Representative Albums: "The Slow Wonder," "Get Guilty"
Representative Songs: "On the Table," "35 in the Shade," "Homemade Bombs in the Afterno"
Biography
Vancouver-based guitarist and singer/songwriter Allan Carl Newman broke into the Canadian music scene in the early '90s as a member of alternative rock/grunge outfit Superconductor. A longer stint with power pop group Zumpano followed in the mid-'90s, resulting in two well-received albums, Look What the Rookie Did and Goin' Through Changes, but it wasn't until Newman formed the New Pornographers in 2000 that his hook-filled guitar pop anthems became staples of the crowded 21st century indie rock scene. The Newman-led collective released a string of popular records over the next decade. Peppered in between were numerous solo projects from bandmembers Neko Case, Dan Bejar (Destroyer), and Newman himself, who released his solo debut, Slow Wonder, in 2004 and Get Guilty in 2009, both of which arrived via Matador Records. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
Allan Carl Newman (born April 14, 1968) is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He was a member of the indie rock bands Superconductor and Zumpano in the 1990s. Following the breakup of those bands, he reemerged as the leader of The New Pornographers in 2000.
In 2004, Newman launched his solo career, performing as A.C. Newman. He has stated he chose "A.C." for his solo career because he liked the way that it sounded.[1]
Carl Newman began his musical career in the 1990s as a member of the grunge/pop group Superconductor. After a brief stay, he joined the Vancouver-based pop group Zumpano. Together they released two albums in the mid-1990s, Look What the Rookie Did and Goin' Through Changes, both of which received positive reviews. Zumpano did not officially break up, but did not record any more albums.
The New Pornographers
Newman is a founding member of the successful Vancouver-based popsupergroup The New Pornographers. The band has released four full length albums since 2000, all of which received favorable reviews. In 2007, Blender ranked the group's debut album, Mass Romantic, the 24th best indie album of all time. Newman is the band's main songwriter and vocalist, and is generally regarded as the band's leader.[2]
Solo career
After years of gaining success as the musical savant behind the songs of his bands, in 2004 Newman debuted as A.C. Newman the solo artist. The Slow Wonder, his first album, was well-received. His musical sensibilities as a solo musician have been compared to those of Ray Davies, Harry Nilsson, and Ben Folds.
Newman is married to Christy Simpson, the marketing manager at Matador Records (The New Pornographers' label).[3]
Newman's second solo album, titled Get Guilty, was released on Matador Records on January 20, 2009.[4] "Prophets" was featured in the end of the fourth season finale of How I Met Your Mother.
