by Gina Boldman
The trio By Divine Right was formed in 1991 by Jose Contreras (guitar, vocals), Brendan Canning (bass, vocals), and Mark Goldstein (drums, vocals). After releasing a little-known cassette (Buffet of the Living Dead) and appearing on various compilations, the band released their self-titled, full-length debut in 1995. The four-song cassette Some followed, and in 1997 All Hail Discordia (produced and engineered by Brenndan McGuire) was released by Nettwerk. In February 1999, Bless This Mess was put out and the band toured with the Tragically Hip. After 14 months of recording, the group's next album, Good Morning Beautiful, was released by Linus Entertainment in 2001. After another three years and a subtle shift in musical direction towards a harder sound, the group released their fifth album and first for Spin Art, 2004's Sweet Confusion.