Harlequin

George On Golf

2011-07-07T20:33:00.011-06:00

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

2011-03-14T13:28:00.004-06:00

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

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

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

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)

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 (:)

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

2009-08-13T08:30:00.002-06:00

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

2009-06-04T22:22:00.002-06:00

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

2009-05-05T16:10:00.003-06:00

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

George's Newsletter Feb 08

2008-02-21T22:30:00.002-06:00

George’s News

It’s been long c-c-c-ccold winter so how are you c-c-c-c-coping? C-c-c-cac-c-cooning? C-c-c-c-canning kumquats? C-c-c-c-canceling appointments? Hey, it sure is fun running into people that visit our website!! The photos fans send of themselves or of the band are very much appreciated! I only wish we could post them all!! Unfortunately a lot of them haven’t made it past the censors … who have absolutely no sense of humor... “Heavy sigh”… effen guys!! A little nudity and debauchery never killed anyone … in this band … yet!! Oh! The mammaries!! EH! I think there’s something wrong with my spell-check!
Here at Quin Headquarters we’ve been busy writing music for our next project. We’re thinking maybe of two releases this year!! We’ve been accumulating live recordings and have quite a bit of material in the can already, but we’re finding the latest versions only get better! So we’ll give it until the end of this summer. Therefore next time we’re in your area make sure you come out and make a lot of noise so we can get your rowdy behavior recorded for posterity!
It’s been a pleasure having A J on board as our new drummer!! We will be outing our new promo shot with him in it very soon!!
Keep on Rockin’

Update From A.J.

2007-12-08T23:52:00.000-06:00

Greetings... Darren says it's time for a newsletter from the rookie. So... for those of you who haven't caught a show in the last few months, I'm A.J., nice to meet ya! First calls for Harlequin stick duties came for me in the spring of '94 and sporadic gigs have ensued since then. The full time position was offered this past spring shortly after the release of 'Waking the Jester'.( Good timing for me! ). In the light of the release of ' Rise' and ' Shine on ', there have been great gigs and great times. Highlights would have to be our October 24th show with Heart at the MTS Centre. Not a bad Winnipeg debut for myself with the band. It was great to see all the support from family, friends and fans. My nephew Austin even caught a drumstick! A couple of weeks ago proved to be one hell of a raucous night in the Kamloops arena with Kenny and the boys. It was great to see a B.C. crowd of a thousand plus on their feet from start to finish. Definitely a prairie party in the mountains. Good times. As for the characters I get to spend these Hallmark moments with, George, Darren, Derrick and Uncle Nik, let's just say recess starts when we meet at the airport. Top notch guys, great players and thankfully all possess a penchant for a good adolescent giggle and an undying devotion to anything Beatles. Even with various projectiles aimed at the drumkit which seemingly always come from stage Darren to occasional tom and cymbal stand tipping from Nik, it's a pleasure sharing a stage with these guys. So... Pick up a CD online and help us decide which song from the album should be released as the next single. Better yet come out to a show near you, if it's not near you, make a road trip out of it. Our Christmas show at mybar in Winnipeg( Sat. Dec. 22 ) should be chalk full of Ho Ho Ho's and Christmas cheer. As a bonus you can sit on St. Nik's lap after the show with your wish list. Nice chatting with you , hope to see you soon. A.J. P.S. Allow me to indulge my inner Nugent for a moment... Any of our rural Manitoba ( or Saskatchewan ) landowner fans needing to rid their pastures of pesky ( albeit tasty! ) four legged critters of the white tail variety, please feel free to contact me personally to help you come up with a solution. Bon appetit!

Darren November 2007 update

2007-11-10T17:35:00.000-06:00

Hey friends of Harlequin…..it’s time for an update…..so I’ll throw what I’ve got in the pot.
Well so far we’ve had a great year…performed in front of thousands of folks across the country, released our new CD Waking The Jester, with two singles “Shine On” and “Rise”, with a third single on the way. This is the biggest year Harlequin has had since…well we really can’t remember…we’ll just say since back in the day (you’ll have to ask George, I’m one of the new kids).
We’ve been courted and picked up by a European distributor and are selling the CD all over the world, yes really….so if you haven’t got yours yet, please, please support us starving musicians and grab a copy at your local CD shoppe. If they don’t have it in stock, just request one, it takes a day or two for delivery. If you’re more inclined to shop online, you can purchase one from either of our sites http://www.harlequintheband.com/ or http://www.myspace.com/harlequinrocks no excuses now! Also check out the sites for pix, show dates and general info. BTW, if you have any pictures you’d like to share just e-mail them to us at harlequinrock@gmail.com and we’ll gladly post them. (If you’re taking pictures of me, make sure to get my left side?)
I know I’ve offered this before to our Newsletter members and have delivered at almost every show….but the first four people that request admittance to one of our shows in your neighbourhood, will get in on behalf of the band. So keep in touch…if possible we will grant you access to our backstage area (where restrictions allow) to meet and hang and have photo opps. If this doesn’t impress you, we’ll have Nik, AJ, George and Derrick perform a comedy routine for you (I don’t like being laughed at, other than on stage (: )
For you easterners, yes we are planning on coming your way, hopefully sooner than later. We are also looking into some international touring in the New Year, based on the success of our CD release. There are some other exciting “things” on the scope, however politics doesn’t allow me to expose any details yet…..(don’t cha hate when someone starts a story and won’t finish it?)
Ciao for now
Darren Moore aka Big Time

Newsletter from Darren

2007-07-27T15:25:00.000-06:00

It's hotter than hell on the prairies....yea haw! But we can take it, cold drinks, good tans, warm water and skimpy clothing..it's all good.

We've put on a few miles so far this summer and met alot of you Internet people face to face finally...whether we met via our newsletter or myspace.

The first single "Shine On" made quite a bit of headway in Canada, into Europe, online radio and poked it's nose out a wee into the US. We thought since the summer is still young and our summer touring is not nearly over yet, we'd release the second single. So we have..."Rise" has been sent to radio stations and will hopefully be on the airwaves over the next few weeks. Soooo..... again we'll respectfully ask for your support in calling your local radio stations and requesting Rise or Shine On...it REALLY helps us get on the air and chart. Let me know how it goes.

BTW.... I did send and hand out some CD`s and merchandise to some of you folks that went over the top, to help us market the first single. Thanks again, every little thing means alot to us. Let us know what you have done, it helps us track for marketing purposes.

Congratulations to our guitar player Derrick Gottfried and his better half (seriously).....he is a proud father for the first time, to a son aptly named Hendrix, (Derrick believes his life won`t change much.) The rest of us bite our lips.

Congratulations to Nik Rivers our bass player, for being nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for writing our last newsletter, under the pen name of Uncle Nik.

Congratulations to George Belanger our lead singer, for more than keeping up with some of us rowdies and pulling us out of bed in the mornings to hit the next gig. We also want to congratulate him at practising on keeping his snoring at around 84 DB, just under permanent hearing damage volume. (Planes are not immune either.)

Just because I don`t want to be left out....congratulations to me for being seriously drank under the table, by 61 year old vocalist Dan McCafferty, of Nazareth last weekend. I still hurt (really)!

and finally, congratulations to those of you that read this far.

Thanks again,

Darren Moore
Harlequin

Post from Nik

2007-06-27T17:49:00.001-06:00

Hi kids and welcome to Camp Harlequin. My name is Uncle Nik Rivers and I’ll be your camp councilor. The summer season is upon us and we’ve got a busy schedule ahead of us, with lots of fun filed activities for all you boys and girls!

As you may know the band has just released our new recording titled Waking The Jester available at finer music stores across North America, on-line from our web site or best of all in person at one of our live shows!

Everyone in the band is really excited about the new CD and we know the new songs really put some kick into our shows. I’ve been in the band for a really long time (150 years) and along with our classic songs, this is the best Harlequin has ever performed and sounded. What I’m trying to say is check out our site, find out when we’re playing at a venue near you and come check us out! Our website always has the tour dates on it.

This newsletter won’t be too long because Uncle Nik is lazy, but I want to let you know that we really want to see or hear from you this summer, we really mean it. In fact we were once voted second friendliest band in Canada (I think Fred Penner was first).

There is one more thing that you can do for us this summer besides learning how to paddle a canoe, if you haven’t heard our new single “Shine On” on the radio yet, give you’re local station a call and tell them to give it a spin.

I’d love to stay but I have to throw another log on the fire and don’t forget if you need anything at all, advice or tip maybe some personal counseling, drop me a line. ROCK ON KIDS!

NIK RIVERS

http://www.harlequintheband.com/

www.myspace.com/harlequinrocks

2007-04-27T13:18:00.000-06:00

WINNIPEG, Manitoba. – April 25th, 2007

2006 Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees Harlequin is pleased to announce the release of the much heralded “Waking The Jester.” Harlequin gained its foothold as a staple Canadian classic rock artist in the eighties and has recently been regaining much national attention, with the re-emergence of today’s classic rock radio format. The band is gearing up to tour Canada immediately, in support of the new CD, which delivers both the power and finesse expected by their existing fans and new younger audiences who are discovering classic rock. The band has recently been performing from coast to coast, playing to capacity audiences at arenas, festivals and other venues.
Lead Vocalist George Belanger stated; “The CD title “Waking The Jester” implies that we are picking up from where we left off after the first three albums. We spent over a year crafting 13 new tunes in the true flavor of Harlequin and in the spirit of good classic rock. Based on initial audience response and my personal opinion, this is some of the strongest material Harlequin has ever produced!”
The CD is a collaborative effort shared between George Belanger, Derrick Gottfried, Darren Moore and Nick Rivers. Harlequin’s line up is fronted by original singer/songwriter George Belanger. George is joined by Derrick Gottfried on guitar, Darren Moore on guitar and keyboards and Nick Rivers on bass. Darren and Derrick have also stepped out on this album, sharing the vocal spotlight with George, each performing a track adding their distinct energy to the CD. Original writer and guitarist Glen Willows also performs on a track.
The CD release party is slated for June 1st in hometown Winnipeg MB. at the Canad Inns venue “Silverados.” The new show combines all the components of a classic rock concert performance, accentuated with the theatrics of choreographed dancers and performers.

Harlequin has signed a 3 year distribution deal with Fontana North. Fontana North is the result of a partnership between leading Canadian independent music distributor MapleNationWide and Fontana Distribution, the U.S. based independent distribution arm of the Universal Music Group.

Interview, Advertising & Sponsorship Contact:
Email: harlequinrock@gmail.com

http://www.harlequintheband.com/
www.myspace.com/harlequinrocks

CD Release post from George

2007-04-16T15:20:00.000-06:00

Things are happening fast and furious in the Harlequin Camp. As some of you may know our new release “Waking the Jester” is being pressed already! It’s been a long but worthwhile process. We did a lot of the tracking on Darren’s Pro-Tool rig in his home…. not hard to take… pool, sauna and a well stocked bar, but also availed ourselves of our good friend and sometime soundman, Howard Klopak’s Groove Jungle Studio. We did all the drums at Howard’s as well as some guitars, vocals, mixing and mastering.

We were fortunate enough to have a great complement of guests on this project. Most of the drum tracks were done by Steve Broadhurst, a well known session drummer and much in demand as a live performer. He keeps busy doing a lot of musicals that come to town too. He plays a lot of styles and is one of the most versatile players I’ve ever played with! Amanda Stott, Jack Semple, Eagle and Hawk, All the King’s Men are only a few of the artists that he performs with. He first started playing with me 14 yrs. Ago, so he’s no stranger to any Harlequin fan.

We also had the pleasure of using Brent Fitz, another Winnipeger who’s made his mark in the industry! One of the most accomplished, natural musicians I have ever met. Perfect pitch, a vast knowledge of musical theory, harmonies, great instincts and a hell of a piano player. It’s a shame we only worked with him as a drummer on three tracks. Brent is currently playing with Theory of a Deadman and has played with the likes of Vince Neil from Motley Crue fame, Alice Cooper, Union a band comprised of heavy hitters from a number of classic rock artists (Bruce Kulick of Kiss, John Corrabi of Motley Crue, James Hunting of David Lee Roth) and Living Under Venus with Darren. I’ll never forget the first time I played with him. He asked to sit in on a few tunes … I knew he was a great player so I had no qualms about it. It was only after the song ended that I realized he’d never played the song before and he’d pulled it off as if he’d been with us from the start so we played a few more and had a blast. He confessed afterwards that he was a Harlequin fan for many years, but that still didn’t explain how he followed the arrangement changes that were not on the recordings!!

Most of the people reading this would know and recognize the name “Spider”, the legendary bassist for Streetheart, Tom Cochrane and currently playing with Loverboy. I’ve had the pleasure of playing and recording with him several times and in my mind is one of the greatest bass players Canada has ever produced. Well let me introduce you all to Jim Cote out of Calgary who is without a doubt right up there in the same league as Spider! I first met Jim 5 minutes before we stepped on stage together to do a one and a half hour show without the benefit of one single rehearsal. I won’t get into all the details but we had an emergency and needed a bass player to fill in with very little notice. Jim was given a tape and a few days to learn the show. He had worked with Darren on the “Living Under Venus” project and knew already that he was an accomplished player, but I was absolutely blown away that night by his playing, as he not only played the whole set perfectly, but also added his own signature to many of the parts! As good as he is he remains very modest about his abilities and is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He has some writing credits on this album so it was only natural that he play on a few tracks and his parts really established a groove for the rest of us. He is a rock solid player that should be recognized as one of the best.

I’m pretty excited about this project and part of the reason is that I know the next one will be even better due to my association with all the guys involved. We have a new website that will be launched simultaneously with the disc. Stay tuned for that! As well as being released in all the stores soon, we will also make the songs available online. We will also be personally responding to any fan mail at the new site.

Silverado’s will be hosting our release party on June 1st. We’re working with some “acrobatic dancers” who have choreographed a “Waking The Jester” introduction to the show. 92 CITI FM will be presenting the show and we will be doing a “live” unplugged studio show at the station in the near future to promote the upcoming date. We’re really looking forward to it as we have been rehearsing already.

Keep on Rockin’… George

Grey Cup Post From George

2006-11-21T14:22:00.000-06:00

We recently played the Winnipeg Convention Center for the Grey Cup festivities and got to meet fans from all across the country. It’s always remarkable talking to people that grew up listening to the band… almost like talking to members of your own family! Lately, our fan base seems to be getting broader as younger people become exposed to our “radio hits”. There was a real party atmosphere as you can imagine, with all those football fans primed and stoked, arriving after the game! As most of them were visiting from out of town they had no problem “getting loose”.
I spoke to one guy who said he’d seen the band a long time ago in Vancouver and was so happy we were still going! He said we sounded even better this time. He bought a couple of CD’s to take home to friends and was praising our new tunes!! Man!!! It is so much fun to meet people like that!
The band was energized and played amazingly that night!! I’m so proud of this line-up! It seems there are a few members of the band “excluding me”… who draw the attention of young females!! I think it’s @#%&^ great!!

Rock On!
George

Update From George

2006-11-09T19:59:00.000-06:00

As some of you already know we’re pretty excited about our upcoming release! We’ve all been working hard on the new tunes and it’s been a rush getting back into songwriting mode with this line-up! I had taken a long hiatus from writing for various reasons, but the prime one, being motivation. Dealings with record companies left a bad taste in my mouth that lingered for years, but once I started in earnest again, I rekindled the joy I have always found in the creative process … it’s fun again!!
The new tunes will have a definite Harlequin feel but with the new production values that are available today. We have previewed a few tunes in our live show and the response has been phenomenal!! In all my years of doing this I have never witnessed a reaction from the fans as positive as we’ve been getting!
We also managed to get Glen Willows to do a few licks on the new project between his busy schedule as a manager for several young bands that are “ thanks to Glen” finding major success and his current stint as a bureaucrat with MARIA. Glen also still plays with us on occasion when time permits. When Derrick and Glen play together it truly is “magic”. They play so well together, I wish it could happen every night!
In my next newsletter I plan to tell “road stories” as I have had many requests to do so. Just trying to figure out how to creatively edit them!

Rock On!
George

Newsletter from Derrick

2006-10-30T12:13:00.000-06:00

Here we are as we near the end of 06. It has been a busy schedule for the band and not just in the live show arena. We are all working in eager anticipation towards finishing the new album. The songs are written and recorded and we are currently adding the finishing details. We feel that we have been successful in our approach to capture the spirit of classic Harlequin in this new offering of music. The material is written and recorded in the spirit of Victim Of a Song, Love Crimes and One False Move, yet in 13 new songs. I hope you're as anxious as we are for this new disc to drop. We will soon inform you all as to the release date and any CD release events that follow.... On October 22,in our hometown of Winnipeg, Harlequin was officially inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The 5 original members were all on hand to accept the award and perform. Thinking Of You and Innocence fit perfectly into the 8 minutes slotted for the Harlequin performance at the award ceremony. The audience agreed that it was the highlight of the evening as the entire crowd, in the Burton Cummings Theatre were on their feet for the band’s entire performance. It was evident throughout the evening just how influential Harlequin continues to be in Canadian rock & roll.
Original bassist Ralph James accepted other awards on behalf of bands, for which he acts as their agent, and original guitarist Glen Willows was nominated for Manager of the Year. This evening was truly a magical night for the band, and coming from me Harlequin rocked that show!
Watch for us in your area. Nov 10 & 11 you can catch us at our regular Winnipeg "house gig" Joe's Garage. Nov 19 we will be playing at the Winnipeg Convention Centre as a part of the Grey Cup celebration. This is the 3rd year in a row that we have been a part of Canada's biggest sporting event. Last year, after the game in Vancouver, Harlequin played to a capacity crowd at the legendary Commodore Room. It was a blast as people were there from all over the country; we are looking forward to this year.
We are always happy to be back in Alberta; Dec 15, 16 & 17, we will be in Fort McMurray at the Boomtown Casino. Dec 29 & 30 we are back in Edmonton for 2 nights at the Century Casino. On New Years Eve we will join Prism, Helix and the Headpins in Victoria for a Classic Rock New Years bash at the Bear Mountain Arena.
Please come out to a show when we are in you're area. Support the band, come say hi, hang out & have a drink with us. We will be selling the new CD at shows ASAP, hopefully even before the official release date.
We will update you regularly, however, check your local listings and http://www.harlequintheband.com/ and we will see you soon...

Derrick Gottfried

Update From Darren

2006-10-24T20:09:00.000-06:00

We apologize for the length of time between posts......we've been touring?.....sleeping on benches.......eating protein bars.....recording .....standing outside smoking.......watching SouthPark......drilling & hammering things......accepting awards..........making bigtime plans......you know really busy! Last weekend the original band members accepted their well deserved award and were inducted into the Western Canadian Hall Of Fame and played a couple O'tunes for the folks. They were great...some of us junior members had a great time, although we'd rather have been on stage. You know..we require at least 15 hours a month on stage, for self ego consumption, or we shrivel up, (some more than others), not unlike swimming in a cold pool?

We're in final "decision-making" throws of the new CD........we can hardly wait for it's reception by the public.....it seriously rocks! Once we decide on how it's to be released....we'll post "snippets" on the site for your review and comments.

Harlequin 2006

2006-07-23T14:32:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Harlequin's forum, you may post and share your comments and pixs with the friends of H.
Feel free to ask the band and its members questions ................................... watch for posts from band members.