Blinker the Star
Encyclopedia
Blinker the Star is a Canadian
indie rock
band, originally from Pembroke
, Ontario
, Canada
. Band leader Jordon Zadorozny
is known for having cowritten songs with Courtney Love
. Other notable musicians that have appeared on Blinker the Star albums include one of Jordon's childhood heroes Lindsey Buckingham
, Leland Sklar
, Ken Andrews
, and many others.
, and was widely promoted as a potential "next big thing" in alternative rock
. However, the genre's commercial appeal was already beginning to fade when the band's major label debut, A Bourgeois Kitten, was released in 1996. Consequently, commercial success never materialized for the band. However, songs from the 1999 release August Everywhere, particularly "Below the Sliding Doors", enjoyed considerable airplay on Canadian radio stations such as 102.1 The Edge; the album was number 89 on The Edge's top 102 albums of 1999. After being dropped from DreamWorks Records
, the band re-emerged in 2003 with Still in Rome.
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, originally from Pembroke
Pembroke, Ontario
Pembroke is a city in the province of Ontario, Canada, at the confluence of the Muskrat River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley...
, 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...
. Band leader Jordon Zadorozny
Jordon Zadorozny
-External links:...
is known for having cowritten songs with Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
. Other notable musicians that have appeared on Blinker the Star albums include one of Jordon's childhood heroes Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American guitarist, singer, composer and producer, most notable for being the guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac. Aside from his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has also released six solo albums and a live album...
, Leland Sklar
Leland Sklar
Leland "Lee" Bruce Sklar is an American musician, singer-songwriter and film score composer. A prominent bass guitarist, Sklar has contributed to thousands of albums as a session musician...
, Ken Andrews
Ken Andrews
Ken Andrews is an American musician and producer, based out of Los Angeles, California.Andrews was born in Seattle, Washington, and attended film school in Los Angeles before his band Failure received a record deal from Slash Records.He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, guitarist, and...
, and many others.
History
After their first release, they moved to Montreal. On the strength of favourable reviews for their self-titled independent debut in 1993, which featured complex, hard guitar pounding riffs mixed with softer, melancholy based tracks, the band released two albums on major labels in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was widely promoted as a potential "next big thing" in alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative 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...
. However, the genre's commercial appeal was already beginning to fade when the band's major label debut, A Bourgeois Kitten, was released in 1996. Consequently, commercial success never materialized for the band. However, songs from the 1999 release August Everywhere, particularly "Below the Sliding Doors", enjoyed considerable airplay on Canadian radio stations such as 102.1 The Edge; the album was number 89 on The Edge's top 102 albums of 1999. After being dropped from DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
, the band re-emerged in 2003 with Still in Rome.
Discography
- Blinker the Star (Treat & Release, 1993)
- A Bourgeois Kitten (A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, 1996) - August Everywhere (Dreamworks RecordsDreamWorks RecordsDreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
, 1999) - Still in Rome (Frenchkiss RecordsFrenchkiss RecordsFrenchkiss Records is an independent record label based in New York, New York. The label was started in 1999 by Syd Butler, bassist and founder of Les Savy Fav...
, 2003)
See also
- 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 bands from Canada
- List of Canadian musicians
- :Category:Canadian musical groups