Raine Maida

Raine Maida
Maida performing in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Michael Anthony Maida
Born	February 18, 1970 (1970-02-18) (age 39)
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Rock, post-grunge, alternative, spoken word
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Kingnoise Records, Columbia, Sony BMG
Associated acts	Our Lady Peace
Website	www.rainemaida.net

Michael "Raine" Maida (born February 18, 1970) is a Canadian-born singer and songwriter, best known as being the vocalist and co-founder of the rock band Our Lady Peace.

Throughout the band's history, Maida has written most of the band's songs, and in the band's early years often wrote cryptic, poetry-influenced lyrics. He also self-produced the band's seventh studio album, Burn Burn.^[1] In 2007, Maida released his first solo album, titled The Hunters Lullaby.

He has been married to Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk since 1999, and they have three sons: Rowan, Lucca and Sal.

Early life

Maida's parents split up when he was very young. Prior to pursuing a musical career, Maida studied criminology at the University of Toronto, and prior to that attended Ridley College in St. Catharines.

Career

Our Lady Peace

Raine Maida is the vocalist and a founding member of the Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace. Maida started the band with guitarist Mike Turner in 1992. Especially on the albums prior to Gravity, he often sung in a high, nasal falsetto voice. This trademark singing style, along with Maida's often cryptic lyrics, became one of the distinctive features of Our Lady Peace's music. After working with producer Bob Rock on the album Gravity, this changed: his voice got less nasal and became deeper, and his lyrics were less cryptic. Maida has released seven albums with Our Lady Peace, plus a live album and a greatest hits collection.

Maida performing solo in 2007

Solo work

Maida released a four song EP called Love Hope Hero on November 14, 2006. The EP contains the songs "One Second Chance", "Earthless", "Sex Love and Honey", and "Careful What You Wish For". The EP was sold on tours with Chantal Kreviazuk, on his website, and on iTunes.

His full-length solo album, The Hunters Lullaby, was released on November 13, 2007 by independent label Kingnoise Records. The album was recorded in Maida's own studio using mostly acoustic instruments, and is described by Maida as "a collection of poems put to music". Maida's wife is featured on several tracks, singing and playing piano.^[2]

Raine has started recording a second solo album, which he has recorded at least two songs for entitled "How Far Will You Go?" and "We All Get Lighter"^[3].

Producing and writing

Maida has also been producing music since 1999, when he co-produced Our Lady Peace's albums Happiness...Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch and Spiritual Machines. He has developed numerous indie bands, including Texas-based Sleepway, Lightbreak, and Billy the Kid. He produced four songs on the dance punk band Men, Women & Children's self-titled debut for Warner Bros. Records. He co-wrote and produced five tracks on Avril Lavigne's second album Under My Skin, released in 2004.

Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk contributed to Kelly Clarkson's song "Where Is Your Heart?"; Kreviazuk co-wrote it, while Maida produced and played the guitar.^[4] Maida and Kreviazuk also helped write the international hit "Walk Away", another song on Clarkson's album, Breakaway. They also co-wrote "One Minute" for Clarkson's third album, My December.

Maida and Kreviazuk contributed to the The Veronicas first album The Secret Life Of...; they wrote and produced the song "Revolution". Maida and Kreviazuk also co-wrote "Outside of You" with Pink but the song ended up on Hilary Duff's 2007 release, Dignity.

The two wrote and produced both the first single and theme for Cheyenne Kimball's MTV reality show and album The Day Has Come. They wrote "Meant to Fly" for Eva Avila, the winner of the fourth season of Canadian Idol, and wrote the first single of Rex Goudie's second album Look Closer, called "You Got to Me".

Most recently, they co-wrote the song "Permanent" for American Idol winner David Cook. Maida also collaborated with Cook on the songs "Heroes," "Mr. Sensitive," and "I Did It For You," on the self titled album, David Cook.

He also been co-writing with the pop punk band Hawk Nelson for the 2008 released album Hawk Nelson Is My Friend.

Maida has co-writes on numerous forthcoming releases this year including Alternative rock bands Green River Ordinance,Mariana's Trench and Toronto based Die Mannequin.

Maida also co-wrote a song, "Unapologize" for Carrie Underwood's 2009 album Play On.

Maida has produced Our Lady Peace's seventh studio album titled Burn Burn that was released on July 21, 2009.

Other work

Maida had a small role in a Canadian movie released in 2001, Century Hotel. He played the character Damon Riley.

In 2005, Maida contributed Liar to Act 1: Goodbye Friends of the Heavenly Bodies from Neverending White Lights.

Maida received special thanks on People in Planes album Beyond The Horizon

Maida and Kreviazuk wrote an original song for the HBO documentary Ithuteng, and composed music for the restored version of Helen Gardner's 1912 silent film version of Cleopatra.

Both Maida and Kreviazuk are strong advocates of the organization War Child having traveled and filmed documentaries in Iraq, Darfur, and Ethiopia. Maida produced a War Child Canada benefit album entitled Help: A Day in the Life. Maida and Kreviazuk both also co-hosted a 2006 Mothers Against Drunk Driving video. Raine has also expressed support for the Green Party of Canada.

Personal life

He married Winnipeg, Manitoba singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk in December, 1999. On January 16, 2004 their first son, Rowan Michael Maida, was born. Their second son, Lucca Jon, was born on June 3, 2005. Third son, Salvador 'Sal' Daniel, was born on June 28, 2008.^[5]

Raine Maida is also known to have asthma. ^[6]

Discography

Solo

• 2006: Love Hope Hero EP
• 2007: The Hunter's Lullaby

Our Lady Peace

• 1995: Naveed
• 1997: Clumsy
• 1999: Happiness... Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch
• 2001: Spiritual Machines
• 2002: Gravity
• 2003: Live
• 2005: Healthy in Paranoid Times
• 2006: A Decade
• 2009: Burn Burn

Singles

• "Lebo's River" (with Chantal Kreviazuk, Lebo Kgasapane, and Archie Khambula) from Help: A Day in the Life.
• "Yellow Brick Road" premiere single from The Hunters Lullaby^[2]

References and notes

1. ^ Raine Maida interview March 2008
2. ^ ^{a b} "Raine Maida delivers the Hunter's Lullaby". Chartattack.com. 2007-09-19. http://www.chartattack.com/news/44488/raine-maida-delivers-the-hunters-lullaby. Retrieved 2009-02-26. .
3. ^ http://twitter.com/MRRaineMaida
4. ^ Google cache of Kelly Clarkson's official website - retrieved June 27, 2007.
5. ^ "CBB Exclusive: Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida welcome third son; Introducing Salvador "Sal" Daniel Maida". www.celebrity-babies.com. http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/06/cbb-exclusive-c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
6. ^ http://twitter.com/MRRaineMaida

External links

• Raine Maida's official website
• Raine Maida at MySpace