Well you’ve all heard the rumors and it is true …

There is a change in the Harlequin line up. I am pleased to announce that without hard feelings or any rancor whatsoever there has been a change of the guard.

Original Harlequin member, Gary Golden is replacing Darren Moore who has moved on to do his own thing. Darren is pursuing his entrepreneurial projects in both the business and music worlds. Keeping one foot in performing you can catch him fronting the “Snake Oil Sinners”. We wish him all the best and if you want to check him out, you can find him on Facebook or throughwww.snakeoilsinners.com.

We will also be updating our website soon to reflect the changes and look forward to seeing you all down the road.

Rock On!

George

2012 George

It seems some of the boys didn’t like my last posting as it was golf related! They are of the opinion that golf is for old men. I totally get it…. as that was my opinion for a long time too.

Nik was to do the next posting but I guess he’s been too busy knitting, curling and stamp collecting!  : )

Derek has never posted anything either as he is too busy lifting heavy objects, then seeing chiropractors and physiotherapists! But in fairness I don’t think they have access to the internet in the boonies yet!  : )

AJ hasn’t posted in some time either as he has been out golfing with me most of the time! 

Darren has been too busy travelling to Dubai selling water to the Arabs! J When he can’t seal a deal over there he introduces them to his “Stonewall Handshake” which will be the subject of Nik’s next posting I’m sure, as he’s already developing a T-Shirt! (This is an inside joke that we will gladly divulge to anyone asking in the privacy of our dressing room, as long as there are no agents lurking about!  Enough said!)

Gary Golden, the original keyboardist for the band had to sub in for Darren a few weeks back and did a spectacular job … it was like wearing an old shoe … no offense Gary!

Derrick was only too happy to let Gary play all the slide guitar parts. Thank God that Gary left his old red leather pants at home. Oh! That’s right I forgot … we burned them in a small ceremony behind the arena in Sault Ste Marie a long time ago!

   

OK I can’t stand it anymore … I have to tell everyone who cares that I shot an 80 last Sunday as witnessed by AJ. I’m pretty damn proud of myself! : )

We will be going East and West this summer playing lots of outdoor gigs and hope to see you all there.

   

BTW A Company in England has re-mastered our Love Crimes album! They have enhanced it with old photos and interviews too! It’s pretty slick!

You can order your copy at:  www.rockcandyrecords.com

                                                                                                George

George On Golf

Greetings All,

I was out golfing the other day with David Budzak (original Harlequin drummer) and AJ Chabidon (current Harlequin drummer) and ironically, an original roadie (Bob Robinson).
It was a very relaxed outing as we are all comfortable in each others presence due to our years of acquaintance and frankly, the soothing effects of just the right amount of alcohol! We also send out the odd “smoke signal” to the mosquito population warning them our blood is no good to them. We do like to have fun and don’t take ourselves too seriously as athletes.
There are only a handful of sports that can be played while consuming alcohol and I dare say … I enjoy them all! Pool, bowling, curling, darts and softball. Don’t get the wrong idea …I’m not a hopeless drunk but rather I’m a casual imbiber. I like to temper my intake with a little physical activity so as to maintain a certain balance … on my feet…
It was a beautiful day, about 23 degrees, a slight breeze working to our advantage on most holes and just enough cloud cover to keep those nasty UV rays from causing us any more wrinkles.
Golf is all about camaraderie, sportsmanship, and the pleasure telling of lies, jokes and in our case … road stories. It is also a great place to vent about your life away from those all seeing and all hearing … spouses!!
My wife understands that the safety valve needs releasing on a regular basis and let’s me golf anytime I wish … excluding her birthday which … Thank God … is in February. I always come home in a great mood which she appreciates.
I started out the day with a par as did Bob who was riding with me. We high-fived each other and smirked at AJ and Dave who share much in common: they both play drums, they’re both lefties and they both … started with bogies.
The next hole was a Par 5 and it is Dave’s nemesis! He always starts out by telling us how much he hates this hole. So naturally … he double bogied it. The rest of us got pars.
On the par threes… which the next hole was … we play closest to the hole for “Twoonies”,… but you have to make the par in order to collect or it’s a carry over.
You can also collect a “twoonie” for a birdie regardless if you made the green or not. It is possible to do both and really cash in! lol
AJ was bemoaning the fact that he’d left his “Aiming Juice” at home. We usually enjoy a little snort from his hip flask on the first par 3. It is, we’re told, an old Scottish tradition that began at the turn of the century to ward off the effects of the cold coastal winds at St. Andrews. Truth or not … we don’t care, we just enjoy!
I managed to collect six dollars on this hole but this was to be my only shining moment of the day.
The next hole is normally a par four but due to a deluge the previous night the tees were moved up and the hole became a par three. Nobody won that hole so it became a carry over.
I’m not going to bore you with a play by play description of the whole day but the real reason for writing this blog was to inform you all that not only did we have a great time but I dare say, we all had one of the best games of our lives!!
AJ had an exceptional day! On the #7 par 5 he managed to put his drive out about 265 yards but it caught the tall grass at the edge of the fairway. His second shot was a monster that put him about 14 feet from the whole. He then blew our minds with an EAGLE putt!
The cart girl happened to waiting for us to come off the green and AJ was cajoled into buying a round for the boys. I think there are permanent creases in AJ’s cheeks from the grin that never left his face for the remainder of the day and possibly the entire week.
If that wasn’t enough … he then proceeded to win a triple carry over with a BIRDIE! Kafriggenching …8 bucks apiece from each of us and bragging rights for life.
Every year we get together for what we call “The Fall Classic” which consists of three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) at an undisclosed cabin which is located near 3 gorgeous golf courses. Some of us go out on the Thursday evening to set things up.
We usually get thousands of old range balls from a connection we have and drive those puppies into the lake from the shoreline before we set out to play. We also have pellet rifles for target practice and a ski boat as well as a small paddle boat you can be put in if you pass out.
In the evenings we enjoy copious amounts of protein and hops.
Then it’s poker time.
Last year I brought a copy of “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” which is in my opinion even a better spoof on the music industry than Spinal Tap.
Our sides were aching the next day but in spite of that I will put forth a motion that we watch it again this fall.
I guess AJ will be talked about at The Fall Classic as a legend has been created. The Eagle has landed and I can only hope the Eagle only flies on Fridays!


Have a great summer!
George

Brief

S'been too long since we've posted, our sincerest apologies.

What's going on? Well the band has decoded the secret to longevity;

1. Do what your heart desires and to hell with the consequences (morals are implied, well with most band members)


2. Be open minded and receptive to change. (Darren finally left his 80's hair on the barber's floor, Nik's just got to splurge for a new hat)


3. Make fans friends and communicate face to face at shows. (We try to say hi to everyone that wants to meet us. Unfortunately there isn't enough room or rider to satisfy everyone back stage, though we often try! Although some bands we often share the stage with don't appreciate our friends in their riders (:)


4. Laugh as often as you can. (see #1)

We are talking about recording some new material for the summer and are working up a new live show.

We are just starting to flesh out our summer tour dates and would like to hook up with you there. You can always find us at the merch booths after every show, so come over and share a laugh.

Till then warmest regards from George, Derrick, AJ, Nik and me, Mr. Dress-Up

A.J. Newsletter

Question: How many clowns does it take to get to Newfoundland and if one or two should happen to fall when there, do they make a sound? O.K. O.K. I'm allowed a couple of inside jokes. After all, I have to travel with this circus (Thank God!).

All kidding aside folks, it's been a helluva year thus far. Our new live CD “ON/Q” is flyin' high and we've been working it from B.C. to the Rock and everywhere in between. Hats off to all you “Quin's Kids” who have joined us in the numerous celebrations this year, celebrating thirty years of Harlequin and the one and only live CD, which was released on June 2nd. A fruitful labour of love, which I'm proud to a part of and a MUST to add to your collection. Hats off to Darren for the majority of the 'labour' portion.

Please see other areas of our website to add ON/Q to your collection, along with a new assortment of t-shirts,hats,hoodies etc. featuring an all new logo! Sorry, a little shameless merchandise plug took over for a second.

The shows have rocked, some of the summer highlights; definitely with Kenny Sheilds of Streetheart and the Pumps at Kenora's Harbourfest, Edmonton's Indy, and last weeks Maritime swing. Lots more to come this summer so keep posted to the website. Thanks once again Kenny and the boys, the Pumps/Ophan, April Wine, Ray Sawyer, Casey and the rest of Dr. Hook, Nazareth, Helix, and all of you friends of Quin, that keep comin' out. Let's keep summer rockin'... as they say on the Rock.. Lord Jesus them Harlequin boys was....rockin'. Keep in touch!

A. J.

P.S. The answer to the first two questions was five and yes! I'll talk to ya’ll again after Labour Day Long. Get well Ab.

Newsletter June 09

THEY’RE HERE!!!
Yes ladies and gentlemen, step right up a get your own copy of the new Harlequin release Live “ON/Q”. Fraught with mishap and misadventure, yet fun as hell to put together, we delivered as promised. We’ve been told by everyone that’s heard it so far that “This is the way the tunes should have been originally recorded!” Soooooooo at our most humble request, please support the starving musicians in Harlequin, by purchasing your copy from your local CD Shoppe or a hard copy or downloadable one from our website.
The sessions were recorded across Canada over the last year and a half. Where? We don’t know, but can make up a few names for you if you like. Just assume it was your home town at the last show you attended. Listen for yourself screaming uncontrollably in the background and tell your friends you were there. The CD is jam packed full of all our favourite tunz, from day one to current sessions:
WAKING THE JESTER
I DID IT FOR LOVE
SWEET THINGS IN LIFE
YOU ARE THE LIGHT
RISE
SURVIVE
HOW LONG
HELL OR HIGH WATER
SHE’S MY GIRL
SHINE ON
INBOUND TRAIN
THINKING OF YOU
SUPERSTITIOUS FEELING
INNOCENCE

We decided to re-release Superstitious Feeling as our single to radio. Why? Why not? Some of us felt that it didn’t get all the attention it deserved out of the gates on original release. The song ends with a ripped off version of Zeppelin’s Heartbreaker. So if you don’t buy the CD the least you can do is call your local radio station and get them to spin Superstitious Feeling.

On our website there is contest to see if you can name the band members and how often they appear on the front and back covers. We have had tonnes of guesses and no one’s got it yet. The first 10 people to guess get a free autographed CD.

Thanks from all the boize……

Darren Moore
Harlequin

George's Ramblings

George’s Ramblings

I’m a bit of a procrastinator at times … I was asked to write a newsletter and had it in the back of my mind, stewing, waiting for the creative juices to infuse my brain with little pearls of wisdom to impart to our fans and friends. I usually wait for a clear sign … you know… to point me in a direction … before I set a course. A starting point is what I require.
I’ve been hearing the expression for years …it’s the catch phrase of non believers … an expression my parents, teachers and other cliché-wielding folks have been using for centuries. “When pigs fly”. Well imagine my surprise this morning when the newspaper headline stated in big bold letters that it has finally happened! I still recall the lunar landing and it was a similar feeling I got then … yep there it was …Swine flu!
There are a few things to tell you. Firstly, our new CD will be in stores June 2nd! It’s called “On Q”. A play on our nickname “Quin”. It’s would have been out earlier but … as you up to date fans will recall … we had a burglary that involved a hard drive that had all our live recordings on it. Thankfully, Darren, our resident computer genius, was able to remove the files from a piece of gear the tunes had been processed through and extracted the raw material and patiently re-mixed and reprocessed all the data. The only problem is we can’t tell you where most of the songs were recorded as everything got scrambled in the retrieval process. We did them over quite a period of time and have only our own memories of the performances in question to go by. So remember, if you’d like o support us head down to your local CD vendor and request a copy!
As you will see by the CD liner notes, I am very pleased to have re-recorded these tunes because I feel the true “live” Harlequin sound has been finally captured. I only wish it were a DVD so you could see the fun we had doing this album. I think if you listen closely … you’ll hear our enjoyment! In fact the CD features not only a live collection of our greatest hits, but we have also captured each of the boys singing a new Harlequin tune too! We always have such a great time together, we’re thinking of putting out a live DVD of what goes on …after the show … it would be played on the Comedy Network, I’m sure. Do they play X-rated material?
Our first opportunity to get “On Q” to you will be at My Bar in the Canad-Inns on Regent Ave. May 30th in our hometown Winnipeg. Admission is free but you can get advance tickets by calling the Canad-Inns… apparently these won’t guarantee you admittance. Go figure!!
Well I think another pig just flu over the house and left a little something … actually it’s a raccoon and as hard as it is to believe … they do their business on my roof with … ahem …regularity. I’m going to the Goodwill to get me an Elmer Fudd hat and a used BB gun to deal with this situation! When it happened the first time, I phoned the roofing company and asked them to fire the party responsible for the offensive deposit. The fellow asked me how “fresh” the “package” was then reminded me they hadn’t been there for weeks. I mumbled an apology and hung up! The other day I noticed one of the little buggers sitting on my garage, doing his thing while looking through my kitchen window. He was watching “Dancing with the Stars” on the TV with my wife. Hell … I never get to do that!!
Hey … as long as we’re on the topic of excrement … did you all do your taxes yet? The “word” got tossed around quite a bit last week in my house. I hope they have a plan for that money to help our economy grow …if not … I have some extra fertilizer I’m not using!!
Well that’s it for me … til pig’s fly!
George