Len 1425886 224250052 2008-07-08T00:12:32Z Megaforcemedia 1223638 {{otheruses3|LEN}} {{Unreferenced|date=April 2007}} {{Expand|date=April 2007}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | Name = [[Image:Lenlabel01.jpg|75px]] | Img = | Img_capt = | Img_size = | Landscape = | Background = group_or_band | Alias = | Origin = [[Toronto, Ontario]], [[Canada]] | Genre = [[Pop music|Pop]]<br>[[Rock music|Rock]]<br>[[Hip hop music|Hip Hop]]<br>[[Techno]] | Years_active = 1991 – present | Label = [[Linus Universal]]<br>(2006-present)<br>[[Venus]] [[EMI]]<br>(2004-2006)<br>[[Dreamworks Records]]<br>(2002-2004)<br>[[Epic Records|Epic]] [[Sony]]<br>(2001)<br>[[Work Records|Work]] [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] [[Sony]]<br>(1999-2000)<br>[[Funtrip Records]]/[[No Records]]<br>(1991-1998) | Associated_acts = | URL = | Current_members = [[Marc Costanzo]]<br>[[Sharon Costanzo]]<br> | Past_members = | Notable_instruments = }} '''Len''' is a [[Canadian]] [[pop music]] group from [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], where they moved in 1991. They are known internationally as a [[one-hit wonder]] for its song "[[You Can't Stop the Bum Rush|Steal My Sunshine]]" in 1999. The band consists of: *'''[[Marc Costanzo]]''': [[vocals]], [[guitar]] *'''[[Sharon Costanzo]]''': vocals, [[bass guitar]] ==History== Len's early material was reminiscent of artists such as [[My Bloody Valentine]], [[Mystery Machine (band)|Mystery Machine]] and [[the Descendents]]. When they were dubbed as a "hip-hop [[Human League]]", Marc and Shar were flattered and admitted to being "weaned" on the Human League. The band has been together since 1991; the members are siblings and have an unusually strong bond with each other. As an [[Indie (music)|indie]] band, Len released an EP, and two albums, ''[[Superstar (album)|Superstar]]'' and ''[[Get Your Legs Broke]],'' first on the [[Halifax Urban Area|Halifax, Nova Scotia]] based [[No Records]] label, then on their own imprint, Funtrip. These albums eventually sold around 10,000 to 15,000 each. The duo eventually brought [[D Rock]], [[DJ Moves]] and [[Planet Pea]] into the Len crew. The additional personnel changed the sound of their music from [[alternative music|alternative]] [[punk music|punk]]/[[pop music|pop]] to a more [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]] sound. They released ''[[You Can't Stop the Bum Rush]]'' in 1999, featuring the hit song "Steal My Sunshine", which reached #9 on the [[Hot 100]] in the US and #8 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] while topping the [[Canadian]] chart, and was part of the ''[[Go (1999 film)|Go]]'' [[soundtrack]]. The track featured a raspy sounding Marc complemented by the sweet sounding voice of Sharon, backed by a sampled beat from the instrumental break of "[[More, More, More]]" by [[The Andrea True Connection]]. In 2002 Len released an advance copy of ''[[We Be Who We Be]]'' (2002) only in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. The album was originally slated for Q2 2002, but after years of delays the band decided to leave the struggling label for Canadian-based Venus Corp (EMI). On [[February 15]], [[2005]], Venus Corp released a completely different Len album, ''[[Diary of the Madmen]]'', in Canadian stores only. However, some stores decided not to sell it due to its explicit language. ===Next album (2007)=== Len is now working on their new album, the follow-up to ''Diary Of The Madmen'', which was supposed to be finished in the summer of 2007. The record will contain ten songs and will feature guests such as Stubbs, Junior Sanchez, and Chin. The album will also feature one [[Ozzy Osbourne]] [[cover version|cover]] from a similarly named album. Marc and Shar's voices may not be featured on every song; this is not unusual. According to a [[blog]] entry December 18, 2006, by Marc on Len's [[MySpace]] page - "Goin to the UK in Jan to do last vocs with shasha. The album will be out for the summer (2007)." ==Discography== ===Albums=== *''Superstar'' (1994) *''Get Your Legs Broke'' (1996) *''[[You Can't Stop the Bum Rush]]'' (1999)US #46, RIAA: Gold. *''We Be Who We Be'' (2003) *''The Diary of the Madmen'' (2005) *''Untitled Len Album'' (2008) ===EPs and singles=== *"Self-titled" Cassette EP (1992) '''From ''Superstar'':''' *"Slacker" (1994) *"Candy Pop" (1995) *"Showoff" (1995) '''From ''Get Your Legs Broke'':''' *"Smarty Pants" (1996) *"She's Not" (1997) *"Trillion Daze" (1997) '''From ''You Can't Stop the Bum Rush'':''' * Steal My Sunshine (1999) #9 U.S., #8 UK, #3 AUS, #1 CA *"Feeling Alright" (2000) #28 UK, #26 CA *"Cryptik Souls Crew" (2000) '''From ''Digimon the Movie Soundtrack'':''' *"Kids in America" (2000) '''From ''We Be Who We Be'':''' *"Bobby" (2003) '''From ''The Diary of the Madmen:''' *"It's a Brother Sister Thing" (2003) ==Tours== #''[[Edmonton]]'' (1997) #''[[Edgefest]]'' (1999) #''Stampede'' (2000) #''[[Four Ways to Rock]] [[Road Trip]]'' (2003) ==Awards== *[[MuchMusic Video Awards]], 1998 **'''Best Video''' - "Steal My Sunshine" **'''Best Pop video''' - "Steal My Sunshine" **'''Favourite Canadian Video''' - "Steal My Sunshine" ==External links== *[http://www.myspace.com/len Official MySpace profile] [[Category:1990s music groups]] [[Category:Canadian pop music groups]] [[Category:Toronto musical groups]]