Tupelo Honey (band)
Encyclopedia
Tupelo Honey is a Canadian rock
band formed in St. Albert, Alberta
, Canada, in February 2003. They have played with numerous headlining acts such as Bon Jovi
, Default
, Theory of a Deadman
, Bif Naked
, Three Days Grace
, Thornley
, The Trews
, Billy Talent
, and Sam Roberts
.
Prior to forming Tupelo Honey, the band members gained experience playing in bands of varied musical genres; Tyler Dianocky played in a world music
band that focused on instrumental
music, Dan Davidson played in an Indie rock
/ punk
band, Matt Landry sang in numerous rock
bands and Greg Williamson (drummer)
and Steve Vincent played together in a jazz
-infused cover band
. These diverse musical backgrounds lend to Tupelo Honey's sound, which ranges from hard rock
to mid-tempo acoustic
.
Tyler Dianocky (guitar
), Dan Davidson (guitar
), Greg Williamson (drummer)
and Steve Vincent (bass
) first played together in a folk music
band for paying shows before meeting Matt Landry (vocals
) through mutual friends, after watching him perform solo. Folk music
was a dramatic deviation from their preferred genre – rock
.
Needing a name to enter a music contest, they selected Tupelo Honey
– the title of Matt Landry's father's favourite song. The name was meant to be temporary; however, after winning the music contest and gaining fans who identified the band as Tupelo Honey, the name remained.
, to an audience of over 5000 people and was preceded on stage by Our Lady Peace
.
In July 2007, Tupelo Honey performed for a crowd of over 13 000, opening for Bon Jovi
at both Edmonton, Alberta's Rexall Place
and Calgary, Alberta's Saddledome.
In 2005, Tupelo Honey won Canadian Music Week
's Xtreme Bandslam Competition beating out Vancouver's State of Shock
. Their prize included 30 hours of recording at Metalworks Studios
and a $5000 National Radio Promotion and Publicity Package.
In 2006, Tupelo Honey won the regional title in the Canadian Radio Star National Songwriting Competition with their song "Screaming".
was released on April 15, 2008. The album's title refers to the extensive use of technology employed in recording the album; for example, Dan Davidson recorded some of the guitar tracks from his home and emailed them to the producer.
The album was produced by Jeff Dalziel (Thornley
, Edwin
), who also co-wrote the EP
's second single, "We Are". While producing and recording Machines and Robots, Jeff Dalziel was also producing Canadian Idol
Brian Melo
's debut album Livin' It
; Tupelo Honey was hired to play sessions on Melo's album.
"Morphine" was the first single released from Machines and Robots. The promotional music video for "Morphine" was shot over the course of a day in a white-walled room half the size of a kitchen, and the graphic-novel style effects were added later in post-production. Aside from the band members, only three crew members and a camera operator were on set. Blatant Films, an animation company in Vancouver, British Columbia, produced the music video and created the animations. The "Morphine" video won "Best Music Video" of 2008 at the prestigious Leo Awards
, celebrating the best in BC's Film and Television Industry
"Not Alone", the second video from "Machines and Robots", also produced by Blatant Films, features the band members bruised and battered, headed out to the country in an old classic 1966 Buick Electra. Once outside the city, the band members "heal" both physically and metaphorically before returning to the city at sunset. "Not Alone" was also nominated for "Best Video" at the Leo Awards
.
Once 2010 came, Tupelo Honey's foreman Matt Landry parted ways with the band. According to the band's homepage, it was apparently "not possible to move forward in any fashion, what so ever given the situation." Backup singer Dan Davidson has since taken the new role of lead vocalist. The have returned to the studio to record their first full-length album, and have released a new single, "Best I Could", which can be heard on the band's myspace page, and downloaded on their website.
Greg and Steve were recently touring with Econoline Crush
in 2010.
Edmonton guitarist Brad Simons was added to the lineup to play guitar, now that Dan is the full time singer of the band.
, Canada. Contrasting numerous other bands that employ the use of a principal songwriter, Tupelo Honey take a collaborative approach to song writing. The band splits into writing groups to develop songs. Once the songs begin to take form, the band members will play together to complete the song.
Despite numerous offers from record labels, Tupelo Honey choose to remain as an independent band. This can be a disadvantage in terms of commercial success, as radio program directors are often hesitant to play independent artists.
Opting out of label requirements allows Tupelo Honey to record and release EP
s on a semi-regular basis. This style of album release results in a positive experience for the band's fans
; fans have a shorter time to wait between albums and the album tracks comprise the bands strongest material. Utilizing a cycle of recording
in September, preparing album promotions during the winter and touring during the spring and summer months, Tupelo Honey is able to accommodate both tour schedules and releasing new material in a relatively short time period.
, and Caught Up In The Excess (2011).
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...
band formed in St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert is a suburban city in Alberta, located northwest of Edmonton, on the Sturgeon River. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second largest city in the Edmonton area. St...
, Canada, in February 2003. They have played with numerous headlining acts such as Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, Default
Default (band)
Default is a Canadian post-grunge/alternative rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. Since forming in 1999 they have released four albums, and have sold more than a million records...
, Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman is a Canadian rock band from Delta, British Columbia, formed in 2001. The band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as Island Records. The band also includes traits of other music styles, such as country and acoustic, as well as their post-grunge and alternative...
, Bif Naked
Bif Naked
Bif Naked is a Juno Award-winning, Indian-born American-Canadian multi-platinum record selling, rock singer, writer, poet, motivational speaker and actress.-Personal life:...
, Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band, formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada in 1992, originally under the name Groundswell. After a breakup in late 1997, the band regrouped in the same year under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer...
, Thornley
Thornley (band)
Thornley is a Canadian post-grunge/hard rock band formed by Ian Thornley in 2002. The band was started when Ian Thornley returned to Toronto after the breakup of his earlier band, Big Wreck. With the help of Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, Thornley signed on to Kroeger's 604 Records...
, The Trews
The Trews
The Trews are a Canadian rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, consisting of vocalist Colin MacDonald, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald, bassist Jack Syperek, and drummer Sean Dalton...
, Billy Talent
Billy Talent
Billy Talent is a Canadian post-hardcore band from Streetsville, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with Ben Kowalewicz as the lead vocalist, Ian D'Sa on lead guitar, bassist Jon Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk ....
, and Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.-Life and career:...
.
Formation
The members of Tupelo Honey met while enrolled in a music program at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Prior to forming Tupelo Honey, the band members gained experience playing in bands of varied musical genres; Tyler Dianocky played in a world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
band that focused on instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
music, Dan Davidson played in an 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...
/ punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band, Matt Landry sang in numerous 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...
bands and Greg Williamson (drummer)
Greg Williamson (drummer)
"Greg Williamson" is a Canadian drummer, session musician, and songwriter. He is best known for his work with touring act Tupelo Honey , which is an original project started in 2003 in St. Albert, AB, Canada, where he currently resides...
and Steve Vincent played together in a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-infused cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
. These diverse musical backgrounds lend to Tupelo Honey's sound, which ranges from hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
to mid-tempo acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
.
Tyler Dianocky (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...
), Dan Davidson (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...
), Greg Williamson (drummer)
Greg Williamson (drummer)
"Greg Williamson" is a Canadian drummer, session musician, and songwriter. He is best known for his work with touring act Tupelo Honey , which is an original project started in 2003 in St. Albert, AB, Canada, where he currently resides...
and Steve Vincent (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) first played together in a folk music
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....
band for paying shows before meeting Matt Landry (vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
) through mutual friends, after watching him perform solo. Folk music
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....
was a dramatic deviation from their preferred genre – 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...
.
Needing a name to enter a music contest, they selected Tupelo Honey
Tupelo Honey (Van Morrison song)
"Tupelo Honey" is a popular song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and the title song from his 1971 album, Tupelo Honey. The title derives from an expensive, mild-tasting tupelo honey produced in the southeastern United States. Released as a single in 1972, it reached number...
– the title of Matt Landry's father's favourite song. The name was meant to be temporary; however, after winning the music contest and gaining fans who identified the band as Tupelo Honey, the name remained.
Self-titled EP and September Sessions EP (2003–2007)
Tupelo Honey played their debut show Stage 13 in Camrose, AlbertaCamrose, Alberta
Camrose is a city in central Alberta, Canada, amid some of the richest farmland in the prairies. It is a relatively small city which originally grew up along a railroad and now grows along Highway 13. Camrose is a scenic community with many parks, leading to its moniker "The Rose City"...
, to an audience of over 5000 people and was preceded on stage by Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Headed by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band additionally consists of Jeremy Taggart on percussion, Duncan Coutts on bass, and Steve Mazur as lead guitarist...
.
In July 2007, Tupelo Honey performed for a crowd of over 13 000, opening for Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
at both Edmonton, Alberta's Rexall Place
Rexall Place
Rexall Place is an indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada situated on the north side of Northlands. It is currently the home to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League and the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL...
and Calgary, Alberta's Saddledome.
In 2005, Tupelo Honey won 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:...
's Xtreme Bandslam Competition beating out Vancouver's State of Shock
State of Shock (band)
State of Shock is a Canadian-based band from Vancouver, British Columbia. They made their debut in June 2004 with their album Guilty by Association....
. Their prize included 30 hours of recording at Metalworks Studios
Metalworks Studios
Metalworks Studios is a music recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1978 by Gil Moore of the Canadian rock group Triumph.-Music Artists:*Alexisonfire*Adriana Lombardo*Jason Dawson*Kate Voegele*Demi Lovato*Fair to Midland...
and a $5000 National Radio Promotion and Publicity Package.
In 2006, Tupelo Honey won the regional title in the Canadian Radio Star National Songwriting Competition with their song "Screaming".
Machines and Robots EP (2008-Present)
The Machines and Robots EPExtended 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 on April 15, 2008. The album's title refers to the extensive use of technology employed in recording the album; for example, Dan Davidson recorded some of the guitar tracks from his home and emailed them to the producer.
The album was produced by Jeff Dalziel (Thornley
Thornley (band)
Thornley is a Canadian post-grunge/hard rock band formed by Ian Thornley in 2002. The band was started when Ian Thornley returned to Toronto after the breakup of his earlier band, Big Wreck. With the help of Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, Thornley signed on to Kroeger's 604 Records...
, Edwin
Edwin (musician)
Edwin is a Canadian alternative rock singer and solo artist from Toronto, and former lead vocalist for I Mother Earth. He was on the band's first two albums, and was also on the majority of the songs on Victor, a 1996 side project from Alex Lifeson of Rush. He went solo in late 1997 and released...
), who also co-wrote 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...
's second single, "We Are". While producing and recording Machines and Robots, Jeff Dalziel was also producing Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
Brian Melo
Brian Melo
Brian Melo is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario who was the winner of the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007. His first studio album, Livin' It, achieved Gold Status in Canada...
's debut album Livin' It
Livin' It
Livin' It is a 45 minute Christian-themed skateboarding DVD directed by actor Stephen Baldwin. The film was filmed in Portland, Oregon and stars skateboarders Jud Heald, Tim Byrne, Luke Braddock, Anthony Carney, Jared Lee, Phil Trotter, and Sierra Fellers....
; Tupelo Honey was hired to play sessions on Melo's album.
"Morphine" was the first single released from Machines and Robots. The promotional music video for "Morphine" was shot over the course of a day in a white-walled room half the size of a kitchen, and the graphic-novel style effects were added later in post-production. Aside from the band members, only three crew members and a camera operator were on set. Blatant Films, an animation company in Vancouver, British Columbia, produced the music video and created the animations. The "Morphine" video won "Best Music Video" of 2008 at the prestigious Leo Awards
Leo Awards
The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry, celebrating excellence in artistic achievement. Held each May in Vancouver, Canada, the Leo Awards honour nominees and winners in 13 program categories and up to 19 craft categories...
, celebrating the best in BC's Film and Television Industry
"Not Alone", the second video from "Machines and Robots", also produced by Blatant Films, features the band members bruised and battered, headed out to the country in an old classic 1966 Buick Electra. Once outside the city, the band members "heal" both physically and metaphorically before returning to the city at sunset. "Not Alone" was also nominated for "Best Video" at the Leo Awards
Leo Awards
The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry, celebrating excellence in artistic achievement. Held each May in Vancouver, Canada, the Leo Awards honour nominees and winners in 13 program categories and up to 19 craft categories...
.
Once 2010 came, Tupelo Honey's foreman Matt Landry parted ways with the band. According to the band's homepage, it was apparently "not possible to move forward in any fashion, what so ever given the situation." Backup singer Dan Davidson has since taken the new role of lead vocalist. The have returned to the studio to record their first full-length album, and have released a new single, "Best I Could", which can be heard on the band's myspace page, and downloaded on their website.
Greg and Steve were recently touring with Econoline Crush
Econoline Crush
Econoline Crush is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada formed in 1992. Originally formed in Seattle, they eventually moved back to Vancouver...
in 2010.
Edmonton guitarist Brad Simons was added to the lineup to play guitar, now that Dan is the full time singer of the band.
Exposure
Tupelo Honey has been featured on many prominent radio programs and shows, including the acclaimed 'Unsigned' program on Humber College's 96-9 FM station. In 2008, they were featured in a mini documentary conducted and produced by Crystal Perin.Musical approach
In the past, Tupelo Honey has written and recorded their new material in TorontoToronto
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...
, Canada. Contrasting numerous other bands that employ the use of a principal songwriter, Tupelo Honey take a collaborative approach to song writing. The band splits into writing groups to develop songs. Once the songs begin to take form, the band members will play together to complete the song.
Despite numerous offers from record labels, Tupelo Honey choose to remain as an independent band. This can be a disadvantage in terms of commercial success, as radio program directors are often hesitant to play independent artists.
Opting out of label requirements allows Tupelo Honey to record and release 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...
s on a semi-regular basis. This style of album release results in a positive experience for the band's fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
; fans have a shorter time to wait between albums and the album tracks comprise the bands strongest material. Utilizing a cycle of recording
Recording
Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
in September, preparing album promotions during the winter and touring during the spring and summer months, Tupelo Honey is able to accommodate both tour schedules and releasing new material in a relatively short time period.
Discography
To date, Tupelo Honey has released three EPs and one full length album: Tupelo Honey (2006) and The September Sessions (2007) both distributed by Indie Pool, Machine and Robots (2008) distributed by Fontana RecordsFontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, and Caught Up In The Excess (2011).
- Tupelo Honey EP (Released November 1, 2006)
- "Why I Bother" - 3:31
- "Yesterday" - 3:15
- "Then Came You" - 3:47
- "Left Behind" - 3:31
- "See Through Shadow" - 5:13
- "Feel" - 3:13
- September Sessions EP (Released April 2, 2007)
- "Because of You" - 3:05
- "Make Me Believe" - 4:29
- "Screaming" - 3:13
- "Envy" - 2:51
- "Epic" - 3:44
- Machines & Robots EP (Released April 8, 2008)
- "Morphine" - 3:38
- "All These Things" - 3:44
- "Not Alone" - 4:02
- "We Are" - 3:08
- "Machines and Robots" - 4:07
- Caught Up in the Excess LP (Released March 8, 2011)
- "Pull Me Closer" - 3:51
- "Falling" - 3:35
- "One Step" - 3:17
- "Best I Could" - 3:49
- "Reason" - 3:46
- "Moment" - 4:26
- "What Are You Waiting For" - 3:15
- "Hollow" - 3:09
- "Last Thing" - 4:03
- "Morphine (Acoustic Version)" - 3:48
- "Not Alone (Acoustic Version)" - 4:08
- "We Are (Acoustic Version)" - 3:30
- "Epic (Acoustic Version)" - 4:02
- "Because Of You (Acoustic Version)" - 4:18
- "Screaming (Acoustic Version)" - 4:07
- "Last Thing (Acoustic Version)" - 4:25
- "The Laughing Song (Hidden Track)" - 1:27
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Why I Bother" | Chris Halmo | Mike Maxxis |
| 2007 | "Make Me Believe" | Jeff Dalziel/Dan Davidson | Jeff Dalziel |
| 2008 | "Morphine" | Jon Busby | Blatant Films Inc. |
| 2009 | "Not Alone" | Jon Busby | Blatant Films Inc. |
| 2011 | "Falling" | Jeremy Brown | Rattlesnake Films |