The Grapes of Wrath (band)
Encyclopedia
The Grapes of Wrath are a Canadian
folk rock
band, who were one of Canada's most successful pop bands in the late 1980s and early 1990s before disbanding in 1992. With the band name tied up in litigation, most of the band continued to record through the 1990s as Ginger
. The Grapes of Wrath briefly reunited for one album in 2000, although not with their full original lineup. This same version of the band reunited again in 2009, and the original three members reunited in July 2010. They have gone on to play several concerts in various Canadian cities, and are once again active as a group.
, British Columbia
in 1983 by Chris Hooper
, Tom Hooper and Kevin Kane
. They came up with the name for the band after looking at a movie guide—nobody in the band had seen the movie or read the book. In 1984, they signed to Nettwerk
, releasing a self-titled EP that year. The following year, their debut album September Bowl of Green was released.
1987's Treehouse, produced by Tom Cochrane
, was the band's initial Canadian breakthrough, yielding the minor hit single "Peace of Mind".
Their 1989 album, Now and Again, produced by Anton Fier
, was the band's most successful. The band expanded to a four-piece with the addition of keyboardist Vincent Jones. Jones would later describe working with Fier as "like pulling teeth." The band's tour to support this album was also notable for its opening act, a then-emerging singer/songwriter named Sarah McLachlan
.
Produced by John Leckie
These Days, released in 1991, found the band experimenting with a harder rock sound, and while it sold well and spawned the hit singles "I Am Here" and "You May Be Right", it was to be the band's last effort for almost a decade. It received the 1992 CASBY Award
for Favourite Album.
Kane then split from the other members of the band, who continued to perform and record together as Ginger. In 1999, Kane and Tom Hooper, the Grapes' main songwriting team, decided to work together again, and in 2000 released Field Trip under the Grapes of Wrath name. Neither Chris Hooper nor Vincent Jones participated in the reunion. Matt Brain was enlisted as the band's drummer, though he was not an official member of the group. After the tour for this album, Hooper and Kane said that they "had taken the reunion as far as they could take it" and deactivated the band in 2001.
In 2009, Kane and Hooper decided to play together again, as an acoustic duo. Two concerts were scheduled in Western Canada, during which they were to play all their hit songs.
On July 18, 2010, the three original members performed together at the Surrey Fusion Festival in Surrey
, British Columbia
. It was the first time the original trio had played together since 1992. Dave Genn
was brought in to fill Vince Jones' place on keyboards, and a small-scale series of Canadian dates followed throughout 2010.
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...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band, who were one of Canada's most successful pop bands in the late 1980s and early 1990s before disbanding in 1992. With the band name tied up in litigation, most of the band continued to record through the 1990s as Ginger
Ginger (band)
Ginger was a Canadian rock band in the 1990s. The band initially consisted of Tom Hooper on bass, Chris Hooper on drums and Vincent Jones on keyboards, following the departure of Kevin Kane from their earlier band The Grapes of Wrath...
. The Grapes of Wrath briefly reunited for one album in 2000, although not with their full original lineup. This same version of the band reunited again in 2009, and the original three members reunited in July 2010. They have gone on to play several concerts in various Canadian cities, and are once again active as a group.
Biography
The Grapes of Wrath were formed in KelownaKelowna, British Columbia
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...
, 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 1983 by Chris Hooper
Chris Hooper
Chris Hooper is a Canadian songwriter and musician.He was a member of The Grapes of Wrath, one of the most popular Canadian rock bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is Tom Hooper's brother.-External links:** where Chris is a Producer*...
, Tom Hooper and Kevin Kane
Kevin Kane
Not to be confused with the drummer for the band Bad City.Kevin Kane is a Canadian songwriter, musician, and record producer.He was a founding member of The Grapes of Wrath in 1983, but was ejected from that band in 1992...
. They came up with the name for the band after looking at a movie guide—nobody in the band had seen the movie or read the book. In 1984, they signed to Nettwerk
Nettwerk
The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
, releasing a self-titled EP that year. The following year, their debut album September Bowl of Green was released.
1987's Treehouse, produced by Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane, OC Canadian musician and humanitarian, best known for his hit songs "Life Is a Highway", "Lunatic Fringe", "Human Race" and "I Wish You Well". Cochrane fronted the Canadian rock band Red Rider and has won seven Juno Awards...
, was the band's initial Canadian breakthrough, yielding the minor hit single "Peace of Mind".
Their 1989 album, Now and Again, produced by Anton Fier
Anton Fier
Anton Fier, , is an American drummer, composer and bandleader. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio.Fier was an early member of The Lounge Lizards and The Feelies. He was in The Lodge , worked with Pere Ubu, was briefly in the Voidoids and founded The Golden Palominos...
, was the band's most successful. The band expanded to a four-piece with the addition of keyboardist Vincent Jones. Jones would later describe working with Fier as "like pulling teeth." The band's tour to support this album was also notable for its opening act, a then-emerging singer/songwriter named Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
.
Produced by John Leckie
John Leckie
John Leckie is a British music producer, notable for producing many high-profile albums such as The Stone Roses's debut and Radiohead's The Bends...
These Days, released in 1991, found the band experimenting with a harder rock sound, and while it sold well and spawned the hit singles "I Am Here" and "You May Be Right", it was to be the band's last effort for almost a decade. It received the 1992 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....
for Favourite Album.
Kane then split from the other members of the band, who continued to perform and record together as Ginger. In 1999, Kane and Tom Hooper, the Grapes' main songwriting team, decided to work together again, and in 2000 released Field Trip under the Grapes of Wrath name. Neither Chris Hooper nor Vincent Jones participated in the reunion. Matt Brain was enlisted as the band's drummer, though he was not an official member of the group. After the tour for this album, Hooper and Kane said that they "had taken the reunion as far as they could take it" and deactivated the band in 2001.
In 2009, Kane and Hooper decided to play together again, as an acoustic duo. Two concerts were scheduled in Western Canada, during which they were to play all their hit songs.
On July 18, 2010, the three original members performed together at the Surrey Fusion Festival in Surrey
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
, 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...
. It was the first time the original trio had played together since 1992. Dave Genn
Dave Genn
David Robert Madison Genn is a musician and a member of Canadian rock group 54-40. Genn was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on 2 March 1969.-Matthew Good Band:...
was brought in to fill Vince Jones' place on keyboards, and a small-scale series of Canadian dates followed throughout 2010.
Singles
| Release Date | Title | Chart positions | Album |
| Canada RPM 100 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Misunderstanding" | September Bowl of Green September Bowl of Green September Bowl of Green is an album by The Grapes of Wrath.The initial vinyl pressing of the album included a cover version of "If I Needed Someone" by The Beatles, but at the request of the band, the song was left off of subsequent pressings. This version of the song has never been released again,... |
|
| 1985 | "Love Comes Around" | ||
| October 1987 | "Peace of Mind" | #56 | Treehouse Treehouse (album) Treehouse was the second CD by The Grapes of Wrath, released in 1987 on Capitol Records."Peace of Mind" was the band's first single to reach the RPM singles charts in Canada, peaking at #56... |
| January 1988 | "O Lucky Man" | ||
| March 1988 | "Backward Town" | ||
| July 1989 | "All the Things I Wasn't" | #19 | Now and Again |
| October 1989 | "Do You Want to Tell Me?" | #50 | |
| January 1990 | "What Was Going Through My Head" | #33 | |
| May 1990 | "The Most" | ||
| July 1991 | "I Am Here" | #8 | These Days These Days (Grapes of Wrath album) These Days was a 1991 album by The Grapes of Wrath.Produced by John Leckie, the album found the band attempting to expand their traditional folk rock sound in a more guitar-heavy alternative rock direction.... |
| October 1991 | "You May Be Right" | #7 | |
| February 1992 | "A Fishing Tale" | #60 | |
Albums
- The Grapes of WrathThe Grapes of Wrath (album)The Grapes of Wrath is the debut album by The Grapes of Wrath, released in 1984.- Track listing :# Misunderstanding 2:29# Lay Out the Trap 4:23# Down to the Wire 3:56# Laughing Out Loud 4:09* All tracks written by Hooper and Kane...
(1984) - September Bowl of GreenSeptember Bowl of GreenSeptember Bowl of Green is an album by The Grapes of Wrath.The initial vinyl pressing of the album included a cover version of "If I Needed Someone" by The Beatles, but at the request of the band, the song was left off of subsequent pressings. This version of the song has never been released again,...
(1985) - TreehouseTreehouse (album)Treehouse was the second CD by The Grapes of Wrath, released in 1987 on Capitol Records."Peace of Mind" was the band's first single to reach the RPM singles charts in Canada, peaking at #56...
(1987) - Now and Again (1989)
- These DaysThese Days (Grapes of Wrath album)These Days was a 1991 album by The Grapes of Wrath.Produced by John Leckie, the album found the band attempting to expand their traditional folk rock sound in a more guitar-heavy alternative rock direction....
(1991) - Seems Like Fate 1984-1992Seems Like Fate 1984-1992Seems Like Fate 1984-1992 is a 1994 compilation album by The Grapes of Wrath, released after their break-up in 1992. The collection comprises the major single releases, in addition to all of the B-Sides to singles not included on full-length albums and a previously unreleased demo and remix...
(1994) - Field TripField Trip (album)Field Trip is an album by The Grapes of Wrath, released in 2000. The album marked the reunion of Kevin Kane and Tom Hooper as songwriting partners and bandmates for the first time since 1991's These Days, although they were the only two original band members to appear on the album...
(2000)