Singer revamps Harlequin style on new disc

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This article was published 18/06/2005 (7621 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TURN on 92 CITI FM at any given moment and there’s a good chance you’ll hear something by Harlequin, one of Winnipeg’s biggest hitmakers of the early ’80s. Thanks to classic-rock radio, songs like Innocence and Superstitious Feeling have never really gone away.

The continued airplay has been a bonus for singer George Belanger, who continues to front various incarnations of Harlequin at classic rock festivals and the occasional bar gig, and produce music by younger bands.

“If you told me 25 years ago I’d still be doing this and people would still be listening to my music, I would have been shocked,” says the 54-year-old Winnipegger, whose main job is running a takeout business called Pasta & More.

It’s been almost that long since Belanger last recorded an album of new material — One False Move, released in 1982.

But a chance encounter with a Kenora accountant-turned-songwriter set in motion a series of events that has led to the release of Harlequin II, the first new album by a Belanger-led project in 23 years.

“People walk up to me all the time and ask me to listen to their music. To be honest, I don’t always get through the whole thing without turning it off,” Belanger says.

But he made it all the way through a demo by James Brose, a chief financial officer with a passion for songwriting.

Belanger took an interest in the material, began re-arranging some of the songs — and suddenly had so much invested in the project, he chose to give it the Harlequin name, with an added “II” to denote the fact it’s not really the same band.

“At first, I was just going to put vocals on it. But I ended up quite taken with it — I had never reverse-engineered anything before.”

Harlequin II lists Brose and Belanger as core members, with musical help from A-list Manitoba sidemen like guitarist Murray Pulver, keyboardist Leonard Shaw, bassist Spider Sinnaeve and drummer Steve Broadhurst.

Quietly released on May 17, the album saw an official release party Thursday night at Canad Inns Stadium, following the Winnipeg Blue Bombers exhibition game against Edmonton.

Brose is no longer playing in the band, as he’s returned to financial work in Ontario. But without him, George Belanger would be heading into his 24th year without recording anything new.

“My wife had said, ‘You know, George, you haven’t written a song since we got married.’ She said I’m miserable when I’m not making music, and I think she’s right.

“You never stop enjoying it. Once you get a taste of the stage, there’s nothing like it. How couldn’t you like that?”

Harlequin II by Harlequin II is one of approximately 30 albums released by Manitoba recording artists over the past three months.

In lieu of a regular Saturday new music review, we’ve devoted the entire page to local titles, compressing them to mini-reviews — but also applying the same star rating system used for the newest releases by Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas or any other international recording artist.

The following are all available for sale, either online or at Winnipeg retailers such as Into the Music, Music Trader, the Winnipeg Folk Festival Music Store and in the case of hip-hop titles, The Vinylist. Selected CD Plus and HMV locations may also carry certain indie titles, but it’s always a good idea to call before you go.

ROCK & POP

AUDIOCHROME … In Pieces (Independent): On their earnest but clichéd sophomore effort, produced by ex-Watchmen guitarist Joey Serlin, Winnipeg trio Audiochrome strives for tender ballads and stirring U2-esque rock, but gets tripped up by limp melodies and the false belief that repeating a phrase over and over makes it a viable chorus. — Jill Wilson

HARLEQUIN II Harlequin II (Maple/Universal): A full 23 years since the last Harlequin studio album, singer George Belanger and new songwriting partner James Brose wisely don’t try to recreate the sound of the early ’80s. Harlequin version 2.0 sports a slightly updated mainstream pop sound, with a few rootsy guitar touches and one excellent ballad, Let Me In. — Bartley Kives

KNUCKLEDUSTER Drown (Independent): Winnipeg’s Knuckleduster grinds out straightforward heavy rock, thanks to keen instincts about concise arrangements. Unfortunately, both the recording and the mix fail to do the band justice. — B.K.

PRETTY TRAIN CRASH Pretty Train Crash (No Romance): Slap bass and keyboards lend a prog-metal edge to this extremely tight Winnipeg rock band, which displays influences spanning three decades of like-minded forebears, from vintage-era Rush through Faith No More and into the emo age. — B.K.

INDIE ROCK & PUNK

CROSLEY Four (Independent): The mysterious novelty artist known as Crosley deserves full marks for audacity as he launches vicious attacks local sacred cows of all sizes, from Burton Cummings to punk band Fabulous Kildonans and hip-hop label Peanuts & Corn. He’s also a bitter misogynist in serious need of production help. Four is mostly awful, but just offensive enough to titillate the schadenfreuders among us with a nervous laugh. — B.K.

NATIONAL MONUMENT Are We the Only Ones Left To Be Afraid Of? (Teargas Recording Tree): A long, sprawling indie-rock odyssey inspired by Dinosaur Jr., with side trips into gentle indie-folk territory as well as trippy passages built on vintage keyboards. The Winnipeg quartet needs an editor, however — at 65 minutes, the best tracks get buried. — B.K.

SUB CITY DWELLERS Out on the Streets EP (Steel Capped): Vintage-sounding ska-punk inspired by classic influences like the Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and the English Beat. Zero originality, but the energy is fantastic on four of seven tracks. 1/2 — B.K.

SUTURE Fin (Independent): Winnipeg sound artists Greg Hanec and Sarah-Lynne Otsuji use loops, found sounds and dance beats to play with different forms of repetition. A few great ideas, marred by low-fi production. — B.K.

HIP HOP & ELECTRONIC

FARM FRESH Time Is Running Out (Peanuts & Corn): The Brandon-born rap trio of mcenroe, Pipi Skid and DJ Hunnicutt reunites after a 10-year absence for more brilliantly executed, old-school-inspired hip-hop hilarity. Social commentary about aging club lotharios and Brandon’s diminished downtown share space with lighter ditties like My Ex-Girl (as in Red River Ex), all heightened by mcenroe’s scary-clever production. — B.K.

FASCADE@137DB Character of the Moment (Balanced): While it may not be the dreaded sophomore slump, Winnipeg electronic producer Waylon Wityshyn’s new album lacks the initial punch of his debut EP. This full-length isn’t on par, despite notable exceptions where he dives deep with earthy bass tones, dusty dollar-bin samples and skilful percussion programming. — Anthony Augustine

GRUF Hopeless (Peanuts & Corn): Though prone to airy, metaphysical writing, Winnipeg rapper and spoken-word artist Gruf deals with the here-and-now with Whatyoucallthis?, a post-Sept. 11 mistaken-identity horror story. He also delivers more deft, poetic lines against darker-than-usual-sounding production by mcenroe, especially the genius accordion sample on Butcher’s Bill. 1/2 — B.K.

FOLK & ROOTS

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS Hectors Place (Independent): Carman roots trio After All These Years alternates between a dusty Neil Young country-folk thing and Appalachian-inspired old-time music with a fuzzy, vaguely hippie vibe. This likable effort suffers from predictable arrangements and wobbly vocals. With an outside producer, there’s potential. — B.K.

JENNIFER CLARKE Prairie Celt (Wild Mountain Thyme): Veteran Celtic vocalist Clarke will please the purists with this set of entirely traditional numbers, tastefully arranged with just the sparest accompaniment by an all-star local cast that includes guitarist, Mark Reeves, percussionist Rodrigo Munoz, vocalist Kate Ferris and violist Richard Moody. Ex-Folk Fest boss Pierre Guerin produces. 1/2 — B.K.

TARAN Moonlight (Independent): Winnipeg’s Taran blasts out traditional Ukrainian tunes and a few conventional polkas with a lot of reverence for the Slavic material but also a welcome amount of energy. With a bit more of an edge, this septet could play to any folk audience. 1/2 — B.K.

VARIOUS Winnipeg: The High & Lonesome Years, Vol. III (Independent): The third in a series of compilations of artists that frequent downtown roots-music hangout collects blues and country-folk standbys likes of the Perpetrators, Righteous Ike, D. Rangers, Stew Clayton, Percy Tuesday and for the first time, Big Dave McLean. The surprisingly clear live recordings capture the sense of humour of the place. — B.K.

SINGER-SONGWRITERS

HURST Wanderlust EP (Roundrock): Former Econoline Crush singer Trevor Hurst, the pride of Virden, enlisted former Collective Soul guitarist Ross Childress to produce this big-budget rock record, complete with the requisite mix of mid-tempo pop songs and semi-acoustic ballads. It all sounds very pro … but very produced. — B.K.

JON PARKS Out Here (Independent): Colorado-born Winnipeg singer-songwriter Parks writes folk-pop songs with a moderate Christian bent and a strong sense of melody likely inspired by the mellower work of Ron Sexsmith. What stands out is Parks’ voice, which is clean, natural and effortless-sounding. — B.K.

PETKAU Don’t Say a Word (Head in the Sand): Local songwriter and prolific producer Mike Petkau returns with another semi-confessional indie-rock platter, this time focusing his lyrics at more discernible targets, like an unattainable object of affection in C’mon or a well-known Toronto rock band in B People. Petkau is earnest, but also self-effacing, and that makes him easy to digest. — B.K.

KELLY ROBINSON My Foolish Heart (Moonlit Sky): Winnipeg torch singer Robinson does something almost unheard-of for a brand-new vocal jazz artist by writing nine of 11 tracks on this debut. Paint-by-numbers arrangements will turn off the trad fans, but the playing is classy enough to attract anyone who likes Holly Cole to death. — B.K.

PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED THIS SPRING BY THE FREE PRESS

THE BRAT ATTACK From This Beauty Comes Chaos and Mayhem EP (Underground Operations/Universal): “The punk band’s third release continues the fetish for the early days of hardcore, but moves the vocal focus from bandleader-guitarist Dave Zegarac to 18-year-old singer Chanelle Birks.” — B.K.

CAMERATA NOVA Mystica (Independent): “The Winnipeg a cappella choral ensemble covers sacred and secular ground. Entertaining, if at times variable in dramatic impact.” 1/2 — James Manishen

CHRISTINE FELLOWS Paper Anniversary (Six Shooter/Warner): “Artful pop singer-songwriter Fellows marries soaring choruses to subversive piano-driven melodies, but often disregards scansion, letting her evocative lyrics meander where they will over the music.” — J.W.

THE GUESS WHO Let’s Go (Ranbach/Universal): “Assembled from tapes stashed away by a former CBC tech, this compilation finds the future stars covering Cream, the Doors and the Beatles and recording early versions of their own eventual hits.” — B.K.

JENNIFER HANSON How the Night People Pray (Jensing): “Hanson moves away from a jazz sensibility on this disc, delivering instead a pop sound better suited to her voice and style.” — Chris Smith

GREG MacPHERSON BAND Night Flares (G7): “(MacPherson is) the unlikely Springsteenesque frontman for a jittery post-punk band that just so happens to bear his name.” — B.K.

MILAN MILOSEVIC TRIO Pearls & Yarn (Independent): “Moody chamber music with a Serbian twist, blending a classical sensibility with earthy, Eastern European folk.” 1/2 — Holly Harris

NOVILLERO Aim Right for the Holes in Their Lives (Mint/Outside): “Chiming indie-era guitars and Stranglers-aggressive basslines share space with sugary vocal harmonies, exuberant horn arrangements and piano melodies sweet enough to satisfy Elton John.” — B.K.

HEY! HOW COME MY ALBUM ISN’T HERE?

To be considered for review in the next Manitoba music round-up, please send your music to Bartley Kives c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., R2X 3B6, no later than Sept. 15, 2005.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca