Grievous Angels

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Grievous Angels are a Canadian alternative country band. Although they have never achieved mainstream success, they are a cultural institution in Northern Ontario. As well, they are highly regarded by many music critics: newspapers in both Canada and the United States have compared the band favorably to Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Stan Rogers and Gordon Lightfoot.

The band is fronted by singer/songwriter Charlie Angus, who entered electoral politics in 2004 as the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Timmins—James Bay.

The group was originally formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1986 by Angus, vocalist Michelle Rumball and fiddler Peter Jellard. They began as a collective of street buskers, and eventually began playing Toronto-area bars. Tim Hadley and drummer Peter Duffin joined the band in 1987. The band quickly became a popular draw at folk festivals across Canada, and released their debut album, Toute la Gang, in 1989.

In 1990, shortly after the release of the band's second album, One Job Town, Rumball left the band and Angus moved to Cobalt, Ontario. However, the band kept going through these challenges, continuing to tour and being nominated for several Juno Awards.

They released Watershed in 1993, and were named one of the hottest up-and-coming bands in Canada by Maclean's the following year. In 1995, Angus also launched HighGrader, a magazine about Northern Ontario life and culture, and joined CBC Radio One as a correspondent and commentator for its Sudbury station CBCS.

In 1996, Grievous Angels released Waiting for the Cage, a concept album about life in Northern Ontario mining towns which also included an interactive CD-ROM feature. The CD-ROM feature won an award from the New York Expo of Short Film and Video.

In 1999, Angus was presented the Jackie Washington Award, for his contributions to Northern Ontario's cultural life, by Sudbury's Northern Lights Festival Boréal. The band also released 22 Trailer Park that year.

In the summer of 2000, Duffin retired from the band, and Hadley accepted a gig touring with Stompin' Tom Connors. Duffin was replaced by Dave Patterson. However, the band went on hiatus as Angus got involved in local political activism around the Adams Mine controversy, a campaign which ultimately led to his 2004 election to Parliament. As well, Jellard joined Toronto band Swamperella (although he has continued to play with Grievous Angels as well).

The band's most recent album was released in 2003.

With Angus' new career in politics, the band's future is uncertain. However, Angus has performed at least one solo show since the election, and as of November 2004, no announcement has been made regarding the band's status.

[edit] Discography

• Toute la Gang (1989)
• One Job Town (1990)
• Watershed (1993)
• Waiting for the Cage (1996)
• 22 Trailer Park (1999)
• Hanging Songs (2003)