Northern Pikes
Websites:
https://thenorthernpikes.com/
Origin:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Biography:
The Northern Pikes were formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in early 1984. Over the next two years the band recorded and released the independent EPs The Northern Pikes (1984) and Scene In North America (1985) with producer and pal Mitch Barnett. Both were recorded and mixed at Studio West in Saskatoon.
The original lineup was spawned from the ashes of three local groups, “The Idols”, “Doris Daye” and “17 Envelope”, and consisted of Jay Semko, Merl Bryck, Bryan Potvin and Glen Hollingshead, who left the band in 1985. Numerous drummers came and went until June of 1986, when Don Schmid joined to make it a permanent quartet. With the help of friend and local booking agent Robert Hodgins, the band cut its teeth on the prairie bar circuit. The combination of exciting live performances, well-received indie albums and the continuous stream of demos finally caught the ear of Doug Chappell, President of Virgin Records, Canada, and with the help of managers Fraser Hill and Ed Smeall, The Pikes signed to the label on December 19, 1986.
In January of 1987 the band began sessions at Metal Works Studio in Toronto with producers Rick Hutt and Fraser Hill, and finished mixing at McClear Place Studios for what would become its first Virgin release entitled Big Blue Sky. The album hit the streets in June of ‘87 and featured the hit singles “Teenland” and “Things I Do For Money”, introducing the band to a wider audience and expanding the touring range to all parts of Canada and the USA.
Spring of 1988 saw The Pikes at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, NY, and later in Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec for the recording and mixing of Secrets of the Alibi. The sophomore album had a more “live off the floor” feel, and the heavy airplay of the singles “Wait For Me” and “Hopes Go Astray” kept the band on the road virtually non-stop across the continent until the summer of ‘89.
Up to this point, the primary singers and songwriters were Jay and Merl, with the exception of some group compositions and “Hopes Go Astray” written by Bryan. The Pikes third album Snow In June saw the blossoming of Bryan as a singer and writer, most notably for the wildly popular hit single “She Ain’t Pretty”. In addition the album featured other smash hits, “Girl With A Problem” and “Kiss Me You Fool”, and featured a star-studded cast of additional musicians – Garth Hudson, Crystal Taliefero, John Sebastian and Stan Szelest, as well as mixes by acclaimed engineers Bob Clearmountain and Hugh Padgham. Recording again in Bearsville and mixing at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, The Pikes spent almost six months working on the album, considered by many to be their finest.
After almost two years of touring to support Snow In June, the band began work on Neptune in July of ‘92 at A&M Studios in LA with Rob Jaczko as co-producer. Subsequent sessions continued at Metal Works in Toronto and Blue Jay Studio in Boston. From start to finish the album took exactly two months to record, mix and master, the fastest turnaround since their indie days- Released in November, Neptune featured the keyboard work of Ross Nykiforuk, also a native of Saskatoon and an on-stage addition for the Snow In June tour. Also featured were two duets with Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies, one of which, “Worlds Away”, made its way onto an episode of the TV series “Due South”. The album featured the singles “Twister”, “Believe” and “Everything”.
The spring of ‘93 saw the last tour on the decade for The Pikes, and the fifth and final album Gig, recorded live during concerts in Montreal and Toronto. It featured 13 songs and showcased the raw energy the band always exhibited onstage.
After electing to go on an indefinite hiatus, the Pikes played their final concert on July 2, 1993 in Fort Frances, Ontario.
Six long years later…
All original members Don Schmid, Jay Semko, Bryan Potvin and Merl Bryck reunited in December 1999 to assemble a greatest hits package for Virgin Records. That meeting saw the release of a collection of old favorites and buried treasures, entitled Hits and Assorted Secrets. It also led to a hugely successful Canadian tour in early 2000, some of which was recorded and resulted in The Northern Pikes Live, an album’s worth of tunes from various shows in Ontario and Quebec. This in turn led to the decision to record a new studio album in Toronto during the fall of 2000. Truest Inspiration was released in 2001, the Pikes’ first studio album in 8 years. The title track from that album became a hit in Japan and The Pikes embarked on a short but intensive tour in the land of the rising sun in late June 2003, including a Canada Day party at the Canadian Embassy. Shortly after the Japanese tour the guys began work on It’s A Good Life, released in December 2003. This would sadly be the last project the four original members would record together – Merl would announce his a departure from the group a few short years later. Jay, Bryan, Don & Ross, still experiencing the passion and joy of performance have continued touring until the present…
The guys are now producing a very special project, which at this point is still unnamed but will be a collection of Northern Pikes songs re-interpreted and re-recorded by female artists. Tracking is presently underway and a release date is TBA.
