Paul Murray (vocals)
Mike Smith (guitar/vocals)
Jason Archibald (guitar/vocals)
Scott MacFarlane (bass/vocals)
Troy Shanks (drums/piano/vocals)
When It Happened:
1995-1998
Why They're Remembered:
A variety of reasons, not the least of which is their second album, which is one of the most criminally underappreciated albums of all time.
If you'll think back to the 90's you'll recall that, after Seattle exploded, every grabass record exec across the land swooped down upon the coffee capital, milking it for every musician they could find. Soon, of course, the supply was bone dry. Desperate for more money, the land was scoured for another sleeping giant, an unseen mecca of untapped talent. Somehow, the record labels decided that Halifax was the place. Before long, label execs were boarding jet planes to see shows at tiny Halifax clubs and snapping up all the homegrown bands they could find. Sloan, Eric's Trip, Thrush Hermit, and dozens more found themselves the focus of what everyone hoped would be the next Seattle.
As we all know, that didn't quite happen. As it turns out, the majority of these musicians were way too artistically inclined and independently minded. A few hit singles were to be had, but if you look at the alumni from that era, only Joel Plaskett and Sloan are still making a halfway decent go at it today. At least, when it comes to music.
In 1995, a little known group named Sandbox would make its way onto the scene, coming at a rather precocious time. By '95, Sloan had released their artistically amazing sophomore album Twice Removed to a dead silent audience. Half of the bands scooped up in the Halifax Rock Explosion had splintered into other, unknown bands and/or disbanded altogether. The group that was all the rage in the area wasn't even a rock band; it was Great Big Sea. In the big picture, grunge had pretty much died a year earlier with a shotgun blast to Kurt Cobain's melon. And, even though they weren't really a grunge band, Sandbox was from Halifax. Thus, the preconceived notion was there. It was clear from the beginning that this group wasn't about to get a fair shake in the industry.
It started off well enough. "Curious", lead single from the debut Bionic, got a fair amount of rotation on radio and video channels. It even cracked the top five on the nationwide MuchMusic countdown, an accolade that actually meant something back then. The next single, "Collide", inexplicably wasn't as well received. Regardless, Bionic performed well enough saleswise for EMI to finance recording sessions with Don Fleming (best known for his work with Sonic Youth and the Posies), sessions which resulted in the fantastic sophomore effort, A Murder in the Glee Club.
Sadly, just after the recording, Sandbox parted ways with EMI. Apparently upset with the label's marketing plans, the band was somehow able to get out of their contract with full ownership of their songs. The album ended up getting released with distribution by EMI, but the label obviously had little to gain in promoting it. As a result, singles "Carry" and "...to red" barely made a dent in the charts. Shortly thereafter, they called it a day.
Of course, acute fans of Trailer Park Boys already know that guitarist Mike Smith went on to play Bubbles on the long-running Showtime comedy. And hardcores don't need to be told that singer Paul Murray has a famous aunt named Anne. As for the rest of the band? Well, bassist Scott MacFarlane continues to find work, playing for a variety of east coast bands and artists (such as Crush and Gordie Sampson). Jason Archibald took the opportunity to go back to school after the band broke up. He graduated from Dalhousie University in 2001 with a degree in medicine, and is now presumably saving someone's life. Drummer Troy Shanks has kept a lower profile, as evidenced by the fact that I couldn't find much of anything non-Sandbox related in a Google search.
All in all, Sandbox will be remembered by most more for spawning Bubbles than anything else. But, looking back on their short career, there's a lot to be said for a little band from Pictou County whose albums play just as well today as they did ten years ago.
If you're clueless through all of this Sandbox talk, worry not. I shan't leave you hanging! Regardez! Les videos! C'est bon, n'est pas?
Don't ask me why I said that in french. I just did; accept it, it happened, and it's over. Now, have a look and a listen. If you were there, remensice. If you weren't and like what you hear, good fucking luck finding their CDs anywhere but a pawn shop (for the record, I was recently able to reacquire both albums for $4).
Video
"Curious", from Bionic (1995). The one that started (and, for most, ended) it all.
"The Specter", from A Murder in the Glee Club (1997). Live at MuchMusic, back in the long long ago when they had music. Master T, bitches!
And, as an added bonus, an EPK (for those not familiar with the biz, Electronic Press Kit) from around the release of Bionic . Nice fellas!
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