Artist: Twitch, Album: Twitch And Shout, Song: Ring True

Twitch were a three piece rock band from London, Ontario.  They were Garwood Wallace, Bryan Pratt and Steve Feldman.  Garwood had kicked around the folk, as well as rock scenes, since the mid seventies and relocated to Toronto to form this band.  Their name was derived from a nickname bestowed upon Garwood by a friend describing his nervous, hyperactive disposition.  Their sound might be described as power pop.  It was a mix of old time rock n' roll as well as country with the punk swagger of the eighties.  He kinda had that Elvis Costello/Stiff Records thing going on.  He was a big fan of Bob Segarini (see blog 1/8/11), who was doing very well at the time and invited Bob to check his band out.  Bob was so impressed that he had them open that night for him at the El Mocombo.  The press from that one gig landed them a permanent spot as the house band at the El Mo.  Soon they found themselves opening for other international acts being booked there like The Ramones, Link Wray, The Tourists (pre-Eurythmics) and John Lee Hooker.  They decided to release an album with indie label, Bomb Records, in 1981, entitled, Twitch And Shout.  The band had a couple of singles and also had some decent radio support.  They toured Eastern Canada and Segarini would actually record one of the songs from this album on his Goodbye L.A. release.  Ring True, is an upbeat blues rock tune from the A side.  This would be the band's only release unfortunately.  Garwood would discover an interest in digitalizing older recordings in later years. The now defunct label, Bullseye Canada, used his expertise for a number of releases including his own.  Unfortunately, copies are only available on the second hand market.  At the time of this blog, there were copies trading on Ebay and Amazon between $5 and $25.  You can hear the song, Ring True, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htMJ862hRZ0).  Thanks for reading and enjoy!