The roots of Canvas began in San Francisco in 1993 with singer-songwriter Joseph King and drummer Jean-Paul "JP" Labrosse, who were both members of Stanford Talisman. They decided to form a band, which they called Driftwood, and recruited bassist Bret Mohley, who Joseph knew through the local music scene, and guitarist Ben Rada who Joseph had met by chance at a coffee shop. The band recorded their first demos under the name Labrosse King, but by 1996 they had renamed themselves Canvas. They released a self-titled EP in 1998. Mohley was eventually replaced by Geoff Piper.