The Gandharvas - Downtime

What this video is

Downtime emerged in 1997 at the tail end of the North American alternative rock boom, released as the lead single from The Gandharvas' MCA-backed third album Sold for a Smile. The band, formed in 1989 in London, Ontario, had built a devoted regional following before signing to a major label. The song became their only US chart entry and ranked among the 98 most-played active rock tracks in the US in 1998, while…

Why it matters

As the peak commercial statement from one of London, Ontario's most prominent 90s alternative acts, Downtime is a defining artifact of Canadian post-grunge. It demonstrates the MCA major-label push for Canadian indie-to-major crossover acts and illustrates the MuchMusic platform's role in…

The director

Andrew MacNaughtan (b. 25 February 1964, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; d. 24 January 2012, Los Angeles, California) was a Canadian director and cinematographer active in the 1990s music video industry. He is credited with directing music videos for Canadian acts…