By Divine Right

By Divine Right is a Canadian indie rock band.

The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist and vocalist José Miguel Contreras and drummer mark goldstein. They put out a number of independent releases before signing to Nettwerk for their 1997 album All Hail Discordia. Bassist Brendan Canning and guitarist Feist joined the band for their 1999 release Bless This Mess. Canning and Feist later left the band, and have both been involved with Broken Social Scene.

In 2003 By Divine Right became one of the only Canadian bands to do a concert tour of China.

From 2001 to 2004, the band's lineup consisted of Contreras, Colleen Hixenbaugh, Brian Borcherdt, John Hall and Dylan Hudecki. In 2004, drummer John Hall was replaced by Cam Giroux (who played on Good Morning Beautiful), while Borcherdt and Hudecki both left the band. Hudecki was replaced by Darcy Rego and then Michael Small (both of The Meligrove Band) for their tours supporting Sweet Confusion. Filling in on drums for some dates was Loel Campbell (of Wintersleep).

Most recently, the band's lineup consisted of Contreras, Hixenbaugh and Small with drummer derek downham, though a September 2006 show at the Drake Hotel in Toronto had Contreras performing all new songs with Rego, Small and Jason Nunes (the core members of The Meligrove Band) under the By Divine Right name. In 2007, By Divine Right contributed a cover of Rheostatics' "Shaved Head" to the tribute album The Secret Sessions, with a lineup consisting only of Contreras and Julien Beillard of the band Wooden Stars.

By Divine Right's first live show since 2006 happened on December 31, 2007 at the Tranzac Club in Toronto -- at which the band's new full-time lineup of Contreras, Stew Heyduk (of The Golden Dogs) and Mitch Perkins (formerly of Rusty) appeared together for the first time.

In May 2008, By Divine Right opened a show for The Golden Dogs at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern with yet another new lineup, consisting of Contreras, Heyduk, and Darcy Rego returning on drums.