996. Three of the four albums released during the band's existence reached number one on the Canadian national university charts, and the band received two Juno
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
nominations. The band was prominent in Canadian indie rock circles throughout the 1990s and were known for their unique, minimalist bass and drums approach, and their upbeat and distinctive Beatlesesque pop and catchy melodies and harmonies.
History
The Inbreds consisted of singer/songwriter/bassist Mike O'NeillMike O'Neill (musician)
Mike O'Neill is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He is originally from Oshawa, Ontario, but has been based in Halifax, Nova Scotia since 1996.-Bio:O'Neill was a founding member of Canadian indie-rock band The Inbreds along with drummer Dave Ullrich in the 1990s...
and drummer Dave Ullrich
Dave Ullrich
Dave Ullrich is a Canadian musician and entrepreneur.He was the drummer of the band The Inbreds in the 1990s. Following the band's breakup, he formed the independent record label Zunior Records, Canada's first online-only label. "Zunior" is Ullrich's childhood nickname.In 2005, Ullrich started a...
, and were renowned in Canadian indie rock circles in the 1990s for their unique, bass and drums sound. A few Inbreds' studio recordings did feature guitars, piano, horns, and other instruments, which were played by O'Neill or guest musicians such as Matt Murphy
Matt Murphy (Canadian musician)
Matt Murphy is a Canadian musician and actor. He is perhaps best known as the vocalist and guitarist of 1990s band The Super Friendz.-Music career:...
.
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
Halifax Pop Explosion
The Halifax Pop Explosion is a music festival that takes place every fall, two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada.-History:...
), the Inbreds were actually formed in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
in 1992, where O'Neill and Ullrich met while attending Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
. They subsequently released cassettes of their own music on drummer Dave Ullrich's PF (Proboscis Funkstone) Records. The band soon gained a small but very loyal following.
Their 1993 debut LP, Hilario, consisted of previously released material compiled from the band’s self-released Darn Foul Dog, Let's Get Together, and Egrog cassettes. The album brought the Inbreds to the attention of up and coming Toronto
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...
band the Rheostatics
Rheostatics
Rheostatics was a Genie Award-winning Canadian indie rock band, active from 1980 to 2007.Although they had only one Top 40 hit, "Claire" in 1995, they were simultaneously one of Canada's most influential and unconventional rock bands, a band whose eclectic take on pop and rock music has been...
, who brought the band on tour with them. The Inbreds would later reach larger audiences while touring Canada, the US, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with more established rock acts of the day such as the Tragically Hip and Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom is an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Springfield and the first name of the drummer.-Career:Dinosaur Jr...
.
The band’s second album Kombinator, was released in 1994 and was produced by Rheostatics' drummer Dave Clark
Dave Clark (Canadian musician)
-Biography:Clark is a respected studio musician and live performer, and has collaborated with such artists as Charles Spearin, Gord Downie, The Inbreds, Jane Siberry, Julie Doiron, and the Sun Ra Arkestra. He is perhaps best known for playing drums in the indie rock band Rheostatics from 1980–1995...
. The album received heavy college radio airplay and a MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
Best Alternative Video nomination for the single Any Sense of Time.
In 1996, the band signed with major label TAG Records, a division of Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, and took advantage of the major-label budget to experiment with their sound. Their third album, It's Sydney or the Bush, was produced by 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
’s Lincoln Fong and presented a more traditional rock sound which expanded from their traditional bass and drums approach. Shortly after the release, the TAG Records label folded. The band carried on, capturing nominations for Best Alternative Band from the East Coast Music Awards and Best Alternative Album from the Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Grammy Awards.
Around this time the band appeared on the bill of the Tragically Hip’s Another Roadside Attraction
Another Roadside Attraction (festival)
Another Roadside Attraction is a now-defunct travelling music-and-arts summer festival developed by The Tragically Hip, the first of which took place in 1993. It promoted little-known bands and traveled all across Canada...
summer festival tour of Canada. Also on the bill for several shows were Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
. Foo Fighters' singer Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
became a fan of the Inbreds’ music and was regularly observed listening to their sets from the side of the stage.
Winning Hearts, the band's fourth and final album, was released in 1998 on Sloan
Sloan (band)
Sloan is a Toronto-based alternative rock quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Throughout their 20-year tenure Sloan has released 10 LPs , two EPs, a live album, a "best of" collection and no less than thirty singles...
's Murderecords
Murderecords
Murderecords is an independent record label that releases the music of the Canadian rock band Sloan. Originally formed in 1992 to produce just the records of that band, it later released work of other bands including Eric's Trip, The Hardship Post, Al Tuck, Stinkin' Rich, Hip Club Groove, The...
. With its return to the simple, bass and drums style of their earlier albums, Winning Hearts held the number one spot on Chart Magazine
Chart (magazine)
ChartAttack is a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine called Chart, which was published from 1991 to 2009, the web version continues operation....
's survey of Canadian Campus Radio for two consecutive months. After several months of touring and promotions behind Winning Hearts, O'Neill and Ullrich unexpectedly decided to retire the band, playing their final show on July 4, 1998, at a CFNY event in Toronto
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...
.
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 Egger. Several CDCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
s containing rare and unreleased Inbreds' material were subsequently released on Ullrich's independent label Zunior.
In 2007, Ullrich and O'Neill reformed the band to record a version of "Dope Fiends and Booze Hounds" for the Rheostatics
Rheostatics
Rheostatics was a Genie Award-winning Canadian indie rock band, active from 1980 to 2007.Although they had only one Top 40 hit, "Claire" in 1995, they were simultaneously one of Canada's most influential and unconventional rock bands, a band whose eclectic take on pop and rock music has been...
' tribute album The Secret Sessions
The Secret Sessions
The Secret Sessions is a tribute album to Canadian indie rock band Rheostatics, released March 16, 2007 through the web label Zunior. The album was released to coincide with the band's farewell show scheduled for March 30, and features Canadian indie rock artists performing Rheostatics songs...
. O'Neill went on to play the character "Thomas Collins" in the seventh season of Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television show Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian comedy mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The...
and still resides in Halifax. Also, "Any Sense of Time" was featured in the season 6 finale of the show.
The band reunited in 2008, playing at the Herohill Hearts Music showcase in October of that year. On October 22, 2008, O'Neill and Ullrich also played a one-off Inbreds reunion show in Halifax as part of the 2008 Halifax Pop Explosion
Halifax Pop Explosion
The Halifax Pop Explosion is a music festival that takes place every fall, two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada.-History:...
.
Studio Albums
- 1993: Hilario
- 1994: Kombinator
- 1996: It's Sydney or the Bush
- 1996: Double Yolk - (Sappy RecordsSappy RecordsSappy Records is an independent record label based in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, started by Julie Doiron in 1990 in order to release her own cassette....
) - 1998: Winning Hearts
- 2004: Home Movies (DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
) - 2004: The Kombinator Demos
- 2004: B-Sides
See also
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- Canadian rockCanadian rockCanadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
- List of Canadian musicians
- List of bands from Canada
- :Category:Canadian musical groups
External links
- The Inbreds official website
- The Inbreds on CBC Radio 3
- Inbreds' Drummer Dave Ullrich Addresses The Record Buying Public Dave Ullrich Interview