Landing somewhere between the power pop of Sloan and the piano-led rock of Ben Folds, the Meligrove Band formed in Ontario during 1997 when high-school students Jason Nunes (vocals, guitar, piano), Michael Small (bass), Rick Gomes (drums), and Darcy Rego came together. Their debut, Stars & Guitars, appeared on Ductape Records in 2000, with the erratic Let It Grow arriving two years later. Later in 2002 the group expanded to a quartet after Andrew Scott—distinct from the Sloan drummer of the same name—joined on guitar; Scott had previously played in Femme Fatale, whose remaining members, Sebastien Grainger and Jesse F. Keeler, went on to found Death from Above 1979. In 2005 the Meligrove Band became the first Canadian act to secure a worldwide deal with V2, and their third album, Planets Conspire, reached Canadian stores in January 2006. Scott departed the following year, at which point Brian O’Reilly stepped in, enabling the quartet to complete its fourth album, Shimmering Lights, issued in 2010.
