Steps Around the House - City of Kids

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	City of Kids	02:58

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	City of Kids

Photos

Videos

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Information/Write-up

Formed in Halifax in 1984, Steps Around The House quickly gained a following in Atlantic Canada and interest from Canadian record labels. Bassist Jim Parker had been performing in a cover band with guitarist James Logan. Parker saw an opportunity to create an original project when he and Logan met up with vocalist Peter Baylis in the summer of 1983 when all were touring in cover bands in Newfoundland. The deal was set one summer night in Corner Brook. Cole Harbour drummer Sean Bryson, still in high school, had been the only choice from the beginning. Keyboardist Bruce Murphy was brought in by Logan and the line-up was complete in early 1984. The band had instant chemistry, unforced and direct. It was about a sound with no predominance by any particular instrument, insistent grooves and hyper-melodic songs. Influences included Japan, Simple Minds, Kate Bush, Roxy Music, Split Enz, Oingo Boingo, Parliament-Funkadelic, King Crimson, Talking Heads, Gary Numan and more. The original line-up quickly built on song ideas from Baylis, Murphy and Parker. With help from Kevin Atwood as recording engineer and Kim Rilda and Gary LeBlanc's promo push, a two song demo tape recorded in Baylis' Halifax apartment featuring "Pull The Pin" and "Leave It Alone" made its way to the new Q104 Radio and secured the band a spot on the station's Homegrown album. The Homegrown contest concert at the Halifax Forum on May 19th, 1984 was the very first live show for the band, who delivered a set full of personality and taut songs, instantly polarizing a crowd split between post-punk/new wave fans and die-hard rockers. The contest winner was to be announced at the end of the concert, but was delayed to the next week due to a surprise split between Q104 staff on the verdict. Steps placed two songs on the record - "Pull The Pin" and "Beat Of The Devil". Two other live-to-tape tracks were recorded at that session with Harold Tsistinas engineering at Solar Audio - "Women With No Chins" and "Neighbor Attack". Many more songs followed and Steps continued to develop as a live act, recording more demos at Solar Audio and at City Studios with Mark Clifford. Steps was performing an all original night of thirty songs in a market dominated by cover bands. A contract was signed with a Toronto management company who let the band float in limbo, never attempting to secure a producer that was in sync with Steps' style. A full-length album never appeared. The original line-up peaked during the summer of 1985, playing multiple weeks at Halifax's Odeon Ballroom, then a triumphant Concert On The Hill show.

Peter Baylis: vocals
Bruce Murphy: keyboards
Jim Parker: bass
Sean Bryson: drums

Produced by Ted Rosnick

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