Rusty (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1994 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Headquarters | Toronto , Canada |
| Products | Albums, EPs, Singles |
Rusty is an alternative rock group from Canada, established in 1994 in Toronto, Ontario. Their album Fluke earned them a nomination for the 1996 Juno Award in the category of "Best Alternative Album."
History
The origins of Rusty trace back to One Free Fall, a band initially based in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, before moving to Toronto in 1988. The lineup featured vocalist Ken MacNeil, guitarist Sandy Graham, bassist Jim Moore, and drummer Bob Vespaziani. Their 1991 EP Quoc-Te was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Garth Richardson, including drum contributions from Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Under the independent label Handsome Boy Records, One Free Fall released the album Mud Creek in 1993 and participated alongside Art Bergmann on a Neil Young tribute compilation. However, the band dissolved in 1994 without achieving significant commercial success.
Following this, MacNeil, Moore, and Vespaziani teamed up with Scott McCullough, formerly of Doughboys, to create Rusty. In 1994, they issued the EP Wake Me through Handsome Boy Records; its title track received limited rotation on MuchMusic and strong support on campus radio stations. This exposure secured a major distribution agreement with BMG Records for their debut full-length album Fluke, released in July 1995. During this time, Vespaziani left the group and was succeeded by Mitch Perkins.
Produced by Chris Wardman, Fluke included the successful single "Misogyny," whose music video featured footage from Canadian director Bruce LaBruce's film Hustler White and appearances by Canadian musician Danko Jones. The album also produced the track "California" and received a Juno Award nomination for Best Alternative Album. Wardman also played guitar on the songs "Groovy Dead" and "California."
At this stage, Jim Moore contributed bass to demos and a track on Art Bergmann's album What Fresh Hell is This?, which won the 1996 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year; simultaneously, Rusty's Fluke was nominated.
In 1996, Rusty recorded a cover of "Let's Break Robert Out of Jail" for the compilation A Tribute to Hard Core Logo. Their song "Punk" was included on the soundtrack for Chris Farley's movie Black Sheep. That same year, they performed at 'Snow Job,' an annual outdoor concert series broadcast by MuchMusic.
Rusty's sophomore album, Sophomoric, came out in February 1997 and featured the single "Empty Cell," whose music video won a MuchMusic Video Award for Best Concept Video. Due to creative disagreements, Mitch Perkins departed and was replaced by John Lalley, formerly of Bootsauce. Perkins later released an electronic music project under the name "Blu Pernu." Additionally, Rusty contributed a cover of "Scratches And Needles" by The Nils to a tribute album released by Magwheel Records.
In 1998, Rusty launched their third studio album, Out of Their Heads, reportedly composed over three consecutive days directly in the studio. In May 1999, they announced their disbandment. Their final performance took place on November 25, 2000 at Toronto's The Opera House.
Reunion, Dogs of Canada
In 2011, Rusty came together again at the NXNE festival featuring MacNeil, McCullough, Lalley, and Jim Moore. Following this reunion, the group has sporadically performed live with John Sutton handling bass duties. Moore, who relocated to England in 2005, contributed bass during the reunion and has since resumed playing drums with several bands based in England.
December 2017 saw Rusty initiate a crowdfunding effort via PledgeMusic to support the production of a new album. Back in 2012, producer Chris Wardman shared an unreleased rendition of Donovan's "Season of the Witch" on SoundCloud.
On June 23, 2018, Rusty unveiled Dogs of Canada, their first album release after a two-decade hiatus.
Current members
- Ken MacNeil – lead vocals (1994–2000, 2011–present)
- Scott McCullough – guitar (1994–2000, 2011–present)
- John Lalley – drums (1997–2000, 2011–present)
- John Sutton – bass guitar (2011–present)
Former members
- Jim Moore – bass guitar (1994–2000, participated in two shows in 2011)
- Bob Vespaziani – drums (1994–1995)
- Mitch Perkins – drums (1995–1997)
Albums
- Fluke (1995)
- Sophomoric (1997)
- Out of Their Heads (1998)
- Dogs of Canada (2018)
EPs
- Rusty (1994)
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN |
CAN Alt |
US Alt |
MM Countdown | |||
| 1995 | "Wake Me" | — | — | 26 | — | Fluke |
| "Groovy Dead" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Misogyny" | — | 3 | — | 22 | ||
| 1996 | "California" | — | 12 | — | — | |
| 1997 | "Empty Cell" | 24 | — | — | 12 | Sophomoric |
| "Oh No Joe" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "It's Christmas Time (And I'm Poor)" | — | — | — | — | Out Of Their Heads | |
| 1998 | "Soul For Sale" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Memories" | — | — | — | 20 | ||
| 2019 | "Home" | — | — | — | — | Dogs of Canada |
"—" indicates a single that did not enter the charts.