Grievous Angels are a Canadian alternative country band, active since 1986. The band's name is a reference to the Gram Parsons album Grievous Angel. Their primary leader is singer-songwriter Charlie Angus, who entered electoral politics in 2004 as the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Timmins—James Bay. Early years The group was originally formed in Toronto in 1986 by Angus, vocalist Michelle Rumball and fiddler Peter Jellard after Angus left the punk rock band L'Étranger. They began as a collective of street buskers, and eventually began playing Toronto-area bars, specifically the old Cabana Room of the Spadina Hotel. Tim Hadley and drummer Peter Duffin joined the band in 1987. The band quickly became a popular draw at folk festivals across Canada, and released their debut album, Toute la Gang, in 1989. They followed up with One Job Town in 1990, garnering national radio airplay for the singles "Gordie and My Old Man" and "Crossing the Causeway". Reviewers lauded the album, with Richard Wagamese of the Calgary Herald calling it the Canadian equivalent of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. However, Rumball was suffering from voice problems at this time and did not participate in the tour to support the album, with vocals instead being performed by Lynn Simmons and Kirsti MacLeod. The album was nominated for Best Roots or Traditional Album at the Juno Awards of 1991, and the band was nominated for Best Country Group or Duo at the Juno Awards of 1992. Return to Northern Ontario Around this time, Rumball left the band and Angus moved to Cobalt, Ontario. The band scaled back for a time, performing only in the Northern Ontario region as they prepared their third album, Watershed; the album was marked by Angus taking over lead vocals, and addressed the changes in his life in songs such as "Starting Over at Thirty" and "North of the Watershed". They were named one of the hottest up-and-coming bands in Canada by Maclean's in 1994. In 1995, Angus launched HighGrader, a magazine about Northern Ontario life and culture, and joined CBC Radio One as a correspondent and commentator for its Sudbury station CBCS. In 1996, Grievous Angels released Waiting for the Cage, a concept album about life in Northern Ontario mining towns which also included an interactive CD-ROM feature. The CD-ROM feature won an award from the New York Expo of Short Film and Video. In 1999, Angus was presented