The 222s
Encyclopedia
The 222s are a Canadian
punk
band first active from 1977 to 1981. They are most famous for their 1978 single "I Love Suzan". They reformed in 2010.
, were formed by guitar player Pierre "Al Cleann" Major and singer Jean "Frisson" Brisson in the summer of 1977, joined a few months later by bass player and drummer Angel Calvo and drummer, keyboardist and singer Louis "Louie Louie" Rondeau.
Bass player Christian "Chris O'Bell" Belleau replaced Calvo a year later. In the summer of 1978 Jean Frisson quit the band and moved to New York to become a nude dancer. just as the 222s were about to record their first 7", "I love Suzan/The first Studio Bomb," so Rondeau did the lead vocals in addition to drumming. Released in 1978 on band manager François Doyon's Rebel Records, it was the first punk rock single ever released in Montreal and in the province of Quebec.
A 16 years old Chris Barry became the official singer after being introduced to the other guys by Tracey Howe
after the release of the 7". He brought his friend, bass player Joe Cerrato to the band in 1980 when Belleau quit the band. Doyon then came into contact with some gangsters from Laval
who wanted to try their hands in the music business. The band had been doing a cover of Michel Polnareff
's La Poupée qui fait non
at their shows for more than a year and the gangsters wanted to turn that song into a provincial hit, like garage band Les Sultans had done in 1966 and market the 222s to the teenybopper
public, so they offered to finance the band's second 7".
They recorded in one of the gangster's house but weren't getting along with them, considering they didn't know anything about music. After a few days of fighting, the mobsters showed the band a gun and told them that there wouldn't be any more fighting. The band finished the record in fear the same day, quit the mobster's house and never got back there.
The 7", which featured an instrumental version of the song on the B-Side, was released in 1981 on Gamma Records and was a minor regional hit, getting a fair amount of airplay in Quebec but the band was ashamed of it and thought it sounded terrible, among others because the mobster's replaced Barry's voice in the choruses with his sister's voice and his own. This accelerated the demise of the group, which went their separate ways shortly after, in November 1981, because the band members didn't agree about the direction they should take musically.
Over the course of their career, the 222s toured Canada as extensively as any band could, and even in the USA where they toured with the Nuclear Accidents and ventured off to play at the famous Max's Kansas City
in New York City on several occasions.
The 222s have kept a legendary status as Quebec's first punk band to release a record and a series of TV appearances they did in the late 70s and early 80s on a local Community television
show called The Musi-Video show
, which was produced by Doyon's business partner Marc Fontaine, have since resurfaced on Youtube and elsewhere and have sparked a renewed interest in the band, as well as Montreal label Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records releasing an anthology of the band's demos in 2007 under the name "Montreal Punk '78-'81".
Chris Barry was homeless and returned to North America after CBS Records
had listened to some Bram demos and decided to pay for his plane ticket. Not getting along with Bramon, Chris kicked him from the band and reformed the 222's in Montreal with former members Pierre Major and Joe Cerrato in 1984. With the addition of drummer André Gagné and guitar player Richard Paul, they became the 39 Steps
and released several albums as well as playing themselves in the Woody Allen movie 'Hannah and Her Sisters
', playing the 222's hit "Slip into the Crowd" at the CBGB
. After that, Chris moved to New York to join the band Pillbox (NYC). He was back in Montreal in the 90's, where he started to study at the university as well as writing a weekly column for the Montreal Mirror
. He also started the band Acrylic with bass player Roger Dawson, drummer Dave Jones and guitar player Klaus Frostell. Acrylic recorded an album that was never released because the record company went bankrupt. He then started The Throbbing Purple in the 2000s with Dawson and Unruled guitar player Michel "Wax" Cyr" and ex-Subhumans
drummer Dave "Salty" Macanulty. The band released the "Let it Writhe" CD in 2006 on Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records but Cyr and Macanulty were soon replaced by other musicians a few months after the CD was released.
from the Asexuals
and performed several successful shows at the 2010 NXNE Toronto festival. They also played a show in Montreal with the Asexuals.
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...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band first active from 1977 to 1981. They are most famous for their 1978 single "I Love Suzan". They reformed in 2010.
History
The 222s, who took their name from a Canadian pain killer of the same nameCo-codaprin
Co-codaprin is a non-proprietary name used to denote a compound analgesic, a combination of codeine phosphate with aspirin.Co-codaprin tablets are used for mild to moderate pain.-Canada:...
, were formed by guitar player Pierre "Al Cleann" Major and singer Jean "Frisson" Brisson in the summer of 1977, joined a few months later by bass player and drummer Angel Calvo and drummer, keyboardist and singer Louis "Louie Louie" Rondeau.
Bass player Christian "Chris O'Bell" Belleau replaced Calvo a year later. In the summer of 1978 Jean Frisson quit the band and moved to New York to become a nude dancer. just as the 222s were about to record their first 7", "I love Suzan/The first Studio Bomb," so Rondeau did the lead vocals in addition to drumming. Released in 1978 on band manager François Doyon's Rebel Records, it was the first punk rock single ever released in Montreal and in the province of Quebec.
A 16 years old Chris Barry became the official singer after being introduced to the other guys by Tracey Howe
Rational Youth
Rational Youth is a Canadian New Wave band, originally formed in 1981 in Montreal, Quebec, by synthesizer wizards Tracy Howe, former singer and drummer for Montreal punk band "The Normals", and Bill Vorn, both of whom idolized the German synthpop pioneers Kraftwerk.Among the band's notable singles...
after the release of the 7". He brought his friend, bass player Joe Cerrato to the band in 1980 when Belleau quit the band. Doyon then came into contact with some gangsters from Laval
Laval, Quebec
Laval is a Canadian city and a region in southwestern Quebec. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec, and the 14th largest city in Canada with a population of 368,709 in 2006...
who wanted to try their hands in the music business. The band had been doing a cover of Michel Polnareff
Michel Polnareff
Michel Polnareff, born in Nérac on 3 July 1944, is a French singer-songwriter who was very popular from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s...
's La Poupée qui fait non
La Poupée qui fait non
"La Poupée qui fait non" is a 1966 song written by Franck Gérald and originally recorded by the French singer/songwriter Michel Polnareff...
at their shows for more than a year and the gangsters wanted to turn that song into a provincial hit, like garage band Les Sultans had done in 1966 and market the 222s to the teenybopper
Teenybopper
The term teenybopper was invented by marketing professionals and psychologists, later becoming a subculture of its own. The term describes a young teenager, particularly a girl, who follows adolescent trends in music, fashion and culture. The term was introduced in the 1950s to refer to teenagers...
public, so they offered to finance the band's second 7".
They recorded in one of the gangster's house but weren't getting along with them, considering they didn't know anything about music. After a few days of fighting, the mobsters showed the band a gun and told them that there wouldn't be any more fighting. The band finished the record in fear the same day, quit the mobster's house and never got back there.
The 7", which featured an instrumental version of the song on the B-Side, was released in 1981 on Gamma Records and was a minor regional hit, getting a fair amount of airplay in Quebec but the band was ashamed of it and thought it sounded terrible, among others because the mobster's replaced Barry's voice in the choruses with his sister's voice and his own. This accelerated the demise of the group, which went their separate ways shortly after, in November 1981, because the band members didn't agree about the direction they should take musically.
Over the course of their career, the 222s toured Canada as extensively as any band could, and even in the USA where they toured with the Nuclear Accidents and ventured off to play at the famous Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...
in New York City on several occasions.
The 222s have kept a legendary status as Quebec's first punk band to release a record and a series of TV appearances they did in the late 70s and early 80s on a local Community television
Community television
Australia's Community Television is a form of Citizen media much like Public Access Television in the United States and the Community Channel in Canada...
show called The Musi-Video show
Musi-Video show
Musi-Video show was a Music television series which ran in Canada between 1980 and 1984 on Community television. It was a very early example of the format that later would be adopted by the creation of MTV and MuchMusic....
, which was produced by Doyon's business partner Marc Fontaine, have since resurfaced on Youtube and elsewhere and have sparked a renewed interest in the band, as well as Montreal label Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records releasing an anthology of the band's demos in 2007 under the name "Montreal Punk '78-'81".
Other Projects
- Guitar player Pierre Major joined Montreal band The Dazzlers in 1982 with lead singer Steve Scala, the band broke up in 1984 and Pierre eventually decided to move to Toronto for different musical projects before returning to Montreal after losing everything in a blazing fire.
- Drummer Louie Rondeau teamed up with the 222s assistant manager Marc Fontaine in 1982 to form the successful synthpopSynthpopSynthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
group NudimensionNudimensionNudimension were a francophone French Canadian New Wave/Synthpop band from Montréal, Canada who were active between 1982 and 1989.Composed of Lead Singer/composer Louie Louie , Non musician Marc Fontaine and - - vocalist Anne Marie Cyr...
.
- Lead singer Chris Barry was briefly in a band named Bram with Michael Bramon after the demise of the 222s. They recorded a few demos but Barry finally decided to move to England, where he would join with ex-Sex PistolsSex PistolsThe Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
bassist Glen MatlockGlen MatlockGlen Matlock is an English bass guitarist most famous for being in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. Drummer Paul Cook has said that Matlock came up with much of the music for the band's songs and most of the lyrics, while lead singer Johnny Rotten made some adjustments...
and ex-Generation XGeneration X (band)Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
guitar player James StevensonJames Stevenson (musician)James Stevenson is a UK punk / rock guitarist, at one time appearing with The Alarm, Gene Loves Jezebel, Generation X and Chelsea.-Music career:...
in a band called Hot Club but it didn't work out. Chris joined the Southern Death CultSouthern Death CultSouthern Death Cult was an English positive punk band in the early 1980s. It is now primarily known for having given its lead singer and parts of its name to the multi-platinum hard rock supergroup The Cult...
, trying to become the new singer following Ian AstburyIan AstburyIan Astbury is an English rock musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band, The Cult.-Pre-Cult:...
's departure but that didn't work out either. In the spring of 1983, he was about to start a band with former The PoliceThe PoliceThe Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
guitar player Henri Padovani, former ClashThe ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
drummer Topper HeadonTopper HeadonHeadon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten documentary film about the late Clash frontman. He related his experiences during this period, how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal...
and former PretendersThe PretendersThe Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
bassist Pete FarndonPete FarndonPete Farndon was an English bassist and founding member of the rock band The Pretenders. Farndon attended Hereford Cathedral School in his home town of Hereford, before embarking on his musical legacy with The Pretenders...
but the project abruptly stopped when Farndon drowned in his bathtub after overdosing on heroin. Chris then started a solo project with ex-Generation X drummer Mark LaffMark LaffMark Laff is an English drummer, and former member of punk rock bands Subway Sect and Generation X.Laff and guitarist Bob Andrews left Generation X in December 1980, to form the band Empire, along with bassist Simon Bernal, releasing one commercially unsuccessful album which gradually became a cult...
.
Chris Barry was homeless and returned to North America after CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
had listened to some Bram demos and decided to pay for his plane ticket. Not getting along with Bramon, Chris kicked him from the band and reformed the 222's in Montreal with former members Pierre Major and Joe Cerrato in 1984. With the addition of drummer André Gagné and guitar player Richard Paul, they became the 39 Steps
39 Steps (band)
39 Steps are an alternative rock/punk rock band from Canada, best known for their single "Slip into the Crowd", a song by The 222s, which was performed in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters in a scene set at CBGB's NYC....
and released several albums as well as playing themselves in the Woody Allen movie 'Hannah and Her Sisters
Hannah and Her Sisters
Hannah and Her Sisters is a 1986 American comedy-drama film which tells the intertwined stories of an extended family over two years that begin and end with a family Thanksgiving dinner...
', playing the 222's hit "Slip into the Crowd" at the CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
. After that, Chris moved to New York to join the band Pillbox (NYC). He was back in Montreal in the 90's, where he started to study at the university as well as writing a weekly column for the Montreal Mirror
Montreal Mirror
Montreal Mirror is a free English language alternative newsweekly based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with a circulation of 70,000, and reaches a quarter of a million readers per week. It is published by Communications Gratte-Ciel Ltée....
. He also started the band Acrylic with bass player Roger Dawson, drummer Dave Jones and guitar player Klaus Frostell. Acrylic recorded an album that was never released because the record company went bankrupt. He then started The Throbbing Purple in the 2000s with Dawson and Unruled guitar player Michel "Wax" Cyr" and ex-Subhumans
Subhumans (Canadian band)
The Subhumans are a punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that formed in 1978.Known by pejorative, punk rock nicknames, original members were known simply as "Useless" , "Dimwit" , "Wimpy" and "Normal" .-History:Dimwit quit the band shortly after their first 7" was released to join...
drummer Dave "Salty" Macanulty. The band released the "Let it Writhe" CD in 2006 on Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records but Cyr and Macanulty were soon replaced by other musicians a few months after the CD was released.
2010 Reunion
In 2010 the official lineup of Chris, Joe, Louie and Pierre reformed at the suggestion of John KastnerJohn Kastner
John Kastner is a Canadian musician and composer born in Beaconsfield, Quebec. He is well known as the singer for Montreal hardcore punk band the Asexuals as well as singer-guitarist for Montreal alternative band Doughboys and alternative band All Systems Go!....
from the Asexuals
Asexuals (band)
The Asexuals is a hardcore punk band from Beaconsfield that was a mainstay of the Montreal punk scene in the '80s before evolving into an alternative band following the departure of singer John Kastner, who went to form the Doughboys and, later, All Systems Go!.-History:The Asexuals formed in 1983...
and performed several successful shows at the 2010 NXNE Toronto festival. They also played a show in Montreal with the Asexuals.
Personnel
- Chris Barry (lead vocals)
- Pier Major (guitar)
- Joe Cerrato (bass & back vocals)
- Louis "Louie" Rondeau (drums & vocals)
Singles
- "I Love Suzan"/"The First Studio Bomb" (Rebel Records) (1979)
- "La poupée qui fait non"/"La poupée qui fait non" (instrumental) (Gamma Records) (1981)