FemBots
Encyclopedia
FemBots are a Canadian
indie rock
band, originating from Toronto
, Ontario
. Originating members Dave MacKinnon and Brian Poirier also travel with The Weakerthans
on tour. In the past, Mackinnon and Poirier had been members of the early 1990s alternative rock band Dig Circus
, and joined Ron Hawkins
to form the band Hummer
for a one-album project in 1997.
FemBots are known for their unique sound of combining instrumental everyday items, junk instruments, and traditional instruments in their music.
s and power tools as instruments in their songs. Small Town Murder Scene
, released in 2003, sounded more commercial than their debut, but was also widely praised by critics.
For The City
, their third album recorded in the spring of 2005, Mackinnon and Poirier collaborated with many of the best of Toronto's indie artists. One of these people, Nathan Lawr
of the Minotaurs, would join FemBots for their next album, Calling Out
. The City moved the FemBots sound in a new direction, as they used more traditional instruments, while maintaining their distinctive emotion and creativity known in their previous albums. The album signifies their experiences in their hometown, Toronto
, the good and the bad. "Demolition Waltz" signifies a loss of neighborhoods, while also exploring life in general in "So Long" and "My Life in the Funeral Service". The City was on many critics' top ten lists for 2005.
While making their 2008 album, Calling Out
, FemBots contributed two songs to the 2007 film The Tracey Fragments
, a soundtrack done by Canadian supergroup
Broken Social Scene
. Calling Out signified a big change for the band, as they moved from Paper Bag Records
, their record label
for their first three studio album
s, to weewerk
records. The initial idea for the album was to make it solely using junkstruments, aided by the expertise of their new member, Iner Souster. However, the band concluded junkstruments could not sustain an entire album and were instead used as rhythm tracks. Souster and Lawr also contributed to the songwriting process, a first for Mackinnon and Poirier. What is being called their strangest album yet, Calling Out is a collaboration of all FemBots' sounds from the past with the junkstruments to create a unique compilation of pop and rock songs. Released on September 16, 2008, they toured Canada promoting it.
Although never breaking up, FemBots were less active following that album. They played a "reunion" show at the Wavelength 500 festival on February 11, 2010.
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, originating from 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...
, 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....
. Originating members Dave MacKinnon and Brian Poirier also travel with The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
on tour. In the past, Mackinnon and Poirier had been members of the early 1990s alternative rock band Dig Circus
Dig Circus
Dig Circus was a Canadian alternative rock band in the 1990s. Although popular on the Queen Street West scene in Toronto, the band broke up in the mid-1990s without having achieved mainstream success...
, and joined Ron Hawkins
Ron Hawkins
Ron Hawkins is a musician from Toronto who is best known as a member of the band The Lowest of the Low, in which he is the frontman, primary songwriter, lead vocalist, and one of two guitarists...
to form the band Hummer
Hummer (band)
Hummer was a short-lived Canadian indie rock band, including The Lowest of the Low frontman Ron Hawkins on bass. The band released one album, Electrically Operated Product, in 1997....
for a one-album project in 1997.
FemBots are known for their unique sound of combining instrumental everyday items, junk instruments, and traditional instruments in their music.
History
FemBots' first album, Mucho Cuidado. introduced their distinctive style of music with toyToy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s and power tools as instruments in their songs. Small Town Murder Scene
Small Town Murder Scene
Small Town Murder Scene is the second album by Canadian indie rock group FemBots, released in 2003 on Paper Bag Records.-Track listing:# "Intro"# "Broken and Blue"# "Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist"# "The Transit Song"# "A Million Dead End Jobs"...
, released in 2003, sounded more commercial than their debut, but was also widely praised by critics.
For The City
The City (FemBots album)
The City is the third album by Canadian indie rock group FemBots, released in 2005 on Paper Bag Records.Guest musicians on the album include Jason Tait, Greg Smith, Julie Penner, Nathan Lawr, Lawrence Nichols and Krista Muir.-Track listing:# "So Long"...
, their third album recorded in the spring of 2005, Mackinnon and Poirier collaborated with many of the best of Toronto's indie artists. One of these people, Nathan Lawr
Nathan Lawr
Nathan Lawr is a Canadian singer-songwriter, currently fronting the band Minotaurs.The original drummer for Royal City, Lawr left the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career...
of the Minotaurs, would join FemBots for their next album, Calling Out
Calling Out
Calling Out is the fourth album by Canadian indie rock band FemBots, released on September 16, 2008 with Weewerk.The album was originally intended to use only junk instruments created out of garbage by guest musician Iner Souster...
. The City moved the FemBots sound in a new direction, as they used more traditional instruments, while maintaining their distinctive emotion and creativity known in their previous albums. The album signifies their experiences in their hometown, 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...
, the good and the bad. "Demolition Waltz" signifies a loss of neighborhoods, while also exploring life in general in "So Long" and "My Life in the Funeral Service". The City was on many critics' top ten lists for 2005.
While making their 2008 album, Calling Out
Calling Out
Calling Out is the fourth album by Canadian indie rock band FemBots, released on September 16, 2008 with Weewerk.The album was originally intended to use only junk instruments created out of garbage by guest musician Iner Souster...
, FemBots contributed two songs to the 2007 film The Tracey Fragments
The Tracey Fragments (film)
The Tracey Fragments is a 2007 drama film directed by Canadian Bruce McDonald and written by Maureen Medved, based on her novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Page in the title role, is produced by Sarah Timmins and executive produced by Paul Barkin....
, a soundtrack done by Canadian supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
. Calling Out signified a big change for the band, as they moved from Paper Bag Records
Paper Bag Records
Paper Bag Records is a Canadian independent record label and artist-management company, founded in 2002 and based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:...
, their record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
for their first three studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s, to weewerk
Weewerk
Weewerk, stylized as ', is an independent folk, roots, bluegrass, country record label and artist-management company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 2002 as an art-and-music salon series in the apartment of Teenage USA Recordings partner Phil Klygo and artist-curator Germaine Koh...
records. The initial idea for the album was to make it solely using junkstruments, aided by the expertise of their new member, Iner Souster. However, the band concluded junkstruments could not sustain an entire album and were instead used as rhythm tracks. Souster and Lawr also contributed to the songwriting process, a first for Mackinnon and Poirier. What is being called their strangest album yet, Calling Out is a collaboration of all FemBots' sounds from the past with the junkstruments to create a unique compilation of pop and rock songs. Released on September 16, 2008, they toured Canada promoting it.
Although never breaking up, FemBots were less active following that album. They played a "reunion" show at the Wavelength 500 festival on February 11, 2010.
Members
- Brian Poirier - vocals, guitar, bass
- Dave Mackinnon - vocals,guitar, piano
- Iner Souster - junkstruments
- Nathan LawrNathan LawrNathan Lawr is a Canadian singer-songwriter, currently fronting the band Minotaurs.The original drummer for Royal City, Lawr left the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career...
- drums
Studio albums
- 2000: Mucho Cuidado
- 2003: Small Town Murder SceneSmall Town Murder SceneSmall Town Murder Scene is the second album by Canadian indie rock group FemBots, released in 2003 on Paper Bag Records.-Track listing:# "Intro"# "Broken and Blue"# "Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist"# "The Transit Song"# "A Million Dead End Jobs"...
- 2005: The CityThe City (FemBots album)The City is the third album by Canadian indie rock group FemBots, released in 2005 on Paper Bag Records.Guest musicians on the album include Jason Tait, Greg Smith, Julie Penner, Nathan Lawr, Lawrence Nichols and Krista Muir.-Track listing:# "So Long"...
- 2008: Calling OutCalling OutCalling Out is the fourth album by Canadian indie rock band FemBots, released on September 16, 2008 with Weewerk.The album was originally intended to use only junk instruments created out of garbage by guest musician Iner Souster...