Harlequin to bring fun end to Rock'n August

Harlequin is a Canadian rock band that has performed since the mid-’70s. Although their careers peaked in the mid-’80s, these road warriors continue to deliver the power and finesse that once propelled them to the top of the Canadian rock charts.

On Saturday, Aug. 11, this five-piece premieres its concert at Servus Credit Union Place as the big bang finale for Rock’n August. Sharing the bill are pop legends Doug & the Slugs as well as The Campus Thieves, headed by St. Albert’s Ryan McGale.

“I can’t believe it. St. Albert is one of the few places I’ve never played and I’m glad we are finally coming,” chuckles Harlequin singer/songwriter George Belanger, the only original band member left.

Joining him are Nik Rivers (bass), Darren Moore (keyboards) and A.J. Chabidan (drums).

Unfortunately lead guitarist Derrick Gottfried’s wife is expecting a baby on the day of the concert. Replacing him is Glen Willows, Belanger’s original Harlequin songwriting partner.

When Belanger was asked what he attributes to the band’s longevity, he looks through the prism of his daughter’s eyes.

“When my daughter was 11 or 12 – now she’s 22 – she would come to the all-ages concerts. It would always baffle her that young kids knew the words. It’s because we still get a lot of airplay. People know our songs through exposure on classic rock stations, college radio stations and even the CBC plays our music every once in a while. We’re pretty much across the board.”

The Winnipeg band started up in the mid-’70s and was discovered quite by accident. As the story goes, some talent scouts working for Jack Douglas (producer for Aerosmith, John Lennon) visited a Toronto bar to check out Goddo. It was a sold-out show and the scouts were prohibited entry.

Not wanting to waste an evening, they went upstairs to a smaller bar where Harlequin was playing to a handful of people. Blown away by the band, Douglas signed them to a production deal. Shortly after the band landed a record deal with Epic/CBS.

Under Douglas they released three LPs, Victim of a Song, Love Crimes and One False Move.

From these three albums they scored several major hits – Thinking of You, Superstitious Feeling, I Did It for Love and Innocence, their biggest hit to date.

But by 1985, the band changed its direction and producer and it marked the band’s slowdown. But unlike many era bands that disappeared off the music map, Harlequin still plays the festival circuit in summer, casinos in winter and they write songs in between.

“Now it’s more gratifying and satisfying than it’s been in 30 years, especially when people tell you how our music has affected their lives,” Belanger said. “There aren’t many jobs where people applaud when you finish.”

One of the biggest influences on Belanger was the famous quote from Henry David Thoreau – “Most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with one song still in them.”

Determined to live life to the fullest, Belanger has never written songs to save the world.

“I leave that to people who have more credentials than I do. I just want people to be diverted from their mundane lives and have some fun for a couple hours.”