I Wanna Dance Like Fred

The Rockaderos were a short-lived Toronto power pop/rock band active in the early 1980s. Their known commercial output consisted of the 1981 Quality Records single “I Wanna Dance Like Fred” / “Different Girl” and the expanded 12" EP version, which added “I’m a Square.” The band featured Tony Colavecchio on lead vocals and bass, Jim Moltner on guitar and vocals, Dave George on keyboards, and Geff Stevens on drums and percussion.

The group also had a notable connection to Bob Segarini, who produced the Quality release. His involvement gave “I Wanna Dance Like Fred” a sharper pop-rock finish and helped place The Rockaderos within the commercial side of Toronto’s early-1980s power pop scene, even if the band’s recorded output remained brief.

A newly surfaced Rockaderos demo cassette, dated New Year’s/82, expands that story. The tape contains three previously unreleased songs, “Where’s Your Mother,” “Turnaway” and “Fascination,” none of which appeared on either Quality release. Marked simply “Rockaderos Demo,” it shows the band had additional original material beyond their lone single and 12" EP, preserving a small but valuable missing piece of Toronto’s early-1980s power pop scene.

-Robert Williston