I Mother Earth
Encyclopedia
I Mother Earth, or IME, was a Canadian
alternative rock
band. The band was at the peak of its popularity in the mid-to-late 1990s; its members have moved on to other projects.
and guitarist Jagori Tanna
(a stage name adopted through an admiration for Carlos Santana
) met vocalist Edwin
at their shared Toronto rehearsal space in 1990. Edwin asked the brothers to form a band with him, and the three came together in 1991, taking on Franz Masini as a bass player. The band came up with the name IME, as in "I Am Me", but later decided the letters should stand for something. Jag Tanna ad-libbed the name I Mother Earth and has always insisted it has no special meaning. The band, represented by a professionally-recorded five-song demo, played a mere thirteen shows over the next year. These were noted for their jam sessions, poetry readings, and murals painted in the background during the songs. At the end of the year, the band was in the middle of a bidding war between labels. IME ended up being signed to EMI in Canada, and Capitol for the U.S. and internationally.
producer Mike Clink
. During these sessions, Franz Masini was fired, leaving Jag Tanna to re-record the bass parts by himself. At the completion of the album, Masini was replaced by Bruce Gordon
, whose band Rocktopus was breaking up at that time. With the lineup solidified, the band underwent an intensive international tour to support its debut, Dig
, in mid-1993. Considered an anomaly in the "alternative" era and often mistaken for heavy metal, the album combined traditional hard rock with grooves, extended jams, psychedelic lyrics, and the Latin-based percussion of Luis Conte
and Armando Borg. Dig spawned four singles, the first three of which actually originated from IME's demo tape and were later included on the proper album. "Rain Will Fall" and "Not Quite Sonic" were released in the summer of 1993, and "So Gently We Go
" and "Levitate" were released the following summer. All four garnered respectable radio and video airplay in Canada, as well as rotations in the U.S. and Europe. The latter two singles in particular charted well on Canadian rock radio. The album itself won a Juno Award
in 1994 for Best Hard Rock Album, beating out IME's childhood idols Rush
for the award. This cemented a long relationship between the two bands, which started with IME opening for Rush the night after the Junos. By the end of the album's run, Dig was a Gold record in Canada.
After the exhaustive touring ended, IME ended up in different studios in Toronto and Morin Heights, Quebec in 1995. In these studios, the band worked on its second album, co-produced by Jag Tanna and Paul Northfield
, who was most noted for producing Rush. Daniel Mansilla replaced Borg on percussion, and became the band's permanent touring percussionist. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson
also made a guest appearance on the song "Like a Girl". However, signs of dissension in the band were already showing. For the first time, Edwin revealed to the music press that he had no creative control in the band and that such a situation gave him "no reason to be (t)here". He had also spent a great deal of the sessions away from the band, recording the album Victor
with Lifeson. Still, he remained with IME as the group recorded Scenery and Fish
, released in mid-1996. The album, which combined IME's trademark sounds with a slightly softer, radio-friendly approach, was a critical and commercial success. In particular, the singles "One More Astronaut
" and "Another Sunday" pushed the band into the commercial elite in Canada, the former cracking the Top 20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart in the U.S. Subsequent singles "Used to Be Alright" and "Raspberry" also made solid showings on radio and video. In 1997, IME was nominated for a Juno Award for Group of the Year. The album was nominated for the Best Rock Album Juno, and was a double Platinum record in Canada. The band's new found fame also pushed sales of Dig over the Platinum record mark.
'97 tour, and left in mid-1997. IME itself ended up in disputes with both EMI and the band's management (Capitol had inexplicably dropped the band prior), and subsequently broke ties with both.
During this time, the band went through hundreds of demo tapes, all the while maintaining the tour schedule and dealing with the aforementioned business issues. One tape, sent in by Brian Byrne
, was instantly thrown in the trash until former Slik Toxik drummer Neal Busby, who was briefly in a band called Klaven with Byrne, recommended the singer. IME finally listened to the tape, and after auditioning Byrne, immediately agreed that he was their new vocalist. However, the band members waited several months to inform him before finally putting an I Mother Earth t-shirt on him in late 1997, symbolizing his membership in the band. David Usher
made the news public, introducing Byrne to the crowd at a Moist
concert in November that year. IME made its first public performances with Byrne on Our Lady Peace
's Summersault
tour in mid-1998, and was well-received by the crowds through both old and new material. IME was signed to Universal in 1998.
was also brought in to provide bass for the album track "Good for Sule". While the Tannas were still the main contributors, they described the creative process as more open than before. The result was Blue Green Orange
, released in mid-1999. It was somewhat of a departure from earlier work, opting for more textured, spacier sounds and less of an emphasis on the band's hard-rock reputation. Still, the lead single, "Summertime in the Void", was a major rock hit in Canada and showed that the band was still commercially viable with a different singer and a change in sound. Subsequent singles "All Awake" and "When Did You Get Back from Mars?" also received solid radio and video airplay, but it was apparent that the band's commercial prime was over. The album's Gold status was seen as a disappointment by many compared to the previous albums. Tanna and Northfield won a Juno in 2000 for Best Recording Engineer, and the album was nominated for Best Album Design, but it received no musical nods.
IME came off the road and in 2001 the band members settled into their own Toronto studio, The Mother's Hip. However, this period was plagued with problems. Brian Byrne had ruptured his vocal cords and required surgery. Christian Tanna broke his forearm and was unable to play drums. After those injuries healed the band decided to scrap the entire session, which was reportedly filled with radio-friendly material, and start from the beginning. This occurred after a false story circulated in the media that the album was finished and tentatively titled Save the Last Disco. Furthermore, the band also dealt with the EMI release of Earth, Sky, and Everything in Between
, an album of B-Sides and live recordings from the EMI years. The Tannas and Gordon issued a statement insisting the record was unauthorized and was nothing more than a cash grab by EMI. Edwin offered no comment on the album.
IME then went to work on the proper new album in 2002 with producer David Bottrill
(alongside Jag Tanna), taking only a short break to headline the Canadian MTV Campus Invasion Tour, then releasing a song as a preview of the new material. The song "Juicy" was pressed as a promo single for the Vin Diesel
movie xXx
, and despite no push from the label and no video, it received rock radio airplay on its own. It was later included on The Quicksilver Meat Dream
, released in early 2003. The album was an even larger departure from past works, with industrial elements replacing the Latin percussion (but not Mansilla, who still toured with the band), and a heavier, more progressive sound than ever before. However, Universal was unimpressed with the nearly-finished product and demanded radio-friendly singles, so the band returned to the studio to appease the label. Lead single "Like the Sun" was another Canadian rock hit, but despite its popularity, it failed to sell the record. Due to the dismal sales and arguments with the Tannas over the direction of IME, Universal withdrew all support from the band, leaving it to fund small tours and second single "No Coma" on its own. The song failed to be officially added to rock radio, the video received very limited play, and with that the band decided to end the album's run after only seven months. The band provided the theme songs for the MuchMusic
TV shows Much on Demand and MuchLOUD
, but otherwise went unheard in the media for the rest of the year. Universal officially dropped IME at the end of 2003.
Following the band's breakup, Brian Byrne started a solo career. Bruce Gordon joined the Blue Man Group
lineup. He is also playing with both the funk band Hot Fo' Gandhi and the garage jazz band The Tiny Specks. Jagori Tanna is a record producer and recently relocated to Peterborough, Ontario, where he founded a new studio for his label, UpperLeftSide music. Christian Tanna organized local Toronto rock and jazz events, and is currently in a management role with UpperLeftSide music. He also played drums in Byrne's backing band for his 2008 tour.
In late 2008, Jagori Tanna announced that, despite his current production schedule, an IME reunion was possible yet "unlikely" at the time. However, in early 2010, he made several comments via his personal Facebook page that he is working on new I Mother Earth material. Brian Byrne has confirmed that when he is needed, he will perform the vocal parts.
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...
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...
band. The band was at the peak of its popularity in the mid-to-late 1990s; its members have moved on to other projects.
Early years
The brother duo of drummer ChristianChristian Tanna
Christian Tanna is a Canadian musician. He began playing drums in high school, and with his brother, Jagori Tanna, formed I Mother Earth in 1990. Tanna played on 1993's Dig, 1996's Scenery and Fish, 1999's Blue Green Orange, and 2003's The Quicksilver Meat Dream...
and guitarist Jagori Tanna
Jagori Tanna
Jagori Tanna is a Canadian musician. Together with his brother, Christian Tanna, he formed I Mother Earth around 1990. He wrote almost all of I Mother Earth's music, and produced much of it as well...
(a stage name adopted through an admiration for Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
) met vocalist Edwin
Edwin (musician)
Edwin is a Canadian alternative rock singer and solo artist from Toronto, and former lead vocalist for I Mother Earth. He was on the band's first two albums, and was also on the majority of the songs on Victor, a 1996 side project from Alex Lifeson of Rush. He went solo in late 1997 and released...
at their shared Toronto rehearsal space in 1990. Edwin asked the brothers to form a band with him, and the three came together in 1991, taking on Franz Masini as a bass player. The band came up with the name IME, as in "I Am Me", but later decided the letters should stand for something. Jag Tanna ad-libbed the name I Mother Earth and has always insisted it has no special meaning. The band, represented by a professionally-recorded five-song demo, played a mere thirteen shows over the next year. These were noted for their jam sessions, poetry readings, and murals painted in the background during the songs. At the end of the year, the band was in the middle of a bidding war between labels. IME ended up being signed to EMI in Canada, and Capitol for the U.S. and internationally.
Success
I Mother Earth travelled to Los Angeles in 1992 to record its debut album with former Guns N' RosesGuns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
producer Mike Clink
Mike Clink
Mike Clink is a record producer who started his career as an engineer at Record Plant Studios, recording such bands as Triumph, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, UFO , Jefferson Starship, The Babys, Heart, Eddie Money and many others.Clink began producing in 1986...
. During these sessions, Franz Masini was fired, leaving Jag Tanna to re-record the bass parts by himself. At the completion of the album, Masini was replaced by Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon may refer to:* Bruce Gordon , Canadian bassist and member of I Mother Earth* Bruce L. Gordon, American philosopher and Intelligent Design proponent* Bruce S...
, whose band Rocktopus was breaking up at that time. With the lineup solidified, the band underwent an intensive international tour to support its debut, Dig
Dig (I Mother Earth album)
Dig is the debut album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Capitol and EMI on August 10, 1993. It went gold in Canada in its initial run, and today stands at platinum in Canada...
, in mid-1993. Considered an anomaly in the "alternative" era and often mistaken for heavy metal, the album combined traditional hard rock with grooves, extended jams, psychedelic lyrics, and the Latin-based percussion of Luis Conte
Luis Conte
Luis Conte is a Cuban percussionist.-Early years:As a child in Cuba, Conte began his musical odyssey playing the guitar. However, he soon switched to percussion, and that has remained his mode since....
and Armando Borg. Dig spawned four singles, the first three of which actually originated from IME's demo tape and were later included on the proper album. "Rain Will Fall" and "Not Quite Sonic" were released in the summer of 1993, and "So Gently We Go
So Gently We Go
"So Gently We Go" is a song by Canadian rock band I Mother Earth, released as a single from their debut studio album, Dig. The song reached #1 on Canada's CANCON chart.-Charts:...
" and "Levitate" were released the following summer. All four garnered respectable radio and video airplay in Canada, as well as rotations in the U.S. and Europe. The latter two singles in particular charted well on Canadian rock radio. The album itself won a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
in 1994 for Best Hard Rock Album, beating out IME's childhood idols Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
for the award. This cemented a long relationship between the two bands, which started with IME opening for Rush the night after the Junos. By the end of the album's run, Dig was a Gold record in Canada.
After the exhaustive touring ended, IME ended up in different studios in Toronto and Morin Heights, Quebec in 1995. In these studios, the band worked on its second album, co-produced by Jag Tanna and Paul Northfield
Paul Northfield
Paul Northfield is a prolific record producer and sound engineer, who has worked on albums by bands like Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, Rush and Suicidal Tendencies.-Selected discography:-External links:* * *...
, who was most noted for producing Rush. Daniel Mansilla replaced Borg on percussion, and became the band's permanent touring percussionist. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
also made a guest appearance on the song "Like a Girl". However, signs of dissension in the band were already showing. For the first time, Edwin revealed to the music press that he had no creative control in the band and that such a situation gave him "no reason to be (t)here". He had also spent a great deal of the sessions away from the band, recording the album Victor
Victor (album)
Victor is a solo album by Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson under the name "Victor" released January 9, 1996 on Atlantic Records outside of Canada and Anthem Records within Canada...
with Lifeson. Still, he remained with IME as the group recorded Scenery and Fish
Scenery and Fish
Scenery and Fish is the second album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Capitol and EMI on July 9, 1996. It was the band's most commercially successful work, going double platinum in Canada....
, released in mid-1996. The album, which combined IME's trademark sounds with a slightly softer, radio-friendly approach, was a critical and commercial success. In particular, the singles "One More Astronaut
One More Astronaut
"One More Astronaut" is the first single by I Mother Earth from the band's second studio album, Scenery and Fish. The song reached #1 on Canada's Alternative chart. It is one of the band's most successful songs and is considered their signature song....
" and "Another Sunday" pushed the band into the commercial elite in Canada, the former cracking the Top 20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart in the U.S. Subsequent singles "Used to Be Alright" and "Raspberry" also made solid showings on radio and video. In 1997, IME was nominated for a Juno Award for Group of the Year. The album was nominated for the Best Rock Album Juno, and was a double Platinum record in Canada. The band's new found fame also pushed sales of Dig over the Platinum record mark.
Transition period
Around the end of the tour schedule for Scenery and Fish, IME shocked many fans and reporters when it announced that Edwin would be leaving. From that point on, the band mentioned that Jag Tanna wrote the majority of its music (during jams with his brother and Gordon), that Chris Tanna wrote all of the lyrics, and that Edwin had no control whatsoever. This and musical differences prompted the vocalist to leave. Citing unmanageable tension, the band and Edwin mutually agreed to part ways. The remaining members insisted that they would carry on under the I Mother Earth name, and announced they would be searching for a new lead singer. IME also publicly criticized a show by Franz Masini's new band, which was advertised as "featuring members of I Mother Earth", as a blow to its own name and image. Edwin fulfilled all his contractual obligations with the band, including the EdgefestEdgefest
Edgefest, a yearly outdoor rock concert festival that primarily promotes Canadian rock music, began in 1987 as a thank-you gesture to the listeners of Toronto radio station 102.1 the Edge and as a birthday party to commemorate both the station's tenth birthday, and the coinciding Canada Day...
'97 tour, and left in mid-1997. IME itself ended up in disputes with both EMI and the band's management (Capitol had inexplicably dropped the band prior), and subsequently broke ties with both.
During this time, the band went through hundreds of demo tapes, all the while maintaining the tour schedule and dealing with the aforementioned business issues. One tape, sent in by Brian Byrne
Brian Byrne
Brian Byrne is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician, best recognized as the second vocalist for I Mother Earth.-Biography:...
, was instantly thrown in the trash until former Slik Toxik drummer Neal Busby, who was briefly in a band called Klaven with Byrne, recommended the singer. IME finally listened to the tape, and after auditioning Byrne, immediately agreed that he was their new vocalist. However, the band members waited several months to inform him before finally putting an I Mother Earth t-shirt on him in late 1997, symbolizing his membership in the band. David Usher
David Usher
David Usher is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter. Formerly the frontman for the alternative rock band Moist, he embarked on a solo career beginning in the late 1990s.-Biography:...
made the news public, introducing Byrne to the crowd at a Moist
Moist
Moist was a five-piece Canadian alternative rock band that was popular in the mid-to-late-1990s. The band was led by lead singer David Usher, along with Mark Makoway , Jeff Pearce , Kevin Young and Paul Wilcox .-Biography:...
concert in November that year. IME made its first public performances with Byrne on Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Headed by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band additionally consists of Jeremy Taggart on percussion, Duncan Coutts on bass, and Steve Mazur as lead guitarist...
's Summersault
Summersault
Summersault was a Canadian music festival organized by the band Our Lady Peace in 1998 and again in 2000. Summersault 1998 was held in Barrie, Ontario, at Molson Park, St...
tour in mid-1998, and was well-received by the crowds through both old and new material. IME was signed to Universal in 1998.
Byrne years
In late 1998, IME returned to Toronto and reunited with Paul Northfield, who again shared production duties with Jag Tanna on the new sessions. These sessions were chronicled on the internet by Bruce Gordon, long considered the most fan-friendly member of the band. Armando Borg returned in the place of Conte on percussion, though Mansilla remained IME's main percussionist. Rush frontman Geddy LeeGeddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
was also brought in to provide bass for the album track "Good for Sule". While the Tannas were still the main contributors, they described the creative process as more open than before. The result was Blue Green Orange
Blue Green Orange
Blue Green Orange is the third album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Universal on July 13, 1999. Featuring album covers in blue, green, or orange, the album went gold in Canada....
, released in mid-1999. It was somewhat of a departure from earlier work, opting for more textured, spacier sounds and less of an emphasis on the band's hard-rock reputation. Still, the lead single, "Summertime in the Void", was a major rock hit in Canada and showed that the band was still commercially viable with a different singer and a change in sound. Subsequent singles "All Awake" and "When Did You Get Back from Mars?" also received solid radio and video airplay, but it was apparent that the band's commercial prime was over. The album's Gold status was seen as a disappointment by many compared to the previous albums. Tanna and Northfield won a Juno in 2000 for Best Recording Engineer, and the album was nominated for Best Album Design, but it received no musical nods.
IME came off the road and in 2001 the band members settled into their own Toronto studio, The Mother's Hip. However, this period was plagued with problems. Brian Byrne had ruptured his vocal cords and required surgery. Christian Tanna broke his forearm and was unable to play drums. After those injuries healed the band decided to scrap the entire session, which was reportedly filled with radio-friendly material, and start from the beginning. This occurred after a false story circulated in the media that the album was finished and tentatively titled Save the Last Disco. Furthermore, the band also dealt with the EMI release of Earth, Sky, and Everything in Between
Earth, Sky, and Everything in Between
Earth, Sky, and Everything in Between is a compilation album by Canadian band I Mother Earth. It features four unreleased tracks, and a live studio session recorded in 1997 for a Sound Source Radio Special at Mushroom Studios, Vancouver.-Personnel:...
, an album of B-Sides and live recordings from the EMI years. The Tannas and Gordon issued a statement insisting the record was unauthorized and was nothing more than a cash grab by EMI. Edwin offered no comment on the album.
IME then went to work on the proper new album in 2002 with producer David Bottrill
David Bottrill
David Bottrill is a Canadian record producer. He has won three Grammys. Currently, he owns Rattlebox Studios in Toronto, Ontario with producer Brian Moncarz...
(alongside Jag Tanna), taking only a short break to headline the Canadian MTV Campus Invasion Tour, then releasing a song as a preview of the new material. The song "Juicy" was pressed as a promo single for the Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including The Fast and the Furious and xXx...
movie xXx
XXX
XXX may refer to:* The number 30 in Roman numerals* The year 30 AD* Games of the XXX Olympiad, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England* Super Bowl XXX, held on January 28, 1996* A mark indicating "extra strong"* Alcoholic beverages...
, and despite no push from the label and no video, it received rock radio airplay on its own. It was later included on The Quicksilver Meat Dream
The Quicksilver Meat Dream
The Quicksilver Meat Dream is officially the fourth album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Universal on April 8, 2003. It is allegedly a concept album, though the details on the concept are left to the fans...
, released in early 2003. The album was an even larger departure from past works, with industrial elements replacing the Latin percussion (but not Mansilla, who still toured with the band), and a heavier, more progressive sound than ever before. However, Universal was unimpressed with the nearly-finished product and demanded radio-friendly singles, so the band returned to the studio to appease the label. Lead single "Like the Sun" was another Canadian rock hit, but despite its popularity, it failed to sell the record. Due to the dismal sales and arguments with the Tannas over the direction of IME, Universal withdrew all support from the band, leaving it to fund small tours and second single "No Coma" on its own. The song failed to be officially added to rock radio, the video received very limited play, and with that the band decided to end the album's run after only seven months. The band provided the theme songs for the MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic 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:...
TV shows Much on Demand and MuchLOUD
MuchLOUD
MuchLOUD is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Bell Media. The channel broadcasts rock, modern rock, alternative, punk, and heavy metal music programming primarily in the form of music videos with other programming including concerts, interviews, and more...
, but otherwise went unheard in the media for the rest of the year. Universal officially dropped IME at the end of 2003.
Breakup
In November 2003, I Mother Earth performed a special show in Barrie, Ontario, entitled "Live off the Floor". Largely considered by those present as their greatest live performance, the intimate, nearly four-hour show featured the band performing in the round of the Georgian College venue, with the crowd on all sides. IME played most of its back catalogue at the show, and it was the band's final performance.Following the band's breakup, Brian Byrne started a solo career. Bruce Gordon joined the Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
lineup. He is also playing with both the funk band Hot Fo' Gandhi and the garage jazz band The Tiny Specks. Jagori Tanna is a record producer and recently relocated to Peterborough, Ontario, where he founded a new studio for his label, UpperLeftSide music. Christian Tanna organized local Toronto rock and jazz events, and is currently in a management role with UpperLeftSide music. He also played drums in Byrne's backing band for his 2008 tour.
In late 2008, Jagori Tanna announced that, despite his current production schedule, an IME reunion was possible yet "unlikely" at the time. However, in early 2010, he made several comments via his personal Facebook page that he is working on new I Mother Earth material. Brian Byrne has confirmed that when he is needed, he will perform the vocal parts.
Band members
- Jagori TannaJagori TannaJagori Tanna is a Canadian musician. Together with his brother, Christian Tanna, he formed I Mother Earth around 1990. He wrote almost all of I Mother Earth's music, and produced much of it as well...
(1991–2003) – 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... - Christian TannaChristian TannaChristian Tanna is a Canadian musician. He began playing drums in high school, and with his brother, Jagori Tanna, formed I Mother Earth in 1990. Tanna played on 1993's Dig, 1996's Scenery and Fish, 1999's Blue Green Orange, and 2003's The Quicksilver Meat Dream...
(1991–2003) – drum kitDrum 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 .... - EdwinEdwin (musician)Edwin is a Canadian alternative rock singer and solo artist from Toronto, and former lead vocalist for I Mother Earth. He was on the band's first two albums, and was also on the majority of the songs on Victor, a 1996 side project from Alex Lifeson of Rush. He went solo in late 1997 and released...
(1991–1997) – vocals - Franz Masini (1991–1992) – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Bruce GordonBruce Gordon (musician)Bruce Gordon is a Canadian rock musician, best known as the bassist for I Mother Earth.He was born to parents of Scottish and German heritage. He immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of six...
(1992–2003) – bass - Daniel Mansilla (1995–2003) – percussion instrumentPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
s - Brian ByrneBrian ByrneBrian Byrne is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician, best recognized as the second vocalist for I Mother Earth.-Biography:...
(1997–2003) – vocals
Albums
| Year | Title | Peak positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Canadian Albums Chart 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... |
CAN Cria A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically... |
||
| 1993 | Dig Dig (I Mother Earth album) Dig is the debut album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Capitol and EMI on August 10, 1993. It went gold in Canada in its initial run, and today stands at platinum in Canada... |
- | Platinum |
| 1996 | Scenery and Fish Scenery and Fish Scenery and Fish is the second album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Capitol and EMI on July 9, 1996. It was the band's most commercially successful work, going double platinum in Canada.... |
10 | 2x Platinum |
| 1999 | Blue Green Orange Blue Green Orange Blue Green Orange is the third album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Universal on July 13, 1999. Featuring album covers in blue, green, or orange, the album went gold in Canada.... |
8 | Gold |
| 2001 | Earth, Sky, and Everything in Between Earth, Sky, and Everything in Between Earth, Sky, and Everything in Between is a compilation album by Canadian band I Mother Earth. It features four unreleased tracks, and a live studio session recorded in 1997 for a Sound Source Radio Special at Mushroom Studios, Vancouver.-Personnel:... |
- | |
| 2003 | The Quicksilver Meat Dream The Quicksilver Meat Dream The Quicksilver Meat Dream is officially the fourth album by the Canadian alternative rock band I Mother Earth, released by Universal on April 8, 2003. It is allegedly a concept album, though the details on the concept are left to the fans... |
- | |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart position | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN RPM (magazine) 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 Alt. Canadian rock/alternative chart The 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 (magazine) 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,... |
U.S. Main. Rock |
|||
| 1993 | "Rain Will Fall" | - | - | 3 | - | Dig |
| "Not Quite Sonic" | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Levitate" | - | - | 8 | - | ||
| 1994 | "So Gently We Go So Gently We Go "So Gently We Go" is a song by Canadian rock band I Mother Earth, released as a single from their debut studio album, Dig. The song reached #1 on Canada's CANCON chart.-Charts:... " |
43 | - | 1 | - | |
| 1995 | "Levitate" (re-release) | 75 | - | - | - | |
| 1996 | "One More Astronaut One More Astronaut "One More Astronaut" is the first single by I Mother Earth from the band's second studio album, Scenery and Fish. The song reached #1 on Canada's Alternative chart. It is one of the band's most successful songs and is considered their signature song.... " |
32 | 1 | - | 19 | Scenery and Fish |
| "Another Sunday" | - | 2 | - | - | ||
| 1997 | "Used to Be Alright" | 67 | - | - | - | |
| "Raspberry" | 14 | - | - | - | ||
| 1999 | "Summertime in the Void" | - | 5 | - | - | Blue Green Orange |
| "All Awake" | - | 22 | - | - | ||
| 2000 | "When Did You Get Back from Mars?" | - | 12 | - | - | |
| 2002 | "Juicy" | - | - | - | - | The Quicksilver Meat Dream |
| 2003 | "Like the Sun" | - | - | - | - | |
| "No Coma" | - | - | - | - | ||
External links
- Subterranean Wonderland fan site
- I Mother Earth at JAM music archive