Artist: Jimmy Hunt, Album: Jimmy Hunt, Song: Everything Crash

Jimmy Hunt is a francophone artist from Montreal, Quebec.  He started recording and performing around the year 2000.  Hunt fronted a rock band called, Chocolat, between 2006 and 2010.  They released a couple of EP's and one full length album in 2008.  This was a very cool band that had a real throwback garage rock sound.  You can check out their stuff at http://www.myspace.com/montrealchocolat.  The band received their fair share of critical acclaim and played shows across the country as well as notable music festivals like NXNE and Pop Montreal.  In 2010, Jimmy decided to re-visit his solo roots as an artist and released his self titled debut on Grosse Boite Records (http://www.grosseboite.com/).  The same label that Chocolat was signed to and home to Juno nominated artists like Coeur de Pirate and Jean Leloup (see blog 3/19/11).  He is more of a troubadour these days as opposed to his former rocker persona.  He has also collaborated frequently with french chanteuse, Coeur de Pirate, as well as being the supporting act for many of her live shows.  You can follow Jimmy at http://www.jimmyhunt.ca/.  One very cool tune from Jimmy's self titled debut is the song, Everything Crash.  You can check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHng3kejsQA.  Jimmy has just released a new EP and will be playing shows in Canada and Belgium over the next couple of months.  You can purchase his album from Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: Dillinger, Album: Don't Lie To The Band, Song: Bumpadidilly

Dillinger was a prog rock band from Toronto, Ontario, although their two founding members; brothers Jacques and Robert Harrison, were Quebecois.  The band was formed in 1973 along with members, Paul Cockburn and Terry Bramhall.  They were signed to Daffodil Records which was home to Klaatu (see blog 11/27/10) and Fludd (see blog 12/21/10).  The band released their self titled debut album a year later and although it included only 4 songs, the last song on the album was 17 minutes in length.  Thus, having their music exist on the fringes of popular rock with very little radio support, the album struggled to gain acceptance.  However, with constant live gigging the band returned to the studio and released their sophomore  album, entitled, Don't Lie To The Band, in 1976.  The songs were tapered somewhat although there were still some tracks between 8 and 9 minutes in length.  They even covered Taxman by The Beatles.  One really cool tune that caught my ear was the album closer, entitled, Bumpadidilly.  You can hear a song sample or download it from Itunes.  A couple of the members would leave the band following this release and through the recruitment of new members, they became known as The Hunt.  The Hunt would go on to release three albums before breaking up in 1984.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: Paper Lions, Album: Paper Lions, Song: Travelling

"Travelling the road less known is where I want to be."  The Paper Lions are a rock band from Prince Edward Island.  They are brothers, John and Rob MacPhee, Colin Buchanan as well as David Cyrus MacDonald.  The guys met in high school and originally formed under the name, The Chucky Danger Band.  They released their first album in 2003 and followed that up with two more releases in 2004 and 2006.  The band toured the country a number of times and this album in 2007 was supposed to be the next Chucky Danger album.  The band then decided a name change was in order and it became the self titled debut for The Paper Lions.  The band has a cool power pop vibe and they market their songs better than most bands I've come across.  This song, Travelling, is a perfect example of that.  The band posted a video for the song on You Tube back in 2006 and it has just recently eclipsed the million views plateau.  It has an Andy Partridge/XTC vibe.  You can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S02bqXuntE0.  They also like to offer free pre-release material on their website.  The EP that followed this album was so popular that the amount of traffic it generated crashed the band's website.  They are at it one more time though with an acoustic EP that is a precursor to their next full length release sometime in the fall of 2012.  You can follow them at http://paperlions.com/.  Their new album is being produced by Howard Redekopp, formerly of the band, Veal (see blog 4/24/11).  The Paper Lions have shared stages with everyone from Cake ("No Phone", "Short Skirt/Long Jacket", "Shadow Stabbing", "Never There") to Hot Hot Heat.  They are currently playing shows in Toronto as part of the NXNE festival.  You can purchase their self titled debut album on Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: Kardinal Offishall, Album: Eye & I, Song: On Wid Da Show

Kardinal Offishall is a hip hop artist from Toronto, Ontario.  Kardinal started rapping at a very young age and got the chance to perform for Nelson Mandela on one of his Toronto visits at the age of 12.  Today he is one of our country's most recognized artists in the hip hop genre as both a performer and producer.  He is a 3 time Juno Award winner and has been nominated an astounding 15 times over the course of his 15 year recording career and 4 albums.  It all started though, back in 1996 with his first single, Naughty Dread.  The underground hit spawned a Juno nomination and led to this album, Eye & I.  It was his debut album in 1997 with Capitol Hill Music, run by fellow rapper, Saukrates (see blog 8/13/11).  There was a lot of exciting hip hop coming out of Canada during the nineties and Kardinal was at the front of the pack along with K-os (see blog 2/3/12), The Rascalz, The Dream Warriors (see blog 7/27/10) and Ghetto Concept (see blog 11/12/10).  He has a reggae influenced style to his delivery and his lyrical content can be both witty as well as socially conscious.  The song, On Wid Da Show, was the single off this release and the video received some major play on Much Music.  It has a Snoop Doggy Dogg, "Gin & Juice", feel to it.  You can check out the original video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMgIBhX1F4M.  I loved this track when I heard it back in the day and unfortunately it has become a real rarity.  At the time of this blog there were copies trading on Ebay and Amazon between $40 and $50.  Kardinal has gone on to collaborate with some big names in the music industry like Rihanna, Akon and Sean Paul.  He is currently set to release two albums this year.  One is a collaboration with producer, Nottz Raw called, A.M.T.R.I.M., as well as his own upcoming solo release.  You can follow him at http://www.facebook.com/kardinaloffishall.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!   

Artist: Rachel Kane, Album: All In A Dream, Song: Chasing Rainbows

"I remember the dancing boy, stars up and down his legs."  Rachel Kane is a singer songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba.  She was actually born and raised in New York.  By the young age of seventeen, she was living in Spanish Harlem and playing guitar in a Latin band.  She toured along the east coast until she decided to take off to Russia and finally Paris where she earned a degree in French.  From Paris she moved to Winnipeg to earn her teaching degree in languages and began teaching French folk music at the University of Saint Boniface.  She decided to record her debut album, Groundwire, with some well known Toronto based musicians, David Woodhead, and Al Cross (Big Sugar) in 1997.  I actually stumbled upon her music at a new artist night at Hugh's Room in Toronto sometime around 2006.  She performed on stage with one conga player.  I was completely blown away by her music and made sure I bought a CD from the merchandise table.  In hindsight, I should have bought all of her albums.  She keeps a very low profile and there is hardly anything written about her anywhere.  The album that I happened to buy that night was entitled, All In A Dream, released in 2001.  It featured local artists, Bazil Donovan (Blue Rodeo), Mia Sheard, Mitchell Lewis, Gary Craig and Richard Bell (Janis Joplin, Crowbar (see blog 8/19/10)).  The song, Chasing Rainbows, is a beautiful tune from this album.  Kane has such a relaxed vocal delivery and the arrangement is wonderful.  Definitely worth trying to find if you can.  Unfortunately, I can't really say what she might be up to these days.  I believe she released an album in 2006 following this release but she doesn't appear to have a website.  There were a couple of copies of the album, All In A Dream, trading on Amazon between $5 and $10 at the time of this blog.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!      

Artist: Beast, Album: Beast, Song: Satan

"Satan your kingdom must come down."  Beast were an electronic duo from Quebec.  They were Jean-Phi Goncalves and Betty Bonifassi.  Both artists were actually born in France but have made their names musically, in Canada.  Bonifassi has an arresting vocal style similar to Shirley Bassey.  She has sung on numerous recordings by DJ Champion (see blog 8/18/11).  Jean-Phi Goncalves was the electronics whiz and had another successful independent band called, Plaster, prior to forming Beast that is worth checking out.  Sometime in 2006, the artists began collaborating with one another and following two years of recording, their self titled debut was finally complete.  Their sound could best be described as electronic with an edge.  There are elements of hip hop, blues, rock and r&b within their songs.  If you are a fan of bands like The Low Fidelity All Stars ("Battle Flag", "Feel What I Feel") or The Propellerheads ("Take California", "History Repeating"), this should appeal to you.  Considering Bonifassi wasn't bilingual at the time, she co-wrote many of the songs on the album which were all in English.  She had some help from singer songwriter, Simon Wilcox (see blog 1/17/12), who helped her translate her thoughts and set them to music.  Satan is the song that closes out the album and it was written by Bonifassi, Wilcox and Goncalves.  You can check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgmo9elqHeg.  The album was well received and actually achieved gold status sales in Canada.  The band was nominated for two Junos as a result.  New Group Of The Year which they lost to The Stills (see blog 3/1/12) as well as Video Of The Year for their song, Mr. Hurricane, which they lost to Serena Ryder's Little Bit Of Red.  Sadly though, this album seems to be a one shot deal for the band as the two artists have yet to confirm whether or not they will record again.  Jean-Phi Goncalves and his band, Plaster, released a new album last month and you can follow them at http://soundcloud.com/plaster-band.  You can follow Bonifassi at http://www.bettybonifassi.com/.  Lastly, you can read about Beast at http://www.beastsound.net/.  You can purchase the self titled debut on Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: The Music Box, Album: Vampire Songs, Song: Immaculate Conception

The Music Box were a band from Kitchener, Ontario.  They were Tyler Stoddart, Dylan Bravener, Kyle Taylor and Steve Sloane.  They were university students who formed the band in 2006 and released a series of EP's leading up to their debut full length, entitled, Vampire Songs, in 2010.  They released the album on two independent labels, Trepid Records and Flip Out!.  The album was recorded in Cambridge, Ontario at GO30!.  Vampire Songs is a very solid album which received some radio play on the CBC along with college radio.  Their sound is genre bending at times but very pop oriented.  I absolutely love the tune, Immaculate Conception.  It blends 60's style beats with organs reminiscent of The Cure ("Lovesong", "Boys Don't Cry", "Killing An Arab", "Why Can't I Be Like You").  You can hear and download the song from the band's Bandcamp website (http://themusicbox.bandcamp.com/album/vampire-songs).  The Music Box were due to release their sophomore album sometime this year but ended up splitting.  Both Tyler and Kyle are in a new band called, Love Banshee.  You can hear some of their music at http://lovebanshee.bandcamp.com/.  You can follow them at http://www.facebook.com/lovebansheemusic.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: The Jimmy Swift Band, Album: Onward Through The Fog, Song: Astronauts Attempting To Take Off Their Space Suits So That They May Copulate

The Jimmy Swift Band (aka JSB) were a rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia.  They were Craig Mercer, Mike MacDougall, Aaron Collier and Doug Cameron.  They formed around the year 1999 under the name, PF Station.  They later changed their name to The Jimmy Swift Band and in 2002, released their debut album.  The band was truly unique in that they combined rock and electronic music almost effortlessly.  The band produced music with no boundaries it seemed.  They could just as easily compose a radio friendly rock tune and then completely blow you away with a 12 minute jam session.  Much like this tune from their sophomore release in 2003, entitled, Onward Through The Fog.  The song, Astronauts Attempting To Take Off Their Space Suits So That They May Copulate, clocks in at 11 minutes and 46 seconds and you don't want to miss a single second of it.  I've always been more of a pop oriented listener and generally have a hard time keeping my focus after 4 minutes but this tune is unbelievable.  It also doesn't sound as contemporary as some of their other electronic rock jams but rather psychedelic at times.  It's a great tune that changes tempo at the three minute mark when it turns from space age keyboards and sounds to a guitar solo that could rival "Layla" by Derek & The Dominos.  I'm just getting too excited now.  Nuff said but do yourself a favour and download a copy from Itunes.  The album was partly recorded in a historic house called the Webster Mansion, in New Brunswick.  The album was also produced by Laurence Currie who has worked with bands like Sloan, The Gandharvas (see blog 5/21/11) and Mardeen (see blog 2/9/12).  The band actually broke up late last year but released 6 albums and won a number of regional awards over the last decade.  They toured all over North America and were well known among their fans for having an absolutely amazing live show.  You can follow them at http://www.facebook.com/thejimmyswiftband.  Mercer and Collier have formed a new band called, The Scientists Of Sound (http://www.scientistsofsound.com/).  You can purchase the album, Onward Through The Fog, from Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: The Forgotten Rebels, Album: Nobodys Hero's, Song: Dickwart

"Well I'm a dickwart mama, I'm here to stay."  The Forgotten Rebels are a punk band from Hamilton, Ontario.  They were formed by front man, Mickey DeSadist, in 1977.  While Mickey was obviously drawn to the growing punk movement in Britain that featured bands like The Sex Pistols.  He was also a fan of glam rock and specifically, the theatrics employed by such artists as David Bowie, T.Rex and Gary Glitter.  The Rebels released a couple of independent EP's in 1977 and 1978 before their debut full length album in 1979 on local label/record store, Star Records.  They would follow it up with their cult classic album, This Ain't Hollywood, in 1981 which featured their hit, Surfin' On Heroin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBr_zMctqRA&feature=related).  The band also tipped their hats to some music of the past by covering Barry McGuire's hit, Eve Of Destruction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt5IEGYaBds) as well as The Drifters classic, Save The Last Dance For Me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLP2UoPiqj8&feature=related).  Much like punk itself, the band's career was hardly predictable or stable.  The band signed with Capital Records during the late eighties but have gone through numerous line up and label changes over the last 35 years.  To their credit (or perhaps to Mickey's), they have continued to release some great music.  Nobodys Hero's was their last studio album of new material which was released in 2000.  This is a really good album with some strong tunes like Hockeynite and this beauty, Dickwart.  The band played shows in Europe as well as the U.S. in support of this release.  The Forgotten Rebels are arguably one of the finest punk outfits to ever record in Canada and they are responsible for building the foundation of the genre here at home.  Mickey's production work with bands like The Wet Spots (see blog 5/13/11) as well as his overall support for younger bands such as The Problem Children (see blog 11/24/11), helped build a scene that still exists today.  Their music is timeless as well and hopefully we'll see some more re-issued material that will keep their legacy alive for a great many more years.  The band today includes Mickey along with Jeffrey Campbell, Dan Cassale and former Sven Gali (see blog 10/31/10) bassist, Shawn Maher.  They have 13 releases to date and have shared stages with bands like The Clash, Iggy Pop as well as The Ramones.  You can keep tabs on them at http://www.forgottenrebels.com/.  You can hear a sample of the song, Dickwart, as well as purchase the album, Nobodys Hero's, on Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: Maestro Fresh-Wes, Album: Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be From Canada?!!, Song: Certs Wid Out Da Retsyn

"Fresh Wes without a rhyme is like Certs wid out da retsyn."  Maestro Fresh-Wes is a hip hop artist from Toronto, Ontario.  He is the most celebrated artist within the hip hop genre that our country has ever produced.  His debut album in 1989 entitled, Symphony In Effect, has probably achieved double platinum sales status by now.  The lead single off this release, Let Your Backbone Slide, was the first Canadian hip hop song to ever crack the Top 40.  He won 2 Junos in 1991 as a result of this landmark release.  He has released 7 albums over his more than two decades of recording and is set to release a new album this year.  He has been nominated for a Juno on 12 different occasions.  Maestro has managed to do what few artists are able to accomplish which is remain current within an ever changing industry.  He is now more than just a music icon but an actor and author. However, with all this success within his homeland, being heard beyond the borders of Canada remained a difficult task.  He certainly wasn't the first or last artist to experience this.  His album from 1993, entitled, Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be From Canada?!!, was a deliberate attempt to crack the elusive US market.  He teamed up with well known hip hop artist, Showbiz, from New York who produced a few tracks on the album and guested on his single, Fine Tune Da Mic.  Showbiz was one half of the well known duo, Showbiz and A.G. and had worked with artists like Black Sheep ("Without A Doubt"), Fat Joe, Big L ("Deadly Combination") and KRS-One ("Outta Here").  His recording engineer for this album was also an interesting fellow by the name of Anton Pukshansky.  Anton was a classically trained Russian musician who emigrated to New York as a boy.  Anton has worked with everyone from Mick Jagger to Queen Latifah ("Come Into My House") and won a Grammy for his work on Santana's Supernatural album.  He happened to be working at Power Play Studios in New York when Maestro was recording this album.  This particular Maestro release isn't one that people talk a lot about but it had some great songs on it and this particular track, Certs Wid Out Da Retsyn, is wonderful.  You can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG1xk4Fu7nE.  The album was nominated for the Juno for Best Rap Recording in 1995 along with The Freaks Of Reality (see blog 1/11/11), The Rascalz as well as The Dream Warriors (see blog 7/27/10) but lost out to The Ghetto Concept (see blog 11/12/10).  You can catch Maestro on the CBC show, Mr.D, every week and you can follow him at http://wesmaestrowilliams.com/.  You can purchase the album, Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be From Canada?!!, from Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy! 

Artist: Basic English, Album: Sweet Panic!, Song: Lost In The Shadows

Basic English were a band from the Maritimes who caught some brief success when they migrated west to Toronto.  They were formed in 1986 in Halifax, Nova Scotia by childhood friends, Tim Armour and John Davis.  They added Roger Leblanc on drums and settled in Toronto before recruiting bassist, Sean Ryan.  In 1987, the band entered one of their songs in FM station, Q107's Homegrown Contest and won.  They also picked up an independent award sponsored by local alternative station, CFNY 102.1, for best non-recording act that same year.  They signed with indie label, Risque Disque, which was home to Blue Rodeo.  The band then used their winnings from the radio contest to release their first single in 1988 which was produced by former Blue Rodeo member, Bob Wiseman (see blog 1/6/11).  The band opened for Blue Rodeo a number of times and toured across Canada.  They finally released their debut album, Sweet Panic!, in 1990.  If you like roots rock you will appreciate this album.  Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo lends his vocals to a track on this album as well.  There are some really good songs and one of my personal favourites is the song, Lost In The Shadows.  There is some footage from a show in 1990 where they opened up for National Velvet (see blog 12/16/10) at the Concert Hall in Toronto, posted on You Tube.  You can hear the song, Lost In The Shadows, around the 7 minute mark  during this live footage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROEb5ZbQ9Ow).  Unfortunately, the band had a really difficult time getting these same radio stations that had showered them with awards a few years earlier, to play their music.  Once their label, Risque Disque, folded in 1991, the band followed shortly thereafter.  Armour and Davis have continued to record with a number of other bands.  Messiah Inc., Gran Torino and Train Wreck are all bands that they have formed and recorded material with over the last 20 years.  They've actually reunited as Basic English and are currently signed to Sugar Moon Music (http://biz.sugarmoonmusic.com/).  You can follow them at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Basic-English/.  Sweet Panic! is a difficult album to find these days.  At the time of this blog there were copies trading on Amazon and Ebay between $5 and $10 .  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: The Lowest Of The Low, Album: Shakespeare My Butt, Song: Bleed A Little While Tonight

"Damn, damn the circumstance.  Well my heart is achin' and my room is spinnin'.  It's grey without you in it.  My bad luck's just beginning, don't let me bleed again tonight."  The Lowest Of The Low were a rock band from Toronto, Ontario.  They were Stephen Stanley, Ron Hawkins, John Arnott and David Alexander.  They formed out of the ashes of a previous band called, Popular Front, in 1991.  Later that same year, they released their debut album, Shakespeare My Butt.  The band toured relentlessly and they were beloved by their hometown audience.  Their song lyrics often included familiar names of places and things within the city of Toronto which seemed to further their connection with their fans.  The album had a number of songs that received airplay during the early nineties.  Salesmen, Cheats and Liars, Eternal Fatalist, Henry Needs A New Pair Of Shoes as well as this great tune, Bleed A Little While Tonight.  The album apparently came close to achieving gold sales status which is very rare for an independently released album.  You can check out the song, Bleed A Little While Tonight, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inzoL0NDsm0).  The band toured the country and were eventually signed to A&M Records for their sophomore release in 1994.  The constant touring and differences with their label would slow the band's recording output in later years.  Vocalist and primary lyricist, Ron Hawkins, would begin to release albums as a solo artist during this time as well.  The band has released 4 albums to date and recently had their debut album re-released in advance of it's 20th anniversary.  The band also reformed last year to play some shows to commemorate the occasion.  You can check out some footage of the band playing one of those shows at Lee's Palace (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZSNXyeLdSg).  You need only to listen to the crowd singing every word of this song along with the band, to understand how special they are and how great a song this was.  You can purchase, Shakespeare My Butt, on Itunes.  You can also follow the band as well as it's members at http://www.lowestofthelow.com/.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: Grievous Angels, Album: One Job Town, Song: Gordie And My Old Man

"Gordie and my old man on a Saturday night watching the Blackhawks and getting tight.  Nothing ever changes in this world of mine.  It's Gordie and my old man on a Saturday night."  The Grievous Angels were a folk rock band from Toronto, Ontario.  They were Chuck Angus, Peter Jellard, Tim Hadley, Michelle Rumball and Peter Duffin.  Angus was previously in a band with Andrew Cash (see blog 2/12/11, 3/23/12) called, L'Etranger.  Angus then formed the Grievous Angels in 1986 and Andrew Cash went on to develop his career as a solo artist.  Both Chuck and Andrew's music has always had strong social and political themes and perhaps it's not surprising today that they are both members of Parliament.  The Grievous Angels released their debut album in 1989 and followed it up with this Juno nominated album, One Job Town, in 1990.  The album was produced by John Switzer (Jane Siberry, Fat Man Waving, Andrew Cash, Laura Repo, Andrea Florian) and released with Stony Plain Records.  The band's songs often drew upon the theme of every day life in Canadian, rural communities.  Chuck Angus would actually relocate to northern Ontario during the band's tenure.  One tune from this album that received a significant amount of airplay was, Gordie And My Old Man.  You can check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTpo2eYNwKo.  The band has released 6 albums but this was the last with Michelle Rumball as a vocalist.  They don't play much anymore as a result of Chuck's new political career but they have released some great music worth seeking out.  Another spectacular release from the band is their album, Waiting For The Cage, which was about life in a mining town.  You can purchase most of their albums including, One Job Town, from Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!  

Artist: Groove Daddys, Album: Bottom Feeder, Song: Meside Myself

The Groove Daddys were a Kitchener, Ontario band that formed during the early nineties.  They were part of a thriving independent music scene that included Danny Michel's first band, The Rhinos (see blog 7/24/11, 9/26/10), as well as Strange Days which featured singer songwriter, Shannon Lyon.  Michel is actually a guest musician on this particular album entitled, Bottom Feeder, which was released in 1994.  The Groove Daddys were Rob Szabo, Paddy Flynn and Jeff Cowell.  They were signed to Alert Records which was also the home to Kim Mitchell.  They toured all over Canada and released two albums between 1993 and 1996.  The album, Bottom Feeder, was their debut album and included the great track, Meside Myself.  The song was the single off this recording and it appeared on some indie compilations from that time period as well.  It is definitely worth seeking out if you can track down a copy of the song.  Following the break up of the Groove Daddys, Szabo went on to form a couple of other bands; namely, Marigold and Plasticine.  By 2002, he started performing and recording as a solo artist and to date, has 5 albums.  His most recent self titled album was released in 2011.  You can follow him at http://www.robszabo.com/.  Rob has just returned from playing some shows in British Columbia and appears to be playing in the Ontario region this month.  The Groove Daddys' discography is a difficult find today.  At the time of this blog, there were no copies that I could find available on-line.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Artist: Zon, Album: Astral Projector, Song: Put On The Show

Zon were a rock band from Toronto, Ontario.  They were formed in 1975 by front man, Denton Young.  Denton was in a previous band with Rik Emmett called, Act Three.  When Rik accepted an invitation to join Triumph, Denton assembled the band, Zon, with musicians, Howard Helm, Brian Miller, Kim Hunt and Jim Samson.  Zon had a progressive rock sound with swirling organs and hard rock guitars.  They toured relentlessly and their reputation of being such a great live act eventually attracted the attention of CBS/Epic Records.  In 1978, the band released their major label debut entitled, Astral Projector.  One great tune from this release is the album opener, Put On The Show.  You can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbgvfS0mMRo.  1978 turned out to be a very good year for the band.  They got tons of FM radio support, toured the country in support of bands like Styx and The Tubes.  They were even nominated for the Juno for Most Promising Group in 1979 along with Max Webster, Teaze (see blog 12/9/11) and Streetheart but lost out to Doucette in the end.  The popularity of the band led to the release of their sophomore album in 1979 and the chance to headline live shows across the country.  Sadly though, their label, CBS, went through some changes and the band lost their contract.  They would release one more album in 1981 with A&M Records before calling it quits.  Many of the members of this band have gone on to play with other Canadian acts like Moxy (see blog 5/9/11).  Keyboardist, Howard Helm, joined the band Refugee (see blog 3/17/11) for a brief time during the 80's but had toured with Ian Hunter ("Once Bitten Twice Shy") prior to that.  They certainly don't get the press today that some other bands from that era do and their discography is somewhat rare.  You can purchase a 2003 re-release that includes both Astral Projector as well as their second album, Back Down To Earth, for $20 from Maplemusic.com.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!