Joel Kroeker
Encyclopedia
Joel Kroeker is Winnipeg
-born, Vancouver
-based Canadian
singer/songwriter of Mennonite
heritage. He is signed to the True North Records
music label.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Guitar Performance at the University of Manitoba
and got a Masters Degree in Music from the University of Alberta
in Edmonton
.
His first studio release was the album, "Melodrama" followed by "Closer to the Flame". He had great success in Quebec as well with his single co-written with Dany Bédar
called "Déjà Vu". His most successful single to date is his song "Goodbye Jane". The 2004 Canadian film "Ham & Cheese" directed by Warren P. Sonoda uses one of Kroeker's singles entitled "The Wind". Kroeker also performed in Randy Bachman
's album "Jazz Thing".
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
-born, 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 Canadian
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...
singer/songwriter of Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
heritage. He is signed to the True North Records
True North Records
True North Records is a Canadian independent record label. It was founded in Mississauga, Ontario in 1969 by Bernie Finkelstein. On December 17, 2007, True North was acquired by an investment group led by Linus Entertainment...
music label.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Guitar Performance at the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
and got a Masters Degree in Music from the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
.
Career
His debut CD "Naive Bohemian" was an independent release in 1999 with some success on Canadian campus radio.His first studio release was the album, "Melodrama" followed by "Closer to the Flame". He had great success in Quebec as well with his single co-written with Dany Bédar
Dany Bédar
Dany Bédar is a francophone Québécois singer from Val-d'Or in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, CanadaHe moved to Montreal at age 19. In 1993, he was the bass player of the group Sex Solution with Gaeboche aka Richard Gibouleau , Karl Coderre . He plays every instrument except drums...
called "Déjà Vu". His most successful single to date is his song "Goodbye Jane". The 2004 Canadian film "Ham & Cheese" directed by Warren P. Sonoda uses one of Kroeker's singles entitled "The Wind". Kroeker also performed in Randy Bachman
Randy Bachman
Randolph Charles "Randy" Bachman, OC, OM is a Canadian musician best known as lead guitarist, songwriter and a founding member for both the 1960s–70s rock band The Guess Who, and the 1970s rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive...
's album "Jazz Thing".
Albums
- 1999: Naive BohemianNaive BohemianNaive Bohemian is the first album of Joel Kroeker released independently in 1999 on a CD.-Track listing:# Dreams # Angry Young Ballerina# New Order# Inner Child# Village# Low-Fi Archive #1 # Freak Bus# Bully...
(independent CD) - 2004: MelodramaMelodrama (Joel Kroeker album)Melodrama is the first studio album by Joel Kroeker and the second of his albums after his 1999 independent release CD Naive Bohemian. The album was released in 2004 on True North Records and was produced by Danny Greenspoon...
- 2007: Closer to the FlameCloser to the Flame (Joel Kroeker album)Closer to the Flame is the second studio album of Joel Kroeker and the third of his albums after his 1999 independent release CD Naive Bohemian and 2004 release of Melodrama....
Singles / Videos
- Goodbye Jane http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqVbSrsRNOk
- The Wind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09KDe84UrMU
- Déjé Vu (with Dany BédarDany BédarDany Bédar is a francophone Québécois singer from Val-d'Or in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, CanadaHe moved to Montreal at age 19. In 1993, he was the bass player of the group Sex Solution with Gaeboche aka Richard Gibouleau , Karl Coderre . He plays every instrument except drums...
) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkfTuPlv4o0 - Against Myself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi23-UogYuE
Awards
- 1999: Best New Recording Artist by the Alberta Recording Industry Association
- 1999: Film Score of the Year for the documentary "Tokyo Gardens"
- 2004: Nominated for Outstanding Pop Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards.