Plumtree was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ...

band formed in 1993 in Halifax which consisted of sisters Carla and Lynette Gillis, Amanda Braden, Nina Martin, and later Catriona Sturton. The band achieved moderate success during their seven years of activity, completing several tours of Canada and parts of the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

, as well as releasing three full-length albums, a six track EP, and various singles, before finally disbanding in June 2000. Their single "Scott Pilgrim" was the inspiration for the title character in the graphic novel series by

Bryan Lee O'Malley Bryan Lee O'Malley (born February 21, 1979) is a Canadian cartoonist, best known for the ''Scott Pilgrim'' series. He also performs as a musician under the alias Kupek. Career Bryan Lee O'Malley attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary Sc ...

History

The band formed in their hometown of

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

on April 9,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

after meeting through their music teachers. The original line-up included Lynette Gillis (aged 14) on drums, Carla Gillis (16) on guitar and vocals, Amanda Braden (15) on guitar and vocals and Nina Martin (16) on bass and occasional vocals. As children the Gillis siblings developed an interest in heavy metal music. Carla took guitar lessons and Lynette studied drumming. They played at home until 1993 when they recruited others to form a band. Their first band played their

junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...

talent show with a setlist made up mostly of Jimi Hendrix and

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

covers. The original group subsequently broke up. Braden and Martin joined the band soon after and the band developed a collaborative songwriting method. Plumtree played their first show at Halifax's all-ages Cafe Ole in June 1993. Plumtree established themselves in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

after releasing the song, "Follow You", on the ''No Class'' cassette, a compilation released by No Records featuring Nova Scotia high school bands. This earned them opening slots for Jale,

Thrush Hermit Thrush Hermit was a Canadian alternative rock band active in the 1990s, known for their "highly energetic, humorous, and unpredictable performances," as quoted by Vice News. History Thrush Hermit was formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1992 by J ...

Velocity Girl Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, and active in the Washington, D.C., area. The band released three albums before splitting up in 1996. History The band started as the duo of Kelly Rile ...

and

the Spinanes The Spinanes were an American indie rock band, primarily active during the 1990s. The band was founded by and consisted only of singer-songwriter/guitarist Rebecca Gates and drummer Scott Plouf. They released three albums on the Sub Pop label bef ...

. Cinnamon Toast Records released Plumtree's first seven-inch, ''Green Mittens'', in 1994. It featured the songs "Dog Gone Crazy" and "Have a Banana", plus two songs from

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

's Strawberry on the other side. Shortly after, Plumtree released a six-song cassette entitled ''Flutterboard''. In 1995, Plumtree recorded their first full-length album, ''Mass Teen Fainting'', at Sound of One Hand Studios in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, with Paul Hogan. The CD was played on college radio and this gained Plumtree a dedicated Canadian fanbase. Martin left the band in September 1995 to pursue undergraduate work at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

. She was replaced by

native

Catriona Sturton Catriona Sturton (born June 8, 1976) is an Ottawa, Ontario–based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has had a prolific career, performing in bands such as Plumtree and collaborating with artists like Joel Plaskett, Al Tuck, the ...

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on b ...

. Plumtree's second album, ''Predicts the Future'', was recorded in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

with Laurence Currie at Idea of East studios in Halifax. Released in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, the CD led to the Plumtree's appearance on the cover of Canada's music monthly, ''Exclaim!'', as well as to the No. 1 spot on the national college radio chart, Earshot. Videos for the singles "Scott Pilgrim", "Go", and "You Just Don't Exist" received regular airplay on

MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31, ...

. ("Scott Pilgrim" went on to inspire the popular graphic novel series, ''

Scott Pilgrim ''Scott Pilgrim'' is a series of graphic novels by Canadian author and comic book artist Bryan Lee O'Malley. The series is about Scott Pilgrim, a slacker and part-time musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario, and plays bass ‍in a band. He fa ...

'', by

). During these early years, Plumtree released a number of songs on vinyl and CD compilations, including ''Water Had Leaked into My Suit'' (Cinnamon Toast), ''You're a Superlady'' (Corduroy), ''Secret Songs'' (Korova Cafe) and ''Syrup and Gasoline'' (Grenadine). An earlier version of "Scott Pilgrim" can also be found on a split seven-inch Plumtree released with The Inbreds on the PF label. The band toured extensively throughout its seven-year career, hitting the road with Montreal's The Local Rabbits, Halifax bands

The Inbreds The Inbreds were a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 1992. Originally from Kingston, Ontario,"Kingston's Inbreds don't need guitars". ''Toronto Star'', July 8, 1993. the band relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1996 and remained based there ...

and

The Super Friendz The Super Friendz are a Canadian indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia. They were initially active between 1994 and 1997, before reforming in 2003. Contemporaries of Sloan, their early work was on Sloan's Murderecords label. Career The Su ...

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because o ...

's Julie Doiron (formerly of

Eric's Trip Eric's Trip is a Canadian indie rock band from Moncton, New Brunswick. Eric's Trip achieved prominence as the first Canadian band to be signed to Seattle's flagship grunge label Sub Pop in the early 1990s. The band had a minor hit in alternativ ...

) and Winnipeg's

The Weakerthans The Weakerthans are an award-winning and Juno-nominated Canadian indie rock band from Winnipeg. The band, led by John K. Samson, has released four studio albums and is currently inactive. History The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manito ...

and Duotang. Plumtree could only tour during the summer months as they attended university during the school months. In 1999, Plumtree performed in Toronto at the Horseshoe Tavern with Number One Cup. They spent the summer in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

recording ''This Day Won't Last at All'' with

Justin Deneau Justin may refer to: People * Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin * Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire * Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...

at Electro Magnetic Sound Studios. It was released in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

by Winnipeg-based

Endearing Records Endearing Records is a Canadian independent record label established in 1994, now based in Vancouver, British Columbia, originally based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Endearing Records has released many albums by Canadian indie artists since ...

. A

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

-inspired video for the song, "Regret", received airplay on MuchMusic.

Split

In spring 2000, the band toured across Canada and down the West Coast States with

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

's Salteens. Plumtree disbanded in July 2000 after performing their final show on June 30 at the Marquee Club in their hometown of Halifax.

Aftermath

Lynette and Carla Gillis currently live in

, where they perform in the rock band Overnight (formerly known as SISTER). They also perform in Bells Clanging with Jason Starnes. Amanda Bidnall (née Braden) earned degrees at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus in Saint John, New Brunswick. Dalhousie offer ...

and

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and staf ...

before graduating with a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...

from Boston College in 2010. She was a history professor at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, for about 8 years. She is now a freelance novice romance writer and web editor.Team - CCS-Crystal Clear Solutions.
Retrieved 20 January 2016.Amanda Braden Discography
Discogs.com, Retrieved 20 January 2016.June's Meeting - Amanda Bidnall Gives a History Lesson.
Rwagvc.com, Retrieved 20 January 2016. Catriona Sturton lives in

and teaches harmonica. Nina Martin is a professor of geography at UNC - Chapel Hill. In July 2010 Catriona joined SISTER on stage at the launch party for Scott Pilgrim Volume 6 to perform the song "Scott Pilgrim". '' Scott Pilgrim vs. The World'', based on the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley that was inspired by the Plumtree song "Scott Pilgrim", was released on August 13, 2010. In the film and comic book, the main character Scott Pilgrim can be seen wearing a Plumtree T-shirt. The song "Scott Pilgrim" appears both in the film as well as on the soundtrack to the film and the song "Go!" appears in the film itself while not the soundtrack.

Awards

In 1996, Plumtree was awarded Best Canadian Band Under Twenty at the

YTV Achievement Awards The YTV Achievement Awards (aka YAA!) was an annual awards ceremony presented by YTV. The ceremony took place annually (except 1991) from 1989 to 2000. The awards were given to young Canadians who had an important contribution in one of several di ...

. They performed "Tropical" during the show. ''Predicts the Future'' was nominated for an East Coast Music Award in the

Alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

category. It lost to Superfriendz' ''Slide Show''.

Discography

Studio albums and EPs

* ''Flutterboard'' (1994) * ''Mass Teen Fainting'' (1995) * ''Predicts the Future'' (1997) * ''This Day Won't Last At All'' (2000)

Singles

* Plumtree/Strawberry split 7-inch (1994) * "Water Had Leaked Into My Suit" (1995) * Plumtree/

split 7-inch (1996) * "Preserving Wildlife" (1996) * Plumtree/Salteens split 7-inch (1999)

Compilation albums

* ''Best Of'' (2010)

References

External links

*
Stained Pages interview

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plumtree Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups disestablished in 2000 All-female bands Musical groups from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canadian indie rock groups Canadian girl groups 1993 establishments in Nova Scotia 2000 disestablishments in Canada