UIC (band)
Encyclopedia
U.I.C., which was first an acronym for Unemployment Insurance Commission but was later changed to Up in Canada were a punk
and garage rock
band from Exeter, Ontario
, formed in June 1982 by guitar player Fred "Slack" Robinson, singer John Lindenfield, drummer Murray "Houndog" Heywood,bassman Mike Caldwell and guitar player Ted Treibner.
Heywood had started playing the drums with his brother's band when he was 11, playing dances and banquets, doing mostly country covers. He got frustrated and sold his drums when he was 16 but once Fred Robinson, who was three years older, learned how to play bar chords, he and Heywood discovered that they could play as well as the Ramones
and Sex Pistols
and decided to start a band. The UIC guys used to sit on a hill near their house in Exeter
in Fred's car to get good FM reception and hear the Detroit stations that played Iggy Pop
and The Stooges
, which became one of their main influences. Heywood was more into Led Zeppelin
and Aerosmith
but was introduced to the Ramones and punk rock and quickly fell in love with it. Since he was not able to copy John Bonham
's drumming style, Heywood happily changed for a Tommy Ramone
style.
Fred's brother, Dave "Smokin'" Robinson, became the singer in December 1982. Eventually, Chris Mittelholtz was added as a sax player. Caldwell was replaced by Dan "Hack" Preszcator at the end of 1983. After the first two albums, Treibner and Heywood left the band to form an outlaw country band named Positively Stompin'. Kevin Kelly replaced Treibner on second guitar and Joey Bechta replaced Heywood on drums in 1990 while Nick Stirling was added as keyboard player and Scott Clatney as a percusionnist.
Influenced by Detroit bands like The Stooges
, MC5
, the legendary Link Wray, and the great Teenage Head
. They released five albums and played on a few compilations, including three of the five It Came from Canada
compilations released by Deja Voodoo
's label Og Music
.U.I.C played many gigs in London, Ontario
and later moved to Toronto
in 1984. They had a huge influence on Canadian punk rock and garage rock, getting airplay on many college radio stations, and seeing many bands, like Ottawa's Resin Scraper and Japan's The Titan's covering their songs. Fred Robinson now plays guitar and sings for The Legendary Dirtbikers. The band U.I.C broke up after a goodbye tour in 1995.
The Chickens guitarist, Ken Mikalauskas now resides in Sackville, New Brunswick.ref name="exclaim.ca"> The rest of The Chickens can be found pecking around Toronto. Murray Heywood now lives in Oshawa and is a youth pastor and runs the worship for the youth at his church. He is also developing two youth Christian Rock/Punk/Garage bands similar to bands like Relient K
, MXPX
and Switchfoot
.
Compilations
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...
and garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band from Exeter, Ontario
Exeter, Ontario
Exeter is a Canadian community in the municipality of South Huron, in the southern portion of Huron County, Ontario, located approximately 50 kilometres north of London. The community proclaims itself the "Home of the White Squirrel", owing to the presence of the unusually-coloured mammals...
, formed in June 1982 by guitar player Fred "Slack" Robinson, singer John Lindenfield, drummer Murray "Houndog" Heywood,bassman Mike Caldwell and guitar player Ted Treibner.
Heywood had started playing the drums with his brother's band when he was 11, playing dances and banquets, doing mostly country covers. He got frustrated and sold his drums when he was 16 but once Fred Robinson, who was three years older, learned how to play bar chords, he and Heywood discovered that they could play as well as the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
and Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The 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...
and decided to start a band. The UIC guys used to sit on a hill near their house in Exeter
Exeter, Ontario
Exeter is a Canadian community in the municipality of South Huron, in the southern portion of Huron County, Ontario, located approximately 50 kilometres north of London. The community proclaims itself the "Home of the White Squirrel", owing to the presence of the unusually-coloured mammals...
in Fred's car to get good FM reception and hear the Detroit stations that played Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
and The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, which became one of their main influences. Heywood was more into Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
but was introduced to the Ramones and punk rock and quickly fell in love with it. Since he was not able to copy John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
's drumming style, Heywood happily changed for a Tommy Ramone
Tommy Ramone
Tommy Ramone, also known as Thomas Erdelyi , is a Hungarian American record producer and musician...
style.
Fred's brother, Dave "Smokin'" Robinson, became the singer in December 1982. Eventually, Chris Mittelholtz was added as a sax player. Caldwell was replaced by Dan "Hack" Preszcator at the end of 1983. After the first two albums, Treibner and Heywood left the band to form an outlaw country band named Positively Stompin'. Kevin Kelly replaced Treibner on second guitar and Joey Bechta replaced Heywood on drums in 1990 while Nick Stirling was added as keyboard player and Scott Clatney as a percusionnist.
Influenced by Detroit bands like The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, the legendary Link Wray, and the great Teenage Head
Teenage Head
Teenage Head can refer to:* Teenage Head , a 1971 album by The Flamin' Groovies* Teenage Head , the title track from that album...
. They released five albums and played on a few compilations, including three of the five It Came from Canada
It Came from Canada
It Came from Canada was a series of compilation albums, released on Og Music in the 1980s, which featured music by independent, alternative and punk bands from Canada....
compilations released by Deja Voodoo
Deja Voodoo (Canadian band)
Déjà Voodoo was formed by Gerard van Herk and his friend Tony Dewald . Combining 1950s horror imagery with rockabilly and country musical influences they created a sound which gained them a unique standing amongst Canadian artists...
's label Og Music
Og Music
Og Music was a small but influential independent record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The label was established in 1983 by the band members of Deja Voodoo, Gerard van Herk and Tony Dewald. It ceased operations in 1990.-History:...
.U.I.C played many gigs in London, Ontario
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...
and later moved to 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...
in 1984. They had a huge influence on Canadian punk rock and garage rock, getting airplay on many college radio stations, and seeing many bands, like Ottawa's Resin Scraper and Japan's The Titan's covering their songs. Fred Robinson now plays guitar and sings for The Legendary Dirtbikers. The band U.I.C broke up after a goodbye tour in 1995.
Name Change
After releasing three albums and some tracks on compilations, U.I.C officially packed it in late 1995. Dave Robinson joined Oshawa band, El Speedo in late 1996, after two years with El Speedo, Robinson and guitar player Ken Mikalauskis started The Chickens. They soon added 3 original members from UIC in 1999. The Chickens performed for 6 years before calling it quits after opening for "Soundtrack of our Lives" at their favorite venue, The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern.The Chickens guitarist, Ken Mikalauskas now resides in Sackville, New Brunswick.ref name="exclaim.ca"> The rest of The Chickens can be found pecking around Toronto. Murray Heywood now lives in Oshawa and is a youth pastor and runs the worship for the youth at his church. He is also developing two youth Christian Rock/Punk/Garage bands similar to bands like Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
, MXPX
MxPx
MxPx is a pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington with connections to the Christian punk scene. The band has recorded eight studio albums, four EPs, four compilation albums, a live album, a VHS tape, a DVD and released 20 singles....
and Switchfoot
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
.
Discography
Studio Albums- Our Garage (Fringe Product, 1986)
- The Wiseman Sessions (Independent, 1989) (Limited to 50 copies)
- Live Like Ninety (Og MusicOg MusicOg Music was a small but influential independent record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The label was established in 1983 by the band members of Deja Voodoo, Gerard van Herk and Tony Dewald. It ceased operations in 1990.-History:...
, 1989) - Witches Incredible (DROG Records, 1993)
- Prepare to Plug In (Independent, 2001) (As The Chickens)
- Bring it OnBring It OnBring It On may refer to:In film and television:*Bring It On , a 2000 film about a high school cheerleading squad**Bring It On Again, a 2004 sequel**Bring It On: All or Nothing, a 2006 sequel...
(Independent, 2004) (As The Chickens)
Compilations
- 2 + 2 = ?2 + 2 = ?"2 + 2 = ?" is a single from The Bob Seger System, released in January 1968, on Capitol Records. Written by Seger, it is an anti-Vietnam War song.-History:...
on It Came from Canada, Vol. 1It Came from Canada, Vol. 1It Came from Canada, Vol. 1 was the first album in the It Came from Canada series of compilation albums, released in 1985 on Og Music.-Track listing:# Jerry Jerry and the Sons of Rhythm Orchestra, "Radical Look/Bad Idea"...
(Og Music, 1985) - Nashville Dreamin' on It Came from Canada, Vol. 2It Came from Canada, Vol. 2It Came from Canada, Vol. 2 was the second album in the It Came from Canada series of compilation albums, released in 1986 on Og Music.-Track listing:# Ray Condo & His Hard Rock Goners, "High Voltage"# Condition, "Ghost Train"...
(Og Music, 1986) - Lite It 'n' Fly on It Came from Canada, Vol. 5It Came from Canada, Vol. 5It Came from Canada, Vol. 5 was the fifth and final album in the It Came from Canada series of compilation albums, released in 1989 on Og Music.-Track listing:# The Dik Van Dykes, "Chain Letter Massacre"# Gordie Gordo & the G-Men, "Catch a Cow"...
(Og Music, 1989) - Leave Me Alone on Mr. Garager's Neighbourhood (Og Music, 1989)
- Do you Wanna Go! on Johnny Hansens Presents Puck Rock Vol.1 (Wrong Records, 1992)
- I'm a Cowboy Now on Poetreason: The Songs of Bob SniderPoetreason: The Songs of Bob SniderPoetreason: The Songs of Bob Snider is an album released in 1996, featuring various Canadian artists performing the songs of Bob Snider.-Track listing:# Bob Snider, "Talk To Me Babe"# Jughead, "Arch Support Blues"...
(EMI Music, 1994)