I Mother Earth , or IME , is an alternative Canadian rock band. The band was at the peak of its popularity in the mid to late 1990s. On January 24, 2012, the band ended its eight-year absence with an announcement on their official website.
Video I Mother Earth
History
Initial years
The brother duo of drummer Christian and guitarist Jagori Tanna met Edwin's vocalist in their joint training room in 1990. Edwin asked the brothers to form a band with him, and the three joined in 1991, taking Franz Masini as a bass player. The band comes up with the name IME, as in "I Am Me", but then decides that the papers should stand for something. Jag Tanna ad-libbed the name of I Mother Earth and always insist it has no special meaning. The band, represented by a professionally recorded five-track demo, played only thirteen performances over the next year. These were recorded for their jam sessions, poetry readings, and murals painted in the background during the songs. By the end of the year, the band was in the middle of a bidding war between labels. IME finally signed for EMI in Canada, and Capitol for US and international.
Success
I Mother Earth traveled to Los Angeles in 1992 to record his debut album with former producer Guns N 'Roses, Mike Clink. During this session, Franz Masini was fired, leaving Jag Tanna to re-record his own bass parts. At the completion of the album, Masini was replaced by Bruce Gordon, whose band Rocktopus broke up at the time. With the lineup solidified, the band underwent an intensive international tour to support its debut, Dig , in mid 1993. Considered anomaly in the "alternative" era and often misinterpreted as heavy metal, the album combines traditional hard rock with grooves , long congestion, psychedelic lyrics, and percussion of Luis Conte and Armando Borg based on Latin. Dig spawned four singles, the first three actually coming from the demo tape IME and then included in the right album. "Rain Will Fall" and "Not Quite Sonic" were released in the summer of 1993, and "So Gently We Go" and "Levitate" were released the following summer. The four compiled honorable radio and video broadcasts in Canada, as well as rotations in the US and Europe. The last two singles are particularly well mapped on Canadian rock radio. The album alone won the Juno Award in 1994 for Best Hard Rock Album, beating the childhood idol of IME, Rush for the award. It links the long relationship between the two bands, which starts with the opening of the IME to Rush the night after Junos. At the end of the album, Dig is a Gold record in Canada.
After the complete tour ended, the IME ended up in various studios in Toronto and Morin Heights, Quebec in 1995. In this studio, the band worked on their second album, produced jointly by Jag Tanna and Paul Northfield, most notably for producing Buru- hurry. Daniel Mansilla replaced Borg in percussion, and became a percussion of the band's permanent tour. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson also made guest appearances on the song "Like a Girl". However, signs of contention in the band have already shown. For the first time, Edwin revealed to the music press that he had no creative control in the band and that such a situation gave him "there is no reason to be (t) here". He also spent many sessions from the band, recording Victor's album with Lifeson. However, he remained with the IME as the group recorded Scenery and Fish , released in mid 1996. The album, which incorporates the IME trademark sounds with a slightly softer, radio-friendly approach, is a critical success commercial. In particular, the singles "One More Astronaut" and "Another Sunday" pushed the band into the commercial elite in Canada, the former cracking Top 20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart in the US The next single "Used to Be Good" and "Raspberry" also made the show which is solid on radio and video. In 1997, the IME was nominated for the Juno Award for Group of the Year. The album was nominated for Juno's Best Rock Album, and is a Platinum double record in Canada. The band's recent fame also boosted Dig's sales over Platinum's track record.
Transition period
Around the end of the tour schedule for Landscape and Fish , the IME surprised many fans and journalists when announcing that Edwin was leaving. Since then, the band mentioned that Jag Tanna wrote most of his music (during the jam with his brother and Gordon), that Chris Tanna wrote all the lyrics, and that Edwin has no control whatsoever. This music and music difference encourages the vocalist to leave. Quoting uncontrolled tension, the band and Edwin agreed to split up. The remaining members insist that they will carry on with the name of Mother Earth, and announce that they will be looking for a new lead singer. The IME also publicly criticized the show by the new band Franz Masini, advertised as "featuring members of I Mother Earth", as a blow to its own name and image. Edwin fulfilled all of his contractual obligations with the band, including the Edgefest '97 tour, and left in mid-1997. The IME itself ended up in a dispute with EMI and the band management (Capitol had uncertainly dropped the band before), and then severed ties with both.
During this time, the band passed hundreds of demo tapes, while maintaining tour dates and dealing with such business issues. One tape, sent by Brian Byrne, was immediately thrown into the trash can until former drummer Slik Toxik Neal Busby, who briefly in a band called Klaven with Byrne, recommended the singer. IME finally listened to the tape, and after auditioning Byrne, immediately agreed that he was their new vocalist. However, the band members waited several months to tell him before finally putting T-shirt I Mother Earth to him in late 1997, symbolizing his membership in the band. David Usher made public news, introducing Byrne to the crowd at the Moist concert in November of that year. IME made its first public show with Byrne on our Summersault Our Lady Peace tour in mid-1998, and was well received by the audience through old and new material. The IME was signed to Universal in 1998.
Byrne years
In late 1998, the IME returned to Toronto and reunited with Paul Northfield, who again shared production work with Jag Tanna on a new session. These sessions are recorded on the internet by Bruce Gordon, who has long been regarded as the most fan-friendly band member (Gordon is known for answering fan emails dating back to the Scenery and Fish years). Armando Borg is back in Conte's place on percussion, although Mansilla remains the main IME percussionist. Rush frontman Geddy Lee was also brought in to provide bass for the song album "Good for Sule". Although the Tannas are still the main contributors, they describe the creative process more openly than ever before. The result was Blue Green Orange , released in mid 1999. It was somewhat of a departure from previous work, choosing a more textured, spatial sound and less of an emphasis on hard rock hard reputation. However, the main single, "Summertime in the Void", is a major rock hit in Canada and shows that the band is still commercially viable with different singers and sound changes. The next single "All Awake" and "When Did You Get Back from Mars?" also received solid radio and video broadcasts, but it was clear that the inaugural commercial band had ended. The album Gold status is seen as a disappointment by many compared to previous albums. Tanna and Northfield won Juno in 2000 for Best Recording Engineer, and the album was nominated for Best Design Album, but did not receive a musical nod.
IME got out of the way and in 2001 the band members settled in their own Toronto studio, The Mother's Hip. However, this period was tinged with problems. Brian Byrne had broken the vocal cords and needed surgery. Christian Tanna broke his arm and could not play drums. After the wounds healed the band decided to scrap the entire session, which reportedly filled with radio-friendly material, and started from scratch. This happens after a fake story circulates in the media that the album is finished and temporarily titled Save the Last Disco . In addition, the band also handles the release of EMI Earth, Sky and Everything in Between , B-Sides album and live recordings of EMI's years. Tannas and Gordon issued a statement that the record was invalid and no more than cash by EMI. Edwin did not comment on the album.
IME then began work on a new album right in 2002 with producer David Bottrill (with Jag Tanna), just taking a short break to headline the Canadian MTV Campus Invasion Tour, then released a song as a preview of new material. The song "Juicy" was pressed as a single promo for the movie Vin Diesel xXx , and although there was no encouragement from the label and no video, it received a rock radio broadcast by itself. It was later included on The Quicksilver Meat Dream, released in early 2003. The album is a bigger departure from previous works, with industrial elements replacing Latin percussion (but not Mansilla, which is still toured with the band), and heavier, more progressive sound than ever before. However, Universal was not impressed with the almost finished product and demanded radio-friendly singles, so the band returned to the studio to soothe the label. The lead single "Like the Sun" is another Canadian rock hit, but despite its popularity, it fails to sell recordings. Due to dismal sales and arguments with Tannas over the direction of the IME, Universal withdrew all support from the band, leaving it to fund a small tour and its own second single "No Coma". The song failed to be officially added to rock radio, the video received a very limited game, and with it the band decided to end the album after just seven months. The band provided theme songs for the MuchMusic TV show Much on Demand and MuchLOUD, but were otherwise unheard of in the media for the rest of the year. Universal officially dropped the IME by the end of 2003.
Hiatus
In November 2003, I Mother Earth performed a special show in Barrie, Ontario, entitled "Live off the Floor". Mostly regarded by those present as their biggest live show, intimate show, nearly four hours featuring bands performing at Georgia College College rounds, with crowds on all sides. IME played most of her back catalog on the show, and it was considered the band's last performance.
After the band hiatus, Brian Byrne started his solo career, releasing two albums and one EP. Bruce Gordon joined the Blue Man Group lineup and pursued many side projects. Jagori Tanna set up a new studio and record label, UpperLeftSide music, as well as production company Segments X Productions. Christian Tanna organizes local Toronto rock and jazz events, and plays a role in management with UpperLeftSide and The Venue, concert-oriented nightclubs in Peterborough.
Advanced
Brian Byrne stated on his Facebook page that his acoustic show in Ottawa on January 21, 2012, is scheduled to be the last for a while due to the upcoming plan.
On January 10, 2012, the new website for the band appears with a countdown set to expire on January 24, 2012. Byrne then posted on his Facebook page "I think it's official! Just pumped! It's for the new year in music and pleasure with my friends! " It's been confirmed that band members from Byrne's year are all involved.
During this period, the Tanna brothers and Byrne lived in Peterborough, ON, while Gordon continued to work full time with the Blue Man Group production in Orlando, FL.
On January 24, 2012, the band's hiatus ended with the announcement of a concert and a blog post on their official website. Guitarist Jag Tanna says he will not continue the reunion if there are members of the latest lineup that indicate they will not take part.
On March 21, 2012, the band released the song "We Got the Love" through SoundCloud before making it available for purchase as a digital download a week later.
On March 22, the band made its first appearance on stage together in over eight years, while performing a two and a half hour set at Sound Academy in Toronto. The following night, the band played longer in the same place. Both nights were sold out. The band then announced the appearance of a summer festival in Ontario. They also directed George Street at St. John's, Newfoundland on Canada Day, and performing a number of events that support Nickelback. In his blog, Jag Tanna also talks about working with Byrne to develop an intimate and interactive event where the band's songs are deconstructed and then presented in different ways.
On July 25, 2012, Jag Tanna announced in a blog post that bassist Bruce Gordon would not be part of some upcoming show, due to other professional and personal commitments. Chuck Dailey, a bass player with the band The Salads, is listed as Jag described as "the understudy." Dailey had helped the band during the rehearsals. Gordon gave him an iPhone video of some parts of the bass I Mother Earth that was harder to help him learn the material. Dailey made a live debut with the band on the same day, during a show at Empire Rockfest in Belleville, ON. He continued to perform with the band as a tour member.
On October 5, 2012, the band appeared during the Kitchener Oktoberfest. The band participated in Rocktoberfest, a series of shows that also featured guitar legend David Wilcox.
In early 2013, the band started playing shows with a new, intimate and interactive concept entitled "A Very Long Night with Me Mother Earth". The first set, open to VIP ticket holders, is a combination of questions and answers mixed with an acoustic or deconstructed version of five or six songs. The second set, open to public reception, is a three-hour electric set featuring fan favorites and extended jams.
In 2015, the band released two new singles titled "The Devil's Engine" and "Blossom".
Reunion with Edwin
On March 1, 2016, the band announced that they would reunite with original Edwin vocalist for a series of events to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band's 1996 sophomore release Scenery and Fish . Vocalist Brian Byrne is currently pursuing other projects, including a radio show on Halifax's Live 105 FM and trying to become a new vocalist for Stone Temple Pilots.
The Scenery and Fish 20 Tour begins with two performances sold out at the Phoenix Concert Theater in Toronto on June 3 and 4, 2016, where the band plays the album Scenery and Fish as a whole.
Maps I Mother Earth
Band members
- Jagori Tanna - guitar (1991-2003, 2012-present)
- Christian Tanna - drum (1991-2003, 2012-present)
- Edwin - main vowel (1991-1997, 2016-present)
- Chuck Dailey - bus (2012-present)
- Former members
- Brian Byrne - main vowel (1997-2003, 2012-2015)
- Bruce Gordon - bus (1992-2003, 2012)
- Franz Masini - bus (1991-1992)
- Tour members
- Daniel Mansilla - Percussion (1996-present)
- Jesse Karwat - keyboard, percussion (2016-present)
- Chris Collins - keyboard (2012-2015)
Timeline
Discography
Album
Compilation Album
Singles
Also see
- Canadian Rock
- Canadian Music
Reference
External links
- Official Mother Site
- Wonderland underground fan site
- I'm Mother Earth in the JAM's music archive
- I'm Mother Earth on SoundCloud
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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