History
The band was formed by
Steve Lambke,
Bryan Webb,
Doug MacGregor, and Dallas Wehrle in 1999, following the break-up of Webb and MacGregor's emotional hardcore band Shoulder (which Wehrle had joined before the break-up). Their style has been described as "art-punk", and they have been compared to bands like
The Clash,
Fugazi,
Bruce Springsteen,
The Replacements, and
Nick Cave.
The name of the band is taken from an episode of
Coast to Coast with Art Bell
, in which Bell was playing recordings of ghost voices in static, and one of the ghosts’ names was Constantine.
[1]
From their hometown of Guelph the band relocated to
London, Ontario and then to
Toronto, where in 2001 they released their self-titled first album.
Constantines
enjoyed widespread play on
campus radio and was nominated for a
Juno Award for Best Alternative Album. The first track, "Arizona", is based on the suicide of
Danny Rapp, the lead singer of
Danny and the Juniors of "
At the Hop" fame. The song begins with the lyric "This is a song about the death of Danny Rapp. And that great gospel jest called rock 'n' roll."
In 2002 they added keyboard player Evan Gordon to the lineup and released the
EP The Modern Sinner Nervous Man
. Gordon left the band soon after to pursue his own song writing. He was replaced by Will Kidman, and the band released
Shine a Light
in 2003. This album was the band's first to be released outside of Canada on the
Sub Pop record label.
In 2005, they embarked on a cross-Canada tour with
The Weakerthans called
The Rolling Tundra Revue
. Later in the year their album
Tournament of Hearts
was released September 27 by Toronto record label
Three Gut Records in Canada, and on October 11 by Sub Pop in the
United States.
The members of the Constantines have occasionally played shows under the name Horsey Craze,
covering Neil Young songs. In early 2006, they released a
vinyl only split-album with
The Unintended. The Constantines recorded four Neil Young covers for the
LP, while The Unintended performed four
Gordon Lightfoot songs.
In 2007, following the demise of their former Canadian record label Three Gut Records, the Constantines signed with
Arts & Crafts. On January 15, 2008 they released a limited edition
7" on white vinyl, entitled
Hard Feelings
. Their fourth full-length album,
Kensington Heights
, was released on April 15 in Canada and April 29 in the US.
Guitarist Steve Lambke has released two albums under the name
Baby Eagle, and keyboard player Will Kidman has recorded under the name
Woolly Leaves.
Members
Current members
- Steve Lambke – guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Doug MacGregor – drums
- Bryan Webb – vocals, guitar
- Dallas Wehrle – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Will Kidman – keyboards, guitar, percussion, backing vocals
Former members
Discography
Albums
- Constantines
(Three Gut Records) – June 5, 2001
- Shine a Light
(Three Gut Records) – August 19, 2003
- Tournament of Hearts
(Three Gut Records) – September 27, 2005
- Kensington Heights
(Arts & Crafts) – April 15, 2008
EPs and singles
- The Modern Sinner Nervous Man
(EP, Suicide Squeeze Records) – April 16, 2002
- Nighttime Anytime
(EP, Sub Pop) – July 8, 2003
- Young Lions
(single, Sub Pop) – August 10, 2004
- Hard Feelings
(7" single, Arts & Crafts) – January 15, 2008
- Islands in the Stream
(7" single with Feist (singer), Arts & Crafts) – 2008
- Our Age
(7" single, Arts & Crafts) – November 25, 2008
- Too Slow for Love
(Electronic-only companion for Kensington Heights) – March 17, 2009
Splits
- Constantines Play Young/Unintended Play Lightfoot
LP (Blue Fog Records) – 2006
Compilations
- The 20 Year Design Theory
(AntiAntenna Recordings) – "The Young and the Desperate" – June 1, 2001
- Patient Zero
– "Young Lions" (Sub Pop) – June 1, 2004
- CBC Radio 3 Sessions, Vol. 1
– "Blind Luck (live)" – June 15, 2004
- Wide Awake, Crescent Shaped: Volume 10
– "St. You (live)" – June 15, 2004
- Songbook Of Songs
(Sub Pop) – "Working Full-Time" – May 24, 2005
TV Appearances
References
- "The Constantines reject irony