Sandbox (band)

Sandbox was a Canadian alternative rock band active in the 1990s. The band consisted of Paul Murray on lead vocals, Mike Smith and Jason Archibald on guitar, Scott MacFarlane on bass and Troy Shanks on drums.[1]

Sandbox
OriginNew Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada
GenresAlternative rock
Years active1993 (1993)–1998 (1998)
LabelsNettwerk
Past membersMike Smith
Paul Murray
Jason Archibald
Scott MacFarlane
Troy Shanks

Formation

Sandbox was formed by Mike Smith in New Glasgow in 1992, originally as a cover band named Sandbox Legacy.[2] Lead singer Paul Murray is the nephew of singer Anne Murray.[3]

The band debuted with the 1993 indie EP, Maskman.[4]

Canadian chart success

Their debut album Bionic was released in 1995.[5] The album spawned their most well known singles, "Curious" and "Collide".[6] "Curious" reached No. 34 on Canada's RPM Singles chart and No. 8 on Canada's Alternative chart,[7][8] while "Collide" peaked at #57 in the RPM100.[9] Both songs received regular airplay on MuchMusic.

They were nominated for Best New Group at the Juno Awards of 1996.[10]

Their second album, A Murder in the Glee Club was released in 1997.[11] Produced by Don Fleming, the album was a concept album about the aftermath of a murder.[12] The single "Carry" peaked at #38 in the RPM100 the week of January 19, 1998.[13] However, the band was at this time facing difficulties with their record label, who wanted them to pursue a more commercial alternative rock sound instead of their Haligonian power pop style, and they were dropped from the label after the album's release.[12]

Breakup

Following the dissolution of the band, Smith went on to play Bubbles in the Canadian cult hit television series Trailer Park Boys.[14] Bassist Scott MacFarlane played for Crush and Gordie Sampson. Jason Archibald graduated from Dalhousie University in 2001 with a degree in medicine.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays
  • 1993 - Maskman

Singles
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
CAN
[15]		 CAN
Rock
[15]
"Curious" 1995 348 Bionic
"Collide" 57—
"Here and There" 1996 ——
"Carry" 1997 38— A Murder in the Glee Club

References
  1. "Sandbox playing up a storm; New Glasgow quintet attracting many fans with popular new songs". Kingston Whig-Standard, March 28, 1996.
  2. "Sandbox sounds like Mellencamp on Prozac". Halifax Daily News, April 28, 1995.
  3. "She'll be comin' round the mountain Murray will host Junos in Hamilton, thanks to real fans". Toronto Star, March 9, 1996.
  4. "Hey kids! Sandbox in at X Club". Hamilton Spectator, May 18, 1995.
  5. "Sandbox debut shows promise". Ottawa Citizen, May 20, 1995.
  6. "Sandbox brings best of Halifax to Ontario ears". Waterloo Region Record, June 17, 1995.
  7. "Top Singles - Volume 61, No. 27, July 07 1995". RPM. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  8. "Rock/Alternative - Volume 61, No. 22, July 03 1995". RPM. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  9. "Top Singles - Volume 62, No. 22, January 15, 1996". RPM, January 15, 1996.
  10. "Female artists garner most nominations in annual Juno race". Vancouver Sun, February 1, 1996.
  11. "Sandbox not ready for the big time". Halifax Daily News, October 24, 1997.
  12. "Sandbox builds a mystery Latest CD, Murder in the Glee Club, still has punchy innovative rock". Waterloo Region Record, January 25, 1998.
  13. "Top Singles - Volume 66, No. 17, January 19, 1998". RPM, January 19, 1998.
  14. "Bubbles is a musician". The Guardian, March 4, 2006.
  15. RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada bac-lac.gc.ca
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