Almost 30 years after The Northern Pikes came into being, the Saskatoon-based band still performs shows across Canada — albeit at a far more relaxed pace these days.
“We really don’t do the touring constantly anymore,” drummer Don Schmid told the Times-Herald in a phone interview from Emmett, Calif., on Wednesday. “We handpick the shows that we want to play.”
The Pikes — who reached fame beginning in the late ‘80s with hits like She Ain’t Pretty and Teenland — will perform at Casino Regina on Jan. 26 as part of a double bill with fellow Canuck rockers The Grapes of Wrath.
The Northern Pikes currently perform as a trio, featuring Schmid, singer/bassist Jay Semko and guitarist Bryan Potvin.
Singer/guitarist Merl Bryck left in 2007, though he rejoined briefly for the ceremony marking the group’s induction into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame last year.
Schmid said he enjoyed the reunion, adding that the group has adjusted to performing without Bryck.
“It’s different, for sure,” he observed. “It’s still a lot of fun.”
After forming in 1984, the group recorded two independent EPs, releasing their first LP, Big Blue Sky, in 1987. They continued to record and perform into the ‘90s, racking up several hits before calling it quits in 1993.
The members reunited in 1999 to assemble a greatest hits disc. This led to a reunion tour and, ultimately, two new studio records. The band continued touring after Bryck’s departure, although Schmid said no new material has surfaced lately.
“You never know what’ll happen in the future,” he said.
The band’s setlists consist mostly of singles and radio hits, although Schmid said they also usually include some surprises “so you have to think on stage.”
For the rest of the story, see Thursday's edition of the Times-Herald.
