Melancholic Toronto post Grunge act OUR LADY PEACE have achieved phenomenal success in their native Canada, with 1996's debut 'Naveed' album going platinum three times over and the follow up 'Clumsy' achieving Diamond status. The group has won no less than ten MuchMusic Video Awards, the biggest number achieved by any band.

The band was initiated during 1992 by guitar player Mike Turner, who placed an advert looking for other musicians in Toronto's 'Now' magazine. First to reply would be Michael Maida, a University of Toronto criminology student. This duo, bolstered by bassist Paul Martin and with Jim Newell playing drums, created the group AS IF. Concerts were conducted in Oshawa, mixing original songs with covers. However, with the departure of Martin, a further advert was placed to fill the bass vacancy. Ryerson University business student Chris Eacrett responded and was accepted. Songwriting sessions collaborating with SHERIFF and FROZEN GHOST member Arnold Lanni resulted in a set of AS IF demos.

Switching title to OUR LADY PEACE the group scored valuable concerts in Ontario and Montreal supporting THE TEA PARTY. At this juncture Maida adopted the stage name Raine Maida. Ryerson University film student Sam Siciliano directed a promotional video for the song 'Out Of Here', which gained exposure through MuchMusic's 'Indie' show.

Jim Newell decamped during recording sessions at Arnyard Studios and the remaining OUR LADY PEACE trio persevered with session drummer John Bouvette. Coalition Management took over the band's business afairs and, utilising drummer Jody Wilson, the band put on showcases arranged with Warner Canada, EMI Canada and Sony Music Canada. The latter company was impressed enough to offer a contract, and debut album tracks were crafted with new drummer Jeremy Taggart, who was then just 17 years old. However, FROZEN GHOST's John Bouvette still contributed on several tracks. Guitarist Phil Xenides, also of FROZEN GHOST, also donated a solo to the song 'Denied'.

'Naveed' saw release through Sony in March 1994 in Canada, subsequently picked up for US issue the following year. Commercially, OUR LADY PEACE was introduced by the single 'The Birdman'. Title song 'Naveed' gave the band a Canadian hit whilst 'Starseed', featured on the 'Armageddon' movie soundtrack, gained prominence in both Canada and the USA. Import copies of 'Naveed' were boosted by an extra track, a cover version of NEIL YOUNG's 'The Needle And The Damage Done'. Touring across Canada to promote the album witnessed dates flanking I MOTHER EARTH and 54-40 plus 1996 shows with ALANIS MORISSETTE.

As the writing process for a second album commenced, billed 'Clumsy', bassist Chris Eacrett parted ways with the band due to time honoured musical differences. Ridley College alumni Robert Coutts, an erstwhile classmate of Raine Maida, joined the band under the name Duncan Coutts.

Released in January 1997, 'Clumsy' boasted a slew of hit singles including the title track, '4 AM', 'Automatic Flowers', 'Carnival' and 'Superman's Dead'. 'Clumsy' proved to be the band's commercial peak to date, attaining Diamond sales status in Canada for 1,000,000 units sold. European versions added a second disc comprising acoustic versions of 'Clumsy', 'Naveed', and 'Automatic Flowers'.

Oddly, the originally intended title for the album, 'Trapeze', determined the album cover. A song was written with the same name that, although not included on the finished album, was performed live. Another song dating to this period was THE BEATLES cover version 'Tomorrow Never Knows', included on 'The Craft' movie soundtrack.

The following year the group established the 'Summersault' festival, touring Canada with line-ups featuring the FOO FIGHTERS, SMASHING PUMPKINS and A PERFECT CIRCLE.

In September 1999 OUR LADY PEACE put out their third album, 'Happiness...Is Not A Fish You Can Catch', hitting no. 2 on the Canadian charts. Noted Jazz drummer Elvin Jones guested on the song 'Stealing Babies'. Jamie Edwards sessioned on the album, starting a longstanding working relationship with the band. The album hosted hits 'Is Anybody Home?', 'Thief' and 'One Man Army'.

Ray Kurzweil's book 'The Age Of Spiritual Machines' inspired the 2000 conceptual album 'Spiritual Machines'. In the midst of recording Jeremy Taggart was to suffer an injury and the PEARL JAM and SOUNDGARDEN credited Matt Cameron performed drum duties on two songs, 'Right Behind You (Mafia)' and 'Are You Sad?'. Unfortunately 'Spiritual Machines' did not repeat the commercial impact of its predecessors.

Founding guitarist Mike Turner parted ways, quoting "musical differences", with the band during December of 2001, shortly after a new batch of tracks had begun to be worked up with producer Bob Rock.Turner subsequently formed FAIR GROUND.

OUR LADY PEACE would also have new material featured on the March 2002 'WWF Forcible Entry' compilation issued by Columbia Records donating 'Whatever' (Chris Benoit's Theme). Meantime, the band was brought back up to strength in April with the addition of Michigan native Steve Mazur on guitar. The more mainstream influenced 'Gravity' album, markedly eschewing Maida's by now trademark falsetto vocals, arrived in 2002 to mixed reviews. Despite this critical reception the lead in single 'Somewhere Out There' topped the Canadian charts. Second and third singles 'Innocent' and 'Made Of Steel' also both fared well.

A concert album, 'Live' recorded in Calgary and Edmonton, was released in June 2003. A fifth studio album, 'Healthy In Paranoid Times' again produced by Bob Rock, was delivered in August 2005. Internal stresses during the recording process were later revealed to have come close to dissolving the band. Momentum was continued with the compilation 'Decade' issued in November 2006. This set included two previously unreleased tracks from the 'Healthy In Paranoid Times' sessions in 'Kiss On The Mouth' and 'Better Than Here'.

Lead vocalist Raine Maida released his inaugural solo album, 'A Hunter's Lullaby', in 2007. Sessions for the group's seventh album, entitled 'Burn, Burn', were started in February 2007 and finally completed in March 2009.