The Watchmen is a
CanadianCanada 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...
rock band. They were one of the most commercially successful Canadian
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
groups of the mid to late 1990s. During their peak years the band had three gold records (
McLaren Furnace RoomMcLaren Furnace Room is the first major label album by Canadian band, The Watchmen. Originally released by SUMO Productions in Canada in 1992 , the release impressed MCA Records Canada who signed the band and released the album in 1993 on a much wider scale...
,
Silent RadarSilent Radar is the fourth studio album by The Watchmen. The album contained numerous hits including "Stereo", "Any Day Now", and "Say Something"...
, and
SlomotionSlomotion is the fifth studio album by The Watchmen. The album was released as 2 CD set where the second CD was a greatest hits package. This was the band’s last studio album.-Background:...
) and one platinum record (
In The TreesIn The Trees is the second studio album by The Watchmen. With hits "Lusitana", "Boneyard Tree" and "All Uncovered", this was the band's breakthrough release in their home country of Canada...
). In addition, they have toured Canada numerous times, were the opening act for
The Tragically HipThe Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
, and co-headlined a national tour with
Big WreckBig Wreck is a rock band formed by Ian Thornley in 1994. They disbanded in 2002 and Ian Thornley went onto a successful solo career with his own band Thornley. In 2010, Ian Thornley and Brian Doherty reunited for a cross-Canada tour, playing both Big Wreck and Thornley songs. Doherty then...
.
History
The group was formed in 1988 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by vocalist Daniel Greaves, guitarist
Joey SerlinJoey Serlin is a Canadian rock guitarist and songwriter.He was a member of The Watchmen, a Canadian alternative rock bands active in the 1990s...
, bassist Pete Loewen and Greaves' first cousin, drummer Sammy Kohn. Serlin was a comic fan and named the group after the
1986-87 DC comic book series WatchmenWatchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
.
The band toured Canada extensively and became a popular live act, largely on the strength of its energetic shows, which invariably featured an
a cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
performance by Greaves at some point in the set. Greaves often covered songs by
Billy BraggStephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
,
Simon and GarfunkelSimon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
,
Lyle LovettLyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
,
The La'sThe La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from the mid-1980s to early 1990s. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group is most famous for their hit single "There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Badger in 1984 and Mavers joined soon after...
,
Tom WaitsThomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
and others during these solo spots, and fans came to look forward to them as a highlight of each show. On rare occasions, Greaves performed more than one a cappella song in a set: at one 1998 performance broadcast live on radio, Greaves entertained the in-person audience during commercial breaks by singing Nicaraguan folk songs in addition to performing Billy Bragg's "Between The Wars."
The band was discovered by producer
Chris WardmanChris Wardman is a Canadian music producer, musician and songwriter. Wardman was a founding member of Blue Peter, and was their lead guitarist and main contributing songwriter. Wardman was also a member of Breeding Ground in the late 1980s. Wardman has been actively producing albums for many...
while playing at Toronto's
Horseshoe TavernThe Horseshoe Tavern is a concert venue located at 370 Queen Street West in downtown Toronto, and has been in operation since 1947. Owned by "JC", Ken Sprackman, Craig Laskey and Naomi Montpetit, the venue is a significant part of Canadian musical lore...
. Wardman offered to produce the band, and they released their debut album,
McLaren Furnace RoomMcLaren Furnace Room is the first major label album by Canadian band, The Watchmen. Originally released by SUMO Productions in Canada in 1992 , the release impressed MCA Records Canada who signed the band and released the album in 1993 on a much wider scale...
, in 1992. (The album was named for one of the band's rehearsal spaces, the furnace room of the McLaren Hotel in Winnipeg.) The album was released by Wardman's Sumo Productions and distributed by MCA records. The single "Cracked" garnered the band significant airplay on rock stations, but was quickly eclipsed by the anti-spousal abuse anthem "Run and Hide", which became the band's breakthrough hit.
In 1993, Loewen left the band amicably to spend more time with his family. At the urging of Watchmen manager
Jake GoldJake Gold is an American-born Canadian musician manager. He was a judge on the Canadian Idol television program. In addition to Idol participants, he has managed popular Canadian artists like The Tragically Hip and The Watchmen. His management company, The Management Trust, currently works with a...
, Newfoundlander
Ken TizzardKen Tizzard is a Canadian rock bassist.He was a member of The Watchmen, one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands of the 1990s. Following that band's breakup in late 2003, he spent time with Thornley, who released their debut album in 2004...
auditioned and replaced Loewen as the group's new bassist. Members of the Watchmen have commented that Tizzard's recruitment sparked a change in band dynamics and songwriting: before Tizzard joined the group, most the songs were written by Serlin alone; afterwards, the majority of songs were group compositions, with Serlin and Greaves sharing lyric-writing duties.
In October 1993, the band won the annual Discovery To Disc contest held by Toronto's
CFNY-FMCFNY-FM, promoted under the branding 102.1 The Edge, is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.1 FM. The station rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s due to its freestyle DJing format and unique choice to play alternative music...
radio station (better known as 102.1 The Edge). The contest, which aimed to support new Canadian alternative rock artists, awarded the group $100,000 to go towards recording expenses.
The band's second album,
In The TreesIn The Trees is the second studio album by The Watchmen. With hits "Lusitana", "Boneyard Tree" and "All Uncovered", this was the band's breakthrough release in their home country of Canada...
, was released on MCA records in July 1994. The record was a major success, confirming the band's place in Canadian rock with the hit singles "Boneyard Tree", "All Uncovered" and "Lusitana". The album was certified Platinum in Canada after selling over 100,000 copies.
Their 1996 album
Brand New DayBrand New Day is the third studio album by The Watchmen. It was released in March 1996. Although the song "Incarnate" was a moderate hit, this album was the least popular of the band's studio albums...
was not as well-received by critics or audiences -- "Zoom", "Incarnate" and "Shut Up" were moderately successful singles, but none achieved the kind of success that the band's earlier singles had. Nevertheless, the band launched an extensive tour of Canada and Europe which lasted into 1997.
Following this album, the band left MCA records and was signed to
EMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. 1998's
Silent RadarSilent Radar is the fourth studio album by The Watchmen. The album contained numerous hits including "Stereo", "Any Day Now", and "Say Something"...
was the band's return to commercial success, with the hit singles "
Stereo"Stereo" is the first single by Canadian band The Watchmen from their fourth studio album, Silent Radar. The song was very successful in Canada, peaking at #5 on Canada's Alternative rock chart. The song's music video received much airplay on MuchMusic....
", "
Any Day Now"Any Day Now" is the second single by Canadian band The Watchmen from their fourth studio album, Silent Radar.In 2011, the song was featured in the opening montage of Hockey Night in Canada in the first game in Winnipeg of the returning Winnipeg Jets....
", "Brighter Hell" and "Say Something". The album was produced by
Adam KasperAdam Kasper is a Seattle area record producer and engineer, working with such bands as Cat Power, Pond, Seaweed, The Tragically Hip, Truly, Mudhoney, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, R.E.M., Soundgarden and Pearl Jam...
in Seattle's Studio Litho (owned by
Stone GossardStone Carpenter Gossard is an American musician who serves as the rhythm and lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
of
Pearl JamPearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
fame), and was released in March 1998. That autumn, the band won a
MuchMusicMuchMusic 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:...
award for best use of new technology, owing to the inclusion of innovative web- and CD-ROM-based features on the Silent Radar CD. On the strength of the album, in 1999 the Watchmen also toured Australia for the first time, where "Stereo" received airplay on Triple J. They toured the nation with The Screaming Jets, and also made an appearance on the ABC-TV show
RecoveryRecovery was a music and youth interests television series broadcast by ABC TV in Australia. It was aired each Saturday morning from 9:00am to 12:00pm following Rage. It aired from 20 April 1996 to its last show on 29 April 2000...
, performing "Say Something."
Following the
Silent Radar tour, Sammy Kohn amicably left the band to work in the music business. The band had been experimenting with electronic and
industrialIndustrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
textures prior to Kohn's departure, and performed tracks with electronic features live during Kohn's final tour with the band. After Kohn's exit, the Watchmen moved sharply towards electronica, using programmed electronic drums on new recordings rather than recruiting a new live drummer.
The Watchmen's 2001 album
SlomotionSlomotion is the fifth studio album by The Watchmen. The album was released as 2 CD set where the second CD was a greatest hits package. This was the band’s last studio album.-Background:...
saw the remaining members experimenting with more
industrialIndustrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
textures and making use of a drum machine to replace Kohn. The band also packaged the album with a second
greatest hitsA greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
disc. The album was, however, poorly received, with only the single "Absolutely Anytime" gaining any radio airplay. Drummer Ryan Ahoff joined as an auxiliary member for the subsequent tour, and the band performed with a mixture of live drums and programmed drum tracks on its newer, more electronic material.
Their fans showed their love for the band when they won the Entertainer of the Year Award at the 2002 Prairie Music Awards, an award that is decided by online voting.
In September 2003, prior to splitting, the band held a benefit concert to raise money for the
Israeli Bobsled TeamThe Israeli Bobsled and Skeleton Team is the official bobsleigh and skeleton team of Israel. The team is the competitive wing of the Israeli Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, which Ben Reuben and Jacob Beilenson founded in 2002....
. Daniel Greaves' brother, David Greaves, who has dual Canadian-Israeli citizenship, is a member of the team. The team needed to raise $500,000 so that they could try to qualify for the
2006 Winter OlympicsThree bobsleigh events were competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, at the Cesana Pariol venue. The competition took place between February 18 and February 25, 2006....
but the team failed to qualify.
In November 2003 the band decided to go their separate ways. However, they decided that before they did so, they would perform one last short tour across Canada as a "Thank You" to their fans. The tour was called "
The Watchman's Last Road TripLast Road Trip was the farewell tour by The Watchmen in December 2003.In November 2003 the band decided to go their separate ways. However, they decided that before they did so, they would perform one last short tour across Canada as a "Thank You" to their fans...
" and included 9 concerts in 6 Canadian cities and 1 American city. Ahoff again joined the band for the tour which also saw a guest appearance by original bassist Pete Loewen during the encore of their last show in their hometown of
WinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
on December 20, 2003.
The band subsequently disbanded. Greaves went on to form
DoctorDoctor is a Canadian rock band founded by vocalist Daniel Greaves, formerly of The Watchmen, and bassist Rob Higgins, formerly of Change of Heart. The duo was joined in studio by guitarist Jamie Edwards and drummer Dan Cornelius to record the band's debut album, High Is As High Gets...
with Rob Higgins, Tizzard joined
ThornleyThornley is a Canadian post-grunge/hard rock band formed by Ian Thornley in 2002. The band was started when Ian Thornley returned to Toronto after the breakup of his earlier band, Big Wreck. With the help of Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, Thornley signed on to Kroeger's 604 Records...
, and Serlin appeared on
Ryan MalcolmRyan Michael Malcolm is a Canadian singer best known as the winner of the first season of Canadian Idol....
's debut album before forming his own new band,
RedlineRedline are a hard rock band from Auckland, New Zealand.The group consists of brothers Chris and Richard Yong, Craig Broadbridge and Nick Gregory.- Biography :...
. Greaves and Tizzard occasionally perform together as the electronic duo Audio Playground High + Wide.
The "classic" lineup of Greaves, Serlin, Kohn and Tizzard have announced a small reunion tour. Kohn convinced the other members to take part in the reunion tour after showing them a
myspaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page where fans still talked about their favourite songs, and performances. The Watchmen played at Maverick's in
OttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
on September 19, 2008 and
Horseshoe TavernThe Horseshoe Tavern is a concert venue located at 370 Queen Street West in downtown Toronto, and has been in operation since 1947. Owned by "JC", Ken Sprackman, Craig Laskey and Naomi Montpetit, the venue is a significant part of Canadian musical lore...
in
TorontoToronto 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...
on September 26 & 27, 2008. They played a short 45 minute set as part of Powerball in Winnipeg at the MTS Centre on October 30, 2008. They have a show scheduled in Calgary on October 31, 2008 at The Gateway. A show in
BarrieBarrie may refer to:* Barrie, city in Ontario, Canada* Barrie , Canadian federal electoral district* Barrie , provincial electoral district* Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford, former Canadian electoral district...
,
ONOntario 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....
was cancelled until further notice after renovations to the venue were not completed on time.
The Watchmen have continued their reunion tour into 2009. They performed on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg. The band subsequently released two brand new songs available for download through their web-site (http://www.the-watchmen.com/) 'Miss Monday Morning' and 'Trampoline' marked the first two releases of the re-united original foursome. Both songs were recorded at Vapor Studios engineered and mixed by Julian Rudd and produced by Joey Serlin.
In September 2010, the band performed once again at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto for back-to-back nights. Watchmen songs 'The South' and 'Sleep' were included in the 2010 TIFF selected film "The Whistleblower" staring Rachel Weisz.
Studio albums
| Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
Certifications |
| CAN The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
|
CRIA
|
| 1992 |
McLaren Furnace Room McLaren Furnace Room is the first major label album by Canadian band, The Watchmen. Originally released by SUMO Productions in Canada in 1992 , the release impressed MCA Records Canada who signed the band and released the album in 1993 on a much wider scale...
|
- |
Gold |
| 1994 |
In The Trees In The Trees is the second studio album by The Watchmen. With hits "Lusitana", "Boneyard Tree" and "All Uncovered", this was the band's breakthrough release in their home country of Canada...
|
34 |
Platinum |
| 1996 |
Brand New Day Brand New Day is the third studio album by The Watchmen. It was released in March 1996. Although the song "Incarnate" was a moderate hit, this album was the least popular of the band's studio albums...
|
37 |
Gold |
| 1998 |
Silent Radar Silent Radar is the fourth studio album by The Watchmen. The album contained numerous hits including "Stereo", "Any Day Now", and "Say Something"...
|
28 |
Gold |
| 2001 |
Slomotion Slomotion is the fifth studio album by The Watchmen. The album was released as 2 CD set where the second CD was a greatest hits package. This was the band’s last studio album.-Background:...
|
6 |
Gold |
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Peak Chart Position |
Album |
| CAN RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
|
CAN
AltThe Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie...
|
CAN Content (Cancon) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
|
| 1992 |
"Cracked" |
87 |
- |
2 |
McLaren Furnace Room |
| "Run and Hide" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1993 |
"Must to Be Free" |
- |
- |
8 |
| 1994 |
"Boneyard Tree" |
29 |
- |
- |
In The Trees |
| "Wiser" |
74 |
- |
- |
| "All Uncovered" |
23 |
- |
5 |
| 1995 |
"Lusitana" |
65 |
- |
- |
| 1996 |
"Incarnate" |
26 |
10 |
- |
Brand New Day |
| "Shut Up" |
48 |
- |
- |
| "Zoom" |
- |
24 |
- |
| 1998 |
"Stereo "Stereo" is the first single by Canadian band The Watchmen from their fourth studio album, Silent Radar. The song was very successful in Canada, peaking at #5 on Canada's Alternative rock chart. The song's music video received much airplay on MuchMusic....
" |
- |
5 |
- |
Silent Radar |
| "Any Day Now "Any Day Now" is the second single by Canadian band The Watchmen from their fourth studio album, Silent Radar.In 2011, the song was featured in the opening montage of Hockey Night in Canada in the first game in Winnipeg of the returning Winnipeg Jets....
" |
39 |
3 |
- |
| "Say Something" |
45 |
- |
- |
| 1999 |
"Brighter Hell" |
- |
- |
- |
| 2001 |
"Absolutely Anytime" |
- |
- |
- |
Slomotion |
| 2002 |
"Holiday (Slow It Down)" |
- |
- |
- |
External links