Chalk Circle
Encyclopedia
Chalk Circle was a Canadian
college rock
band in the 1980s. The band consisted of lead singer and guitarist Chris Tait
, bassist
Brad Hopkins, keyboardist
Tad Winklarz and drummer
Derrick Murphy.
, Hopkins and Tait were paired with Terry Miller and Stani Veselinovic in 1982 as "The Casualties". The band briefly changed its name to "The Reactors" and then to "New Edition" in 1984, and finally settled on the name Chalk Circle (taken from Bertolt Brecht
's play The Caucasian Chalk Circle
).
The band recorded a demo single "The World" (b/w "Black Pit") on cassette and played the Toronto area, subsequently winning the CASBY Award
for Most Promising Non-Recording Group in 1985. After signing to Duke Street Records
in Toronto, their 1986 debut release was a six-song EP
called The Great Lake
. Produced by Chris Wardman
, it was recorded at Manta Sound in Toronto and Quest Recording Studio in Oshawa. The lead single "April Fool
" became a Top 10 single in Canada, along with another single "Me, Myself and I
". The band produced videos for both tracks which were regularly featured on MuchMusic
, and the EP went on to become Duke Street's biggest seller at that time.
Their second release was a full length album entitled Mending Wall
released in 1987, with the inspiration for the title coming from Robert Frost
's famous poem
. Recorded entirely on digital equipment, the crisp sounding album featured another Top 10 Canadian single "This Mourning", a blistering commentary about nuclear politics in the 'ray gun' (Reagan
) era of the late 1980s. The album would later be reissued with a cover version of T-Rex's "20th Century Boy", which also became a Top 10 Canadian single.
The band's final album was 1989's As the Crow Flies, which featured two singles, "Sons and Daughters" and "Together". Citing 'creative differences', the band broke up in 1990, and Tait formed the indie band Big Faith.
In 2006, Universal Music Group
released a Chalk Circle greatest hits
compilation as part of its 20th Century Masters series. The release prompted the band to reconvene after 15 years and in February of that year, they began rehearsals at the Cherry Beach
rehearsal studios in Toronto in anticipation of possible reunion shows.
On June 17, 2006, Chalk Circle played a reunion gig at Lee's Palace
in Toronto. On October 1, 2011, the band played a show with with Blue Peter
at the Phoenix in Toronto.On Nov.12 2011 Chalk Circle played in Montreal for the first time in 20 years at Le Theatre Corona.
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...
college rock
College rock
College rock is a term that was used in the United States to describe 1980s alternative rock before the term "alternative" came into common usage. The term's use of the word "college" refers to campus radio stations located at institutions of higher education in Canada and the United States, where...
band in the 1980s. The band consisted of lead singer and guitarist Chris Tait
Chris Tait
Chris Tait is a Canadian singer–songwriter and producer, best known as the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Chalk Circle and later the group Big Faith.-Chalk Circle:Tait grew up in Newcastle, Ontario and his first band was called "The Casualties"...
, bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Brad Hopkins, keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Tad Winklarz and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Derrick Murphy.
History
Originally formed in Newcastle, OntarioNewcastle, Ontario
Newcastle is a community in the Municipality of Clarington in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. The Town of Newcastle was also the original name of what is now Clarington....
, Hopkins and Tait were paired with Terry Miller and Stani Veselinovic in 1982 as "The Casualties". The band briefly changed its name to "The Reactors" and then to "New Edition" in 1984, and finally settled on the name Chalk Circle (taken from Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's play The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its natural parents....
).
The band recorded a demo single "The World" (b/w "Black Pit") on cassette and played the Toronto area, subsequently winning the 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 Most Promising Non-Recording Group in 1985. After signing to Duke Street Records
Duke Street Records
Duke Street Records was a Canadian independent record label. The label was established in 1984 by Andrew Hermant and ceased operations in 1994. The Universal Music Group took over the label when it disappeared....
in Toronto, their 1986 debut release was a six-song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
called The Great Lake
The Great Lake
The Great Lake is the debut EP by Chalk Circle released in 1986. The original release of the EP only featured six tracks. It was later re-released with three additional tracks on CD....
. Produced by Chris Wardman
Chris Wardman
Chris Wardman is a Canadian music producer, musician and songwriter. Wardman was a founding member of Blue Peter, and was their lead guitarist and main contributing songwriter. Wardman was also a member of Breeding Ground in the late 1980s. Wardman has been actively producing albums for many...
, it was recorded at Manta Sound in Toronto and Quest Recording Studio in Oshawa. The lead single "April Fool
April Fool (song)
"April Fool" is the second single from Canadian band Chalk Circle and the first from their debut EP, The Great Lake.The single was available on 7" and 12" singles...
" became a Top 10 single in Canada, along with another single "Me, Myself and I
Me, Myself and I (Chalk Circle song)
"Me, Myself and I" is the third single from Canadian band Chalk Circle's debut EP, The Great Lake.The single was only available in 7" vinyl single but the B-side is an as yet unreleased in CD remix of the track.-Personnel:*Chris Tait - vocals, guitars...
". The band produced videos for both tracks which were regularly featured on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, and the EP went on to become Duke Street's biggest seller at that time.
Their second release was a full length album entitled Mending Wall
Mending Wall (album)
Mending Wall is the first full length album by Toronto-based band Chalk Circle. Named after a Robert Frost poem, it was released in 1987 by Duke Street Records.Many of the album's songs dealt with issues that were big news makers of the day...
released in 1987, with the inspiration for the title coming from Robert Frost
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
's famous poem
Mending Wall
"Mending Wall" is a metaphorical poem written in blank verse, published in 1914, by Robert Frost . The poem appeared as the first selection in Frost's second collection of poetry, North of Boston...
. Recorded entirely on digital equipment, the crisp sounding album featured another Top 10 Canadian single "This Mourning", a blistering commentary about nuclear politics in the 'ray gun' (Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
) era of the late 1980s. The album would later be reissued with a cover version of T-Rex's "20th Century Boy", which also became a Top 10 Canadian single.
The band's final album was 1989's As the Crow Flies, which featured two singles, "Sons and Daughters" and "Together". Citing 'creative differences', the band broke up in 1990, and Tait formed the indie band Big Faith.
In 2006, Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
released a Chalk Circle greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation as part of its 20th Century Masters series. The release prompted the band to reconvene after 15 years and in February of that year, they began rehearsals at the Cherry Beach
Cherry Beach Sound
Cherry Beach Sound is a recording studio in the Port Lands of Toronto, Canada at 33 Villiers Street. It is in Toronto's growing film district and is also a successful audio post-production house; TV, radio, and film commercials and or advertisements are often mixed in stereo or 5.1 surround...
rehearsal studios in Toronto in anticipation of possible reunion shows.
On June 17, 2006, Chalk Circle played a reunion gig at Lee's Palace
Lee's Palace
Lee's Palace is a concert hall located on the south side of Bloor Street West east of Lippincott Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The facility consists of a converted motion picture theatre and can accommodate several hundred guests.- Founding :...
in Toronto. On October 1, 2011, the band played a show with with Blue Peter
Blue Peter (band)
Blue Peter was a Canadian new wave synthpop founded in 1978 in Markham, Ontario by Chris Wardman and Paul Humphrey. In their heyday, Blue Peter opened for major international acts such as The Police and Simple Minds...
at the Phoenix in Toronto.On Nov.12 2011 Chalk Circle played in Montreal for the first time in 20 years at Le Theatre Corona.
Discography
- The Great LakeThe Great LakeThe Great Lake is the debut EP by Chalk Circle released in 1986. The original release of the EP only featured six tracks. It was later re-released with three additional tracks on CD....
(EP) - 1986 - Mending WallMending Wall (album)Mending Wall is the first full length album by Toronto-based band Chalk Circle. Named after a Robert Frost poem, it was released in 1987 by Duke Street Records.Many of the album's songs dealt with issues that were big news makers of the day...
- 1987 - As the Crow Flies - 1989
- The Best of Chalk CircleThe Best of Chalk CircleThe Best Of Chalk Circle is a greatest hits compilation from Chalk Circle. It was released in 2006 by Universal Music Canada as part of their 20th Century Masters series....
- 2006
Singles
- "The World" (1985)
- "April FoolApril Fool (song)"April Fool" is the second single from Canadian band Chalk Circle and the first from their debut EP, The Great Lake.The single was available on 7" and 12" singles...
" (1986) #21 CAN - "Me, Myself and IMe, Myself and I (Chalk Circle song)"Me, Myself and I" is the third single from Canadian band Chalk Circle's debut EP, The Great Lake.The single was only available in 7" vinyl single but the B-side is an as yet unreleased in CD remix of the track.-Personnel:*Chris Tait - vocals, guitars...
" (1986) #92 CAN - "This MourningThis Mourning"This Mourning" is the lead single from Canadian band Chalk Circle's first full-length album, Mending Wall. It was released on Duke Street Records in 1987....
" (1987) #28 CAN - "20th Century Boy20th Century Boy"20th Century Boy" is a song by T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan. It was released as a single in 1973 and reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart. The song did not feature on an original studio album but was included as a bonus track on a reissue of 1973 album Tanx.It later returned to the UK Top 20 in...
" (1987) #44 CAN - "N.I.M.B.Y." (1987)
- "Sons and Daughters" (1989)
- "Together" (1989)