by Rod Christie

When DSK (aka Dead Surf Kiss) appeared in Showcase in March/April of 1997 they had already broken up and gotten back together under the name Meeker and gotten a new lead singer named Nathan Dillon. The members of “the most dysfunctional band in Canada” were still not satisfied in Meeker and disbanded again shortly thereafter. Luckily DSK/Meeker bassist Rich Priske and guitarist David Genn stayed in contact and found still one more vocalist/self-professed “control freak” named Matt Good. With the addition of drummer Ian Browne, The Matthew Good Band was formed and in 1999 double-platinum history was made with Beautiful Midnight debuting at number one on the Soundscan chart. After MGB dissolved and Good struck out on his own, Priske has stayed on board to play bass on Good’s first solo album, Avalanche.

by Rod Christie

After surfacing in Showcase, there is precious little that offbeat songstress Emm Gryner hasn’t done. Gryner released her major label debut, Public, on Mercury Records in 1998 and has since recorded two albums and a DVD for Dead Daisy. As well, Gryner has lent her considerable vocal and piano talents to such venerable names as David Bowie, Rob Zombie, Tommy Lee, Chris Chaney, Earl Slick, and Bran Van 3000.

by Rod Christie

Sky hold the distinction of being (probably) the only group in history to win the Juno for “Best New Group” after they had disbanded. When they were featured in CM’s March/April 1998 issue however, Sky were only just on the cusp of breaking worldwide (a fact pointed out by Karen Bliss at the time) with Piece Of Paradise; an album that would debut at number six on Canada’s pop charts, making it the highest Soundscan debut for a Canadian artist to that date.

by Rod Christie

At 20 years old, Toronto hip-hop institution Kardinal Offishall appeared in CM’s Showcase section in March/April 1998 with his album Eye & I. Since then, Offishall (born Jason Harrow) has recorded another album for MCA as well as an EP. Harrow has also built a reputation for himself working with other rappers including Choclair, Checkmate, and Thrust. He produced much of Choclair’s album, Ice Cold, and played several instruments on the tracks including the piano hook on the single “Let’s Ride”.

by Rod Christie

Following her appearance in that same May/June 1998 issue of Showcase (it was a good couple of months), while auditioning for a slot on Lilith Fair, Maren Ord caught the attention of Terry McBride (manager of The Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan) who brokered a deal with Nettwerk and Capitol to release Ord’s Waiting in 2000. Ord is currently working on new material for a second album with Randy Bachman.