King Apparatus was 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...

 third wave ska band, active in the early 1990s. Formed in 1987 in London

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 and later based in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, the band's lineup varied over its lifetime, including vocalist Chris Murray, guitarists Sam Tallo, Paul Ruston, J. C. Orr and Paul McCulloch, bassist Mitch Girio, organists Mark LeBourdais and Alex Dmitrovic, conga player Greg Clancy, saxophonist Bruno Hedman, and drummers Brian Christopher, Dave Kennedy and Mike Southern. Their style was strongly influenced by late 1970s 2-Tone ska.

Career

The band released two full length albums and two EPs

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 on Raw Energy Records

Raw Energy Records

Raw Energy Records was a Canadian independent record label, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The music label was established in the late 1980s by founder entrepreneur and music journalist Graeme Boyce, initially to distribute the debut EP by King Apparatus, Loud Party...

; their debut EP, 1989's Loud Party, was the first-ever release on the label.

With distribution in just a handful of downtown Toronto record stores, the band's self-titled debut album sold over 5,000 copies in 1990, helping Raw Energy to secure a national distribution deal with A&M Records

A&M Records

A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...

. The band's best-known single, "Made for TV", was a hit on modern rock

Modern rock

Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...

 radio stations in Canada in 1991, reaching #1 on CFNY-FM

CFNY-FM

CFNY-FM, promoted under the branding 102.1 The Edge, is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.1 FM. The station rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s due to its freestyle DJing format and unique choice to play alternative music...

 and on the national campus radio

Campus radio

Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...

 charts, and its video was in heavy rotation 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:...

.

Following disappointing sales of their second album Marbles, the band left Raw Energy for Cargo Records, but ultimately broke up before recording another album. Murray has continued to pursue a solo career in music. LeBourdais, the grandson of journalist Isabel LeBourdais

Isabel LeBourdais

Isabel LeBourdais, née Erichsen-Brown was a Canadian journalist and author. She is best known as the author of the 1966 book The Trial of Steven Truscott, the first major work to argue that Steven Truscott had been wrongfully convicted of murder.Educated at Havergal College and the University of...

, is currently a teacher in Ulukhaktok

Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories

Ulukhaktok is a small hamlet on the west coast of Victoria Island, in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The 2006 census indicated a population of 398 of which 360 were Inuvialuit or Inuit along with 7.5% non-Aboriginal and 2.5% North American Indian...

.

The band reissued its albums on Stomp Records in 2000, and performed a number of reunion shows that year. Their show at Toronto's Lee's Palace

Lee's Palace

Lee's Palace is a concert hall located on the south side of Bloor Street West east of Lippincott Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The facility consists of a converted motion picture theatre and can accommodate several hundred guests.- Founding :...

 on March 24, 2000 was webcast by primeticket.net.

Discography

• Loud Party (1989)
• King Apparatus (1990)
• Hospital Waiting Room (1992)
• Marbles (1993)