Len is a Canadian alternative rock duo based in Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of siblings Marc Costanzo (vocals, guitar) and Sharon Costanzo (vocals, bass) and a revolving lineup of touring and studio musicians. The group is best known for their 1999 single "Steal My Sunshine".
History Marc Costanzo began recreationally recording music at the age of 13 years old. These recordings were predominantly helmed by Marc, although his older sister Sharon sometimes contributed vocals to the recordings. In 1991, Marc began to produce music under the pseudonym of Len as a solo project. The name was taken from a high school friend of Marc's named Lenny. Sharon officially joined this project a year later, thus marking Len's first iteration as a duo. Len began as a punk rock band, with pop music influences. Between 1992 and 1997, the brother-sister duo independently released a self-titled extended play and two studio albums, Superstar (1995) and Get Your Legs Broke (1997).
In 1994, "Candy Pop" was recorded and used as the theme song for the newest season of CBC's Streetcents. In March 1994, the band released a split-cassette release on No Records, which also featured Hip Club Groove, Zoltar, and Chaz Rules.
As Superstar was recorded when the band were in Halifax, the band shot some music videos for the songs "Candy Pop", "Show Off", and "Slacker", and the album featured many alumni of the Halifax music scene, such as Joel Plaskett, Michael Catano, and Chris Murphy. The band performed at the 1995 Halifax Pop Explosion, for a No Cases No Records showcase, of which they were signed to, at the time.
Marc estimated both Superstar & Get Your Legs Broke sold around 10-15,000 units each. While these two albums received minimal attention in Canada, the duo found difficulty in attracting attention from major record labels. The band had their first taste of success when they received retroactive acclaim for the song "Candy Pop"."A Completely Biased Ranking of the 60 Best CanRock Songs Ever, Part I". Vice, by Cam Lindsay. Sep 26 2016
In 1998, Len signed with the American label Work Group. In 1999, Len released a more hip-hop oriented album, You Can't Stop the Bum Rush."STEAL MY SUNSHINE LEN You Can’t Stop the Bum Rush (1999)". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives. June 30, 2017 - Page 68 A song from the album, "Steal My Sunshine", featuring a sample of the disco track "More, More, More" by the Andrea True Connection,Brunner, Rob. "'Steal' this hook". Entertainment Weekly, issue 501, page 69. September 3, 1999. Retrieved October 2, 2008. was released as a single. It peaked at number three on the RPM Top Singles chart and also peaked within the top ten in various other countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and became Len's biggest hit."Top Singles". RPM Magazine, - Volume 69, No. 11. Jul 05, 1999"How Steal My Sunshine became an accidental summer hit". Chris dela Torre, Calgary Eyeopener, CBC Radio One, Jul 25, 2013 Len was nominated for a 2000 Juno Award as best new group, and the album was nominated as Best Alternative Album."Rocking Good News" . Macleans Magazine, page 64. Nicholas Jennings, March 13, 2000
After the song, Len's fame dropped, but they continued to release albums until 2005, followed by a seven-year hiatus."Len: Looking Forward With No Regrets". Aesthetic Magazine ⋅ October 27, 2012 By: Curtis Sindrey – During this hiatus, Marc announced the group's disbandment in a MySpace message dated 2008. He stated: "...it looks like we're not gonna make another len record. Just couldn't get it (and everyone) together." He still, however, announced he and Sharon would still record another album together. Despite this, Len returned with Marc and Sharon in October 2012, in which they released their fifth studio album It's Easy If You Try. The album was promoted with one single, "It's My Neighborhood", which had a music video featuring scenes of Toronto residents lip syncing to the song.
In 2016, Marc announced it is unlikely they will record another album.
Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications US CAN UK Superstar Released: 1995 Label: Funtrip Formats: CD, cassette — — — Get Your Legs Broke Released: 1997 Label: Funtrip Formats: CD — — — You Can't Stop the Bum Rush Released: May 25, 1999 Label: Work Formats: CD, cassette, LP 46 32 177 : Gold : Gold The Diary of the Madmen Released: April 19, 2005 Label: Venus Formats: CD, digital download — — — It's Easy If You Try Released: October 16, 2012 Label: EMI Formats: CD, digital download — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Extended plays Title Details Len Released: 1992 Label: Funtrip Format: Cassette
Singles Year Single Peak chart positions Certification Album CANPeak position for "Cryptik Souls Crew" on BDS Canada chart: AUS UK US 1994 "Slacker" — — — — Superstar 1995 "Candy Pop" — — — — "Showoff" — — — — 1996 "Smarty Pants" — — — — Get Your Legs Broke 1997 "She's Not" — — — — "Trillion Daze" — — — — 1999 "Steal My Sunshine" 3 3 8 9 ARIA: Platinum BPI: Platinum RIAA: Platinum You Can't Stop the Bum Rush "Feelin' Alright" — — — —2000 "Cryptik Souls Crew" 52 — 28 — "Kids in America" — — — — Digimon: The Movie 2002 "Bobby" — — — — We Be Who We Be 2003 "It's a Brother Sister Thing" — — — — The Diary of the Madmen 2012 "It's My Neighbourhood" — — — — It's Easy If You Try
Guest appearances + List of non-single guest appearances, showing year released and album name Title Year Other artist(s) Album "Cool Beans" 1994 Hip Club Groove, Sixtoo Cool Beans EP "The Elephant Song" 1994 rowspan="2" Big Truck Records Presents: Road Kill "Making Our Dreams Come True" 1996 More of Our Stupid Noise "Big Meany" 2010 Hip Club Groove, Stinkin' Rich Unreleased & Rare
Awards CeremonyYearAwardSongMuchMusic Video Awards1999Best Video"Steal My Sunshine"Best Pop VideoFavourite Canadian Video
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