The Constantines

6 key bands in the Constantines legacy

by Mark Teo

June 5, 2014

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The forthcoming Constantines reunion, quite naturally, had us scrambling to listen to anything related to Webb, Lambke, Wehrle, and Kidman. And their collective discography spans beyond the Cons—who of course aren’t without mention here—and here are six bands other members have played in.

Shoulder

In our interview, Webb chuckled when we brought up Shoulder—they were the London, ON-based post-hardcore band he shared with co-Constantine Doug MacGregor. They existed in an era—the '90s—when plus-sized political ambitions and plus-sized pants sizes reigned, but don't laugh: among Ontario hardcore types, their Touch LP is still revered, and their penchant for choppy, Fugazi-inspired rhythms followed Webb and MacGregor to the Constantines.

The Constantines

What more needs to be said about the Cons? They are ultimate greats of Cancon, and were one of the—no, the—best band to emerge from the Canadian indie rock boon of the '00s. They cut three perfect albums on Sub Pop (Shine A Light is being re-issued on the label, with You've Changed handling the re-press in Canada) and one on Arts and Crafts, and whether they dabbled in post-punk, Springsteen-esque ballads, or sweeping atmospheric roots, each song they wrote was a winner. To wit: "Some Punks." "Young Lions." "Nighttime Anytime." The one-chord wonder that is "Draw Us Lines." We could go on, but it's way better to just listen to the damn records.

Baby Eagle

Steve Lambke was an understated songwriting force in the Constantines, and when he commanded the mic—as on, say, "Shower of Stones"—he demanded the full spotlight. Through four albums, Lambke revealed his subtleties: His were folk explorations that, occasionally, tapped on the distortion pedals. His last LP, Bone Soldiers, was his fuzziest yet, and enlisted a cohort of pals: He was joined by ex-Attack in Black members Ian Kehoe and Spencer Burton, country singer Nick Ferrio, and ex-Con Will Kidman.

Royal City

Comb through the Constantines page on Discogs, and you'll notice that Royal City's Little Heart's Ease touches each member of the Constantines. And that's because Jim Guthrie—who also cut Cons records on his label, Three Gut—enlisted all four members to provide backup vocals on the LP. Look closely, and you'll see that handfuls of other Cancon familiars are on hand: Gentleman Reg, Joel Gibb, Doug Tielli, Owen Pallett, Nathan Lawr, and many, many more contribute.

Woolly Leaves

Before he manned the keyboards for the Cons, Will Kidman had the Woolly Leaves project, which he's described as a "late night" approach to acoustic folk. His last LP was 2006's Quiet Waters, but he's still active—in fact, he played the last Lawnya Vawnya. "[Woolly Leaves] was equally as fun [as touring with the Constantines] but a totally different kind of fun, probably just because I was touring with different people—or traveling with different people,” he told the Queens Journal. “I was trying to figure out how to play quiet songs in a rock club."

Horsey Craze

As their name suggests, Horsey Craze are a Neil Young tribute band consisting of members of the Constantines. Will Kidman, Bry Webb, and Dallas Wehrle provide their own take on classic Crazy Horse songs, but when we saw them play last May—at Toronto's Silver Dollar—all we could think was, "I wonder if they'll play any Constantines songs."

Bry Webb

While Lambke continued his post-Constantine musical career with Baby Eagle, gravel-voiced Bry Webb remained oddly silent. That is, of course, until he released Provider and Free Will, albums full of sparse, minimal folk that allowed Webb to stretch his cerebral muscles. We're glad you're back, Bry.

Tags: Music, Cancon, Interviews, Lists, Baby Eagle, Horsey Craze, Royal City, Shoulder, The Constantines, Woolly Leaves

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