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Mystery (band)

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Mystery
Mystery at the 2018 Night Of The Prog Festival
Mystery at the 2018 Night Of The Prog Festival
Background information
OriginQuebec, Canada
Genres
Years active1986–present
Labels
Members
  • Michel St-Père
  • François Fournier
  • Sylvain Moineau
  • Jean-Sébastien Goyette
  • Jean Pageau
  • Antoine Michaud
Past members
  • Sylvain Desharnais
  • Raymond Savoie
  • Stéphane Perreault
  • Benoît Dupuis
  • Gary Savoie
  • Richard Addison
  • Patrick Bourque
  • Michel Painchaud
  • Steve Gagné
  • Anne Charbonneau
  • Benoît David
Websitetherealmystery.com

Mystery (often stylized as MYSTERY) is a Canadian rock band formed in 1986 by multi-instrumentalist Michel St-Père. The band released their eponymous debut EP in 1992 with Raymond and Gary Savoie on lead vocals, followed by their first album Theatre of the Mind in 1996 and then Destiny? in 1998, both with Gary on lead vocals. In 2007 the band released their third album Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face with singer Benoît David who would record two more studio albums with the band: One Among the Living in 2010 and The World is a Game in 2012. In 2015 the band released their sixth album and first with current singer Jean Pageau Delusion Rain, followed by Lies and Butterflies in 2018 and Redemption on May 15, 2023.

Mystery's current line-up is Michel St-Père, bassist François Fournier, guitarist Sylvain Moineau, drummer Jean-Sébastien Goyette, singer Jean Pageau and keyboardist Antoine Michaud.[1]

History

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Formation and first three albums (1986-1999)

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In 1986 while working at Studio Illusion as a sound engineer, Michel St-Père founded Mystery with keyboardist Sylvain Desharnais.[2] The band was originally named Century, but was renamed to Mystery at the suggestion of Desharnais' girlfriend when it was discovered there was a band in France already called Century.[3] It took several years for a stable lineup to form, but by 1990 a lineup formed featuring St-Père on guitars, along with Stéphane Perreault on drums, Raymond Savoie on vocals, and Benoît Dupuis on keyboards. In 1991 the band began recording their first EP.[3] Richard Addison joined the band in 1991 on bass and Gary Savoie, Raymond's brother, became the lead singer in winter of that year. Mystery released their debut EP in May 1992 with both Raymond and Gary on vocals.

Perreault was taken ill with a crippling illness in 1991 which led to a hiatus until autumn of 1993, at which point the band regrouped. Recording started on the band's first full-length album Theatre of the Mind in late 1994.[4] After finishing his parts for the album, Addison left the band and was replaced by Patrick Bourque, who had played bass on "Rythmizomena" on Theatre of the Mind. Michel Painchaud also joined the band on saxophone and acoustic guitar. In 1995, the band was reduced to four members when Dupuis and Painchaud left. To help promote the new album's release in 1996, St-Père created his own record label, Unicorn Digital, on which all of Mystery's recordings from this point onward would be released.[5] With the release of Theatre of the Mind the band was able to reach a wider audience outside of their home in Canada.[6]

Recording started on the band's second album Destiny? in October 1996,[7] shortly after which Perreault left and was replaced by Steve Gagné who was introduced to the band by studio sound engineer Gilles Peltier.[8] Destiny? was released in May 1998 and licensed to French record label Musea. After the release of Destiny? Anne Charbonneau joined the band as keyboardist and the band played concerts with music from the album. By the time it came to start work on the band's next album in 1999, singer Gary Savoie left due to musical differences.[9]

Benoît David era (1999-2014)

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After Gary Savoie left he was replaced by Benoît David, who St-Père had met after a Yes tribute gig by David's then-band Close To The Edge (named Gaïa at the time) prior to Savoie's departure from the band.[9] For the next several years St-Père shifted his focus to expanding his record label,[5] causing the next Mystery album to be delayed.

In 2000 Mystery released two songs: a cover of "Hey You" for a Pink Floyd tribute album and a demo of the song which would become the title track of the band's next album, Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face for a progressive rock compilation album. Mystery also released the compilation album At the Dawn of a New Millennium, marking a transition period in the band.[10] Over the next few years progress was made on the band's next studio album, with a rough mix of the song "As I Am" appearing on the 2004 compilation album Prog-résiste.[11] Then in 2006, Mystery released a cover of "Visions of Paradise" on a The Moody Blues tribute album.[12]

The band's third studio album Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face was released on May 15, 2007.[13] Bourque died a few months after the album's release in September 2007, the cause of death was determined to be suicide. He was also a member of Emerson Drive up until a month before his death.[14] Following the passing of Bourque, St-Père, David, and Gagné soldiered on. They hired François Fournier to replace Bourque on bass, brought second guitarist Dean Baldwin to the fold, and former keyboard player Benoît Dupuis rejoined the band in his original role.

David performing with Yes in 2010

In 2008 David became the lead singer of Yes (until 2012), filling in for Jon Anderson, while continuing to be the lead singer for Mystery.[15] While this helped the band reach a wider audience, it also caused Mystery to have to work around Yes' schedule.

Destiny?, Mystery's second album, was remixed and released with new artwork and a bonus track as a 10th anniversary edition in 2009.[16] The new lineup also played their first show, opening for The Musical Box on April 3.

In 2010, the band released their fourth studio album, One Among the Living.[17] Many other musicians played on the album as session musicians, including other artists who released music on Unicorn Digital and other musicians, including Oliver Wakeman, David's bandmate in Yes, and John Jowitt.[18]

Gagné departed the band in 2011 as he was unavailable to do the recording for the upcoming album, but stayed with the band as a touring member.[19] Nick D'Virgilio was named to be the session musician who would record all the drum tracks on their next album and Antoine Fafard from Spaced Out would record all the bass tracks on the album.[20] On July 28, 2012, Sylvain Moineau was announced to be filling in for Baldwin on guitars for their next show and then became a full-time touring member.[21] Mystery released their fifth studio album, The World is a Game, on August 10, 2012.[22]

On January 2, 2013 it was announced that Jean-Sébastien Goyette would be playing drums in the live band instead of Gagné, with his first show being the February 7 show at Centrepointe Theatre.[23]

A remastered version of At the Dawn of a New Millennium was announced on February 26 along with Unveil the Mystery, a new compilation album containing music from 2007 until 2012, for which the name for was announced on March 12.[24]

On May 10, the band played and recorded their first European show in the Netherlands during their tour supporting The World is a Game which was released as the double live album, Tales from the Netherlands, on October 1, 2014.

The band recorded the Gene Simmons song "See You Tonite" for the KISS tribute album A World With Heroes. Todd Farhood sang lead vocals while the rest of Mystery (St-Père, Dupuis, Fournier, Moineau and Goyette) played their respective instruments.

Jean Pageau era (2014-present)

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On March 14, 2014 it was announced that David had left the band the prior autumn after having discussed wanting to take a pause from music before the start of The World is a Game Tour. Jean Pageau, who was in attendance at the Saga concert Mystery opened in February 2013,[25] officially became lead singer on March 9.[26]

On July 7 Antoine Michaud was announced to be filling in for Sylvain Moineau for all 2014 concerts, and that he had already been practicing with the band for a month.[27] In August and September the band toured a second leg of concerts supporting The World is a Game taking place in Canada and Europe.[28]

On November 2 it was announced recording had started on the next studio album. On June 9, 2015 the title for the album was announced to be Delusion Rain,[29] and was subsequently released on November 1.[30] From late September to early November the band toured in Canada and Europe.

On April 3, 2016 the band played in the Progdreams V festival in the Netherlands, which was recorded and released as Second Home on DVD on August 7, 2017,[31] and as live album on August 15, 2017 digitally, and September 1, 2017 on CD.[32]

On September 2, 2016 the band played in the 2Days Prog + 1 festival in Italy. On September 5 Michaud was announced to be the new keyboard player for the band after Dupuis left the band following the Progdreams V concert in April.[33]

In August and September 2017, the band toured Europe and Canada for the tenth anniversary of Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face, playing the album in its entirety.[34]

It was announced on September 7 that the band would release their 7th studio album on July 14, 2018, the same day they would play at the Night of the Prog Festival in Sankt Goarshausen, Germany.[35][36] In late April and early May 2018, the band took a break from working on the album to tour Europe.[37][38] Work resumed on the album after returning, and on May 30 the title was announced to be Lies and Butterflies. In March and April 2019 the band toured in support of the album with dates in Canada and Europe, followed by a second leg in October and November in Europe[39] and Canada.[40] The show on April 7 in Poznań, Poland was released as a double live album on November 15.[41]

The concert at Cultuurpodium Boerderij on November 17, 2018 was released on November 28, 2020, entitled Caught in the Whirlwind of Time.[42]

After over two years of being unable to tour, the band played two shows in Europe at the end of June 2022 in Germany and at the Midsummer Prog Festival in the Netherlands while working on a new album.[43] On June 16 it was announced Johnny Maz of Huis, which St-Père is also a member of, would be filling in for Michaud for the two shows.[44] The band returned to Europe in November to tour.[45] Maz continued to fill in for Micahud for these shows.[46]

In March and April 2023, the band toured in Canada and Europe[47] performing new music from their upcoming album Redemption[48] which was released on May 15, 2023.[49] The first single "Behind the Mirror" was released on October 26, 2022,[45][50] followed by "Redemption" on April 7, 2023. In the summer of 2024, the band will play several dates, including at the Festival d'été de Québec,[51] followed by several more in November.

Concert dates

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Main article: List of Mystery concert tours

Discography

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Personnel

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Members

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Timeline

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References

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  1. ^ Echeverría, Santi (5 May 2018). "Turquía y Canadá se hacen oír en Minnuendö" [Turkey and Canada are heard in Minnuendö]. Diario de Navarra (in Spanish). Pamplona. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  2. ^ Ezpeieta, Jesús (March 2018). "Mystery". This is Rock. No. 165. Spain. p. 19.
  3. ^ a b "Radio interview for La Llave Oculta". Archived from the original on 7 May 2001.
  4. ^ "Mystery Bio". Archived from the original on 31 August 2004.
  5. ^ a b Lucky, Jerry. "Michel St-Père Interview". Archived from the original on 20 April 2013.
  6. ^ Chelmsford, Phil. "Interview with Michel St-Pere of Mystery". DPRP. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  7. ^ Selm, Kristian (April 1997). "Prog im Lande des Ahornblatts". Progressive Newsletter. No. 14. Germany. p. 6.
  8. ^ Blades, Frank. "Looking to the Future". Archived from the original on 7 October 1999. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  9. ^ a b Wilson, Rich (August 2012). "Looking for Clues". Prog. No. 29. p. 78.
  10. ^ Roque, Roland (May 2000). "Mystery?". Acid Dragon. No. 26. France. p. 45. Archived from the original on 1 September 2004.
  11. ^ "Prog-resiste". AmarokProg.
  12. ^ "Higher And Higher: A Tribute To The Moody Blues". Prog Archives.
  13. ^ Itter, Scott. "Mystery – Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face". Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  14. ^ "Emerson Drive's Former Bassist Dies". CMT. 26 September 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  15. ^ Kreps, Daniel (September 11, 2008). "With Singer Ailing, Yes Recruit Cover Band Frontman". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013.
  16. ^ "Reissue of landmark Mystery album — details". Progression Magazine. 9 April 2009. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009.
  17. ^ "MYSTERY To Release New Album In May - BraveWords". BraveWords. 16 April 2010.
  18. ^ "Mystery's One Among The Living Is Unicorn's Best All-Time Seller". ProgressiveWorld. 23 October 2010.
  19. ^ "Nick D'Virgilio Mystery". DPRP. 8 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015.
  20. ^ "Mystery News". ProgressiveWorld. 15 October 2011.
  21. ^ Leclerc, Yves (10 November 2012). "Première rencontre avec la capitale". Le Journal de Québec.
  22. ^ Siegel, Noah. "The World Is a Game". New Canadian Music. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  23. ^ "Drummer Jean-Sebastien Goyette on Stage with MYSTERY". Archived from the original on 26 March 2013.
  24. ^ "MYSTERY News". Facebook. 12 March 2013.
  25. ^ Bergeras, Yves (21 September 2017). "Mystery, les pros du prog". Le Droit. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  26. ^ Kielty, Martin (March 17, 2014). "Benoit David leaves Mystery". Louder. Future plc.
  27. ^ "Guitarist Antoine Michaud to fill in for Sylvain Moineau". Facebook. July 7, 2014.
  28. ^ "MYSTERY – New Live Album and Tour". DPRP. August 14, 2014. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014.
  29. ^ "Mystery Description". Facebook. June 9, 2015.
  30. ^ "MYSTERY - Delusion Rain". Facebook. November 1, 2015.
  31. ^ "Delay in the delivery of the Second Home DVD and CD". Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  32. ^ Fisher, Rob (September 27, 2017). "Mystery – Second Home". The Progressive Aspect.
  33. ^ "MYSTERY welcomes new keyboardist Antoine Michaud". Facebook. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  34. ^ "MYSTERY Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face 10th Anniversary Tour – Second Home album and DVD". Metal Centre. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  35. ^ Völklein, Winfried (7 September 2017). "Mystery confirmed". Night of the Prog Festival. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  36. ^ "NIGHT OF THE PROG 2018". Facebook. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  37. ^ "2018 Mystery Tour". Neoprog. April 17, 2018. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  38. ^ Ewing, Jerry (December 13, 2017). "Mystery Announce UK Dates With Presto Ballet". Louder. Future plc.
  39. ^ Ewing, Jerry (April 3, 2019). "Mystery announce Live And Butterflies European tour dates". Louder. Future plc.
  40. ^ Desputeaux, Jean-François (November 15, 2019). "Une fin de tournée sur une note parfaite pour Mystery". QuébecSpot (in French). QuébecSpot Média. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  41. ^ "Mystery live album". iO Pages (in Dutch). September 10, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  42. ^ "Mystery Caught in the Whirlwind of Time". iO Pages. November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  43. ^ Ewing, Jerry (June 21, 2022). "Mystery release brand new video for 1992 song In My Dreams". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  44. ^ "Mysterious News. June 16 2022". June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  45. ^ a b Desgagné, Marc (26 October 2022). "Mystery - Premier extrait du nouvel album Redemption à paraître au printemps 2023". MetalUniverse. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  46. ^ "Mystery Uden / Concert reviews". Erik's progtracks. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  47. ^ Leclerc, Yves (March 4, 2023). "Rock progressif: du succès en Europe pour Mystery et Red Sand". Le Journal de Québec. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  48. ^ Kölsch, Thomas (April 14, 2023). "Die kanadische Band Mystery spielt in der Harmonie". General-Anzeiger. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  49. ^ Ewing, Jerry (February 27, 2023). "Mystery share video for brand new single Behind The Mirror". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  50. ^ "MYSTERY dévoile un premier single de l'album «Redemption» - Prog-Mania". Prog-Mania. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  51. ^ "Festival d'été de Québec gets Post Malone, 50 Cent, J Balvin, Jonas Brothers, Nickelback for 2024". Billboard. March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  52. ^ "Band Pictures". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  53. ^ "Mystery". Facebook. November 29, 2014.
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