Staggered Crossing

Early years

The original group was formed in 1996 (according to some sources about 1997)^[2] in Toronto by four high school friends, Julian Taylor (JT), David E.G. Marshall, Dan Black and Jeremy Elliott. The group quickly gained a local following in North Toronto due to their frequent performances. Later in 1996 they recorded their first EP with Toronto musician and producer, Darrell O'Dea ^[3]

In 1997 the group was quitted by David Marshall who had entered the Montreal University and the group was ought to find a new lead guitarist. They re-formed the group cast by adding Darrell O'Dea, their producer, and having found a new guitarist Bruce Adamson. Staggered Crossing firmly made their reputation in Toronto and gained a lot of fans playing in the venues such as Lee's Palace, the Horseshoe Tavern, Reverb, the El Mocambo now as a permanent member.

In 1997 producer and publisher, Frank Davies, president of The Music Publisher (TMP),^[4]after listenning to their first EP signed with them.^[5]. Durinng their joint cooperation from 1997 to 1999 almost 40 songs were written and recorded by the group.

Warner Music (1999-2001)

The band were signed to Warner Music Canada in 1999. Later that year they signed with manager Larry Wanagas, founder of Bumstead Records, who had managed acts such as Big Sugar, k.d. lang, Susan Aglukark, The Trews and BOY. The band's self-titled full-length debut came out in 2001. The first single, "Further Again" was a notable success, ending the year as the sixth most played song on rock radio in Canada ^[6]. Subsequent singles "A Million Works of Art" and "Old Man" also received significant airplay.

The band continued to tour and perform across Canada with groups such as Big Sugar, Blue Rodeo, Nickelback, The Guess Who, Midnight Oil, 54-40, Wide Mouth Mason, Crowbar, and Spirit of the West^[6]. Other highlights included an appearance on the Mike Bullard show and the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities naming their self-titled album the Best Contemporary Music Recording of the Year at Universities and Colleges in 2001.^[4]

Bruce Adamson left the group to further his career in publishing and law in 2001.^[1] In an attempt to return to the sound of their early years the band parted with producer and band member, Darrell O'Dea. The band also parted ways over creative differences later that year with Warner Music Canada, opting instead to start their own label.

Independent Record Label

After Staggered Crossing organised their own "publishing company and record label, Bent Penny Records" their former guitarist David Marshall started playing with them since 2001. Their Last Summer When We Were Famous appeared in 2002 under the production of Jay Bennett of Wilco fame.^[4]

In 2004 they released their album Burgundy & Blue. It won number 40 positoin on the weekly Nielsen SoundScan sales charts for the Toronto market. It probably was inspired by their New Year's Eve show at the best known venue Lee's Palace in Toronto, where they produced Nirvana's Nevermind.

Breakup

Following a number of recording sessions referred to as "1978", the year in which all four members were born, the band officially announced their breakup on August 29, 2007 .^[7] In a press release the band assured fans and the media that their parting was amiable, stating:

... While it would certainly be more fun to announce a break up because of 'creative differences' or because of some monumental and catastrophic fight between bandmates, neither is the case. We simply cannot continue to commit the time, energy and enthusiasm to this band that we love so much. We are still great friends and this change is not the end of our musical collaborations.^[8]

The band continues to play together on an informal basis. Notably, the band reunited for a concert at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Ontario Thursday July 9, 2009 to pay tribute to the music of Jay Walter Bennett, who produced the band's second album, "Last Summer When We Were Famous". Bennett had recently died at his home. Bruce Adamson, Dan Black, Julian Taylor, David Marshall and Jeremy Elliott were all present. In conjunction with the concert, a tribute single entitled 'Pull You Through' and written by Bennett's former band Titanic Love Affair was released to Canadian radio .

The band reunited to open for Blue Rodeo at the Nepean National Equestrian Park on August 21, 2010. Ben Spivak played keyboards.

The band also performed Saturday December 3, 2011 at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto as part of the long-standing Christmas show: 'StagXmas Bash'.

Bruce Adamson died December 15, 2015 in Toronto.^[7]

Drummer Jeremy Elliott and Singer/Guitarist Julian Taylor now perform & record as part of the Julian Taylor Band, and have released two albums: 'Tech Noir' in 2014, and the double album 'Desert Star' on Aporia Records in 2016.

Studio albums

• Mold (1997)
• 4-Song EP (2000)
• Staggered Crossing (2001)
• Last Summer When We Were Famous (2002)
• Burgundy & Blue (2004)

Music videos

• "Further Again" (2001)
• "A Million Works of Art" (2001)
• "Felony" (2002)
• "Business As Usual" (2003)

Singles

• "Further Again" (2001) - Top 10
• "Million Works of Art" (2001) - Top 40
• "Old Man" (2001)
• "Felony" (2002)
• "Business as Usual" (2003) - Top 100
• "Everyone Says" (2003)
• "Grow" (2004)
• "Perfect Prize" (2005) - Top 20
• "Don't Get Me Started" (2005) - Top 100
• "Pull You Through" (2009)