Silver Starling
Encyclopedia
Silver Starling is an indie pop band based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
.
Paquin met drummer Liam O'neill after seeing him perform at a free jazz show and the two soon began performing the songs together. Marika Anthony-Shaw
(Paquin's wife) naturally joined the band as the third member adding violin, viola and keyboards. Peter X was soon added on bass guitar and banjo. The then four-piece recorded their self-titled debut album and added touring member Gabriel Lambert as an additional guitarist and soon became a permanent member.
Falling under the genre classification of pop/rock their sound has been described as "brilliantly conceived, skillfully executed art-pop
", "touchingly vulnerable yet heart-achingly optimist slow rock
tinged with the gentleness of folk
" with "an eclectic-yet-carefully-plotted blend of elements of Blues, Country, Rock"
Before releasing their debut album on Toronto/Montreal based label Last Gang Records
(Metric
, Ohbijou
) Silver Starling were featured on three large Canadian Music Festivals; Osheaga, Hillside and the Toronto Virgin Fest
.
The band toured in September 2009 in Quebec and Ontario to promote their upcoming album which was released in October in Canada and USA and also showcased at CMJ in New York city in October 2009, M for Montreal
in November 2009 and SXSW in March 2010.
February 26, 2010 Silver Starling premiered their debut video for "Closer" on Spinner Magazine and were soon after chosen for The Freshman Video competition at mtvU
online, along-side Jonsi from Sigur Ros
.
UK band Band of Skulls
added Silver Starling as an opener for their cross Canada tour. Drummer Liam O'neill left the band shortly before tour and was temporarily replaced by long time friend or Paquin's, Mike Shulha.
The album reached #115 on Earshot
Top 200 and #130 on the CMJ top 200. Their music is distributed through Universal Music in Canada and Fontana
in USA.
Biography
Silver Starling began as a project of Montreal-born singer-songwriter Marcus Paquin. Outside of creating his own music Marcus has been a recording engineer having worked with Stars, Torngat, Arcade Fire and many others for over 10 years since graduating with a Masters degree from McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
.
Paquin met drummer Liam O'neill after seeing him perform at a free jazz show and the two soon began performing the songs together. Marika Anthony-Shaw
Marika Shaw
Marika Anthony-Shaw is a Canadian violist/violinist who is a touring member of the band Arcade Fire and played viola on their second album Neon Bible and most recent album The Suburbs. Prior to her current role, she was an Orchestra teacher at Lindsay Place High School...
(Paquin's wife) naturally joined the band as the third member adding violin, viola and keyboards. Peter X was soon added on bass guitar and banjo. The then four-piece recorded their self-titled debut album and added touring member Gabriel Lambert as an additional guitarist and soon became a permanent member.
Falling under the genre classification of pop/rock their sound has been described as "brilliantly conceived, skillfully executed art-pop
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
", "touchingly vulnerable yet heart-achingly optimist slow rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
tinged with the gentleness of folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
" with "an eclectic-yet-carefully-plotted blend of elements of Blues, Country, Rock"
Before releasing their debut album on Toronto/Montreal based label Last Gang Records
Last Gang Records
Last Gang Records is a record label that was formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald Tarlton in the Fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival....
(Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
, Ohbijou
Ohbijou
-Biography:Ohbijou began as the solo project of Brantford singer-songwriter Casey Mecija . Through the process of songwriting and composition, Casey discovered a need for the musical support of her sister Jennifer Mecija , whom Casey invited to assist with her early performances...
) Silver Starling were featured on three large Canadian Music Festivals; Osheaga, Hillside and the Toronto Virgin Fest
Virgin Festival
The Virgin Fest is a rock festival held in the United States and Canada, a spin-off from the V Festival held in the UK...
.
The band toured in September 2009 in Quebec and Ontario to promote their upcoming album which was released in October in Canada and USA and also showcased at CMJ in New York city in October 2009, M for Montreal
M for Montreal
M for Montreal was launched in 2006 and found by Montreal's Sebastian Nasra and U.K legendary concert programmer Martin Elbourne .M for Montreal is a scouting service and a networking platform held annually in November in...
in November 2009 and SXSW in March 2010.
February 26, 2010 Silver Starling premiered their debut video for "Closer" on Spinner Magazine and were soon after chosen for The Freshman Video competition at mtvU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
online, along-side Jonsi from Sigur Ros
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
.
UK band Band of Skulls
Band of Skulls
Band of Skulls is an alternative rock band from Southampton, England, consisting of Russell Marsden , Emma Richardson , and Matt Hayward...
added Silver Starling as an opener for their cross Canada tour. Drummer Liam O'neill left the band shortly before tour and was temporarily replaced by long time friend or Paquin's, Mike Shulha.
The album reached #115 on Earshot
Earshot
Earshot is a hard rock/alternative metal band from Los Angeles, California. The band has released three albums: Letting Go, Two, and most recently, The Silver Lining on August 26, 2008.-Formation and Letting Go:...
Top 200 and #130 on the CMJ top 200. Their music is distributed through Universal Music in Canada and Fontana
Fontana Distribution
Fontana Distribution is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group that was launched in 2004, which deals in distribution, as well as in a range of sales, marketing, and back office support services, for a diverse roster of independent record labels and their artists. The company takes its name and logo...
in USA.
Members
- Marcus Paquin - Vocals, Guitar
- Marika Anthony-Shaw - Violin, Viola, Keyboards, Glockenspiel
- Peter X - Bass, Banjo
- Gab Lambert - Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin