If you grew up in Western New York in the 1990s, you probably tuned in to one of the Canadian radio stations whose signal easily crossed the border. Three of Canada’s most influential alternative power-pop bands, The Northern Pikes, Odds, and The Pursuit of Happiness, will be at the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino on Friday, Oct. 9. It promises to be a night filled with ear candy and dancing in the aisles.
A few weeks ago I had the honor of interviewing Northern Pikes drummer Don Schmid via Zoom. While a typical interview may last around 15 minutes, Don and I spent well over an hour discussing music and the relationship between Canadian bands and U.S. audiences,
The Northern Pikes formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1984, and signed to a major label two years later in 1986. Schmid still vividly remembers the band’s early days and the label support.
“People often say, ‘How did you get out of Saskatoon?’ And that’s a good question because it was really hard. There were only so many venues to play, even if you played cover music, much less original music. It was just hard to play anywhere. So it was slow going to get going,” Schmid said.
“By the first two independent albums, we started getting response from college radio stations all across North America, and I think that really kept the band going. Outside of that, it’s pretty bleak when you’re just getting started, and there’s not a lot of gigs and not a lot of money. You’re really just riding on your own dreams.”
Those dreams included breaking into the U.S. market and led to their legendary first gig on U.S. soil on Oct. 30, 1986, at Fredonia’s Old Main Inn.
“Going into the United States for the first time was something you think about as a young kid. For me it was always about being in a band that recorded albums and traveled a bit. That was our first time out of Canada. We realized people are people, generally speaking. They’d heard some of our music through college radio and knew some of the songs. That was a real eye-opener for us.”
The band’s fortunes changed when they landed a deal with Virgin Records.
“Our life really did change when we signed with Virgin Records. We signed in December of 1986, and by August of 1987 we were opening for David Bowie and Duran Duran at the CNE in Toronto. That never would have happened had we not been signed. Back then you had major financial support from a record company. You had tour support, album support, and video support. Everything changed.”
The group’s major-label debut, “Big Blue Sky,” achieved Gold album status in Canada and included the hit “Teenland.” The group’s commercial peak came in 1990 with “Snow in June,” an album that featured three hits in Canada, “Kiss Me You Fool”, “She Ain’t Pretty”, and “Girl With a Problem”
“We made a lot of simple songs with a hook that people remember and can sing along to, and that is actually hard to do. People think simplicity is easy, but it isn’t. Those are often the toughest songs to write because they have to connect immediately,” Schmid said.
The group split in 1993, but reformed in 1999 and have been together ever since.
Sass Jordan was originally on the bill but had to bow out due to health concerns. The Northern Pikes will close out the evening, with only a short intermission between acts.