All performances occurred in Ontario, Canada unless noted….
PRE-SAUCER:
Jan. 1972 - June 1973
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Paul Collili: keyboards
Dave Byers: saxophone, electronics
Neil DeMerchant: drums, percussive violin, percussion
Rehearsal Sites: Concession Street apartments
see also http://www.theshangs.ca/ for more info on this period.
1973
SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver.1.0
May - June 1973 / Oct. 1973
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Paul Collili: keyboards
Dave Byers: saxophone, electronics
Neil DeMerchant: drums, percussive violin, percussion
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
John "Ping Romany" LaPlante: electronics, percussion
Rehearsal site: John Street loft, near King Street East
Simply Saucer moniker appears at this time, inspired by Pink Floyd’s A Saucerful of Secrets and the band Just Us.
Oct. 73: The band rents out 221 _ Kenilworth Street North in Hamilton as a rehearsal space for the next three years. "Illegal Bodies" is the first song to christen the space. Dubbed "The Office," it also becomes living quarters for leader Edgar Breau
SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver.2.0
Nov. 73 - Nov. 74
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Neil DeMerchant: drums, percussive violin, percussion
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
John "Ping Romany" LaPlante: electronics, percussion
1974
March: Rick Bissell assumes manager role
First professional gig:
Sat. June 22: St. Alban’s Church, Hamilton
July 14 - 15: Master Sound Recording Studio Sessions
Mixed July 24
Engineer: Bob Lanois
These would later make up Tracks 1 - 6 of Cyborgs Revisited.
Financed by manager Rick Bissell, the funds ran out before the final guitar overdub on "Bullet Proof Nothing" could be recorded. The missing guitar part can be heard on the second 1978 live version, included on the Cyborgs re-issue.
Aug. 8: Lloyd D Jackson Square, Hamilton
Sept. 11: Glendale Secondary School, Hamilton
Oct. 10: Club Galaxy "707" Oakville
Nov. 1: Elmira High School, Elmira
Nov. 7: Kernahan High School, St. Catharines
Nov. 13: Neil DeMerchant leaves group
SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver. 2.1
Nov. 74 - Feb. 75; Oct. 75 - Apr. 76; briefly in Sept. 76
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Don Cramer: drums, percussion
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
John "Ping Romany" LaPlante: electronics, percussion
Dec. 18: Sutton High School, Sutton
Dec. 20: Smith Fall’s District Collegiate Institute, Smith’s Falls
1975
Jan. 25: Hawksbury Dist. High School, Hawksbury
Feb. 15: Westdale Secondary School, Hamilton
Feb. 24: Don Cramer leaves group
March 24: John Miles joins group on drums; leaves after two weeks.
SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver. 2.2
April - Oct. 1975; April - Aug. 1976
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
John "Ping Romany" LaPlante: electronics, percussion
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
Tony Cutaia: drums
Tony is all of 15 at the time…
April 18: Trenton High School, Trenton
April 26: Carleton Arena, Carleton Place
May 16: Champlain High School, Pembroke
May 23: Etobicoke High School, Etobicoke
May 25: St. Patrick’s School, Hamilton
June 11: Grantham High School, St. Catharines
The cover of Cyborgs Revisited was shot at that gig. Following the show, the group’s van had its brake cables severed.
June 19: Burlington Fair, Burlington
A battle of the bands ...they lost!
June 28: Lloyd D. Jackson Square, Hamilton.
Part of the show is recorded on a two-track Tandberg machine, and ended up on Side Two of Cyborgs ("Cyborgs Pt Two," "Dance The Mutation," and "Illegal Bodies"). Pink Floyd, sans Syd Barrett, plays Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton the same day.
July 23: Rick Bissell resigns as manager
Aug. 9: Lloyd D. Jackson Square, Hamilton.
Sept 12 - 13: Downstairs John, McMaster Univ. Hamilton
The band has all of its guitars stolen after the second show. They are insured, but momentum is lost.
Oct. 11: Tony Cutaia leaves group
Oct. 19: Don Cramer returns to group (Ver. 2.1)
1976
No gigs this year;
Edgar begins writing material such as "Low Profile," "She’s A Dog," etc.
April 11: Don Cramer leaves group
April 23: Tony Cutaia returns to group (Ver. 2.2)
Aug. 7: Tony Cutaia leaves group permanently; would later own and operate restaurant in Hamilton’s Centre Mall.
Aug. 20: John "Ping Romany" LaPlante leaves group. Much of Edgar’s new material did not use the synth vocabulary of Ping; he becomes depressed and leaves. Ping would continue his association with the Saucer as a roadie right until the end.
Sept: Don Cramer returns
Sept. 30: Simply Saucer evicted from The Office; group disbands
1977
SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver. 3.0
Feb. - April 77:
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Don Cramer: drums, percussion
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
Group reforms as trio with a more song and guitar-focused sound; takes up rehearsal spot at the infamous - and now-demolished - "Saucer House" on Ferguson Street South.
SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver. 3.1
April - Nov. 77:
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Don Cramer: drums, percussion
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
Alex Pollington: guitar, vocals
Alex joins in early April, beginning of twin guitar era. The band takes in the 3D Show at the Ontario College of Art; meets Gary Pig Gold, who interviews Edgar for The Pig Paper #3 (the Kinks issue) on April 9 who begins managerial duties for the band. Band begins to test the nascent new wave scene for gigs.
May 20: ROCK SHOCK. Masonic Temple, Toronto (w/ Johnnie Lovesin and Teenage Head)
Aug. 27: Club David’s, Toronto (w/ The Poles)
Aug. 29 - 31: Club David’s, Toronto (w/ various other acts)
Sept. 1 - 4: held over at Club David’s, Toronto (w/ The Ugly)
Sept. 4: Jerry Lewis Telethon, Chelsea Inn, Toronto
Sept. 17: OUTRAGE. Masonic Temple, Toronto (w/ Battered Wives, Teenage Head, The Viletones and The Concordes)
Oct. 1: James Street YMCA, Hamilton (w/ The Headaches)
Oct. 29: James Street YMCA, Hamilton (w/ The Loved Ones)
Nov. 9: Alex Pollington leaves group due to musical differences, i.e. he couldn’t deal with "punk" rock.
SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver. 3.2
Nov. 77 - Aug. 79
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Don Cramer: drums, percussion
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
Steve "Sparky" Park: guitar, vocals
1978
Jan. 7: Ottawa Street YWCA, Hamilton
The first show with Sparky was also recorded with a hand-held cassette recorder. Three songs ("Yes I Do," "Bullet Proof Nothing," "Time For The Party") ended up on the bonus tracks for Cyborgs.
Jan. 21: Ottawa Street YWCA, Hamilton
The Forgotten Rebels made their live debut at this show, burning a Canadian flag onstage. This act prompted them to get banned at all YWCA venues. Joe Csontos, the current Saucer drummer, was in the audience that night. He thought the Rebels stunk. Ironically enough, he would become their drummer 4 years later. Life is funny that way.
Feb. 24: Ellis Avenue Kiwanis Club, Hamilton (paid $128)
March 18: McNab Street YWCA, Hamilton
April 1: The Pub, Hotel Isabella, Toronto
Opening for the Battered Wives. Live tapes of this set still circulate among traders.
April 10: Colonial Tavern, Toronto, opening for Teenage Head
April 13 - 15: The Pub, Hotel Isabella, Toronto
May 14 - 17: Recording sessions for the Pig Records 45 "She’s A Dog" / "I Can Change My Mind" at JB Sound, Hamilton
Mixed May 23
May 24: Pig-1 45 mastered at Just Another Mastering Facility, Toronto
June 8: Pig single released, 2000 copies pressed, thanks to various corn roasts held on the Hamilton Mountain. While not really representative of what the band was like live at the time, the single still manages to get picked by the UK Record Mirror as Single of the Week. Three years later, Gary Pig would hand CFMU-FM personality Bruce Mowat a copy.
June 23: CFMU-FM interview, McMaster University, Hamilton
July 27 - 29: Beverly Tavern, Toronto (paid $250)
Sept. 25, 26: Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (w/ The Scenics) (paid $30)
Oct. 19 - 21: Beverly Tavern, Toronto (paid $250)
Oct. 27 - 28: Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (w/ Nash The Slash and Pere Ubu)
1979
Jan. 24 - 27: Cedar Lounge, London
April 30: Larry’s Hideaway, Toronto
May 16 - 19: Cedar Lounge, London
June 2: Royal Hotel, Guelph
Joe Csontos, acting as de facto manager, books Saucer with a now forgotten identi-kit punk rock act called the Nasties. The Nasties badger and insult the band so much that Edgar ends up punching out their singer.
June 4 - 9: Schooner Hotel, St. Thomas
Saucer resorts to playing covers in small town bars. The beginning of the end…
July 24: Mississauga Belle, Mississauga
The last live performance…Sparky gives his notice after the show.
July 28: Kevin Christoff gives his notice, effectively ending this segment of Saucer history.
Edgar de-tunes his electric, puts the guitar in the closet, and - influenced by John Fahey - learns acoustic finger-picking styles.
2006
Reformed SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver. 1.0
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
Steve "Sparky" Park: guitar, vocals
Joe Csontos: drums
Sept. 16: RADIO X T-SHIRTS PUNK ROCK REVUE. Corktown Pub, Hamilton
(w/ Teenage Head, Forgotten Rebels, The Viletones, The Screwed, Raving Mojos)
Reformed SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver. 2.0
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
Joe Csontos: drums
Dan Winterman: theremin, guitar
Dr. Mike Daley: guitar, vocals
Dec. 28: Casbah Lounge, Hamilton (w/ Electroluminescent)
Reformed SIMPLY SAUCER, Ver. 2.1
Edgar Breau: guitar, vocals
Kevin Christoff: bass, vocals
Joe Csontos: drums
Dan Winterman: theremin, guitar
Steve Foster: guitar, vocals
2007
February - May: pre-production and rehearsals at Napier Park Studio, Dundas ON
April 13, 14: Ciao Edie, Toronto (w/ say Ah!, Electroluminescent)
May 20 - 24: Half Human recording begins at Catherine North Studios, Hamilton
May 27: CUIT-FM Equalizing-X-Distort performance and interview, University of Toronto
June 14: La Sala Rossa, Montreal, Quebec (w/ CPC Gangbangs, Plastic Crimewave Sound)
June 15: Babylon, Ottawa
June 23: Half Live recording, Catherine North Studios, Hamilton
Oct. 13: Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY (w/ Alan Vega, Oneida, Old Time Relijun) First-ever show in U.S... First-ever show outside of Canada, in fact!
November: Hamilton Music Awards, Hamilton Place
2008
April: Saucer plays the Westside Music Theatre in Hamilton (with guests, the Battleship Ethel)
June: The band returns to the US, this time for gigs in Detroit, Chicago, and at Terrastock 7 in Louisville
August: Joe leaves the band.
2009
February: a reformed Simply Saucer, consisting of original members Edgar, Kevin, Paul Colilli and Dave Byers, and joined by recent Saucerites Steve and Daniel, do a one-off audio and video recording, completely improvised, at Napier Park Studio.
June: Saucer plays NXNE in Toronto with new drummer Pete Lacey.
July: Kevin and Daniel bow out of the band temporarily.
Summer: Edgar, Steve, and Pete reform the band with Jeff Bakalar (gtr and synths), Chris Jamieson (bass). Local gigs follow.
October: this version of SS plays the US, this time at Scion Garage Fest in Portland, OR
2010
2011
February: HH/HL lineup of Edgar, Kevin, Joe, Steve, and Daniel return to Toronto and Hamilton for live dates. Bruce Mowat returns as manager.
March: This lineup of SS announces dates for summer 2011.
August: Simply Saucer returns to Detroit MI,and debuts Cleveland, for some gigs and good times with Rocket455, and a 5-song session at Ghetto Recorders produced by Jim Diamond, Jeff Meyer, and Rob Sikora