Major Maker
Encyclopedia
Major Maker is a Canadian
indie rock
band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in 2006 by Bulgaria
n-born Todor Kobakov, and Iceland
ic singer-songwriter Lindy Vopnfjord. Their track "Rollercoaster" was used in a Maynards candy commercial, which led the company to be inundated with requests for the name of the band. The commercial was viewed more than 77,000 times on YouTube
and was written about in the Toronto Sun
and in Marketing
magazine. The duo wrote the song initially for the 30-second ad, calling it "Maynards Candy Song", but after its popularity they wrote two-and-a-half minutes more of the song, retitled it, and released it for digital download in July 2007. They also licensed the song "Talk to You" to Telus
.
Their 2006 debut full-length release All Illusion was recorded and mixed in Kobakov's house. Their 2007 EP People Carrier includes two remixes of "Rollercoaster", one by Small Sins
and one by Sofia Scandalli.
Kobakov, whom by age 20 had completed a music performance degree in classical piano at the University of Toronto
, has written film scores, including for the movie Young People Fucking
. He has done string arrangements for such artists as Stars and Sarah Slean
. He has also toured as part of the live band for Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton and Small Sins. Separately, Kobakov has released three albums under the name Cy Scobie, and Vopnfjord has released three under the name Lindy. For live shows, Kobakov and Vopnfjord are joined by bassist
Thomas D'Arcy
of Small Sins, guitar
ist Ian LeFeuvre of Starling, and drummer
John Ocerbian from Sarah Harmer
's band.
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, formed in Toronto, Ontario in 2006 by Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n-born Todor Kobakov, and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic singer-songwriter Lindy Vopnfjord. Their track "Rollercoaster" was used in a Maynards candy commercial, which led the company to be inundated with requests for the name of the band. The commercial was viewed more than 77,000 times on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and was written about in the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
and in Marketing
Marketing (magazine)
Marketing is a Canadian business magazine about marketing, advertising and media. The magazine is published fortnightly by Rogers Media Inc....
magazine. The duo wrote the song initially for the 30-second ad, calling it "Maynards Candy Song", but after its popularity they wrote two-and-a-half minutes more of the song, retitled it, and released it for digital download in July 2007. They also licensed the song "Talk to You" to Telus
TELUS
Telus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...
.
Their 2006 debut full-length release All Illusion was recorded and mixed in Kobakov's house. Their 2007 EP People Carrier includes two remixes of "Rollercoaster", one by Small Sins
Small Sins
Small Sins is the Toronto-based indie rock act of Thomas D'Arcy, former member of The Carnations. The Small Sins were once known as The Ladies and Gentlemen, but due to legal reasons they had to change their name...
and one by Sofia Scandalli.
Kobakov, whom by age 20 had completed a music performance degree in classical piano at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, has written film scores, including for the movie Young People Fucking
Young People Fucking
Young People Fucking, also called Y.P.F., is a 2007 romantic comedy directed, written and produced by Martin Gero and Aaron Abrams. It debuted at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. "Our generation makes an effort to separate love and sex," says Gero. "They're all trying to do this thing,...
. He has done string arrangements for such artists as Stars and Sarah Slean
Sarah Slean
Sarah Hope Slean is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and occasional actress from Pickering, Ontario. She has released eleven albums to date .-Major recordings:...
. He has also toured as part of the live band for Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton and Small Sins. Separately, Kobakov has released three albums under the name Cy Scobie, and Vopnfjord has released three under the name Lindy. For live shows, Kobakov and Vopnfjord are joined by bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Thomas D'Arcy
Thomas D'Arcy
Thomas D'Arcy, is a Canadian singer and songwriter born in Guernsey, Channel Islands. He has been part of such bands and indie rock acts as The Carnations, All Systems Go!, Small Sins , Another Blue Door, The I-Spies and The Suspenders, among others.-Career:D'Arcy's family immigrated to Toronto,...
of Small Sins, guitar
Guitar
The 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...
ist Ian LeFeuvre of Starling, and drummer
Drum kit
A 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 ....
John Ocerbian from Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
's band.
Discography
- 2006: All Illusion
- 2007: "Rollercoaster" single
- 2007: People Carrier EP
External links
- Major Maker official site
- Major Maker on CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...