Poles - CN Tower b/w Prime Time

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	CN Tower	02:53

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Prime Time	02:36

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

In 1977, Michaele Jordana accompanied musician and producer Doug Pringle to the wilds of the Polar Arctic to research whales and to see for themselves if interspecies communication was possible. They found themselves following whales while being followed by polar bears and it was a matter of survival for all. After returning to Toronto Jordana produced two solo shows of visual art – “Oceans of Blood” & “Carnivore” while Pringle produced “Brine”. Performance art came next – first with “The Rites of Nuliajuk” then with the band The Poles – named after the Arctic journey. Poetry turned to singing and a pop punk band was born. They then headed to New York City where The Poles performed at CBGB’s and recorded (as Yet) unreleased material with John Cale for Spy Records. After returning to Toronto they played at art galleries, clubs, and developed a following on the heels of their debut single “CN Tower” while some of their unfinished demos were picked up by local radio stations. The release of the single led the band to perform at venues such as The Crash ‘n’ Burn in Toronto, plus a return to CBGB’s and Max Kansas City in New York City with acts like Devo, The Ramones, and Patti Smith. Following the demise of The Poles, Jordana was hailed as the ‘It Girl” by writer Peter Goddard in the Toronto Star. She would win the first CASBY Award from CFNY and a JUNO Award nomination for her debut album ‘Romance at the Roxy’. The album was produced at Nimbus 9 and yielded the single “I’m Eighteen” (a cover of the classic Alice Cooper hit). After leaving the spotlight when her daughter was born, Michaele re-emerged a few years later with a series of television documentaries. Michaele and Doug’s daughter is actress Ramona Pringle; Goode went on to form Rex Chainbelt.

Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Michaele Jordana Berman first gained attention as a pop artist in 1976 with her solo exhibition of large super-realist paintings at Toronto’s Isaacs Gallery. Berman’s painterly approach and strong content quickly landed her paintings in the permanent collections of The National Gallery of Canada, Art Bank, and corporate collections such as First City Trust, and international private collections. The success of her paintings of whales opened the way for her to explore other art forms, including photography. The primal images she took in the Arctic were featured at The Isaacs Gallery in her exhibition “Carnivore”. She went on to write the ‘Manifesto of Performance Art’ with artist Wendy Knox Leet, while producing attention-getting multimedia performance works with composer Douglas Pringle (Syrinx). Michaele Berman the painter was soon transformed into Michaele Jordana the performance artist and singer. By 1978 her boundary pushing collaborations with Pringle in performance art extended to her being the vocalist for Toronto New Wave/Punk band The Poles. The release of the single “CN Tower” led the band to perform at venues such as The Crash ‘n’ Burn in Toronto, plus the legendary CBGB’s and Max Kansas City in New York City with acts like Devo, The Ramones, and Patti Smith. Following the demise of The Poles, Jordana was hailed as the ‘It Girl” by writer Peter Goddard in the Toronto Star. She would win the first CASBY Award from CFNY and a JUNO Award nomination for her debut album ‘Romance at the Roxy’. The album was produced at Nimbus 9 and produced the single “I’m Eighteen” (a cover of the classic Alice Cooper hit). After leaving the spotlight when her daughter was born, Michaele re-emerged a few years later with a series of television documentaries. In the film ‘Face to Face’, Jordana is shown forming a video crew with disabled teenagers who are on the threshold of integration. ‘Face to Face’ has been broadcast internationally, and won a silver medal at ‘The New York Film and Television Festival’. Jordana has worked extensively in the field of education in University and public school environments, developing innovative programs in visual arts, video and multimedia. Commissioned by Industry Canada for Canada’s SchoolNet, she pioneered online learning with AIERbrush – the Artists in Electronic Residence web site. She continues to do online digital artwork and design for corporate clients such as architects Reitch+Petch Architects and Taylor Exhibits. Jordana and Syrinx founder Doug Pringle’s daughter is TV and movie actress Ramona Pringle.
-Michaele Berman, popencyclopedia

Michaele Jordana: vocals
Doug Pringle: keyboards
Ricky Swede: guitar
Stevie Goode: bass

Produced by Jim Frank and Keith Elshaw

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