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All Music Guide:
Buttless Chaps first rode into the Victoria, British Columbia music scene in 1998. While country-rock overall, the Chaps were strapped with touches of indie rock and twinges of fuzzy electronics. Led by vocalist/guitarist/banjoist Dave Gowans, the band also included guitarist/lap steel man Lasse Lutick, keyboardist/synthesizer guy Morgan McDonald, and drummer Torben Wilson. A self-titled LP followed soon after the band's formation; it enjoyed solid critical acclaim, and was picked up for national distribution. The Tumblewire LP appeared a year later, and was supported with a coast-to-coast Canadian tour. By the end of 2001, BC had relocated to Vancouver. They continued to play out frequently, and also found time to record a third record, Death Scenes I II III (Scratch). In 2003, Buttless Chaps jumped to the friendly Vancouver indie Mint for their strongest effort to date, Love This Time. With locals like Ida Nilsen and Carolyn Mark along for the ride, the album accessorized the Chaps' country-ish sound with electronic moon boots and a pure pop belt buckle. Tours of both Canada and the U.S. followed in late 2003 and early 2004. Ida Nilsen later joined the band permanently on vocals, accordion, sythesizer, and more. Their next record, Where Night Holds Light, was issued in February 2006 in Canada, and the U.S. release followed two months later.
Wikipedia:
The Buttless Chaps were a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1998 from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The group played a hybrid of punk, new wave and alternative country music.
History [edit]
Band members included Dave Gowans on vocals, guitar and banjo, Morgan McDonald on keyboards, Lasse Lutick on guitar and synthesizer, Torben Wilson on drums and Ida Nilsen on vocals, accordion, synthesizer and euphonium.
They were featured on CBC Radio 3's Sessions in June 2007.
In an interview on CBC Radio 3 on January 7, 2009, Dave Gowans announced that the band would be breaking up after completing their remaining touring commitments. The band members moved on to other projects: McDonald on his band Fond of Tigers, Nilsen on Great Aunt Ida and The Violet Archers, Wilson on Clean and Pristine the NOEX Castaway, and Gowans on Cloudsplitter. Today, Gowans and Lutick also own and operate Red Cat Records, a record store in Vancouver.
In Popular Culture [edit]
A poster for The Buttless Chaps appears in the background of "We'd like to Thank the Academy", an episode (Season 5, Ep. 13) of USA's hit comedy, Psych.
