Treble Charger
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| Treble Charger | |
|---|---|
 Left to Right: Rosie Martin, Bill Priddle, Trevor MacGregor, and Greg Nori (Picture taken 1997) |
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| Origin | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Canada  |
| Years active | 1992–2006 |
| Genres | Indie rock Pop punk Power pop |
| Labels | VIK |
| Members | Greig Nori Rosie Martin Trevor MacGregor |
Treble Charger were a Canadian rock group, consisting of vocalist Greig Nori, bassist Rosie Martin and drummer Trevor MacGregor. Guitarist Bill Priddle, a founding member of the band, left in 2003. They began with a melodic indie rock style, but evolved into more of a pop punk band after signing to a major label in 1997.
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[edit] Early years
Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the band consisted of Nori, Priddle, Martin and Morris Palter, and was named nc-17 (after the movie rating) until an American band with the same name threatened to sue. They adopted the name Treble Charger, but named their debut album nc17. However, the American band nc-17 split up a few years later.
nc17 was released independently at first by Smokin' Worm in 1994, but it was a hit on campus radio, MuchMusic, and CFNY when it was re-released by Sonic Unyon Records in 1997.
In 1995, the band released self=title, which included a CD-ROM track promoting 30 of Treble Charger's favourite Canadian indie bands, including The Inbreds, Change of Heart, By Divine Right, Hayden and Thrush Hermit.
[edit] Punk rock
1997's Maybe It's Me was the band's major label debut. It featured a more polished, commercial sound than the band's earlier albums, and launched the hit "Friend of Mine". Soon afterward, MacGregor replaced Mike Levesque as the band's drummer. That lineup, along with several of their songs from this album, were also featured in the 1998 film Mr. Music. The band played the role of an 'undiscovered' indy band that gets discovered and helps to turn fictional Tone Records around from its slump.
Wide Awake Bored, released in 2001, completed the band's evolution to a punk rock style. This album also featured the hit singles "American Psycho" and "Brand New Low".
In 2002, Treble Charger also released Detox featuring singles "Hundred Million" and "Don't Believe It All".
Bill Priddle, identified with Treble Charger's early indie rock direction rather than the later pop-punk, left the band in 2003. Initially, it was said he was taking a break from the group [1], but it later came out the departure was permanent, and Nori had asked him to leave sooner than Priddle had intended. He told Chart:
- "I was always into music for music’s sake, when it got all corporate and about gimmicks and imaging and wearing the right clothes and having the right lingo, that kind of rubbed me the wrong way. We had a market of 16-year-old kids and we had to try to guess what our fans wanted. Which is really the opposite of where I was coming from. I’ve always thought the best music was, obviously, done by people that did music for themselves." [2]
However, Priddle continues his collaborations with Broken Social Scene and is a member of his new band Don Vail.
By this time, their work with and the success of their proteges Sum 41, who Nori produced, had started to eclipse Treble Charger's own career. In late 2004, it was reported that Treble Charger itself were on hiatus, but an animated version of the group, including Priddle, would appear, with Sum 41, on the Comedy Network series Kevin Spencer. [3]
However, message posted on July 20, 2004 on their official website said they were continuing to record and the band is still together. But on September 1, 2005, Greig Nori said in an interview:
- "Thanks for all the amazing support you have given us. It seems like we're bigger now then we have ever been. I only wish more people had caught on to our music sooner so that we could have had an easier time at being a band. I'm not saying it's over yet but I am saying that right now I need to focus on other things. Maybe in a while I will get the urge to write a new TC album but right now my heart's not in it. Thanks for enjoying our music." - Greig Nori
The hit "Brand New Low" was featured in EA Sports Hockey game NHL 2002 and "Hundred Million" was used in NHL 2003. "American Psycho" was used in promotional advertisements for the direct-to-video movie American Pie: Band Camp, and featured in the movie Dude, Where's My Car?.
On February 3 2006, Greig Nori disbanded Treble Charger, officially ending its 14 year career.
[edit] Members
- Greig Nori - Guitar, Vocals (1992-2006)
- Bill Priddle - Guitar, Vocals (1992-2003)
- Rosie Martin - Bass guitar, Backing Vocals (1992-2006)
- Trevor McGregor - Drums (1997-2006)
- Morris Palter - Drums (1992-1996)
- Mike Levesque (Studio Drummer, not official member)- Drums-1997 (for Maybe It's Me)
[edit] Post-hiatus activity
Greig Nori has stopped managing Canadian band Sum 41 though he manages other bands now.
Bill Priddle pursues a solo career in Toronto, and is currently in an indie-rock band, Don Vail at MySpace
Trevor MacGregor was the Drummer during what was the last 9 years of Treble Charger, thus making him the longest Drummer to stay with them. He is now currently the drummer of rock band "Four Square."
[edit] Discography
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(re-released 1997)
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 self=title#9 CAN (1995) |
(re-released 1996&1997)
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 Maybe It's Me #1 CAN(1997) |
 Wide Awake Bored #4 CAN (2001) (Canadian release) |
 Wide Awake Bored (2001) (American release) |
[edit] External links
| Treble Charger |
|---|
| Greig Nori - (Bill Priddle) - Rosie Martin - Trevor McGregor |
| Discography |
| Albums: nc17 - self=title - Maybe It's Me - Wide Awake Bored - Detox |
| Related articles |
| Sum 41 - Broken Social Scene - Matt Hyde - Morris Palter - Mike Levesque |
