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The Tragically Hip are a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie (lead vocals and occasional acoustic guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar), Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass) and Johnny Fay (drums). The band is highly popular and influential in Canada and in 2005 was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
History
The Tragically Hip — often referred to simply as The Hip — formed in 1983. They took their name from a skit in the movie Elephant Parts by Michael Nesmith of The Monkees.
In 1987, the band signed a long-term record deal with MCA after former company president Bruce Dickinson saw them perform live at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Ontario.* Later that year they released the eponymous EP The Tragically Hip, though they were largely unrecognized until 1989's Up to Here. Up To Here established them as one of the best and most influential bands in Canada. In 1992, they created the Another Roadside Attraction festival, which tours Canada to promote small, unknown bands.
In addition to their energetic live performances, the band are also noted for their often improvisational renditions of songs. Lead singer Gord Downie often strays from the lyrical path to rant to the audience or wander off into fictious monologues and conversations. Some of these become lyrics for future songs. The most famous live monologue is the "killerwhaletank" version of New Orleans is Sinking*. Recorded at The Roxy Theatre, LA, May 3rd 1991. During the song Gord Downie tells the story of how he worked as a diver in a killer whale tank only to have his arm ripped off. Other notable monologues include the "Police Frogman" version of "New Orleans is Sinking" (Gord rescues a family trapped in their car at the bottom of a frozen lake), the "Double Suicide" version of "Highway Girl" (in which Gord "accidentally" shoots his girlfriend) and the "Japanese Exchange Student" version of "At the Hundredth Meridian" (the day before Halloween, Gord accidentally shoots a Japanese student trick or treating).
The band is immensely popular in Canada. They have never found great success in the United States, but have never specifically sought it. Their most-seen appearance in America was on March 20, 1995, when they appeared on Saturday Night Live with fellow Canadian and friend Dan Aykroyd guest starring, and with John Goodman hosting. When touring in Canada they typically play to sold-out arenas; when touring in the United States they will play smaller venues and clubs, or festivals where they aren't the headliner. Performances abroad are usually attended by Canadian expatriates. The band permit recordings of their performances, so an active trading community thrives. The tone and content of much of their music is a paean to the Canadian experience and touches on such themes as small-town life, geography, and hockey. The historical, geographical and individual references in many of the lyrics are a source of much internet discussion.
However, a live album, Live Between Us, was recorded in Detroit, Michigan in 1996 in support of the album Trouble at the Henhouse, and they have a small following mostly along the border in Michigan and New York. Standout tracks include a powerful version of "New Orleans is Sinking" and a heavily improvised "Grace, Too," in which Downie alternates between muttering asides ("I was born in a little town / I was on my way down") and spitting four-letter lyrics with something close to disgust. In 1998, they released Phantom Power, and performed at Woodstock 1999.
On October 10th, 2002, The Tragically Hip performed two songs, "It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken", and "Poets", as part of a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
In 2003, The Tragically Hip performed a cover of "Black Day in July" on Beautiful-A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot, a song about the 1967 12th Street Riot in Detroit.
The Tragically Hip's most recent studio album is In Between Evolution, which was released on June 29, 2004. Many fans considered the record a return to their classic sound after the more experimental tone of their last two records, Music @ Work (released in 2000) and In Violet Light (2002).
In 2005, they made a cameo appearance in an episode of the sitcom, Corner Gas. The Hip also made a cameo in the 2002 curling movie Men With Brooms as Team Kingston. They have a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame and on April 3, 2005 were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2005 Juno Awards and performed a cover of The Weakerthans' "Aside". The Hip also performed a three-song set at the Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario with Dan Aykroyd joining them as a guest harmonica player.
Three full length live shows recorded in 2004 were also released as downloads for purchase at LiveDownloads.com* as part of The Hip Live Series. Recorded at Molson Amphetheatre, Toronto, John LaBatt Centre, London and the Civic Center, Ottawa.
In October 2005, several radio stations temporarily stopped playing The Hip's classic song "New Orleans is Sinking", out of sensitivity to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which had devastated the city in early September of that year.
On November 1, 2005, the Hip released a double CD, double DVD box set, Hipeponymous, including all of their music videos to date, a backstage documentary called "Macroscopic", an animated Hip-scored short film entitled "The Right Whale", two brand new songs ("No Threat", "The New Maybe"), a full length concert from November 2004, entitled That Night In Toronto, and a 2-CD greatest hits collection Yer Favourites (selected online by 150,000 fans). On November 8, 2005, Yer Favourites and That Night In Toronto were released individually.
The Tragically Hip are currently on a small summer tour and working on a new studio album with Bob Rock. A rumoured release date is October 2006 (as stated by Hip guitarist Paul Langlois on June 12, 2006 during a radio interview on CFPL-FM London, Ontario). New songs that a rumoured to appear on the album are "Pretend", "Fly", "The Drop Off", "You See Details", "Ocean" and "The Lonely End Of The Rink".
Solo projects
Singer Gordon Downie has released two solo albums, Coke Machine Glow in 2001 and Battle of the Nudes in 2003, while Rob Baker released an album with his own side project, Stripper's Union in 2005.Members
Current
- Rob Baker - lead guitar
- Gordon Downie - lead vocals, occasional acoustic guitar
- Johnny Fay - drums
- Paul Langlois - rhythm guitar, background vocals (1986-present)
- Gord Sinclair - bass, background vocals
Former
- Davis Manning - saxophone (1983-1986)
Honours & Awards
Canada's Walk of Fame
- 2002
- Inducted in Toronto, Ontario
Canadian Music Hall of Fame
- 2005
- Inducted at the Juno Awards in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Royal Conservatory of Music
- 2006
- Presented with an Honorary Fellowship May 24 at the Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto, Ontario.
Juno Awards
- 1990
- Most Promising Group of the Year
- 1991
- Canadian Entertainer of the Year
- 1993
- Canadian Entertainer of the Year
- 1995
- Entertainer of the Year
- Group of the Year
- 1997
- Group of the Year
- Album of the Year - Trouble at the Henhouse
- North Star Rock Album of the Year - Trouble at the Henhouse
- 1999
- Best Rock Album - Phantom Power
- Best Album Design - Phantom Power
- 2000
- Best Single - Bobcaygeon
- 2001
- Best Rock Album - Music@Work
- 2006
- CD/DVD Artwork Design of the Year - Hipeponymous
- Music DVD of the Year - Hipeponymous
Discography
Box Sets
Video/DVD
Trivia
The band's name is seen in tribute by the webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del, whose motto is "Tragically l337".
The band has a cameo in the television show Corner Gas, where Brent kicks them out of his garage so that his group "Thunderface" can practice.
The band did a music video for "The Darkest One" which featured The Trailer Park Boys Stealing an engine for their car and Don Cherry (hockey) delivering fried chicken.
Drummer Johnny Fay once famously quipped, to Billboard Magazine, that being the biggest band in Canada was "like being the world's tallest midgets."
The band has a cameo in the movie "Men with Brooms" where they play the curling rink representing Kingston Ontario.
External links
- Official website
- Davis Manning & The Hip
- A Museum After Dark: lyrics and references
- Hipbase: fan forum and database
- Hipfans.com: fan site
- The Hip Tracker: live recording bitorrent tracker
- Hipboots: a trading site for live recordings
Canada's Walk of Fame | Fellows of the Royal Conservatory of Music | Juno Award winners | Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees | Kingston, Ontario | 1980s music groups | 1990s music groups | 2000s music groups | Canadian rock groups | Saturday Night Live musical guests
"The Tragically Hip"