biographical info

An inimitable stalwart of the Toronto indie scene, Nick Zubeck
is a versatile and accomplished guitarist, producer, and
multi-intrumentalist whose talents have led him to play with Great Lake
Swimmers (briefly, on bass), The Lavender Gloom (now defunct), Polmo
Polpo (guitar and lap steel), and Barzin (currently). As a songwriter,
he has released two albums under his own name (2002's "A Meek
Spectacle" and 2003's "Hiding Out and Laying Low"), both of which were
marked by his unequalled use of lush delicately-layered textures and
unconventional song structures. His clever, skillful lyrics explored
subject matter ranging from the dark and introspective to the quirky
and playful, and the discs were received by reviewers as "... (a)
beautifully dreamy....blend of folksy and experimental beats," and a
"mellifluous acoustic album... a sunshiny wholesome listen." Nick's
other current projects include The Book of Gnomes and Saul Karol.
Tracker, Zubeck's greatly anticipated third full-length disc, builds on
the melodic and thematic elements of his previous two albums, while
underscoring the decidedly more confident, single-minded, and mature
musician that he has become in the past five years. Engineer Jeremy
Darby (Lou Reed, David Bowie, Johnny Cash) recorded the bed tracks for
the album over two days in June 2007 at Canterbury Sound. The core band
features Nick on guitars and vocals, Darren Wall (Harry Pickens, Wynton
Marsalis) on bass, Marshall Bureau (Northern Chorus, Erika Werry) on
drums, Robbie Grunwald (Everything All The Time, Spooky Ruben, Jill
Barber) on various keyboards, and Justin Haynes (Barnyard Drama, Kim
Barlow) on electric guitar, plus an array of special guests. Mixed and
co-produced by Sandro Perri (Polmo Polpo, Glissandro 70), and mastered
by Harris Newman (Constellation Records), the music is colourful and
varied, straddling a number of styles while retaining a focused and
unique vision.
lineup
Nick Zubeck Singer/ songwriter/ guitarist
Darren Wall Bass
Marshall Bureau drums
Robbie Grunwald Keyboardist
influences
Bill Frisell/Miles Davis
Jim 'O Rourke/Tortoise
Joni Mitchell/Gillian Welsh/Neil Young
The Beatles
The Flaming Lips/Wilco