Thomas D'Arcy

Thomas D'Arcy
Born 1979 (age 35–36)
Guernsey, Channel Islands
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres Indie rock
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Vocals, bass
Years active 1995–present
Labels Various / Thomas D'Arcy Music (2011), MapleMusic Recordings
Associated acts k-os
The Carnations
Small Sins
All Systems Go!
Major Maker
Thomas D'Arcy

Thomas D'Arcy, (born 1979) is a Canadian singer and songwriter born in Guernsey, Channel Islands. He has been a member of indie rock bands The Carnations, All Systems Go!, Small Sins, Another Blue Door, The I-Spies and Major Maker,[1] among others.

Career

D'Arcy's family immigrated to Toronto, Ontario in 1981. He is the Nephew of film director Carol Reed, Godson and cousin of actor Oliver Reed. When he was 15 years old he learned to play the bass guitar. In 1995, he formed a band called Pseudonym with three other high school friends, which would later transform into The Carnations, of which D'Arcy was the lead singer and principal songwriter. They played in nightclubs they were not yet old enough to get into (due to the legal drinking age in Ontario being 19) and turned their love of bands like Weezer, Supergrass, Buzzcocks and Television into a power pop sound all their own.

In 2000, John Kastner (ex-Doughboys) saw The Carnations play a show at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern, and later invited D'arcy to join his new band, All Systems Go!, which he accepted. He also continued to play in The Carnations, as well as a band called Another Blue Door.

In 2001, D'Arcy conceived Small Sins (formerly known as The Ladies and Gentlemen) as a self-contained solo unit. A veteran of the Toronto indie scene, D'Arcy was burning out on the band dynamic's pseudo-democracy, wanting to take more of the reigns himself. As a result, D'Arcy not only sang and played nearly every instrument on the Small Sins' debut, but also wrote, produced, and recorded it almost entirely on his own.[2] When he put together a touring band he called on four exceptional musicians - Steve Krecklo (fellow member of The Carnations) on guitar, banjo, and keyboards as well as Todor Kobakov on keyboards, Brent Follett on drums, and Kevin Hilliard on percussion and handclaps.

The Carnations called it quits, announcing on their website that they would be dissolving, in 2004. Thomas continued to record under the Small Sins moniker and he even founded his own record label, 'Thomas D'Arcy Music' in 2011, which released last Small Sins record. Small Sins was eventually disbanded by D'Arcy in 2011. D'Arcy has been a touring band member with k-os since 2010, and he performed at the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver with k-os. Thomas landed a 6 month long advertising spot with Telus in September 2012, creating the track 'You Lovely You' for the campaign which was also released on iTunes in September 2012 and released as a 7" vinyl single with B-Side 'When We Get Into It.' As with Small Sins, he has largely written, recorded and produced his new solo album (out on February 5, 2013) "What We Want" on his own. It will be released on 'Thomas D'Arcy Music' and will be distributed by 'MapleMusic Recordings.' Thom will tour extensively in 2013. D'Arcy has also been a DJ at Toronto's Cloak & Dagger pub. He continues to be a producer, and he is a graduate of philosophy from the University of Toronto.[3]

Discography

The Carnations

Small Sins

Thomas D'Arcy

References

  1. ↑ "EYE Weekly "Hello There, Ladies and Gentlemen" review 2005-06-02". Liisa Ladoucer. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  2. ↑ "CBC Radio 3 "Breaking New Sound"". CBC News. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  3. ↑ "All Systems Go! "Thomas D'Arcy" 2002". Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2007-09-28.

External links