Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
Group Members: Jay Semko
All Music Guide:
The Northern Pikes were founded in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1983 out of the relics of three Canadian prairie bands -- the Idols, Seventeen Envelope, and Doris Daye. The band released two self-financed independent albums, The Northern Pikes and Scene in North America, which attracted the attention of Virgin Records Canada, then in the process of expanding and looking for Canadian acts. Signed to a six-album international deal in 1985, their major-label debut was Big Blue Sky, which contained the singles and videos "Teenland" and "The Things I Do for Money." In that same year, the band opened on tours by Duran Duran, David Bowie and the Fixx, vaulting them into international stardom. The band's next album, Secrets of the Alibi, was ignored by critics and given less than complimentary reviews, but British pop star Robert Palmer saw potential in the band and had them as opening slot on his 1989 North American tour. In 1990, Snow in June became their third major release; this album was sort of a comeback, boasting three Top 40 hits in "She Ain't Pretty," "Girl with a Problem," and "Kiss Me You Fool." This album pulled out all the stops with mixes by Hugh Padgham and Bob Clearmountain and production by Rick Hutt, Fraser Hill and the Pikes themselves. The album also had an impressive roster special guest performers, including Garth Hudson (the Band) and John Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful). Despite all of the attention the album received, Virgin America passed on its U.S. release, and the band ended up having it released by Scotti Brothers in 1991. The album would go on to sell double platinum, much to Virgin's loss. In 1992, the band released the album Neptune to very little fanfare, as their popularity began to dwindle. The album sank without a trace, but at the end of 1993 they released a live album called Gig, with songs taken from a set of the band's last shows together. In 1993, bandleader Jay Semko quit in frustration and the Northern Pikes were no more.
Wikipedia:
The Northern Pikes are a Canadian rock band formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1984. The original members were Bryan Potvin, Jay Semko, Merl Bryck and Glen Hollingshead. Hollingshead left the band in 1985, and was replaced by Don Schmid in 1986. The band was active until 1993 and subsequently reunited in 1999.
History
The Northern Pikes released two independent EPs before being signed to Virgin Records in 1986, "The Northern Pikes" (1984) and "Scene in North America" (1985). Their first album for the label, Big Blue Sky, included the Semko-penned "Teenland", the band's first significant hit. The follow-up album Secrets of the Alibi contained two more minor Canadian hits, "Wait for Me" and "Let's Pretend" (both by Semko), as well as the slightly bigger hit "Hope Go Astray", written by Potvin.
Their 1990 album, Snow in June became their biggest seller in Canada and the US. That album's lead single, "She Ain't Pretty", was the band's biggest hit, and was written by Potvin. An innovative music video for that song received heavy play on MuchMusic and was nominated for a Juno Award. Overall, the band has been nominated for 5 Juno Awards, but have yet to record a win.
In 1992, the band released Neptune. The album's biggest hit, "Believe", was again written by Potvin. After touring to support the album, they announced their retirement as a group in July 1993.
In 1999, Virgin Records asked the band members for their input on a "greatest hits" package. The band decided to do a short promotional tour following the release of Hits and Assorted Secrets 1984-1993, but found themselves enjoying the more relaxed independence of making their own schedule that they continued touring. They have since released three independent albums, including Truest Inspiration (2001) and It's a Good Life (2003), as well as the aptly titled Live (2000).
In 2005, the band struck up a musical collaboration with Les Stroud. Throughout 2005 and 2006 they performed together live several times, but a promised collaborative album never materialized.
In 2006, the band was expected to release a hybrid collection of songs from Truest Inspiration and It's a Good Life under the name Beautiful Music. It was to include a bonus DVD of footage from the recording of Truest Inspiration and some promo clips from It's a Good Life. However, this has yet to see the light of day. In 2011, the band released its first two independent EPs digitally via iTunes.
Bryck left the band in 2007, and long-time auxiliary keyboard player Ross Nykiforuk was promoted to full membership in his stead. The band's website currently promises a new studio release for 2012.
