Eight Seconds
Encyclopedia
Eight Seconds was a new wave
-pop
band formed in 1982 in Ottawa
, Canada
. They are best known for their 1987 top-30 single "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)" from the full-length album Almacantar. The band's lineup included Andrés del Castillo (vocals
/guitar
), March Cesare (bass
), Frank Levin (keyboards
), Scott Milks (drum
s), and Marc Parent (guitar
).
Originally, Eight Seconds was a cover band
playing local bars in Ottawa, but one of their first originals, "Where's Bula," won the CHEZ 106's
Sharechez '83 homegrown contest. The winning prize was the production of a video for the song, which received airplay on MuchMusic
and MTV's
Basement Tapes show. "Where's Bula" also won the 1984 Canadian Film and Television Association's Best Music Video of the Year. In late 1985, the five-song EP Ottava Rima was released and charted in Ottawa both on CHEZ 106 FM and CFRA AM.
This EP was sent to producer Rupert Hine
who was impressed with the strength of the songwriting and flew to Canada to see them perform live. The band headlined an outdoor show in Ottawa with Hine in the audience. Hine was interviewed after the show and declared his interest in working with the band. With Hine now part of the band's equation Eight Seconds became a hot commodity and soon signed an international record deal with Polygram New York.
Eight Seconds spent the first two weeks of March 1986 in London England rehearsing songs from the previous EP along with new material. Then they joined Hine at his Farmyard Studios in Buckinghamshire to record the songs. The resulting CD, 'Almacantar' was released several months later on Polydor
. The band spent the end of 1986 and 1987 touring extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada in support of Almacantar, doing shows with Wang Chung, Paul Young, David Bowie among others. They also headlined their own shows in regions where the CD charted strongly.
The summer of 1987 found the band back in Canada as nominees for a Juno Award
in 1987 for "Most Promising Group" and six CASBY Award
s (Best Single, Most Promising Group, Best Group, Best Video, Best Album Art). The rest of the year was dedicated to writing new material and further rehearsal.
In March/April 1988 the band recorded their second CD, Big Houses using band Sass Jordan-guitarist Bill Beaudoin. However the Paul Northfield
produced album, to be released under their new label Warner Music Group was delayed due to management issues. This material remained on the shelf until 1990, damaging Eight Seconds' significant momentum, and that, combined with the dissolution of their U.S. record label ATCO
, led to the band breaking up shortly afterward.
Eight Seconds reunited in 2002 and covered "Hey Jude
" a track for the 2004 Bullseye Records release It Was 40 Years Ago Today: A Tribute To The Beatles.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
-pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band formed in 1982 in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They are best known for their 1987 top-30 single "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)" from the full-length album Almacantar. The band's lineup included Andrés del Castillo (vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
/guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), March Cesare (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Frank Levin (keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), Scott Milks (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s), and Marc Parent (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
).
Originally, Eight Seconds was a cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
playing local bars in Ottawa, but one of their first originals, "Where's Bula," won the CHEZ 106's
CHEZ-FM
CHEZ-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts classic rock at 106.1 FM in Ottawa. The station uses the brand name CHEZ 106 .-History:...
Sharechez '83 homegrown contest. The winning prize was the production of a video for the song, which received airplay on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
and MTV's
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Basement Tapes show. "Where's Bula" also won the 1984 Canadian Film and Television Association's Best Music Video of the Year. In late 1985, the five-song EP Ottava Rima was released and charted in Ottawa both on CHEZ 106 FM and CFRA AM.
This EP was sent to producer Rupert Hine
Rupert Hine
Rupert Neville Hine is an English musician, songwriter and prolific record producer, having produced albums for artists including Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Chris de Burgh, Suzanne Vega, Rush, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, and ...
who was impressed with the strength of the songwriting and flew to Canada to see them perform live. The band headlined an outdoor show in Ottawa with Hine in the audience. Hine was interviewed after the show and declared his interest in working with the band. With Hine now part of the band's equation Eight Seconds became a hot commodity and soon signed an international record deal with Polygram New York.
Eight Seconds spent the first two weeks of March 1986 in London England rehearsing songs from the previous EP along with new material. Then they joined Hine at his Farmyard Studios in Buckinghamshire to record the songs. The resulting CD, 'Almacantar' was released several months later on Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
. The band spent the end of 1986 and 1987 touring extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada in support of Almacantar, doing shows with Wang Chung, Paul Young, David Bowie among others. They also headlined their own shows in regions where the CD charted strongly.
The summer of 1987 found the band back in Canada as nominees for a Juno Award
Juno Awards of 1987
The Juno Awards of 1987, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 2 November 1987 in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. Howie Mandel was the host for the ceremonies, which were broadcast on CBC Television....
in 1987 for "Most Promising Group" and six CASBY Award
CASBY Award
The CASBY Award is a Canadian award for independent and alternative music, presented annually by Toronto, Ontario radio station CFNY, currently branded as 102.1 The Edge. The name CASBY stands for Canadian Artists Selected By You....
s (Best Single, Most Promising Group, Best Group, Best Video, Best Album Art). The rest of the year was dedicated to writing new material and further rehearsal.
In March/April 1988 the band recorded their second CD, Big Houses using band Sass Jordan-guitarist Bill Beaudoin. However the Paul Northfield
Paul Northfield
Paul Northfield is a prolific record producer and sound engineer, who has worked on albums by bands like Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, Rush and Suicidal Tendencies.-Selected discography:-External links:* * *...
produced album, to be released under their new label Warner Music Group was delayed due to management issues. This material remained on the shelf until 1990, damaging Eight Seconds' significant momentum, and that, combined with the dissolution of their U.S. record label ATCO
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
, led to the band breaking up shortly afterward.
Eight Seconds reunited in 2002 and covered "Hey Jude
Hey Jude
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song widely accepted as being written to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce—although this explanation is not...
" a track for the 2004 Bullseye Records release It Was 40 Years Ago Today: A Tribute To The Beatles.
Singles
- "Where's Bula?" (1986)
- "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous) / Land Of The Monster" (1987)
- "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous) / Land Of The Monster / Kiss You (extended mix)" [12"] (1987)
- "Where's Bula / Wings" & "Shoot the Moon / We Set Him Free" [2 x 7" singles] (1987)
- "Sincere (I Shall Return) / Commissioner St." (1987)
- "Tell Diane" (1990)
External links
- Tribute Site, with principal objective being re-release of Almacantar.