Welcome to the official Simply Saucer Myspace! Here you will find up- to-date information about the band including tour dates, photos, reviews and press releases. We expect to add more information in the near future, including bios and links to other cool information
Emerging from the industrial city of Hamilton Ontario in the 1970’s, the band created a distinct and original sound that was decidedly out of step with the musical climate of the day. While most local acts emulated the popular sounds of the era, Saucer played edgy rock & roll that was a combination of early punk pre-cursors (Velvets, Stooges, Modern Lovers), krautrock (ala Can, Neu, early Kraftwerk), and U.K. prog/psyche (Hawkwind, Pink Fairies, Syd Barrett, both with and without Pink Floyd).
The origins of Simply Saucer date back to 1972, when leader, front man, guitar player/singer-songwriter Edgar Breau hooked up with five other avant-guard, record collecting musicians and began rehearsing in a large third story warehouse atop a clothing store in downtown Hamilton. Breau and friend David Byers, whose influences veered towards the N.Y. Dolls, Shangrillas, obscure Dutch bands and the Velvets, were the principal songwriters in the band. The original pieces were long, improvised jams played on empty bottles, audio generators, theremins, keyboards, sax, flute, electric guitars and drums. Fed up with the band's inability to land live gigs, Byers and keyboard player Paul Colilli eventually left the band. Besides Breau, bass player, Kevin Christoff, became the other perennial member of Simply Saucer. His groundbreaking bass lines, showing influences like the Soft Machine's Hugh Hopper and Cream's Jack Bruce, gave the Saucer its trademark punk/prog sound.
After paring down to a four-piece line-up, the new mean and lean Simply Saucer, with the help of manager Rick Bissell, entered the basement studio of brothers Bob and Daniel Lanois to record six songs which they hoped would land them a recording deal with a major label. Alas, the Canadian music industry at the time was mired in the conventionalities that produced steady sales but little vision and none would sign the quartet or release their recording. By 1976 a nascent punk music scene was beginning to develop in London and New York and soon Toronto began to follow suit. A reinvigorated version of Simply Saucer, featuring ex-Teenage Head guitar player Steve Park, emerged and began playing gigs, starting with Rock Shock at the Masonic Temple and shortly thereafter Outrage. The band released the single "She's A Dog" on Pig Records in 1978, to great reviews in England's New Music Express, which called it the “Pick Hit Single of the Week”. Internal tensions began to surface as various band members led increasingly erratic lives and the quirkiness of the song writing led to a certain "otherness" from the Toronto "punk experience".
By 1979, the Toronto club scene had begun to dissipate and the individual members of the band began exploring new paths. Breau detuned his guitar ala John Fahey, sold all his electric gear and began a new career as a solo artist. Steve Park moved to Montreal and the band ceased operations. Breau retreated to a secluded base with his Laskin guitar, to hone his skills as a singer-songwriter and explore Fahey/Basho influenced acoustic composing modes. Almost thirty years would pass before he would own an electric guitar again or appear on stage with Simply Saucer.
It was only much later that the general public and music journalists first became aware of just how groundbreaking the Lanois recording session had been! The six studio songs, combined with an explosive live set (performed in 1975 atop Hamilton’s then new premier downtown shopping mall), were finally released in 1989 in a limited vinyl edition on Bruce Mowat’s fledgling label Mole Sound Recordings. An expanded version of the album was re-released as a compact disk in 2003 by Sonic Unyon.
Critical acclaim for Simply Saucer mounted exponentially over the years, with prestigious publications like the London Sunday Times and Pitchfork printing rave reviews. In December 2005, the UK’s UNCUT Magazine named Cyborgs Revisited one of the Top 20 international re-releases of the year.
The unusual history of the band and its penchant for resonating with younger audiences and bands kept the flame alive inspiring a loyal cult following; even Sonic Youth name-checked Saucer when they played a Canadian gig in Hamilton with Neil Young. Requests from fans in North America and abroad to reform the band continued to make their way to Breau until he was eventually persuaded to do a reunion appearance in September of 2006. Soon after, the band with an invigorated line-up, was playing Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and New York City.
Today, the band is poised and remarkably ready to claim its place in Canadian music history. Amazingly, for a band that never released a full album while together, Simply Saucer has recently garnered extraordinary prominence in music journalist Bob Mersereau's "The Top 100 Canadian Albums", placing thirty-sixth in the polling of music industry scions, musicians and critics. The "amazing story" of "the band that refused to die", is being told far and wide to audiences young and old. In November 2007, Simply Saucer was recognized at the 2007 Dofasco Hamilton Music Awards along with the Band, Daniel Lanois and Teenage Head. The story of this remarkable band is now being documented in a film directed by Gregory Bennett (Wal-Mart Nation). Click here to preview Low Profile.
In 2008 Simply Saucer released Half Human Half Live on Sonic Unyon Records to enthusiastic reviews. Tour dates in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, London, Detroit and Chicago followed in support of the recording. A major appearance at Terrastock Fest in Louisville KY followed.
In early 2009, Simply Saucer entered Napier Park Studio in Dundas Ontario along with original members David Byers and Paul Colilli to record improvised ambient music for a future new release.
New York City’s Anthology Recordings have released digitally the band’s latest recording, Saucerland, an official bootleg consisting of rare archival material dating from 1974 to 1979. Extensive liner notes written by bassist Kevin Christoff and Edgar Breau detail the origins of these songs. It’s available for download at Anthology Recordings .
In October 2009 Simply Saucer were featured performers at Scion Garage Fest in Portland Oregon U.S.A. along with Rocky Erickson and Black Lips.
