Steve Mahabir
Steve Mahabir | |
|---|---|
| Born | Trinidad |
| Origin | Toronto, Canada |
| Genres | Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Pop, Country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Small Business Owner |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Ukulele |
| Years active | 1981-Present |
| Labels | M.U.B. Records, Psyche Records, Handsome Boy, Big Canoe, AMG/UNI |
Steve Mahabir is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. As co-founder of the alt.rock band, Groovy Religion, Mahabir was active in the Toronto music scene of the 1980s and 1990s. His first solo album, Angel in Parkdale, was released in 2015.[1]
Early life
Born in Trinidad, Mahabir moved at the age of seven to Canada. He first lived in Parkdale, an inner-city neighborhood in Toronto, Ontario, known for its diverse population and large number of renters.[2][3] His family later relocated to Mississauga, Ontario where he attended high school and Sheridan College. Teaching himself the guitar at a young age, Mahabir released his first 45 single in 1981. Side A ("Marathon of Hope") was a tribute to Terry Fox. Side B ("Clemontine") made it onto the Radio Sheridan singles playlist in January 1982. It became the number one song in late March and early April.[4] After Sheridan College, Mahabir continued to make music and eventually co-founded the band Groovy Religion. He also returned to Parkdale and opened a storefront tax preparation office.[5] [6]
Career
Groovy Religion
In the 1980s, Mahabir and William New began Groovy Religion in Toronto. With Mahabir on lead guitar and New as the lead singer, many early songs were composed with a drum machine until bassist Scott B. Sympathy and drummer Glenn Milchem joined them.[7] Groovy Religion has been described as a “post-punk band with a gothic, psychedelic bent.”[8] Later, John Borra replaced Scott B. Sympathy and Mike Poliwoda and John Lalley temporarily replaced Glenn Milchem. In 1984, Groovy Religion began a one-year residency at the Beverly Tavern on Queen Street which became known as "Elvis Mondays".[9] Intent on building a musical community, Groovy Religion turned the gig into an “open-format night where musicians could try out new ideas in front of their peers and where young bands could get their first club experience.”[10] Elvis Mondays would continue for more than thirty years at the Beverly. One music historian writes that it became "a rite of passage for emerging musicians" in Toronto.[11] A Neon Rome, Change of Heart, Cowboy Junkies, Sum 41, Three Days Grace, Billy Talent, and Beck are a few of the many bands that performed.[12] [13] Between 1986 and 1998, Groovy Religion released three albums for the labels Psyche Records and Handsome Boy.[14] The band also appeared on several compilations and soundtracks, backed Jim Carroll, and shared bills with the Beastie Boys, Hüsker Dü, Dream Syndicate, and Barenaked Ladies.[15]
Angel in Parkdale
In 2015, Mahabir released his debut solo album, Angel in Parkdale, through Big Canoe/The AMG Corp./Universal Music Group. He worked with bassist John Borra (Rattlesnake Choir, The Screwed); drummer Glenn Milchem (Blue Rodeo, The Swallows); keyboardist Michael Boguski (Blue Rodeo); and steel guitarist Mickey Andrews (Stompin’ Tom Connors). The album also includes contributions from David Madden (Bob Marley, Zap Pow), Miranda Mulholland (Great Lake Swimmers, Belle Starr), William New (Groovy Religion), and retired wrestler and singer Sweet Daddy Siki. Grammy award winning producer Peter J. Moore recorded the bed tracks for the 16-song, 50-minute album in just a few days at The E Room Studio in Toronto.[16] Angel in Parkdale offers a mix of instrumentation and sounds that “manages to carefully balance a traditional country vibe with a huge, blustering rock sound.”[17] Thematically, it draws on Mahabir’s twenty years of working in Parkdale, where more than one-third of the residents live below the poverty line.[18] According to Mahabir, “Parkdale has people on the street hearing voices, smoking crack, selling their bodies. But if you listen to their stories and peel back the layers, you can make a connection.”[19] With its rare combination of horns and guitar, a reviewer writes that the album “has immediacy and life that are hard to find in other contemporary music.”[20] Mahabir is currently working with Peter Moore on a follow-up album.
Discography
- Mahabir (with T. Sturino) – "Marathon of Hope" (1981 single)*
- Mahabir – “Clemontine” (1981 single)*
- Groovy Religion – Thin Gypsy Thief (1986)*[21]
- Groovy Religion – "Steal Me," Various, For No Apparent Reason (1987)
- Groovy Religion – "Wanda", Various, On the Road (1993)*
- Groovy Religion – "The Captain"/"Suki", Various, Elvis Monday Vol. 1 (1994)*
- Groovy Religion – "The Old Nova Scotian", Various, Poetreason: The Songs of Bob Snider (1994)
- Groovy Religion – Tom: A Rock Opera (1995)*
- Groovy Religion – "Bright Time", Various, Handsome Boy Rules (1996)*
- Groovy Religion – Canadabis (1998)*
- Groovy Religion – "Kitchen Boy", Various, Opiate of the Underground (n.d.)*
- Mahabir – Angel in Parkdale (2015)*
Videography
- Watch Your Mouth (2014)
- Riding Cowboy (2015)
- Wild Woman (2017)
References
- ↑ "Steve Mahabir". MTVrock. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ↑ "Steve Mahabir". MTVrock. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ↑ Whyte, Murray (January 14, 2020). "My Parkdale is Gone". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ↑ Newton, William (April 22, 1982). "Mississauga Resident Creates New Hit Single". Sheridan Sun.
- ↑ "Steve Mahabir Presents New Album Angel in Parkdale". All Music Trends Info. February 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ↑ "Parkdale Accounting". NOW Reader's Choice: Best of Toronto 2018. NOW Toronto. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ↑ Barclay, Michael; Jack, Ian A.D.; Schneider, Jason (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The Canrock Renaissance, 1985-1995. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 175. ISBN 9781550229929. Search this book on
- ↑ Dovercourt, Jonny (May 5, 2020). Any Night of the Week: A D.I.Y. History of Toronto Music, 1957-2001. Toronto: Coach House Books. ISBN 9781770566088. Search this book on
- ↑ Barclay, Michael; Jack, Ian A.D.; Schneider, Jason (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The Canrock Renaissance, 1985-1995. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 175. ISBN 9781550229929. Search this book on
- ↑ Boles, Benjamin. "Elvis Mondays". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ↑ Dovercourt, Jonny (May 5, 2020). Any Night of the Week: A D.I.Y. History of Toronto Music, 1957-2001. Toronto: Coach House Books. ISBN 9781770566088. Search this book on
- ↑ "Elvis Monday". Do416. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ↑ Peters, Vicky. "Old But Not the Least Bit Tired". Torontoist. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ↑ Barclay, Michael; Jack, Ian A.D.; Schneider, Jason (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The Canrock Renaissance, 1985-1995. Toronto: ECW Press. pp. 188–189. ISBN 9781550229929. Search this book on
- ↑ "Steve Mahabir". MTV Rock. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ↑ "Steve Mahabir". MTV Rock. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ↑ Marsh, Chris. "Steve Mahabir – Angel in Parkdale". Crossradar. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ↑ Whyte, Murray (January 14, 2020). "My Parkdale is Gone". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ↑ "Steve Mahabir Presents New Album Angel in Parkdale". All Music Trends Info. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ↑ Aiden, Jacob. "Steve Mahabir: Angel in Parkdale - Inspiring, Pulse-Pumping Music!". JamSphere. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ↑ "Groovy Religion Discography". Discogs. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
External Links
This article "Steve Mahabir" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Steve Mahabir. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
