Jonah Official Biography
Jonah, circa 1996, taken by the famous by Shawn Scallen
Jonah was one the cult hardcore bands from Quebec in the mid 90s. They certainly hold their place in the top most important Quebec bands and I’m happy to finally shed some light on this gem.
Jonah playing the Underground in Quebec city, circa 1996
“Now That Much Has Been Said, Much Must Be Done”, Jonah split with Drift, Anima Records, 1996
Jonah was formed in autumn of 1995 with Simon Valiquette on vocals, Olivier Maguire and Olivier Roberge on guitars, Carl Rousseau on bass and Hubert Pelletier on drums. All the guys were living in different part of the south shore, but they rehearsed in Saint-David in the same space as Drift. The name “Jonah” was taken from a character in Simon’s psychological studies book on split personalities.
Jonah playing at the Underground in Quebec city, circa 1996
Jonah’s self-titled EP, Anima Records, 1997
In April of 1996 Jonah went to Studio Créason (where Seized and Ire had recorded) in Montreal, accompanied by Yannick Lorrain to record their first demo. Out of the three songs recorded, two were used for a split with Drift put out by Anima Records as “Now That Much Has Been Said, Much Must Be Done”. This only came out in late 1996. The other song was dedicated to a compilation put together by Shawn Scallen, which never came out. That summer they went on a east coast and midwest US tour and since they had no records out, Yvan Arsenault made shirts. While on tour, they played with The Weak Link Breaks in Roanoke, Virginia and met the guy who ran Bug Records. They discussed doing a split together.
Jonah split with The Weak Link Breaks, Bug Records, 1997
On October 20th and 21st of 1996, Gordon Dufresne hooked Jonah up with Rob Sanzo at Signal 2 Noise in Toronto to record their second session. Out of the four songs recorded, three would be used for their self-titled EP, also out on Anima Records, and the last for the split with The Weak Link Breaks on Bug Records. On the way back home from Toronto, their van broke down in the middle of the night. By the time all these would come out in 1997, the band had broken up, and Olivier Maguire and Simon were playing in Fifth Hour Hero.