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Gin
Lane -- History
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Gin Lane is a band that has existed in
many varying formats for the better part of the last 15 years. The band
was started by three musicians who started learning and performing fife
and drum at three different historic sites: Fort George, Fort Henry
and Fort York. Despite this initial bad planning the group had all met
by 1987 and performed some fife and drum music together. Quickly it
was realized that 18th and early 19th century fifing and drumming were
somewhat limited in scope (for long-term entertainment of a crowd anyway),
but the music written to be performed on those instruments was abundant.
Playing through various period music manuals at work led to learning
and performing on different instruments (bodhran and tin whistle mostly).
This led a variety of gatherings, (most of which had a required competitive
drinking element) and might loosely be described as practices. A general
enjoyment of performing this music together led the group to busque
by the Eaton's Centre, the occasional bar, (between other bands' sets)
and at a few re-enactment events. In embryonic band form the group recorded
some tunes on the tape "The Fifes and Drums of the 41st Regiment
of Foot" 1990 recorded at Fort George. |
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In May of 1993, the group officially formed as the 'Three Big Dummies' for the first time, opening for the band Tanglefoot at Fort York's Simcoe Landing event. Playing a 7 song opening act incorporating War Pipes, fife, tin whistles, gong, snare drum, and bodhran. (You've never heard "Kevin's Polka" until you've heard it on War pipes, Gong and Snare drum) Following the ancient folk musicians' creed that you should form the band first and then learn some instruments, in the next year, the band began purchasing, learning and incorporating several new instruments, the Scottish small pipes, the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer, Irish Flute, and Hammered Dulcimer. Undeterred by not knowing how to play their instruments well, in 1994
the group recorded a demo tape and changed the name of the Band to 'Malarky'
a name that no one liked but was somehow calculated to make a better impression
than The recording featured the tunes "Follow me down to Carlow, Austen Barretts/The Milkmaid, Shebeg and Shemore, We brought the summer with us (Thugamar)/Song of the Chanter/Albina, and the Cuckoo's Nest". The tape was a full 15 minutes in length and was reviled as being too damn short. |
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Gathering fame and fortune as easily as the average person acquires monkey foot fungus, the band played a variety of hotspots in the Ontario/Upstate New York regions. Some venues you may have accidentally seen them at are Tottenham, Bradford, Fort Mississauga, Fort Stanwix, Fort Ticonderoga, Carnegie Hall, Fort York, Fort George, Fort Niagara, MacKenzie House, Spadina House, the Angel Inn, Schoharie, King City, Kitchener City Hall, Bellvue retirement home, Riverview Hospital's long term palliative care unit, Sydenham, Carp (okay just outside), Black Creek Pioneer Village, Montgomery's Tavern and Eganville. (O.K. not really at Carnegie Hall) In 2001, in fine tradition the band put out another recording (" The Idle 'Prentices") and changed its name again. This most recent incarnation is known as Gin Lane (from William Hogarth's 'Gin Lane' and 'Beer Street' pictures of the 18th century). Beer Street shows the industrious hard working and responsible folks and Gin Lane the debauched, drunken and hopeless cases of humanity. I'm not sure why we picked the latter over the former... |
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The new recording features the tunes:
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The Idle 'prentices was recorded at the African Hit Factory in Niagara on the Lake (Ontario, Canada) by Frank Ditillio. Contact us to contact Frank. Cover image is an edit of photo by Eric Lorenzen |
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How to Contact us
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How to purchase a
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| © Gin Lane 2004-2005 | updated
June 21, 2005
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-- design by Paradux Communications |
the
Three Big Dummies. (Unlike many of the other suggested names- Pinocchio
Pants, Magenta Placenta and Wildwood Fudge)