Mean Red Spiders
| Mean Red Spiders | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels |
Claire Records Teenage USA |
| Website |
meanredspiders |
| Members |
Adam Rosen Dave Rodgers Minesh Mandoda Lisa Nighswander Greg Chambers Scott Cameron Marco Landini Eric Abboud David Humphreys |
Mean Red Spiders are a Canadian alternative rock band formed in Toronto in September 1993. Mean Red Spiders' music is largely guitar-based indie rock influenced by psychedelic music. Their music makes extensive use of distortion, digital keyboard loops, recorded voice samples, and effects pedals, creating a repeatable orchestrated wall of sound style with vocals. Usually categorized by some reviewers into the shoegaze, dream pop, or space rock genres.
This band is not to be confused with the earlier British R&B group from Ipswich, Suffolk, of the same name (1985–1993) who issued two albums, Nude Guitarist in Wet Lettuce Frenzy (1987) and Dark Hours (1991); the punk rock band made up of members of The Chesterfield Kings; or the UK outfit currently performing under the same name.
Career
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"Never Heard of You"
 "Never Heard of You" from Stars and Sons |
| Problems playing this file? See media help. | |
In 2001 David Humphreys left the band. Rob Boak (of Interstellar) joined, contributing three songs to Still Life Fast Moving and touring with the band in 2002. Boak left the band early in 2003 and Dave Rodgers (of Neck/Christiana) joined. Humphreys later rejoined the band in 2007. Mean Red Spiders continue to record and release material, while also playing in Ghostlight,[1] a free-form improvisational collective featuring members of Mean Red Spiders along with James Anderson and Scott Cameron.
Band members
At the time of the release of their January 2003 album, Still Life Fast Moving,[2] Mean Red Spiders personnel were:
- Adam Rosen - drums/vocals (of 122 Greige)
- Rob Boak - guitar
- Minesh Mandoda - keyboards, guitars, loops (of Parts Unknown)
- Lisa Nighswander - bass guitar and lead vocalist
- Greg Chambers - guitar/vocals
Other musicians that have been in MRS include:
- Don Matheson - Drums (named the band in 1994)
- Nick Andrews - Bass/vocals (of Ottawa's Restless Virgins)
- Paul Boddum - Drums (of Neck/Christiana)
- Martin (vocals on El Diabolo's Devo cover "Mongoloid")
- Serge (original lead vocalist)
- Leanne Davies - Drums (of Amor de Cosmos/Mason Hornet)
- Jim Bravo - Drums (of Jim Bravo & the Beethoven Frieze)
- Antony Seabourg - Drums
Discography
- El Diabolo (1995)
- Places You Call Home (1998, Teenage USA)
- Starsandsons (2000, Teenage USA)
- Still Life Fast Moving (2003, Clairecords)
- I Am the Sea (2014, self-released)
- Dave Newfeld co-produced Places You Call Home with Mean Red Spiders from 1997-1998 in the basement of a rental house at Bathurst and Lawrence, also known as 'the bagel belt', and produced Starsandsons from 1999-2000 at Stars and Sons Studio located in Chinatown, Toronto.
- Jeff McMurrich recorded and co-produced Still Life Fast Moving in his old studio at Dupont & Spadina and in the band's Pod Studio.
- Al Forte (of Groundcover) recorded some of the bass, guitar and drum tracks for Places You Call Home in 1996.
References
- ↑ Ghostlight at MySpace
- ↑ Mean Red Spiders biography