The Nils
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010) |
| The Nils | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | Punk |
| Years active | 1978–1994 |
| Labels | Psyche Industry Records, Siefried Records, Rock Hotel / Profile Records, Mag Wheel Records |
| Members | |
| Alex Soria Carlos Soria Alex MacSween |
|
The Nils were a Canadian power pop and punk rock band originating in Montreal, Quebec which produced several releases between 1978 and 1994.
The band was founded in 1978 by then 12-year old Alex Soria with his brother Carlos Soria. The band never achieved widespread fame despite critical success and a following amongst other musicians in the genre. "... but what surprises me most is how many I run into, or hear from, who say they loved the Nils or were directly influenced by them. The Goo Goo Dolls, Superchunk, Jawbox, Meat Puppets, Down By Law, Bob Mould and many of the power-pop punk bands (too many to name), all rave about the Nils."[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The Nils started in 1978[2] and played their first shows in 1980. They recorded a demo, which caught the attention of BYO Records who asked them to record the song "Scratches and needles" for the Something to Believe In compilation. The band broke up shortly afterward, but Carlos Soria convinced his brother to keep the band going and joined the group on guitar. The Nils then recorded the song "Call of the Wild" for the Primitive Air Raid compilation on Psyche Industry Records. The label also accepted to release the band's first EP, Sell Out Young, that they recorded in 1985 using a $3,500 loan they got from Men Without Hats singer and founder Ivan Doroschuk.[3] Doroschuk produced the record.[4] One year later, they released their untitled EP, which would later be known as Paisley on Siegfried Records.
In 1986, the Nils got an offer from Rock Hotel Records, a subsidiary of Profile Records, and recorded their self-titled LP produced by Chris Spedding,[5] but in 1988 Rock Hotel went bankrupt and The Nils got into legal problems when the record label wouldn't give them their release forms. The Nils broke up again in 1994, reuniting for some shows in Montreal during the 1990s. Alex then moved to Ontario and formed the band Chino[4] and released a solo record. In 1994 the Nils released "Green Fields in Daylight", a compilation of early recordings. On December 13, 2004, Alex Soria committed suicide.[6]
In 2010, Real Big North Records released an album of unreleased Nils tracks, while Carlos and the other former Nils members started to jam again as the Nils.
[edit] Band members (incomplete)
- Alex Soria – guitar, vocals
- Carlos Soria – guitar
- Alex MacSween – drums
- Jean "Johnny" Lortie – drums
- Guy "Chico" Caron – bass
- Sanjay Mulay-Shah – guitar
- Karim Dormeyer – guitar
- Eloi Bertholet – drums
- Terry Toner – drums
- Anthony Veilleux - very early vocals
[edit] Discography
- Now 5 song Cassette (1982)
- Sell Out Young 4 song 12" EP Psyche Industry (1985)
- Paisley EP Siefried Records(1986)
- The Nils CD/LP Rock Hotel / Profile Records (1987) (also known as The Red EP)[7]
- Green Fields In Daylight (retrospective compilation) Mag Wheel Records (1997)
- The Title Is The Secret Song (retrospective compilation including DVD) Real Big North (2010)
[edit] Compilations
- Something to Believe In (BYO, 1983)
- Primitive Air-Raid (Psyche Industry Records, 1984)
- Brave New Waves (CBC Records, 1992)
[edit] References
- Citations
- ^ Liner Notes for "The Nils : Green Fields in Daylight" Woody R. Whelan 1996
- ^ Siberok, Martin (December 9, 1985). "The Nils help bring back old-style punk", The Gazette, p. D11.
- ^ Barclay, Michael; Ian Andrew Dylan Jack, Jason Schneider (2001). Have not been the same: the CanRock renaissance, 1985-95. ECW Press. ISBN 9781550224757.
- ^ a b (December 1, 2004). "The Nils", The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia, Jam!. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
- ^ "A High Five From 9:30 Club". The Washington Post: "Weekend" section, p. 23. March 18, 1988.
- ^ Simmonds, Jeremy (2008). The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches. Chicago Review Press. p. 535. ISBN 9781556527548.
- ^ Robbins, Ira A. (1991). The Trouser Press record guide. Collier Books. p. 467. ISBN 9780020363613.
