"Love Will Break You" originally appeared on The Northern Pikes, the band's original independent release in 1984 and it was the b-side to the "Things I Do for Money" single. Additionally, the song "Dancing in a Dance Club" originally appeared on the band's 1984 independent release The Northern Pikes, while the songs "Lonely House", "You Sold the Farm", "Jackie T", and "Teenland" all appeared on the band's 1985 independent release Scene in North America.
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The Northern Pikes are a Canadian rock band formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1984. The original members are Jay Semko, Bryan Potvin, Merl Bryck and Glen Hollingshead, who left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Don Schmid in June 1986. The band was active until 1993 and toured and recorded again from 1999 through to the present. The Northern Pikes were inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame on Sunday, September 30, 2012 in Regina Saskatchewan.
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In 2006, Merl Bryck made the decision to curtail his touring schedule, and left the Northern Pikes. Long-time sideman Ross Nykiforuk joined the band on keyboards as the fourth member onstage from 2006-2011. Since then, Semko, Potvin and Schmid have continued touring under the Northern Pikes banner as, in their own words, a "power trio". In 2017, "Grapes of Wrath" guitarist Kevin Kane joined them for their 30th Anniversary of "Big Blue Sky" Tour, becoming a full-time member of the band in 2018 for the recording of Forest Of Love.
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John Peter "Jay" Semko is a singer/songwriter and bassist with Canadian band, The Northern Pikes. He is also a music composer for numerous film and television productions, most notably the successful Canadian television series Due South. Semko has been nominated for a Juno Award eight times as a member of the Northern Pikes, and also been nominated twice for a Gemini Award, and once for a Canadian Screen Award, and received two awards from the Canadian Music Publishers Association for his songwriting. His hometown is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
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The first Sunfest rock festival was held from August 17 to August 19 of 1990. The lineup for the festival included Bachman–Turner Overdrive, Doug and the Slugs, The Northern Pikes, The Tragically Hip, Queen City Kids, Kenny Shields and The Watchmen. About 21,000 people attended the festival.
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The Northern Pikes released two independent EPs before being signed to Virgin Records in 1986, The Northern Pikes (1984) and Scene in North America (1985). They also recorded a song for Saskatchewan After Dark, a 1985 compilation of Saskatchewan-based artists sponsored by the provincial government. Their first album for Virgin, Big Blue Sky, included the Semko-penned "Teenland", the band's first significant hit. The follow-up album Secrets of the Alibi contained three Canadian hits, "Wait for Me", "Let's Pretend" & "Hopes Go Astray". Their 1990 album Snow in June became their biggest seller in Canada and the US. That album's lead single, "She Ain't Pretty", was the band's biggest hit, and was written by Potvin.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (21.47%) is water. Within Ida Township is Lake Ida, a nearly lake with a maximum depth of and of shoreline. Fisherman love it for walleyes and northern pikes along with largemouth and smallmouth bass.
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It's a Good Life is the seventh studio album by The Northern Pikes released in 2003. Like their previous studio album, it was released independently. The first single from the album was "It's a Good Life" in 2003, followed by "Underwater" in 2004. A promotional video was also made for "Underwater", the band's first since "Everything" in 1993.
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"She Ain't Pretty" is a single by Canadian rock band The Northern Pikes, from their 1990 album Snow in June. It is the song for which the Pikes are best known. Pretty was written by Bryan Potvin. It describes the singer's infatuation with a physically attractive woman, and his dismay at learning that she is a horrible person--a "model from Hell".
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Truest Inspiration is the sixth studio album by The Northern Pikes released in 2001. This was their first album of new music since they reformed in 1999 after a 6-year break. Following the release of Neptune in 1992 and the subsequent live album called Gig in 1993, the band decided to disband. During their time apart, Jay Semko and Bryan Potvin each released a solo album.
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Big Blue Sky is the first major label album by The Northern Pikes released in 1987. It featured two hit Canadian singles - "Teenland" and "Things I Do for Money". The songs "Love Will Break You" and "Heartaches Heartbreaks (Open Up)" were added to the album when it was released on CD in 1990. "Heartaches Heartbreaks (Open Up)" was the b-side to the "Teenland" single in 1987.
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Potvin released his first solo recording project, Heartbreakthrough, in July 2000. The song "Read Between The Lines" was nominated for Best New Rock/Alternative Recording at the Canadian Radio Music Awards. The Northern Pikes re-united shortly afterwards to begin touring a greatest hits collection issued by Virgin Records. The band recorded three independent albums: Live 2000, Truest Inspiration and It's A Good Life between 2000 and 2003.
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Secrets of the Alibi is the second album by The Northern Pikes released in 1988. It featured two hit Canadian singles - "Wait for Me" and "Hopes Go Astray". Although this was their second album, the Pikes were nominated for "Most Promising Group" at the 1989 Juno Awards. This was likely because no Juno Awards were presented in 1988, the year their debut album would have been up for nomination.
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Live is the second live album by The Northern Pikes released in 2000. The album was released independently. In 1999, Virgin Records asked the band members for their input on a "greatest hits" package. The band decided to do a short promotional tour following the release of Hits and Assorted Secrets 1984-1993, but found themselves enjoying the more relaxed independence of making their own schedule that they continued touring.
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Snow In June is the third major label album by The Northern Pikes released in 1990. It featured three hit singles - "Kiss Me You Fool", "She Ain't Pretty", and "Girl With a Problem". This was the band's most successful album and garnered them three nominations at the 1991 Juno Awards. The nominations were: Group of the Year, Single of the Year for "She Ain't Pretty", and Best Video for "She Ain't Pretty".
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Potvin began guitar lessons at the age of 13 in Victoria, B.C. His family re-located to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where he continued his music studies. In 1984, Bryan, along with Jay Semko, Don Schmid and Merl Bryck formed The Northern Pikes. The band signed a world-wide recording contract with Virgin Records in the winter of 1986. Their seven- album catalogue sold in excess of 1 million units globally and garnered the band eight Juno Award nominations.
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Species found in the Chain O'Lakes include walleye, largemouth bass, muskellunge, yellow perch, bluegill, catfish, black crappie, bullhead, white bass, yellow bass, carp, and northern pike. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources report that approximately 10% of their annual muskie samples are over , 6 inches long. Northern pikes and muskies in the trophy class are occasionally caught on the Chain. A status of the sport fishery of the lakes regarding these fish from 1954 to 2001 can be seen here.
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The band were invited to support U2 at Wembley, and played as the only opening act on the first few dates of The Joshua Tree tour in June 1987. Later that summer, Hurrah! played at a music festival in Germany, supporting David Bowie on the Glass Spider tour. Hurrah! toured the United States for the first time during October/November 1987, appearing on the Coors-sponsored "Four Play" tour along with bands Royal Court of China, Will (Sexton) & the Kill and Northern Pikes.
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Less common fish species in the lake include yellow perch, of which 83 specimens between and long were observed; pumpkinseeds, 21 of which were observed; northern pikes, 19 of which between and long were observed; and white suckers, 16 of which were observed. Additionally, eight quillback carpsuckers, five largemouth bass, four rock bass, three bluntnose minnows, three common carp, two fathead minnows, and a single green sunfish. An electrofishing survey done by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission on Lake Chillisquaque discovered 54 walleyes from long and 48 largemouth bass from .
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This instrument is featured prominently in his self-titled debut CD which has been described as "a collection of diverse roots/blues and traditional folk, acoustic music that reflects the uniquely northern spirit of freedom and adventure." Several songs off of this album can be downloaded from his official site. Stroud has performed in and around the Muskoka area and at the Orillia Blues Festival and Toronto Beaches International Jazz Festival. Stroud and The Northern Pikes have struck up a musical collaboration under the name Les Stroud and the Pikes.
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The band hired film students to record a music video for "Something to Live For", which drew the attention of managers at MuchMusic, who broadcast the video frequently. The video was described by media critic Peter Goddard of the Toronto Star as "simplicity itself". The success of the album resulted in the band receiving the 1989 Juno Award for Most Promising Group of the Year. The band was considered a favourite to win the award against other nominees 54-40, The Jitters, The Northern Pikes, and The Pursuit of Happiness.
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Bringing comparisons to Bob Mould, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe . Summer Bliss and Autumn Tears was written, produced and recorded at his own Hell's Half Acre Studio in California. While Bradley played almost all the instruments on the LP he recruiting some additional talent to round out the sound, including Wayne Kramer (MC5) , Kevin Kane (Grapes of Wrath ,Northern Pikes), Steve McDonald (Red Kross), Mike Herra (MXPX), Danny McGough (Social Distortion, Continental Drifters) and pedal steel virtuoso Greg Leisz. The single "Capitol Hill" and its accompanying video hit a nostalgic note with other past and present residents of the Vancouver neighborhood it was named for.
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About one year after recording their successful debut album, the Northern Pikes returned to the studio in the Spring of 1988 to record the follow-up. The resulting production had a more serious tone than their first, no longer talking about "Teenland" but themes of growing up and a political awareness of the world at large. The first track on the album is "Place That's Insane", apparently about a pretty waitress who works in a smokey bar, as the lyrics describe "The girl that works in the club downtown / Knows all about life, man, she's been around". The guitar sound in this track is representative of the live sound throughout the album.
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Acts such as Platinum Blonde, Helix, Toronto, Parachute Club, The Box, Strange Advance, Spoons, Trans-X, Rational Youth, Men Without Hats, Norman Iceberg, Images in Vogue, Headpins, Sheriff, Frozen Ghost, Teenage Head, Idle Eyes, Eight Seconds, The Northern Pikes, Brighton Rock and Martha and the Muffins were along for the new Canadian music video ride. Although many of them, in fact, were only "one-hit wonders". Sarah McLachlan at a 1993 benefit for Clayoquot Sound In the late 1980s, the Canadian recording industry continued to produce popular acts such as Blue Rodeo. Alternative rock also emerged as an influential genre, with independent artists such as The Tragically Hip, 54-40, Sarah McLachlan, Spirit of the West, The Waltons, Cowboy Junkies, The Pursuit of Happiness, and The Grapes of Wrath all gaining their first widespread attention during this time.
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Semko's first solo album, Mouse was released in 1995 following the (at-that-time) end of The Northern Pikes in late 1993. During this time, Semko was music composer for the Due South (Pilot movie and 66 episodes 1994–1998, with co-composers Jack Lenz and John McCarthy) by (Academy Award winner) Paul Haggis (for which Jay received two nominations for Canada's Gemini Awards - Best Music Score in a Dramatic Series) and has won the MMPIA Blizzard and SMPIA awards for Best Music Score as music composer for the movie, "Paris Or Somewhere" (1994). Semko has composed music for many other dramas and documentary series on Discovery Channel, CBC, Global, APTN, Showcase, History Television, and others, and has had many of his songs and compositions featured in film and television (Trailer Park Boys - the Movie (2006), "Men With Brooms" (2002), "Being Erica" (2009), and "Cedar Cove"(2015) are some examples). In 2013 Semko was nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards for his work as composer on the reality TV series "Dust Up" in the category of 'Best Original Music for a Non-Fiction Program or Series'.
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