Moxy (band)

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Moxy
Moxy logo.jpg
General information
origin Toronto , Canada
Genre (s) Hard rock
founding 1974
resolution temporarily inactive
Website moxy.rocks
Founding members
Douglas "Buzz" Shearman †
Earl Johnson
Kim Frased
Bill (y) Wade †
Last occupation
singing
 Nick Walsh
guitar
 Earl Johnson
guitar
 Rob Robbins
bass
 Andy Narsingh
Drums
 Alexis Von Kraven
former members
singing
 Michael Rynoski (aka Mike Reno)
singing
 Brian "Max" Maxim
singing
 Alex Machim
singing
 Russ Graham
guitar
 Buddy Caine
guitar
 Woody West
guitar
 Doug MacAskill
bass
 Terry Juric
bass
 Jim Samson
bass
 Oscar Anesetti
Drums
 Danny Bilan
Drums
 Kim Hunt
Live and session members
singing
 Tommy Bolin
Keyboard
 Tom Stephensen

Moxy is a Canadian hard rock band. It was founded in Toronto in 1974 by former members of the Leigh Ashford group.

history

When musicians who had been around on the Toronto music scene got together in 1974 Earl Johnson (guitar), Douglas "Buzz" Shearman (vocals), Kim Frased (bass), who was soon replaced by Terry Juric (bass), and Billy Wade (drums) the group was still Leigh Ashord. Because everyone had entered there and the name was given, the idea of ​​changing the name was obvious. The chosen expression "Moxy" is Hebrew and means something like "male cutting edge and hardness". It comes from Johnson's Jewish friend, who wanted to avoid the vulgar "balls" when she expressed her opinion on the band . In the tradition of Leigh Ashord, appearances in bars and pubs were accepted.

In the same year, Moxy released the single Can't You See I'm a Star on the Yorkville Records label . The radio appearances and the level of awareness of Buzz Shearman moved the Canadian branch of the major label Polydor to offer the band a record deal. It was completed in December 1974. The band flew to Los Angeles for two weeks to record their albums . The Sound City Studio in the Van Nuys district was booked . There Earl Johnson got into a fight with producer Mark Smith during his solo recordings and was kicked out of the studio. The manager Roland Paquin knew Tommy Bolin , the former lead guitarist of the James Gang and successor to Ritchie Blackmore at Deep Purple , who was recording in the neighboring studio, and asked him to fill in the solo gaps. Bolin did not intervene in the arrangements , but simply played the solo passages. For a title he brought in his keyboardist Tom Stephensen. Back in Toronto, they searched for and found a second guitarist. He, too, Buddy Caine his name, had previously played with musicians in his current band. The album simply titled Moxy was released in 1975, as was the extract from it, Fantasy . This single, as well as the subsequent Sail on Sail Away , were highly popular in Texas . Joe Anthony, the "Godfather of Rock" of the KISS FM radio station in San Antonio , made this possible because he often let the LP run through completely. He also benefited that the band could complete their first appearance as a headliner in the USA on July 27, 1977 - with AC / DC as the opening act .

Before that, two albums were released. Caine always plays the rhythm guitar on it ; its mention on Moxy, however, is misleading. The band had negotiated a new contract with Polydor of Canada and one with Mercury Records for worldwide distribution. Therefore Moxy was only available to most interested parties outside Canada in 1976 and the follow-up album Moxy II , which was recorded in the hometown of Toronto at Sound Stage Studio under the direction of Aerosmith producer Jack Douglas , was released a few weeks later. Ridin 'High , recorded at Sounds Interchange in Toronto, was released in 1977 and resulted in intense touring, for example Moxy was with Boston and another time with Black Sabbath . The track record is a matter of interpretation, which is why there are voices that speak of success with a view to the regional response (in addition to Texas, Toronto was also a stronghold with sold-out headliner concerts), while the supraregional view reports that Moxy was ignored. For the Juno Award nomination committee, the audience approval and the musical quality were sufficient to put them on the 1977 nomination list for the “Most Promising Group of the Year” category.

The grueling touring life that most of the band members had been through before their Moxy days took its toll at the end of 1977 when, in addition to general exhaustion and conflict-inducing irritability, Shearman also had vocal cord problems , so that sound engineer Brian Maxim, who is also a singer, had to sing the high notes in Shearman's place on the edge of the stage. Wade had dropped out in March and was replaced by Danny Bilan. At the end of the tour stress with all the hardships that a supporting act has to struggle with, and in this case also with excessive alcohol , Shearman also withdrew. At the time of the next studio work, Michael Rynoski (later known at Loverboy under the pseudonym Mike Reno) belonged to the band. A short-term friend of Johnson had told the same thing about a good singer and handed him an audio sample on a compact cassette . Since no suitable replacement for Shearman could be found on the scene in Toronto, the unknown Rynoski was tried out. The music on the album Under the Lights , released in the spring of 1978, was felt to be softened. It alienated a lot of fans. Johnson himself wasn't happy with the result. It was his opinion that it was impossible to perform such soft songs live. Moxy was thus canceled for the time being and the members dispersed in all directions, some of them completely out of the music business.

Buzz Shearman had meanwhile started a band called Buzzsaw. In March 1980 he was in the process of filling in for the late Bon Scott at AC / DC, but the prospect of even more extensive tours and the associated dangers for his vocal cords made this seem irrelevant. Johnson took a job in the recording industry in sales and played the blues on the side . Caine worked in the Toronto City Council . Juric cured his health problems. Billy Wade migrated from band to band, including Lee Aaron's in 1982 . Danny Bilan was picked up by Reckless . At the end of 1982, three Moxy musicians came together in Lee Aaron's band, namely Wade, who was already a member, Shearman, who had disbanded his own band, and guitarist Earl Johnson. The LP The Lee Aaron Project , on which they can be heard (and co-composed), attracted wider interest than Moxy had ever received. After all, the name Moxy was brought to mind once again because the Lee-Aaron cover shows a keyboard case decorated with a Moxy sticker. From time to time the musicians toyed with the idea of ​​a reunion and actually tried to get a foot in the metal door again, but without success. Such a formation consisted, for example, of Shearman, Caine, Juric, Bilan and the two new guitarists Woody West and Doug MacAskill. 1983 would have had better chances because the New Wave of British Heavy Metal hit North America. But Shearman had a fatal accident on his motorcycle north of Toronto on June 16. There was a benefit concert for his widow and son, but the remaining four core members could not continue in view of the loss. What they also undertook was to put together a tribute-to-buzz Shearman record from songs from the first two LPs and unreleased tracks that were recorded live in the California recording studio in 1976 . The album was released in June 1984. Shortly thereafter, rumors spread that Johnson had formed a new Moxy team. Their line-up changed frequently and the group was inactive for longer periods.

In 1995 Pacemaker Records released the compilation Self Destruction with the best songs from the first three albums, along with Feed The Fire, written by the Buddy Caine Band in memory of Buzz Shearman . In 2000 Johnson, Caine and Brian "Max" Maxim, the long-time crew member who worked as a substitute for Moxy and regular singing for Voodoo, met in Bill Wade's home studio to record a "real" album. The self-produced album was named Moxy V and was released between 2000 and 2002 at different times in different countries or as a re-release. The later versions could still be added bonus songs , but the new members Jim Samson on bass and Kim Hunt on drums were involved. The sad reason for this was Wade's death from cancer on July 27, 2001. The live album Raw was released in 2002. A year later Brian Maxim said goodbye and Alex Machim took over the singing post in 2004.

In 2008 the line-up was: Earl Johnson (guitar), Russ Graham (ex- Killer Dwarfs , vocals), Jim Samson (bass) and Kim Hunt (drums). In 2014 she had changed: Earl Johnson (guitar), Rob Robbins (guitar), Nick Walsh (main band: Famous Underground, vocals), Alexis Von Kraven (drums), Oscar Anesetti (bass). And in 2015, the year there was a three-disc anniversary compilation, the band consisted of: Earl Johnson (guitar), Rob Robbins (guitar), Nick Walsh (vocals), Andy Narsingh (bass) and Alexis Von Kraven (drums). The newly recorded band classics were given a more modern arrangement and better sound thanks to advanced production technology.

style

The phrase that Moxy was the “ Led Zeppelin of Canada” became popular. The band also states on their homepage that they were initially compared to Aerosmith, Rush and Deep Purple.

For the two Allmusic editors John Bush and Keith Pettipas it is hard rock . The longtime Kerrang! - Employee Paul Suter described Moxy in his book HM A – Z as a “fiery, powerful metal band” and compared them to Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and Robin Trower .

In relation to the album Moxy V , Andreas Schöwe ​​analyzed in the Metal Hammer : “A hippiesque mixture of old Deep Purple from the Mark I era, blues influences from the Trapeze or Free brand , pop nuances à la Rainbow from the Graham Bonnet era and classic US -Hard rock, as especially Aerosmith celebrate it. ”The bottom line was the assignment to hard rock.

The International Encyclopedia of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal described Moxy as one of the most important bands in Canadian heavy metal , but they never made their international breakthrough.

Martin Popoff wrote in The Collector's Guide of Heavy Metal Volume 2: The Eighties in his review of A Tribute to Buzz Shearman that the group was an early exponent of Canadian hard rock. The music is aggressively new for the time. In The Collector's Guide of Heavy Metal Volume 3: The Nineties, Popoff discussed self-destruction . The song Trouble is a simple rock song, while the group in Feed the Fire sounds like a watered down and harmless version of the Buddy Caine Band.

Discography

  • 1974: Can't You See I'm a Star (Single, Yorkville)
  • 1975: Moxy (album, Polydor)
  • 1975: Fantasy (Single, Polydor)
  • 1975: Sail on Sail Away (Single, Polydor)
  • 1976: Moxy II (album, Polydor)
  • 1976: Take It or Leave It (Single, Polydor)
  • 1976: Cause There's Another (Single, Polydor)
  • 1977: Ridin 'High (Album, Polydor)
  • 1977: Ridin 'High (Single, Polydor)
  • 1978: Under the Lights (album, Mercury)
  • 1978: Sing to Me (Single, Polydor)
  • 1980: Thinking about You (as Mike Reno & Moxy, single, AHED)
  • 1984: A Tribute to Buzz Shearman (compilation, AHED)
  • 1984 (?): Ridin 'High (Remix) (as Moxy featuring Buzz Shearman, maxi-single, AHED)
  • 1994: Self-Destruction (compilation, Pacemaker Entertainment)
  • 2000: Moxy V (album, Pacemaker Entertainment)
  • 2002: Raw (Live album, Bullseye Records of Canada)
  • 2009: You Can't Stop the Music in Me (download and limited CD single of a recording from 1981, composed by Shearman / Wade, Cyclone Records)
  • 2015: 40 Years and Still Riding High (compilation / double CD + DVD, Perris Records / Escape Music)
  • 2015: Live in Toronto (live album / = CD2 from 40 Years ... + bonus track, Perris Records)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d John Herdt: Moxy. (No longer available online.) In: tbolin.com. 2005, archived from the original on February 28, 2016 ; accessed on February 28, 2016 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tbolin.com
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Moxy. Discography. In: canadianbands.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Paul Suter: HM A – Z. The Ultimate Heavy Metal Encyclopedia . Omnibus Press, London, New York, Sydney, Cologne 1985, ISBN 0-7119-0633-5 , Moxy, p. 67 f .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Moxy. Biography. (No longer available online.) In: moxy.rocks. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016 ; accessed on February 28, 2016 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.moxy.rocks
  5. ↑ a b Scott McIntosh: Tommy Bolin Fan Page Presents: Interview with Moxy's Earl Johnson. In: angelfire.com. July 24, 2000, accessed February 28, 2016 .
  6. ^ A b The Tommy Bolin Discobiography. During 1974. Moxy. In: thehighwaystar.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Joe Bonomo: AC / DC's Highway to Hell (=  33 ⅓ ). Continuum, New York City 2010, ISBN 978-1-4411-9028-4 , First Chord, pp. 5 .
  8. ^ Not Just Another State: A Major Market for Live Music . In: Billboard . The International Music Record Tape Newsweekly. October 29, 1977, Canada Enlarges It's Musical Image, p. C14, C26 (Article in the special section (“A Billboard Spotlight”)).
  9. ↑ Most Promising Group of the Year 1977. Moxy. In: junoawards.ca. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), accessed February 28, 2016 .
  10. ^ The Moxy Page. "Play it loud, or don't play it at all". In: angelfire.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  11. ↑ a b c d G […] B […]: Interview with Earl Johnson from Moxy. In: angelfire.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  12. ↑ Moxy (2) - Moxy V. In: discogs.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  13. ↑ … read we forget. Bill Wade. In: canadianbands.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  14. ↑ a b Moxy. (No longer available online.) In: cyclonerecords.ca. August 13, 2009, archived from the original on May 12, 2009 ; accessed on February 28, 2016 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cyclonerecords.ca
  15. ↑ Jason Ritchie: 10 Questions: Moxy (Interview, March 2015). In: getreadytorock.me.uk. March 24, 2015, accessed February 28, 2016 .
  16. ↑ About Tommy Bolin. Classic rock. In: mtv.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  17. ^ Buzz Shearman and Moxy. In: airplaydirect.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  18. ↑ John Bush: Moxy. Artist Biography by John Bush. In: allmusic.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  19. ↑ Keith Pettipas: Moxy. Moxy. AllMusic Review by Keith Pettipas. In: allmusic.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016 .
  20. ↑ Andreas Schöwe: Moxy. V . In: (Hard Rock & Metal) Hammer . January 2002, Reviews, p. 92 .
  21. ↑ Tony Jasper, Derek Oliver: The International Encyclopedia of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal . Facts on File Inc., New York 1983, ISBN 0-8160-1100-1 , pp. 228 f .
  22. ↑ Martin Popoff : The Collector's Guide of Heavy Metal Volume 2: The Eighties . Collectors Guide Ltd, Burlington, Ontario, Canada 2005, ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5 , pp. 235 .
  23. ↑ Martin Popoff: The Collector's Guide of Heavy Metal Volume 3: The Nineties . Collectors Guide Ltd, Burlington, Ontario, Canada 2007, ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9 , pp. 297 .

Web links