Carnival

Websites:  No
Origin: Kitchener, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:

The Carnival were born from the ashes of The Flying Dutchman Drum And Bugle Corp. Band members consisted of Tim Hallman (Piano), Don Pellow (Organ), Bill Wells (Bass), Bob Brownscombe (Guitar) and Mike T. Oberle (Drums). The band settled in Kitchener-Waterloo as The Trendsetters. Hallman, stayed in high school making the band a four-piece. That year they played on CTV's 'After 4' show in Toronto. They would do five of these appearances and from that show won the audition for 'It's Happening' starring Robbie Lane to replace his backing band The Disciples. The producer of the TV show, Mike Steele, wanted five bodies on the stage, so Tim Hallman got the call and walked straight into a national TV contract. The production, a 26 week run, was standard for its day . The Carnival taped at CFTO Studios on 13 alternating Fridays (two shows per session).

By this time the band lived in Don Mills, Ontario and pre-recorded the backing music at Chelsea Sound on Mount Pleasant Ave. in Toronto - a four-track facility - where it was necessary to pre-record between 18-20 tracks every two weeks as backing tracks for feature artists as a means of keeping up with the pace of the show. The performances on the show featured Robbie Lane singing live while the band, now calling themselves The Carnival, lip-synced - vocally and instrumentally. On occasion the band became a 'featured act' on the show. The young band got to meet, among others, Andy Kim, Eddie Floyd ("Knock On Wood"), and Grant Smith (minus his band The Power).

They were working towards releasing an album (tentatively titled 'Keil Heil Kelly') but split up before it could be completed. They ultimately released 3 singles for Columbia in 1968.

They were working towards releasing an album (tentatively titled 'Keil Heil Kelly') but split up before it could be completed. After the demise of the TV show, and for a short period the band, Michael T Oberle, Tim Hallman and Donny Pellow conscripted Allen Spencer, former bassist for the Magic Circus and carried on as the Carnival gigging around Ontario's clubs and schools. After a short time, they also recruited Alan Palmquist on Guitar/Vocals to round out the line up. Since he was also from the Magic Circus, they decided to adopt that band name and carried on as a five piece until Tim Hallman left shortly after to attend Queens University.

About a year later, Michael T left to join Tranquility Base (Ian Thomas, Steve Hogg), then Ian Thomas Band and ended up a member of the Lulu's Band which is still active to this day with Steve Hogg.

Hallman and Oberle were from Waterloo while Pellow, Brownscombe, and Wells were from Woodstock. In 1968, out of the ashes of The Flying Dutchman Drum and Bugle Corp., the band settled in Kitchener-Waterloo as The Trendsetters. Hallman, stayed in high school making the band a four-piece. That year they played on CTV’s ‘After 4’ show in Toronto. They would do five of these appearances and from that show won the audition for ‘It’s Happening’ starring Robbie Lane to replace his backing band The Disciples. The producer of the TV show, Mike Steele, wanted five bodies on the stage, so Tim Hallman got the call and walked straight into a national TV contract. The production, a 26 week run, was standard for its day. The Carnival taped at CFTO Studios on 13 alternating Fridays (two shows per session). By this time the band lived in Don Mills, Ontario and pre-recorded the backing music at Chelsea Sound on Mount Pleasant Ave. in Toronto – a four-track facility – where it was necessary to pre-record between 18-20 tracks every two weeks as backing tracks for feature artists as a means of keeping up with the pace of the show. The performances on the show featured Robbie Lane singing live while the band, now calling themselves The Carnival, lip-synced – vocally and instrumentally. On occasion the band became a ‘featured act’ on the show. The young band got to meet, among others, Andy Kim, Eddie Floyd (“Knock on Wood”), and Grant Smith (minus his band The Power). They were working towards releasing an album (tentatively titled ‘Keil Heil Kelly’) when the band split up. It wasn’t long before there was a reformation under the new name Magic Circus with Oberle (drums), Pellow (organ), Hallman (keyboards, trombone) and new recruits Allen Spencer (bass), and Alan Palmquist (guitar). They had their own Vox sound system and played all around southern Ontario from 1971 through 1973. They even did a beer commercial where Oberle’s drum kit was flown to the top of a mountain for the filming; Hallman enrolled at Queen’s University where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree and taught school music. He now plays around Kingston, Ontario and occasionally teaches; Pellow became an architect and lives near Milton, Ontario and sticks mainly to church organ; Wells was last known to work for the former Ontario Hydro Company at the Bruce Nuclear Plant near Southampton; Oberle recorded and toured around the Ontario bar circuit with Ian Thomas for many years and would become leader and manager of The Lulu’s Roadhouse House Band in Kitchener. They are still playing between 35 and 50 corporate gigs a year as well as off-shoots of duos, trios and up to an 11-piece band with horn line-up; Brownscombe worked as a printing press mechanic and operator in Calgary and continued playing guitar and recording songs as a hobbyist. He died of a heart attack January 21, 1997.
-Tim Hallman, Michael Woodhead, Marti Shollenburg, Alan Palmquist, Michael T. Oberle

Tim Hallman: piano
Don Pellow: organ
Bill Wells: bass
Bob Brownscombe: guitar
Mike T. Oberle: drums