The Belle Game
Encyclopedia
The Belle Game is an indie folk
pop
band originating from Vancouver
, British Columbia
. Formed in July 2009, the band currently consists of permanent members Adam Nanji, Andrea Lo, Alex Andrew, Katrina Jones, Rob Chursinoff, and Ian Cook.
Adam Nanji had already previously booked studio time at Vogville Studios by the time The Belle Game was founded, so less than a month after the band was started, they headed into the studio and began recording material with producer John Franco. After five days in the studio, the band had three songs to put on to an EP
with a previously unreleased solo track by Adam Nanji.
In September 2009, the band had to take a break because of post-secondary education. Adam Nanji headed back east to Montreal
for his third year at McGill University
, while Alex Andrew remained in Vancouver
at Simon Fraser University
. A month later, Adam met Katrina Jones, a then solo singer/songwriter, while she was waiting tables in a restaurant near McGill. The two began playing together, and when Andrea Lo arrived in Montreal
to visit, the three of them played a few shows under the name of The Belle Game, keeping to the original melody
/harmony
-focused sound of the band. Nanji and Jones continued to play together after Andrea Lo returned to Vancouver
, and Jones was soon adopted into the band. In November, the band received their mixed and mastered tracks from their summer studio session, and soon after released their first EP
.
, on November 10, 2009. Since then, the EP has received positive reviews. The EP
was released in hard-copy in January 2010. It is five songs long, with the fifth song being a hidden track entitled "The Belle Game" that is a mastered lo-fi recording of the band's first song idea, which contains a great deal of vocal harmonizing. Since then, the band has been played on CBC National Radio with their song "Tiny Fires," which has been put on a light rotation with the large station.
In April 2010, the lead track "Shoulders & Turns" was put into heavy rotation with Vancouver's radio station the Shore 104.3
FM. Shortly after, the band entered the Shore's "Sounds of Summer Song Search" radio contest with an acoustic version of the EP's fourth track, "Tiny Fires". Throughout the summer, the band played at different venues for the competition. Although the winner of the grand prize went to singer-songwriter Zaac Pick
, the Belle Game ultimately won the most votes from fans, thus receiving the "Fan Favourite Award". Shortly after, the band played a live show for the Shore, and since then, the full-band version of their song "Tiny Fires" has been put on a heavy rotation on the radio station.
). The band returned to the studio and began their work on their first full-length album. On August 23, 2010, the band headed into JC/DC studios in downtown Vancouver
to record more tracks with producers David Carswell
, producer of such bands as Tegan and Sara
and The New Pornographers
, and John Collins
, producer of Tegan and Sara
and bassist of The New Pornographers
. By the end of the year, the band stated that they had completely recorded 9 songs so far, and were working on as many as 6 more tracks as of January 2011.
The band released their second EP with the material they had recorded with Carswell and Collins, entitled "Sleep to Grow", on October 1st, 2011.
and Facebook
pages, the Belle Game stated that they had been accepted to play at the Canadian Music Week
, Canada
's biggest music festival of the year, in Toronto
at the Dakota Tavern on March 12, 2011, and the show received positive reviews.Since then, the band has performed as a part of many other festivals such as NXNE in June 2011, Vancouver's 125th Anniversary "Summer Live" on July 10, 2011, Squamish Live in August 2011, and Rifflandia in September 2011.
Also during the summer of 2011, the band took part in the Peak Performance Project, a contest put on by Vancouver radio station 100.5 The Peak, as one of the top 20 artists.Although they did not place in the top 5, their Sleep to Grow EP cover art credits the contest for its financial help in completing and releasing the EP.
According to the band's website, they are now recording what will be their first full-length studio album with producer John Raham (Frazey Ford, Memphis) in Afterlife Studios in downtown Vancouver, and when their session is done, they should have about 7 songs for their new album.
Indie folk
Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s from singer/songwriters in the indie rock community showing heavy influences from folk music scenes of the 50s, 60s and early 70s, country music, and indie rock. A few early artists included Lou Barlow, Beck, Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band originating from 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,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Formed in July 2009, the band currently consists of permanent members Adam Nanji, Andrea Lo, Alex Andrew, Katrina Jones, Rob Chursinoff, and Ian Cook.
Origin
Adam Nanji and Alex Andrew, who met when they were 5 years old, played in a band called The Dazed from 2002-2007. Shortly after the band broke up, Nanji and Andrew began writing solo acoustic material, and after two years, both had released their own EPs. In July 2009, Nanji was offered an opening slot at a show at the Railway Club in Vancouver. Nanji asked Andrew if he would play drums as part of his solo act because he was formerly the drummer of The Dazed. Nanji contacted high school friend Andrea Lo to play the keyboard onstage and sing back-up vocals; however, when the band first practised together, they decided to create a band with both Nanji and Lo on lead vocals.Adam Nanji had already previously booked studio time at Vogville Studios by the time The Belle Game was founded, so less than a month after the band was started, they headed into the studio and began recording material with producer John Franco. After five days in the studio, the band had three songs to put on to an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
with a previously unreleased solo track by Adam Nanji.
In September 2009, the band had to take a break because of post-secondary education. Adam Nanji headed back east to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
for his third year at McGill University
McGill 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...
, while Alex Andrew remained in 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,...
at Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
. A month later, Adam met Katrina Jones, a then solo singer/songwriter, while she was waiting tables in a restaurant near McGill. The two began playing together, and when Andrea Lo arrived in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to visit, the three of them played a few shows under the name of The Belle Game, keeping to the original melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
/harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
-focused sound of the band. Nanji and Jones continued to play together after Andrea Lo returned to 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,...
, and Jones was soon adopted into the band. In November, the band received their mixed and mastered tracks from their summer studio session, and soon after released their first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
.
Inventing Letters EP
The Belle Game digitally released their first collection of songs, the Inventing Letters EPInventing Letters EP
The Inventing Letters EP is the first release by Vancouver, British Columbia band The Belle Game. It was released digitally on November 10, 2009...
, on November 10, 2009. Since then, the EP has received positive reviews. The EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was released in hard-copy in January 2010. It is five songs long, with the fifth song being a hidden track entitled "The Belle Game" that is a mastered lo-fi recording of the band's first song idea, which contains a great deal of vocal harmonizing. Since then, the band has been played on CBC National Radio with their song "Tiny Fires," which has been put on a light rotation with the large station.
In April 2010, the lead track "Shoulders & Turns" was put into heavy rotation with Vancouver's radio station the Shore 104.3
CHHR-FM
CHHR-FM is a Canadian radio station. Licenced to Vancouver, British Columbia and operating at 104.3 FM, the station serves the Metro Vancouver area. CHHR broadcasts with an ERP of 10000 watts with an HAAT of 600m. The station has an adult album alternative format...
FM. Shortly after, the band entered the Shore's "Sounds of Summer Song Search" radio contest with an acoustic version of the EP's fourth track, "Tiny Fires". Throughout the summer, the band played at different venues for the competition. Although the winner of the grand prize went to singer-songwriter Zaac Pick
Zaac Pick
Zaac Pick is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, he currently resides in Langley, British Columbia. Formerly part of the Vancouver based band Doubting Paris as a guitarist, Pick began his solo project and released his debut EP Fierce Wind in 2009...
, the Belle Game ultimately won the most votes from fans, thus receiving the "Fan Favourite Award". Shortly after, the band played a live show for the Shore, and since then, the full-band version of their song "Tiny Fires" has been put on a heavy rotation on the radio station.
Sleep to Grow EP
In August 2010, the band added new members Ian Cook (bass guitar), and Rob Chursinoff (drummer, formerly of Tegan and SaraTegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin . Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write songs.-History:...
). The band returned to the studio and began their work on their first full-length album. On August 23, 2010, the band headed into JC/DC studios in downtown 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,...
to record more tracks with producers David Carswell
David Carswell
David Carswell is a Canadian music producer and co-owner, with John Collins, of JCDC Studios, in Vancouver, BC Canada.-Produced:* Maow, Single on OH CANADUH!, 1995* Maow, The Unforgiving Sounds of..., 1996* The Evaporators, United Empire Loyalists, 1996...
, producer of such bands as Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin . Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write songs.-History:...
and The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a...
, and John Collins
John Collins (Canadian musician)
John Edward Collins is a member of The New Pornographers, Destroyer, and The Evaporators. He plays the bass, guitar, synthesizer, ebow and sings....
, producer of Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin . Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write songs.-History:...
and bassist of The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a...
. By the end of the year, the band stated that they had completely recorded 9 songs so far, and were working on as many as 6 more tracks as of January 2011.
The band released their second EP with the material they had recorded with Carswell and Collins, entitled "Sleep to Grow", on October 1st, 2011.
Present
In January 2011 on the band's TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
pages, the Belle Game stated that they had been accepted to play at the Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week is an industry conference and music festival held over four days in various venues throughout Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
, 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...
's biggest music festival of the year, in 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...
at the Dakota Tavern on March 12, 2011, and the show received positive reviews.Since then, the band has performed as a part of many other festivals such as NXNE in June 2011, Vancouver's 125th Anniversary "Summer Live" on July 10, 2011, Squamish Live in August 2011, and Rifflandia in September 2011.
Also during the summer of 2011, the band took part in the Peak Performance Project, a contest put on by Vancouver radio station 100.5 The Peak, as one of the top 20 artists.Although they did not place in the top 5, their Sleep to Grow EP cover art credits the contest for its financial help in completing and releasing the EP.
According to the band's website, they are now recording what will be their first full-length studio album with producer John Raham (Frazey Ford, Memphis) in Afterlife Studios in downtown Vancouver, and when their session is done, they should have about 7 songs for their new album.
Band Members
- Adam Nanji – Lead vocals, lead guitar (2009–present)
- Andrea Lo – Lead vocals (2009–present)
- Alex Andrew – Rhythm guitar (2009–present)
- Katrina Jones – Piano, back-up vocals (2009–present)
- Rob Chursinoff – Drums (2010–present)
- Ian Cook – Bass (2010–present)
Live Members (Past & Present)
- Andrew Lee - Trumpet
- Aliza Thibodeau - Violin
- Kathleen Nisbet - Violin
- Rob Calder - Trumpet
See also
- Canadian rockCanadian rockCanadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
- List of bands from British Columbia
- List of bands from Canada