Jr. Gone Wild

Jr. Gone Wild is a country/punk rock based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.[2] The band toured for a number of years and recorded several albums in the 1980s and 1990s. After disbanding in 1995, the group began performing and recording again in 2013.

Jr. Gone Wild
OriginEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
GenresCowpunk
Years active1982 (1982)–1995 (1995), 2013 (2013)–Current (Current)
LabelsBetter Youth
Stony Plain[1]
Associated actsJerry Jerry and the Sons of Rhythm Orchestra
D.O.A.
Websitejrgonewild.com

History

The band was founded in Edmonton in 1982. Its original members were Mike McDonald,[3] Tom Wolfe, Adele Wolfe, and Bill (Will) Pontez.[4]

They played several gigs in Calgary including The Calgarian Hotel and The National Hotel but after only a few gigs broke up. McDonald eventually took the band and the name back to Edmonton, where he had previously fronted the band Joey Did and the Necrophiliacs, later known as Malibu Kens, (McDonald, Dobek, Scott Alloy, Dennis Lenarduzzi).

The band's next members were Mike McDonald, David Lawson, Dave "Dove" Brown,[4] and Ed Dobek. They recorded their first album, Less Art More Pop, in 1986 on the BYO label.[4][5]

Dobek and Lawson left the band in 1988. The band continued with McDonald and Brown, Steve Loree and Paul Paetz. The group went on a number of tours and experienced some personnel changes. The band won an Alberta Recording Industry Award for best rock band in 1994.[6]

They recorded several albums, leading up to Simple Little Wish, which was released in early 1995.[7] The band broke up later that year.[8][9]

They were also associated with Edmonton/Montreal-based band Jerry Jerry and the Sons of Rhythm Orchestra, sharing several members at various junctures. According to a CBC Radio interview in the late 1980s, k.d. lang at one time played with both bands.

Jr. Gone Wild reformed in 2013 and played a reunion show with Mike McDonald, Dove Brown, Steve Loree and drummer Larry Shelast. The band got into legal difficulties after using the Alberta crest as part of their promotional material.[10] The reunion gig was well received and the band started to perform live again,[9] re-released their debut album Less Art More Pop! independently,[5] and recorded a few new songs.[11]

In 2015 NTT Films began filming a feature-length documentary that follows the history of the band, from their first gig through to the present recording sessions and live shows.

In 2015 Jr. Gone Wild performed at the Edmonton Music Awards gala.[12]

In 2016 the song "Cosmos" from the album Less Art More Pop was recorded by Calgary band Napalmpom.[9]

Discography
  • Less Art, More Pop! (1986)
  • Folk You (The Guido Sessions) (1989)
  • Too Dumb to Quit (1990)
  • Pull The Goalie (1992)[13]
  • Simple Little Wish (1995)
  • Live at the Hyperbole (1995) (with Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie)

References
  1. Holger Petersen (30 September 2011). Talking Music. Insomniac Press. pp. 17–. ISBN 978-1-55483-058-9.
  2. Michael Barclay; Ian A. D. Jack; Jason Schneider (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance, 1985-1995. ECW Press. pp. 19–. ISBN 978-1-55490-968-1.
  3. Sam Sutherland (2012). Perfect Youth: The Birth of Canadian Punk. ECW Press. pp. 157–. ISBN 978-1-77041-065-7.
  4. "The Lonesome Ballads of Handsome Ned and Jr. Gone Wild Long Time Gone". Exclaim!, Michael Barclay, 1 Dec 2000]
  5. "Album review: Jr. Gone Wild's Less Art, More Pop!". Edmonton Journal, Sandra Sperounes 23 July 2013
  6. "Mercy - Arden collects half a dozen ARIAs". Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alberta, 30 May 1994, p. 12
  7. Larry LeBlanc (14 January 1995). "Roots Music, Country, Reign at Stony Plain". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: 37–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. "Jr. Gone Wild". radio3.cbc.ca. CBC. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  9. "Reunited Jr. Gone Wild grateful to flex songwriting muscles again". Edmonton Journal, Sandra Sperounes, 1 September 2015.
  10. "Jr. Gone Wild embroiled in emblem imbroglio". Gig City, 27 June 2013 By Mike Ross
  11. "Edmonton’s Permanent Records going out of business". Edmonton Journal, Sandra Sperounes. 7 July 2015
  12. "The Royal Foundry run away with three Edmonton Music Awards". Edmonton Journal, Sandra Sperounes, 29 June 2016
  13. CD Review Digest: Jazz, popular, etc. Volume 7, Issue 4. Peri Press. 1994. p. 331.
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