The Spoons
Formed in 1980, from the heart of suburbia in Burlington, Ontario, Gordon Deppe, Sandy Horne, Rob Preuss and Derrick Ross would soon make spoons a different kind of household word. Their unique brand of upbeat, danceable music quickly became anthems to legions of fans. Three albums, various EPs and a movie soundtrack produced such hit songs as Nova Heart, Arias & Symphonies, Old Emotions, Tell No Lies and Romantic Traffic. Several major tours led to the Spoons working side by side with key 80s artists such as The Police, Culture Club and Simple Minds. Both the Arias & Symphonies and Talk Back albums achieved gold status in Canada.
In 1986, Rob and Derrick were replaced by Scott MacDonald and Steven Kendry. Two more albums, Bridges Over Borders and Vertigo Tango, were released. Singles including Bridges Over Borders, When Time Turns Around and the hit Waterline led to more North American tours.
Then suddenly it was 1990, the end of possibly one of the most musically adventurous decades ever. A different kind of "new wave" was in motion and, apart from the odd special appearance, the Spoons had wound down to allow for various solo projects. But then, in 1995, the release of the Collectible Spoons compilation CD led to one of the band's most successful national tours ever. As it turned out, something that would soon be known as "retro 80s" was about to break. Who could have predicted the sheer size of the phenomenon that was looming just around the corner, when old and new fans alike would rediscover a brand of music not yet a decade old?
Today the Spoons are enjoying more radio airplay than they have in years. The re-release of their highly acclaimed Arias & Symphonies album (Universal Music) marked the end of a decade, aptly reflected by plenty of recognition and praise on end-of-the-millennium charts, countdowns and best-of-the-80s compilation CDs. Increased demand for live performances led to a show-stopping appearance at The Mix 99.9 FM's huge outdoor Victoria Day concert in Toronto, a live-to-air (and internet) broadcast for CFNY-FM and a televised in-studio performance on Much Music.
From the dance club to the symphony stage, a double vinyl set of four remixes of Nova Heart became available to clubs and deejays internationally and the Spoons found themselves performing their classics with a full symphony orchestra. Most recently, a Live In Concert DVD was released by Much More Music/Linus Entertainment, their songs appeared on a 20th Century Masters double CD (Universal Music) and a new, long awaited album has finally hit the streets. Aptly entitled "Unexpected Guest At A Cancelled Party", the CD is packed with previously unreleased recordings and concert favourites from the vintage 1982 - 1985 years.
Maybe it's time you saw the Spoons for yourself ... again ... or for the first time.