Gogh Van Go

Gogh Van Go
Background information
OriginMontreal, Quebec, Canada
GenresFolk rock
Years active1993 - 1997, 2013 - 2014
LabelsAudiogram Records
MembersSandra Luciantonio
Daniel Tierney

Gogh Van Go is a Montreal alt-pop duo made up of Sandra Luciantonio and Daniel Tierney. Previously, Tierney and Luciantonio were both members of a 1980s country-rock group called the Hodads.[1]

Luciantonio and Tierney met at the University of Guelph in Canada and formed a band in Montreal in 1985. Taking their name from the cover of an art magazine,[2] the duo formed Gogh Van Go in 1993 and signed with Audiogram Records.

Through Audiogram Records, the group released two records. Their first album, the self-titled Gogh Van Go, released in 1993 and produced by Pierre Marchand, was part of the label's push into the English-speaking Canadian market.[3] It was recorded and mixed at Studio Nomade, Morin Heights, Québec.[4]

The record featured songs such as "Bed Where We Hide", "Say You Will" (re-mixed by James Di Salvio of Bran Van 3000 fame) and "Tunnel of Trees", which won Lyne Charlebois the Juno Award for Best Video in 1995, as well as a cover of John Lennon's "Instant Karma!". Their second album, Bliss Station, was released in 1997.[5]

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of their debut album, the duo reunited to perform in December 2013, with what was reported to be a "one-night-only" reunion show at the Cabaret du Mile End in Montreal.[6] Luciantonio and Tierney were joined by their original line up, including Yves Desrosiers (Jean Leloup, Lhasa de Sela), guitar; Jean Massicotte, keyboards and samples; John Souranis (Men Without Hats, Hodads, Jerry Jerry), bass; and John McColgan (Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Michel Pagliaro, Stephen Barry Band), drums. That same year, Audiogram released a compilation on iTunes, The Best of Gogh Van Go, which included the Say You Will remix produced by James Di Salvio and a forgotten track from the first album. Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette proclaimed the Gogh Van Go concert as his live music event of the year.[7]

In 2014 the group returned to the studio to record two new songs, Sugar and Mama Needs a New Dress, written by Luciantonio with Yves Desrosiers, and produced by keyboardist Jean Massicotte.

On 26 June 2014, the band returned to the live stage as a part of the 2014 Montreal International Jazz Festival.

  1. ^ LePage, Mark (17 February 1994). "Together from the word Gogh; In relationship and music, enduring duo making it up as they go along". Montreal Gazette. p. B4. It's been that way since the '80s days, when they were the heart and soul of a great local country-rock outfit called the Hodads.
  2. ^ LePage, Mark (17 February 1994). "Together from the word Gogh; In relationship and music, enduring duo making it up as they go along". Montreal Gazette. p. B4. Tierney picked the band name from the cover of an art magazine last year...
  3. ^ Kelly, Brendan (30 January 1993). "Behind the Scenes in Quebec: 'Les Power Brokers'". Billboard. p. C5. Audiogram is home to many of the top local French artists -- including Michel Rivard, Seguin and Jean Leloup -- and it is now expanding into the English-speaking Canadian market with Montreal rock group Gogh Van Go.
  4. ^ "JAM! Music - The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia - Gogh Van Go". CANOE. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013. Their self-titled debut was recorded and mixed at Studio Nomade, Morin Heights, Québec by Pierre Marchand in 1993. The disc featured a remake of John Lennon's "Instant Karma" which received some notable airplay on Canadian radio.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Kelly, Brendan (17 November 1997). "This exec wears no suit: Dan Tierney is director of business affairs for Cinar Films and the lead singer of cutting-edge rock band Gogh Van Go". Montreal Gazette. p. E1. The band just released its second album, Bliss Station, this spring.
  6. ^ Kelly, Brendan (6 December 2013). "Gogh Van Go return with all the magic intact". Montreal Gazette. p. E1. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016. ...it isn't every day that one of the coolest Montreal alt-pop outfits makes a comeback, supposedly for one-night-only.
  7. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Gazette's Brendan Kelly describes his favourite event of 2013. YouTube.