A. C. Newman

"Carl Newman" redirects here. Not to be confused with Carl Neumann.
Carl Newman
Newman performing in 2006 at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square
Background information
Birth nameAllan Carl Newman
Also known asA.C. Newman
Born (1968-04-14) April 14, 1968 (age 56)
OriginVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresIndie rock,[1] power pop
Occupation(s)Musician, producer
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
LabelsBlack Box
Websitewww.acnewman.net

Allan Carl Newman (born April 14, 1968)[2] is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter. He was a member of the indie rock bands Superconductor and Zumpano in the 1990s. Following the breakup of those bands, he reemerged as the leader of the New Pornographers in 2000, a band who have enjoyed both commercial and critical success.

In 2004, Newman launched his solo career, performing as A. C. Newman. He has stated that he chose "A. C." for his solo career because "it sounded like a pseudonym, but it's not a pseudonym."[3]

Superconductor and Zumpano

Newman began his musical career in the 1990s as a member of the Vancouver grunge/pop group Superconductor. During the 90s, Newman often filled in on second guitar with metal band Nemesis Gypsy. After a brief stay, he joined the Vancouver-based pop group Zumpano. The band released two albums with Newman in the mid-1990s, Look What the Rookie Did and Goin' Through Changes, both of which received favorable reviews. Though Zumpano never officially announced their breakup, they have not recorded any new material since the 90s.

Between the demise of Zumpano and the debut of the New Pornographers, Newman had an acting role in his future New Pornographers bandmate Blaine Thurier's microbudget film Low Self-Esteem Girl.[4]

The New Pornographers

Newman is a founding member of the successful Vancouver-based power pop supergroup the New Pornographers. The band has released nine full-length albums since 2000, all of which received favorable reviews. In 2007, Blender ranked the group's debut album, Mass Romantic, the 24th best indie album of all time.[5] Newman is the band's main songwriter and vocalist.[6]

Solo career

In 2004, Newman debuted as A.C. Newman the solo artist. The Slow Wonder, his first album, was well received. His musical sensibilities as a solo musician have been compared to those of Ray Davies, Harry Nilsson, and Ben Folds.[citation needed]

Newman is married to Christy Simpson, formerly the marketing manager at Matador Records, the New Pornographers' previous record label.[7] They have a son, born in 2012.[8]

Newman's second solo album, titled Get Guilty, was released on Matador Records on January 20, 2009.[9] "Prophets" was featured in the end of the fourth season finale of How I Met Your Mother.

In October 2012, Newman's third album was released: Shut Down The Streets. Recorded in Woodstock, New York, the album features contributions from New Pornographers colleague Neko Case. Newman has said that Shut Down The Streets "is all about birth, death, happiness and sadness, chronicling a time in my life where all those things had to learn to coexist side by side."[10] In June 2013, the album was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.

In November 2012, Newman appeared in the music video alongside television personality Whip Nicken for "I'm Not Talking". The video was shot in Los Angeles and directed by the General Assembly.

Newman composed the score for The F Word, directed by Michael Dowse.[11]

Newman contributed a cover of the Bill Fay song, "Be Not So Fearful," to the soundtrack album, The Walking Dead Original Soundtrack – Volume 2, released in March 2014.

Discography

Albums

Compilations

with The New Pornographers

See also

References

  1. ^ AllMusic. allmusic. Retrieved on 2015-03-27.
  2. ^ iTunes – Music – A.C. Newman. Itunes.apple.com (1968-04-14). Retrieved on 2012-11-02.
  3. ^ "A.C. Newman: Interview: New Pornographers front man steps out, gor | Prefix". Prefixmag.com. 2000-01-01. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  4. ^ James Keast, "The New Pornographers: Mutual Appreciation Pop Society". Exclaim!, November 1, 2000.
  5. ^ "The 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever — #30 to #21 Article on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More". Blender. 2007-11-27. Archived from the original on 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  6. ^ "Q & A with Carl Newman". torontolife.com. 2011-03-30. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  7. ^ Zoë Wolff (2007-08-19). "A Beautiful Duet – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  8. ^ "The New Pornographers' AC Newman on Missing His Son, Meeting His Idols". 11 December 2014.
  9. ^ [1] Archived August 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ AC Newman: Shut Down the Streets – Album Preview. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-02.
  11. ^ Battan, Carrie (June 4, 2013). "The New Pornographers' A.C. Newman Scoring Daniel Radcliffe Film The F Word". pitchfork.com. Retrieved July 20, 2013.