The Flashing Lights

The Flashing Lights were a Canadian alternative rock band, active in the late 1990s and early 2000s.[1]

The Flashing Lights
GenresAlternative rock
Years active1990s-2000s
Past members

History

The Flashing Lights was founded by Matt Murphy,[2] as a side project, performing around Halifax when Murphy was not performing and recording with the band The Super Friendz.[3] The band primarily played as a cover band.

The Flashing Lights became Murphy's primary band following the Super Friendz' breakup in 1997.[3] Murphy and bassist Henri Sangalang moved to Toronto, where they recruited Gaven Dianda on keyboards, tambourine and harmonica, and Steve Pitkin on drums.[4][5]

The band performed in Toronto at the Horseshoe Tavern in March, 1999,[6] and shortly after released its debut album, Where the Change Is, in 1999 on Halifax independent label Brobdingnagian Records, scoring a hit on modern rock radio stations in Canada with "Half the Time".[7] The album's tracks were reminiscent of 1960s British rock.[8] They followed up with the EP Elevature in 2000; Sangalang also appeared on Neko Case's album Furnace Room Lullaby the same year, and the band appeared at Edgefest on July 1.

The Flashing Lights' second album, Sweet Release, was released through Toronto's Outside Music in 2001 and was produced by Thrush Hermit's Ian McGettigan.[9][10] Also in 2001 they performed in Montreal with Duotang (band) and The Datsons.[11]

The band subsequently went on hiatus; Murphy reunited the Super Friendz for their 2003 album Love Energy, and then took an acting role in the film The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico. He later joined the now-defunct Toronto band City Field, is currently a member of Cookie Duster, contributed a song to the soundtrack for the 2009 film Defendor, and had a small acting role in the film Leslie, My Name Is Evil.

As of 2015, he has joined with Mike O'Neill of The Inbreds and Chris Murphy of Sloan in the supergroup Tuns.[12]

Dianda currently plays with the band Saffron Sect,[13] and Pitkin played with The Violet Archers and is currently a member of Elliott Brood.

Discography
  • Where the Change Is (1999)
  • Elevature (2000, EP)
  • Sweet Release (2001)
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References
  1. "What's Up With Matt Murphy?" chartattack.com, September 2, 2004.
  2. "A Completely Biased Ranking of the 60 Best Canadian Indie Rock Songs of the 00s Part II". Vice, Cam Lindsay Apr 10 2017,
  3. "Flashing Lights are go!" Archived 2012-07-01 at the Wayback Machine. Montreal Mirror, February 17, 2000.
  4. " Flashing Lights". AllMusic, biography by Gina Boldman
  5. Josh O'Kane (1 April 2016). Nowhere with You: The East Coast Anthems of Joel Plaskett, The Emergency and Thrush Hermit. ECW Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-77090-840-6.
  6. "Live Reviews: Flashing Lights March 6, 1999 The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON". Chart Attack, by Jim Kelly
  7. Michael Barclay; Ian A. D. Jack; Jason Schneider (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995. ECW Press. p. 705. ISBN 978-1-55022-992-9.
  8. "Record Time". Queens Journal, May 29, 2001 Joel McConvey, Pat Tanzola
  9. "Plenty Of Tension On The Flashing Lights Disc". chartattack.com, February 2, 2001.
  10. "Flashing Lights Come From the Ground Up". Exclaim!, By Patrick Lejtenyi, Jan 01, 2006
  11. "LIVE: The Flashing Lights w/ The Datsons and Duotang". Chart Attack, September 19, 2001. Review by: Natalia Yanchak
  12. "Sloan / Super Friendz / Inbreds Supergroup TUNS Announce Debut Album". Exclaim!, May 20, 2016.
  13. "Saffron Sect Interview: SXSW 2010". Spinner Canada, March 12, 2010.
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