Famous Blue Raincoat

Famous Blue Raincoat was an Edmonton alternative rock and pop-rock band whose core period ran from 1983 to 1989, with the name continuing into the early 1990s through a later lineup. The group featured Brian Cymbaluk, Frank Juskiw, Brent Macnab, Kelly McCarthy, and later Jeff Schmidt, and became part of Edmonton’s original live-rock scene during the mid-to-late 1980s.

Early local coverage introduced the band as a “mystery group,” with the members initially identified only by first name: Brian on drums, Kelly on keyboards and vocals, Brent on guitar, and Frank on bass and lead vocals. Their music was described at the time as “very modern aggressive music,” placing them outside the standard bar-band format and closer to the city’s emerging original alternative and pop-rock scene.

The band recorded at Goede Creative Productions and released the 12-inch EP I Will on Mariachee Fever Records. The record featured “Night After Night,” “I Will,” “The Strain,” and “Lovers Cry,” with all songs written by Brent Macnab, Brian Cymbaluk, Frank Juskiw, and Kelly McCarthy. The EP was produced by Rick Erickson, co-produced by Gary Hamilton, and issued with sleeve design by Greg Sykes and Steven R. Gilmore.

Famous Blue Raincoat built a strong local following through live appearances in and around Edmonton, including shows at the Airway Motor Inn in Nisku, billed as “Edmonton’s newest live rock room.” Their name appeared alongside other regional and touring acts of the period, including Glas Aunts, The Blades, Warrior, Blushing Brides, and Lee Aaron, reflecting the band’s place in the Prairie club circuit during a busy period for Edmonton original rock.

A major highlight came on May 6, 1988, when Famous Blue Raincoat performed with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Introduced onstage by conductor George Blondheim, the band performed “Safe and Sound” with full orchestral backing, placing them in one of the more ambitious Edmonton rock-and-symphony collaborations of the period. Brian Cymbaluk later described the night as one of the band’s defining memories, recalling the performance with Jeff Schmidt, Kelly McCarthy, Frank Juskiw, and Brent Macnab.

According to Cymbaluk, Famous Blue Raincoat were regarded by many as local favourites, winning awards and attracting interest from major Canadian record companies, though a larger national breakthrough never materialized. The band continued writing, recording, and performing through the decade, leaving behind songs, videos, and memories that remain tied to Edmonton’s 1980s alternative-rock history.

The Famous Blue Raincoat name also continued into the early 1990s. Guitarist Tim Fortier later recalled joining the Edmonton band in 1990, after the group had already established itself locally. This later version carried the name for roughly three more years before evolving into Big Tom Laughing. The lineup during this period included Frank Juskiw, Jeff Schmidt, Bruce Mohacsy, Scott Baldwin, and Tim Fortier, with Tim Anderson having played drums when Fortier first joined. One surviving document of this later phase is “Elvis & 8 Tracks,” described by Fortier as a song written around 1991 and mixed on April 27, 1992. Big Tom Laughing continued as a four-piece until Frank Juskiw’s death on May 19, 1997.

Later archival postings by Cymbaluk, including “Trusting You” and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra performance of “Safe and Sound,” have helped preserve the band’s legacy. Those posts also note the passing of Frank Juskiw and Brent Macnab, giving the surviving material an added memorial significance for fans, friends, and former members of the Edmonton music community.

-Robert Williston