Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
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| Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Instrumental rock |
| Years active | 1984–1996, 2012 |
| Labels | Cargo Records, K Records, Mammoth Cave Recording Company |
| Associated acts | Ancient Chinese Secret, Atomic 7, Black Heel Marks, Danny & Reid's Motion Machine, Greek Buck, Heatseekers, Phono-Comb |
| Members | Don Pyle Brian Connelly Dallas Good |
| Past members | Reid Diamond |
Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet are a Juno Award-winning Canadian instrumental rock band, formed in 1984. They remain best known for the track "Having an Average Weekend", which was used as the theme to the Canadian sketch comedy TV show The Kids in the Hall. They are commonly classified as a surf band, though they rejected the label, going so far as to release a track called "We're Not a Fucking Surf Band".
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History [edit]
The band was composed of drummer Don Pyle, guitarist Brian Connelly, and bassist Reid Diamond. They released a string of EPs and singles throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, achieving some success. The group also appeared on many compilation albums, and played on some tracks of Fred Schneider's solo album, Just Fred. The band won a 1992 Juno Award from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for "Instrumental Artist of The Year." The group disbanded in 1996.
After the breakup, Connelly was in a short-lived trio called Heatseekers, and toured and recorded with Neko Case and Her Boyfriends. He currently leads his own instrumental trio, Atomic 7. Diamond and Pyle went on to form another instrumental band, Phono-Comb with Dallas Good from The Sadies and Beverly Breckenridge from Fifth Column. After that group ended, Diamond started Danny & Reid's Motion Machine, and Pyle teamed up with Andrew Zealley to form Greek Buck. Diamond died of cancer on February 17, 2001.[1]
"Having an Average Weekend" was used in The Ongoing History of New Music episode "Alt-Rock's Greatest Instrumentals" from 2003.
In March 2012, it was announced that the band would be reforming for a pair of live performances - in Calgary on June 20, and Toronto on July 14 - to mark beginning of a series of reissues of all of their albums on Mammoth Cave Recording Company. Dallas Good will be replacing Diamond on bass.
Members [edit]
- Don Pyle – drums (1984–1996, 2012)
- Brian Connelly – guitar (1984–1996, 2012)
- Reid Diamond (deceased) – bass (1984–1996)
- Dallas Good – bass (2012)
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
- Savvy Show Stoppers(1988 Glass Records U.K./1993 Cargo North America)
- Dim the Lights, Chill the Ham (1991)
- Sport Fishin': The Lure of the Bait, The Luck of the Hook (1993)
EPs [edit]
- Love Without Words (1985)
- Wow Flutter Hiss '86 (1986)
- Schlagers! (1987)
- Live Record With Extra Bread And Cheese (1987)
- Explosion of Taste (1988)
- Reid Does Neil (1988)
- Music For Pets (1991)
- Tired Of Waking Up Tired (1991 split single with Change Of Heart)
- Just Married (1991)
- Dog & Squeegie (1992)
- Sport Fishin' Accessories (1993 promo-only CD single)
- Take Outs (1993)
- It's a Wonderful Record! (1994)
Compilation albums [edit]
- Savvy Show Stoppers (1988) (a compilation album of singles from their early pre-1990 EPs)
- International Hip Swing (1993)
(numerous others)
References [edit]
- ^ Gwilliam, Owen. "The CBC's Obituary for Reid Diamond", Shadowy Site on a Shadowy Web, Retrieved August 9, 2007.
