Hard Rock Miners are a Canadian

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...

 rockabilly/hillbilly/country/folk band based in Vancouver, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

.

In 1987, the Hard Rock Miners could be found busking

Busking

Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...

 on the streets of Vancouver, particularly on the very trendy Robson Street

Robson Street

Robson Street is a major southeast-northwest thoroughfare in downtown and West End of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its core commercial blocks from Burrard Street to Jervis are also known as Robsonstrasse. Its name honours John Robson, a major figure in British Columbia's entry into the...

. Their music could be best described as eclectic. As they moved to gigs at Vancouver venues, their instrumentation included acoustic and electric guitars, and washboard amongst others. Their musical stylings with this essentially electrified bluegrass lineup included 'Pistol Packin' Mama', the Brothers Johnson's 'Get The Funk Out of My Face', Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots Were Made For Walkin' and speedy punked up versions of other country and western, funk, punk, and pop classics. They were a band with a sense of humour par excellence. At the time, a definite must see for those who enjoy a party atmosphere.

The band was formed in 1987 by Michael Phillips, Scooter Johnson, Oliver Metson, Ingrid Mary Percy, and Michael Turner

Michael Turner (musician)

For other people named Michael Turner, see Michael Turner.Michael Turner is a musician, and writer of poetry, prose and opera librettos....

. Turner later became an author, penning the books Hard Core Logo

Hard Core Logo

Hard Core Logo is a 1996 Canadian mockumentary adapted by Noel Baker from the novel of the same name by author Michael Turner. Director Bruce McDonald illustrates the self-destruction of punk rock...

, American Whiskey Bar and The Pornographer's Poem.

Turner and Percy left the band in 1993, but the band has soldiered on with a mildly fluxuating membership ever since. Plying their talents in the Miners over the years have been long time stalwarts Rob Thomson (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...

 / 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...

), Ike Eidsness (drums

Drum kit

A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

) and Paul Gould (mandolin

Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

 The band also features the string wizardry on guitar and fiddle of Sexy Pierre Lumoncel who joined the band in 1990 and toured and recorded with the band throughout.
/ banjo

Banjo

In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...

), as well as Keith Rose (Roots Roundup), Ford Pier

Ford Pier

,Ford Pier is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He resides in Vancouver. In addition to his solo albums, he has been a member of Jr...

 (SNFU

SNFU

SNFU is a Canadian punk rock band formed in 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta and later relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia. They have released nine full-length albums and are cited as a formative influence on the skate punk sub-genre....

, D.O.A.) and Linda McRae

Linda McRae

Linda McRae is a Canadian rock and alternative country musician.-Career:McRae was a member of platinum folk rock band Spirit of the West from 1988 to 1996. A multi-instrumentalist playing accordion, guitar, bass, and banjo she also appeared as a guest musician on The Wonder Stuff's album Never...

 (Spirit of the West

Spirit of the West

Spirit of the West are a Canadian folk rock band, who were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which made them one of Canada's most successful alternative rock acts in the 1990s.-Early years:The band began...

).

Currently, the Hard Rock Miners can be found the first Monday of every month at Vancouver's Railway Club. The Hard Rock Miners play what could be called a rock and roll reverse karaoke, with the band playing the tunes while the entire bar sings the lyrics.

If you want to dig a bit deeper, members of The Hard Rock Miners can also be found playing in several other guises, including the obnoxious Speedway-Punk, Royal Grand Prix ... Faux-Mexican Mariachi Garage banders, The High Balls... and their Pogues tribute band, Shane's Teeth, including Nettie Boulanger ( I, mudder accordion, Molestics) on Accordion.

Discography

• Making The Bedrock (on tape)
• The Final Frontier (Epic/Sony Music Canada)
• Rock 'n Roll Welfare
• Play City Billy