Jellyfishbabies were an 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 in 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...

, active from 1986 to 1991. Although the band never attained mainstream success, they were one of the major influences on the Halifax Pop Explosion

Halifax Pop Explosion

The Halifax Pop Explosion is a music festival that takes place every fall, two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada.-History:...

 scene of the early 1990s.

Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, the band consisted of vocalist Scott Kendall, guitarist Peter Arsenault, bassist Dave Schellenberg and drummer Colleen Britton. The original lineup released an independent self-titled album in 1986, which hit #1 on local radio station CKDU-FM

CKDU-FM

CKDU-FM is a radio station broadcasting in a campus radio format from the campus of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Licensed to broadcast to the Halifax Regional Municipality area, it broadcasts via a 3200 watt transmitter heard primarily to the urban core of Halifax...

 just three days after its release.

The band were also prominently featured on Out of the Fog, a 1986 compilation of Halifax-area bands which was also credited with launching the career of Sarah McLachlan

Sarah McLachlan

Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...

.

By 1989, the band decided to move to 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...

 in hopes of landing a recording contract. Britton declined to make the move, however, and was replaced by Mike Belitsky

Mike Belitsky

Mike Belitsky is a Canadian musician. He has played drums for a number of bands, including Jellyfishbabies, Jale, Neko Case, and Pernice Brothers.He currently plays in The Sadies and The Unintended.-Album Appearances:...

.

Once in Toronto, the band released the album The Unkind Truth About Rome in 1990. Their single "The Erlking" was featured on the Highway 61

Highway 61 (soundtrack)

Highway 61 is a soundtrack album to the Canadian film Highway 61, released in 1991.The album produced the first chart hit for Canadian alternative band Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, "Put Your Head On"...

soundtrack, and the band recorded a cover of "Call it Democracy" for the Bruce Cockburn

Bruce Cockburn

Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...

 tribute album Kick at the Darkness

Kick at the Darkness

Kick at the Darkness is a tribute album to Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, released in 1991. The title comes from a line in the song "Lovers in a Dangerous Time", gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight....

. They followed up with The Swan and the City in 1992, although Arsenault had by this time left the band to join Doughboys

Doughboys (band)

Doughboys were a Canadian alternative rock band that were active in the late 1980s and early/mid 1990s. The band was renowned for its musical blend of punk and pop-style melodies.-Early Years:...

. However, the band had limited commercial success, and broke up sometime following The Swan and the City.

Belitsky went on to join Jale

Jale

Jale was an indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Contemporaries of Sloan and The Super Friendz, they were formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1996...

, and has since played drums for artists such as Neko Case

Neko Case

Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....

, Pernice Brothers and The Sadies

The Sadies

The Sadies are a Canadian indie rock and alternative country band from Toronto, Ontario.-Background:The band consists of Dallas Good , Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky...

. Kendall currently fronts the Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

-based band Babies with Rabies. Schellenberg died in 1995.

Sloan

Sloan (band)

Sloan is a Toronto-based alternative rock quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Throughout their 20-year tenure Sloan has released 10 LPs , two EPs, a live album, a "best of" collection and no less than thirty singles...

, one of the most prominent of the next generation of Halifax bands, named their 2003 album Action Pact

Action Pact (album)

Action Pact is the seventh album by Canadian rock band Sloan. It was named after a song by the 1980s Halifax band Jellyfishbabies, called Youth Action Pact...

for the Jellyfishbabies song "Youth Action Pact".

Albums

• Jellyfishbabies (1986)
• The Unkind Truth About Rome (1990)
• The Swan and the City (1992)

Compilations

• Out of the Fog (1986)
• Highway 61
  Highway 61 (soundtrack)
  Highway 61 is a soundtrack album to the Canadian film Highway 61, released in 1991.The album produced the first chart hit for Canadian alternative band Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, "Put Your Head On"...
  
  (1991)
• Kick at the Darkness
  Kick at the Darkness
  Kick at the Darkness is a tribute album to Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, released in 1991. The title comes from a line in the song "Lovers in a Dangerous Time", gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight....
  
  (1991)