Canvas (band)
Encyclopedia
Canvas was a rock band
from Austin, Texas
. For most of their history the lineup was Joseph King (guitar, lead vocals), Julian Mandrake
(lead guitar), Ben Rada (rhythm guitar), Brad Byram (bass, backing vocals), and Scott Thomas (drums). The band was extremely popular and influential on the Texas music scene, and the members of the band have all gone on join or form other successful bands.
Joseph King and guitarist
Ben Rada while they were students at Stanford
. The two decided to put a band together, and Canvas was born. The band also included bassist Geoff Piper and drummer Jean-Paul Labrosse. While still based in San Francisco, the band recorded and released their eponymous debut EP
in 1998. In 1999 Canvas played the South by Southwest
festival in Austin, Texas
and became so enamored with the city that they decided to move there. They added established Austin musicians Julian Mandrake
(formerly of Oynxx) on lead guitar
, Scott Thomas (formerly of Dexter Freebish
) on drums, and Brad Byram (formerly of Ugly Tribe) replaced Geoff Piper on bass in addition to King on vocals and Rada on rhythm guitar. Immediately after recruiting the new members, the band began work on their first album Invocation
, which they recorded and produced in their garage. While in California, the band had light rock sound which drew comparisons to Matchbox Twenty
. When the band moved to Texas, they quickly made friends with bands such as Johnny Goudie
, Spoonfed Tribe and Blue October
and found a new harder edged sound influenced by their musical peers.
Invocation's two singles, "In These Walls" and "Sirens", were added into regular rotation at Austin's KLBJ-FM
and climbed to No. 1 most requested and top 5 phones within a week, and stayed at the top for two months. The station also included a live version of Canvas's song "Lessons From Underneath the Kachina Woman's Skirt" as the opening track of their 2002 Local Licks Live
compilation.
The group built a cult following due to their raucous concerts, which often included fire dancing
, a practice they had to abandon in 2003 after clubs imposed tighter restrictions following The Station nightclub fire
. Canvas is probably best known, however, for their connections with fellow Texas rockers Blue October
. In addition to opening several Blue October concerts, Canvas also wrote and recorded the song "All About You" with Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld
. Canvas's lead guitarist, Julian Mandrake
, also was a touring guitarist for Blue October in 2006 while Furstenfeld was recovering from a broken leg.
After the recording of their 2004 album Four Days Awake rhythm guitarist Ben Rada left the band, and Joseph King assumed rhythm guitar duties as well as lead vocals on the Four Days Awake tour. During the 2005 tour supporting their third album Painting the Roses drummer Tabber Millard filled in for Scott Thomas.
Canvas played an emotional three-hour farewell show at Antone's
in Austin on October 1, 2005. During the show former Canvas rhythm guitarist Ben Rada joined the band for the song "In these Walls" and Johnny Goudie
joined the band to sing "Intertwined", a song that he co-wrote with the band.
guitarist Mark Younger-Smith formed the band Murder My Sweet, which was well received at the South by Southwest Festival
in Spring 2006. King has since left the project and moved to New York
where he is pursuing a solo career and fronting the band Deadbeat Darling
After his break from Canvas in the spring of 2004, Ben Rada split time between audio engineering gigs for Austin clubs and traveling the states with Austin local legend Bob Schneider
. He now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
Julian Mandrake has a new band, Mother's Anthem, and is also the touring lead guitarist for Blue October
.
Brad Byram is currently playing with Austin's The Wartime Social, Blondes Make Better Victims and Johnny Goudie and the Little Champions.
Scott Thomas drums for Johnny Goudie and the Little Champions and Murder My Sweet.
Tabber Millard drummed for SouthFM
until their 2007 split, and is currently the drummer for VAST
, Blondes Make Better Victims, and Alpha Rev
.
Geoff Piper is a member of the band Pinpoint Mercy and also fronts the Geoff Piper Band.
's Foiled
tour.
On September 29, 2007 The Wartime Social, Mother's Anthem, Johnny Goudie and the Little Champions and Deadbeat Darling all played a show at Momo's Club. At the conclusion of Deadbeat Darling's set, all the members of Canvas, including Ben Rada and Tabber Millard took the stage and played "In these Walls", "All About You" and "Four Days Awake."
Media / Interviews
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
from Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. For most of their history the lineup was Joseph King (guitar, lead vocals), Julian Mandrake
Julian Mandrake
Julian Mandrake is a guitarist from Austin, Texas best known for his work with the bands Blue October, Canvas, and Mothers Anthem....
(lead guitar), Ben Rada (rhythm guitar), Brad Byram (bass, backing vocals), and Scott Thomas (drums). The band was extremely popular and influential on the Texas music scene, and the members of the band have all gone on join or form other successful bands.
History
The roots of Canvas begin in San Francisco in the mid 1990s with singer-songwriterSinger-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Joseph King and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Ben Rada while they were students at Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. The two decided to put a band together, and Canvas was born. The band also included bassist Geoff Piper and drummer Jean-Paul Labrosse. While still based in San Francisco, the band recorded and released their eponymous debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 1998. In 1999 Canvas played the South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
festival in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and became so enamored with the city that they decided to move there. They added established Austin musicians Julian Mandrake
Julian Mandrake
Julian Mandrake is a guitarist from Austin, Texas best known for his work with the bands Blue October, Canvas, and Mothers Anthem....
(formerly of Oynxx) on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Scott Thomas (formerly of Dexter Freebish
Dexter Freebish
Dexter Freebish is a band based in Austin, Texas, consisting of lead singer Kyle, guitars of Scott Romig, bass and vocals of Chris Lowe, and the drums of Rob Schilz...
) on drums, and Brad Byram (formerly of Ugly Tribe) replaced Geoff Piper on bass in addition to King on vocals and Rada on rhythm guitar. Immediately after recruiting the new members, the band began work on their first album Invocation
Invocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
, which they recorded and produced in their garage. While in California, the band had light rock sound which drew comparisons to Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995...
. When the band moved to Texas, they quickly made friends with bands such as Johnny Goudie
Johnny Goudie
John Charles "Johnny" Goudie is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician, record producer, actor, and podcaster based in Austin, Texas...
, Spoonfed Tribe and Blue October
Blue October
Blue October is a rock band from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and currently consists of Justin Furstenfeld , Jeremy Furstenfeld , Ryan Delahoussaye , Matt Noveskey , and Julian Mandrake .-History:Blue October was formed by lead...
and found a new harder edged sound influenced by their musical peers.
Invocation's two singles, "In These Walls" and "Sirens", were added into regular rotation at Austin's KLBJ-FM
KLBJ-FM
KLBJ-FM is a classic rock music radio station serving the Austin, Texas area, broadcasting at 93.7 MHz from its broadcast tower on Austin's Mount Larson.The station was owned by the Lyndon B...
and climbed to No. 1 most requested and top 5 phones within a week, and stayed at the top for two months. The station also included a live version of Canvas's song "Lessons From Underneath the Kachina Woman's Skirt" as the opening track of their 2002 Local Licks Live
Local Licks Live 13
Local Licks Live 13 is the thirteenth CD of live music recorded for KLBJ's Local Licks Live. The proceeds from this benefit CD went to the Austin Victims of Domestic Violence Emergency Fund.-Track listing:...
compilation.
The group built a cult following due to their raucous concerts, which often included fire dancing
Fire dancing
Fire dancing is a group of performance arts or disciplines that involve manipulation of objects on fire...
, a practice they had to abandon in 2003 after clubs imposed tighter restrictions following The Station nightclub fire
The Station nightclub fire
The Station nightclub fire was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in American history, killing 100 people. The fire began at 11:07 PM EST, on Thursday, February 20, 2003, at The Station, a glam metal and rock n roll themed nightclub located at 211 Cowesett Avenue in West Warwick, Rhode Island.The...
. Canvas is probably best known, however, for their connections with fellow Texas rockers Blue October
Blue October
Blue October is a rock band from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and currently consists of Justin Furstenfeld , Jeremy Furstenfeld , Ryan Delahoussaye , Matt Noveskey , and Julian Mandrake .-History:Blue October was formed by lead...
. In addition to opening several Blue October concerts, Canvas also wrote and recorded the song "All About You" with Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld
Justin Furstenfeld
Justin Steward Furstenfeld is a record producer, artist, author, and the lead singer, guitarist, lyricist and frontman of the American rock band Blue October.-Personal life:...
. Canvas's lead guitarist, Julian Mandrake
Julian Mandrake
Julian Mandrake is a guitarist from Austin, Texas best known for his work with the bands Blue October, Canvas, and Mothers Anthem....
, also was a touring guitarist for Blue October in 2006 while Furstenfeld was recovering from a broken leg.
After the recording of their 2004 album Four Days Awake rhythm guitarist Ben Rada left the band, and Joseph King assumed rhythm guitar duties as well as lead vocals on the Four Days Awake tour. During the 2005 tour supporting their third album Painting the Roses drummer Tabber Millard filled in for Scott Thomas.
Canvas played an emotional three-hour farewell show at Antone's
Clifford Antone
Clifford Antone was the founder of a well-known Austin blues club, record label, and a mentor to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan and numerous other musicians....
in Austin on October 1, 2005. During the show former Canvas rhythm guitarist Ben Rada joined the band for the song "In these Walls" and Johnny Goudie
Johnny Goudie
John Charles "Johnny" Goudie is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician, record producer, actor, and podcaster based in Austin, Texas...
joined the band to sing "Intertwined", a song that he co-wrote with the band.
Band splits
In early 2006 Joseph King and Scott Thomas along with former Billy IdolBilly Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
guitarist Mark Younger-Smith formed the band Murder My Sweet, which was well received at the South by Southwest Festival
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Spring 2006. King has since left the project and moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he is pursuing a solo career and fronting the band Deadbeat Darling
Deadbeat Darling
Deadbeat Darling is a Brooklyn, New York based rock band founded by former Canvas frontman Joseph King. Immediately upon the breakup of Canvas in October 2005, King moved to New York City where he continued to write new songs and play solo gigs around the city...
After his break from Canvas in the spring of 2004, Ben Rada split time between audio engineering gigs for Austin clubs and traveling the states with Austin local legend Bob Schneider
Bob Schneider
Bob Schneider is an Austin, Texas-based musician and artist. He currently resides in Bee Cave, Texas.- Early career :...
. He now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
Julian Mandrake has a new band, Mother's Anthem, and is also the touring lead guitarist for Blue October
Blue October
Blue October is a rock band from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and currently consists of Justin Furstenfeld , Jeremy Furstenfeld , Ryan Delahoussaye , Matt Noveskey , and Julian Mandrake .-History:Blue October was formed by lead...
.
Brad Byram is currently playing with Austin's The Wartime Social, Blondes Make Better Victims and Johnny Goudie and the Little Champions.
Scott Thomas drums for Johnny Goudie and the Little Champions and Murder My Sweet.
Tabber Millard drummed for SouthFM
SouthFM
SouthFM was an alternative rock band based in Dallas, Texas. They formed in 2001 and disbanded in October 2006. The band officially released two full length albums, Drama Kids and Swallowing the Pill...
until their 2007 split, and is currently the drummer for VAST
VAST
VAST is an American industrial rock band based in Austin, Texas. The acronym VAST stands for Visual Audio Sensory Theater and is the main creation of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Crosby...
, Blondes Make Better Victims, and Alpha Rev
Alpha Rev
Alpha Rev is an American alternative rock band from Austin, Texas, fronted by Casey McPherson .-History:Casey McPherson started Alpha Rev in 2005 after the breakup of his previous band Endochine, which had toured with Staind, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pete Yorn and Bob Schneider.Alpha Rev released...
.
Geoff Piper is a member of the band Pinpoint Mercy and also fronts the Geoff Piper Band.
Reunions
Canvas reunited for one show on January 28, 2006 at Momo's Club in Austin, Texas. A second reunion show for June 2006 was planned, but was cancelled due to Julian Mandrake's obligations to Blue OctoberBlue October
Blue October is a rock band from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and currently consists of Justin Furstenfeld , Jeremy Furstenfeld , Ryan Delahoussaye , Matt Noveskey , and Julian Mandrake .-History:Blue October was formed by lead...
's Foiled
Foiled
Foiled is the fourth album by Blue October. The album was certified gold in the United States on August 9, 2006, and on February 22, 2007, was certified platinum. The album is also popular in Canada where it has also achieved platinum status....
tour.
On September 29, 2007 The Wartime Social, Mother's Anthem, Johnny Goudie and the Little Champions and Deadbeat Darling all played a show at Momo's Club. At the conclusion of Deadbeat Darling's set, all the members of Canvas, including Ben Rada and Tabber Millard took the stage and played "In these Walls", "All About You" and "Four Days Awake."
Members
- Joseph King – GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
/vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Ben Rada – GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Julian MandrakeJulian MandrakeJulian Mandrake is a guitarist from Austin, Texas best known for his work with the bands Blue October, Canvas, and Mothers Anthem....
– GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Brad Byram – BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
/vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Scott Thomas – DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Touring Members
- Tabber Millard – DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Johnny GoudieJohnny GoudieJohn Charles "Johnny" Goudie is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician, record producer, actor, and podcaster based in Austin, Texas...
- Keyboard, Backing Vocals
Discography
- Canvas 1998 (EP)
- Invocation 2001
- Four Days AwakeFour Days AwakeFour Days Awake is the second album by Canvas. The track "All About You" was co-written by and features guest vocals by Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld. "All About You" was also released as a video. The song "Intertwined" was co-written with Johnny Goudie, although he does not perform...
2004 - Painting the RosesPainting the RosesPainting The Roses is the third and final album by Canvas. Track five, "Thursday" is a cover version originally by the band Morphine. The album was produced by Johnny Goudie.-Track listing:#"Pretty Please"#"Come Down"#"Priscilla is Sleeping"...
2005
External links
Official sitesMedia / Interviews
- Felderhoff, Rachel "Canvas paints the town... one last time?", University Star, October 4, 2005
- Felderhoff, Rachel "After three releases, Canvas takes a break", University Star, October 4, 2005