Biography
At least two bands go by some variation of Holy Shroud.
1) Although The Holy Shroud formed in the winter of 2003, their accomplishments were halted at two shows and six songs by the intervention of jobs, other bands, early-onset midlife crises, and European vacations. Were it not for the kindly lads in Hot Cross offering them an opening slot on a Canadian tour the following summer, the band’s combination of dissonant, snaking guitars, off-kilter melody, and pummeling rhythmic sensibilities might have been forever lost. With their vigor renewed, The Holy Shroud spent the remainder of 2004 writing, playing and recording the songs that comprise their first record, Ghost Repeaters.
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Guitar/vocalists Jim MacAlpine and Michael Catano both did time in the rhythm section of semi-seminal Halifax, NS, quartet North Of America, while young turks Mike Bigelow (bass) and Loel Campbell (drums) were poached from Stellarton, NS, upstarts Contrived. Their collective experience can be witnessed in their live show: a delicate balance of crack musicianship and incendiary performance that has allowed them to share the stage with luminaries such as Q And Not U, Hot Cross, The One AM Radio, The Firebird Band, Tim Hecker, The Organ, and The Arcade Fire.
January 1, 2003 - February 4, 2005
M. Bigelow - Bass
L. Campbell - Drums
M. Catano - Guitar, Vocals
J. MacAlpine - Guitar, Vocals
2) Holy Shroud is an American alternative rock and space rock band formed in South Georgia in 2018, featuring Drew Smith and Dusty Zahrt. The band released “L’avventura” on February 20, 2019, followed by a self-titled, two-song release on May 23, 2019, pairing the track with “All Space Beyond the Sphere of the Moon.”
Identifying their music as space rock, Holy Shroud also place their work within alternative rock and ambient music. Their lyrics explore emotional distance, uncertainty, and the desire for connection through surreal imagery of shifting landscapes, ghost towns, and disorientation. Across the two songs, that imagery moves between intimate relationship struggles and broader questions of fear, acceptance, and belonging.
Joey Jones mixed and mastered “L’avventura” for its February release at Aria Recording Studios. Holy Shroud is a separate band from the Canadian group The Holy Shroud, whose members previously played in North of America and Contrived.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.