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Chalk Circle
The Great Lake EP - 12"
Duke Street - 1986
Mike Milner
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Duke Street was a short-lived Canadian record label that operated between 1984 and 1994. The company carried only Canadian artists on its roster and its releases featured an eclectic variety of musical genres, from traditional classical offerings to jazz. Duke Street also issued recordings from some very talented Canadian rock and roll groups as well, one of which was Chalk Circle.
Chalk Circle - singer/ guitarist Chris Tait, bassist Brad Hopkins, keyboardist Tad Winklarz and drummer Derrick Murphy - were formed in the small community of Newcastle, part of the suburban landscape that accompanies King's Highway 401 east of Toronto. Their story was typical of untold other rock and roll bands who came together in high school, started learning their craft and began to find opportunities. While slogging through the club circuit in Toronto, Chalk Circle entered a competition held by CFNY-FM called the CASBY (Canadian Artists Selected By You) Awards and were selected as the Most Promising Non-Recording Act in 1985. They then added a keyboard player and the following year were signed by Duke Street. Shortly thereafter the band released their first commercial recording, an EP titled The Great Lake. There would be two singles released from this record, 'April Fool' and 'Me, Myself and I'. Signing Chalk Circle certainly worked out well for Duke Street - the EP was their most commercially successful release up to that time, with over 35,000 copies sold.
The Great Lake EP is a wonderful slice of nicely crafted pop music. The six songs, while not overly complex, display a great deal of enthusiasm and clearly benefit from the musicians' collective efforts and the clear, crisp production. Both 'April Fool' and 'Me, Myself and I' - the latter is a personal favourite of mine - feature sweet harmonies, thoughtful lyrics and hook-filled choruses. Though the record betrays influences of eighties new wave, it has a sound of its own and is certainly not derivative.
The Great Lake EP has lost none of its immediacy and verve. It is a fine example of some of the tremendous music that was being produced by young musicians in Southern Ontario during the 1980s. Duke Street released all sorts of interesting music and provided an opportunity for many Canadian artists to be heard. Many of their releases are well worth seeking out.
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