So Who Does Windsor, Ontario Think They Are?

Several months back, when Phog Lounge from Windsor, Ontario won Best Live Music Venue in Canada, the collective What the Fuck?!? was heard loud and clear. For most of the country, Windsor, Ontario was the "armpit of Canada", a Southern tip of uselessness known more for its collapsing auto industry and...well, it's collapsing auto industry.

The idea that a small city in an overly Americanized province could lay claim that it had the best live music venue upset many big cities. Many of the countries more widely acclaimed and recognized venues - such as Toronto's "legendary" Horseshoe Tavern, Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom or Halifax's Gus' Pub - should easily have walked over this tiny 60-capacity hubbub. But it didn't. The larger venues coasted on what it thought was a loyal following (only to find out that the following were lazy and assumed they would win hands down) while the Little Venue That Could rallied it's clientele (even gaining national vouching from The Awkward Stage's Shane Nelken) and won the prestigious bragging rights bestowed upon by the mighty CBC Radio 3.

With the recent announcement last week by CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence that Phog Lounge would be housing a celebratory concert on July 11 headlined by Holy Fuck, I'm sure there are still a multitude of What The Fucks?!? going on and an amplitude of head scratchings. Just who does Windsor, Ontario think they are?

Well, here's a recap of what Windsor has...musically.

Back in the late 1940's, Windsor entered the musical race with a young jazz singer named Dorothy Collins. This charming young powerhouse of a singer wowed her way to the big time (which means the U.S.) and was soon showcasing her vocal prowess on CBS' radio show, Your Hit Parade. It soon moved over to NBC and Collins soon became a star, appearing on such programs as Candid Camera and The Steve Allen Show. In 1955, she scored her biggest national hit, with the sweet little number "My Boy Flat-Top", which peaked at #16 on the Billboard Charts.



Following up on Collins' success, Windsor's Jack Scott, a greaser rock-and-roller in the same vein as Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent, emerged from an early start (which featured many collaborations with the successful Windsor doo-wop band, The Chantones) to become one of rock and roll radio's early stars. With such monster hits as "The Way I Walk" (which was covered by The Cramps), "My True Love", "What In The World's Come Over You" and more, Scott became an over night sensation. Dave Marsh, one of rock's most respected journalists and a co-editor for Rolling Stone once declared that Jack Scott "undeniably the greatest Canadian rock and roll singer of all time." His 19 singles to hit the Billboard Top 100 in the U.S. is better than such legendary figures as John Lennon, Paul Simon, Metallica, and Cheap Trick (to name a few) - what makes that number more impressive is that all 19 of those hit in a period of 41 months. Only one other recording artist in the history of music has done better than. Four guys from Liverpool named The Beatles.

In the 1960's, apart from one Garth Hudson being born in Windsor and going on to become the multi-instrumentlist genius for Canadian rock pioneers The Band, Windsor's biggest contribution (and one that still resonates today) is arguably Alexander "Skip" Spence. Spence moved from Windsor to the U.S. West Coast and, following a stint as guitarist for Quicksilver Messenger Service, became the original drummer for Jefferson Airplane, playing (and co-writing) on their debut record. He left after the first album to form Moby Grape, writing the band's biggest hit, "Omaha". He left them as well to pursue a solo career that resulted in the highly influential release, Oar (1969). The magnitude of this album is uncalculable, but in 1999, in honour of it's 30th Anniversary, a tribute album was released entitled More Oar, that featured many artists who claimed to be directly influenced by Spence's monumental solo album. So who was so moved that they recorded on this album? For starters, Tom Waits, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, Beck, Robyn Hitchock, Mudhoney and Jay Farrar (of Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt fame). Unfortunately, shortly after Oar's release, Spence was diagnosed as a schizophrenic and his contributions for the next 30 years were minimal. He was commissioned to record a song for the X-Files film soundtrack, Songs in the Key of X, entitled "Land of the Sun" (which was ultimately never used, but released later as a 7"), before succumbing to lung cancer shortly before More Oar's release.



The 1970's were generally unkind to Windsor music nationally except for a glam rock outfit called Teaze, who, in typical Spinal Tap fashion, failed to make much of a mark in North America (despite opening for Aerosmith, Triumph, Cheap Trick and Meat Loaf) but became huge in Japan. Windsor's one glimmer of hope was that they were the home for two of Canada's earliest and most influential early punk bands, The Spy's and The Dry Heaves. The Spy's were born in the late 70's after a bunch of friends watched as their guitar playing buddy, Dale "Elad" D'Amore jammed on-stage with MC5 guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith and decided they should build a band around them. Their resulting single "Machine Shop" is still in demand on eBay. The Dry Heaves followed shortly after and their 1981 release, Don't Shoot Yourself, became an underground gem for Canadian punk rawkers. A 1996 Canadian punk rock tribute album, entitled Oh Canaduh!, featured Vancouver's The Evaporators (featuring the enigmatic Nardwuar The Human Serviette) covering The Dry Heaves' classic "I Can't Puke".

And when Detroit cornered the market on the evolution of electronic and techno music, it was Windsor's own Richie Hawtin - aka Plastikman - who lead the charge and created a style that is as often imitated as it is emulated.



The history of Windsor's contributions to rock and roll's underground as well as commercial break-throughs could go on and on. Everyone knows of Windsor's alternative rock contributions with the blues rock of Big Sugar (Gordie Johnson was raised in Windsor and cut his teeth in Windsor with future Big Sugar bandmate Kelly "Mr. Chill" Hoppe in the Windsor Dukes) and the global sensation of The Tea Party. And more recently, Windsor's Neverending White Lights has conquered radio charts nationwide with his first two releases (including the #1 hit song "The Grace" featuring Dallas Green of City and Colour and Alexisonfire).



So what else has Windsor done recently?

Well, unfortunately, many of Windsor's talents relocate, simply because Windsor doesn't have the variety of venues or economy to properly support its artistic communities, especially musically. A list of evacuees over the past few years includes Christine Fellows, Elliott Brood, The Sunparlour Players, Dean Drouillard, The Golden Hands Before God..., Ron Leary, Songs From A Room, The Unsettlers, Woods of Ypres, Richard White of The Besnard Lakes, Ryan Yoker of Bombs and far too many more to be mentioned.



Luckily, Windsor has plenty of back up. In recent days, the indie pop stylings of Michou has swept the Eastern side of Canada, while others such as Yellow Wood, Pat Robitaille, Tara Watts, MicLordz & Sauce Funky, Explode When They Bloom, The Locusts Have No King, Orphan Choir, Perilelle and others have begun to turn heads. Field Assembly - the brain child of Adam Fox, formerly of Ten Year Drought (who has toured much of this land and our Southern neighbours) - is getting ready to release his debut album (followed soon after by a new Yellow Wood release). The heavier side has never been stronger with Fiftywatthead (on Montreal's Signed By Force label for their latest critically acclaimed Fogcutter), Lodown, Days Fade or Bloodshoteye (who has been endorsed by members of Lamb of God). The future is bright for Windsor area musicians, from metal to indie rock, and its been steamrolling for some time now.



With the economy in Windsor in a constant state of disarray and misery, it provides the perfect gray backdrop to concentrate on music. Now I've lived across this country of ours, from Victoria, BC to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I can honestly say that the diversity - and the strength by which the scene itself supports such diversity - is unmatched in Windsor. People who support hardcore are just as likely to be at a folk show and vice versa. The honesty in Windsor's music is its strength - pleas of love and cries of anguish, all searching for a better place, a better state of mind, a better wind to blow through Windsor and make it whole again. And those that stay to champion its mean streets will tell you the same thing. You may not think much of this small, blue collar city, but when we decide to tell you a story, chances are, people listen.