The 222s

The 222s

The 222's playing in Montreal in 2010: Cerrato, Barry, Rondeau
Background information
Origin Canada
Genres Punk Rock
Years active 1978–1982, 2010–present
Labels Rebel
Sonik's Chicken Shrimp
Associated acts Acrylic
Nudimension
Bram
The 39 Steps
Pillbox (NYC)
Southern Death Cult
The Throbbing Purple
Website www.the222s.com
Members Chris Barry
Pierre Major
Joe Cerratto
Louie "Louie" Rondeau
Past members
Music sample
"I Love Suzan" (1978)

The 222s are a Canadian punk band that was active from 1977 to 1981. They are among the first original Canadian punk bands and most likely the first glam/punk band to emerge from Montreal. They are most famous for their 1978 single "I Love Suzan".[1] They temporarily re-formed in 2010 and still occasionally play [primarily] festivals in their native Canada.

History

The 222s, who took their name from a Canadian pain killer of the same name,[2] were formed by guitarist Pierre "Al Cleann" Major and singer Jean "Frisson" Brisson in the summer of 1977. A few months later, bass player/drummer Angel Calvo and drummer, keyboardist and singer Louie "Louie" Rondeau, joined the group. This early line-up played a small handful of gigs around Montreal, mostly in high schools and regularly in support of Danger, a popular francophone rock and roll band often mislabeled 'punk' by a predominately clueless local media.

Within a few months Calvo was replaced by bassist Christian "Chris O'Bell" Belleau while original singer Jean Frisson relocated to NYC to be closer to that city's comparatively thriving punk scene. Less than a year later, an impoverished Frisson [who noted Quebecois singer/songwriter/poet Lucien Francoeur once wrote a popular album about, Le Retour de Johnny Frisson] temporarily put music aside and started 'hustling' as a gogo boy in Manhattan's meatpacking district. Frisson's abrupt departure from the band coincided with the recording of the 222s first single, I Love Susan b/w The First Studio Bomb, so drummer Rondeau [aka Louie Louie] took on the lead vocals.

Released in the fall of 1978 on their manager François Doyon's Rebel Records, I Love Susan b/w The First Studio Bomb was the first DIY punk single ever released in Montreal or the province of Quebec.[3]

Just as their single was coming out, Chris Barry, a charismatic 16-year-old high school student, joined [4] the band after being introduced to the other guys by Rational Youth/The Normal's drummer Tracey Howe after the release of the 7". Not long afterward, Barry brought his friend, Joe Cerrato, a juvenile delinquent, into the group to replace Christian Belleau on bass, to complete the classic 222s lineup. Doyon then came into contact with some gangsters from Laval who wanted to try their hands in the music business. The band had been doing a cover of Michel Polnareff's La Poupée qui fait non at their shows for more than a year and the gangsters wanted to turn that song into a provincial hit. This was similar to what garage band Les Sultans had done in 1966 to market the 222s to the teenybopper public, so they offered to finance the band's second 7".[3][4]

They recorded in one of the gangster's house but weren't getting along with them, considering they didn't know anything about music. After a few days of fighting, the mobsters showed the band a gun and told them that there wouldn't be any more fighting. The band finished the record in fear the same day, quit the mobster's house and never went back there.[3][4]

The 7", which featured an instrumental version of the song on the B-Side, was released in 1981 on Gamma Records [5] and was a minor regional hit, getting a fair amount of airplay in Quebec. The band was ashamed of it and thought it sounded terrible,[3] among others because the mobster's replaced Barry's voice in the choruses with his sister's voice and his own. This accelerated the demise of the group, which went their separate ways shortly after, in November 1981, because the band members didn't agree about the direction they should take musically.[3][4]

Over the course of their career, the 222s toured Canada as extensively as any band could. They even toured in the USA where they toured with the Nuclear Accidents and ventured off to play at the famous Max's Kansas City in New York City on several occasions.[2][6]

The 222s have kept a legendary status as Quebec's first punk band to release a record and a series of TV appearances. The TV appearances were in the late 70s and early 80s on a local Community television show called The Musi-Video show, which was produced by Doyon's business partner Marc Fontaine. These shows have since resurfaced on YouTube and elsewhere and have sparked a renewed interest in the band.[2] Similarly, Montreal label Sonik's Chicken Shrimp Records released an anthology of the band's demos in 2007 under the name "Montreal Punk '78-'81" which also sparked interest.[2]

Other Projects

2010 Reunion

In 2010 the original lineup of Chris, Louie and Pierre reformed and have been performing mostly at several successful Festivals such as NXNE in Toronto, Osheaga in Montreal and FME in Val d' Or.

Personnel

Discography

Singles

Albums

References

  1. ↑ KALLMANN, HELMUT (1992). "The Impact of the 1980s". Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-2881-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Carpentier, Lorraine (September 30, 2010), "A riot of our own", Montreal Mirror
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 O'Meara, Jamie (September 30, 2010), "The tale of the 222s", Hour Magazine
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Thee Throbbing Purple Interview by Three Dim Star General on Sleazegrinder.com".
  5. ↑ Manley, Frank (1993). Smash the State A Discography of Canadian Punk, 1977-92. No Exit. p. 112. ISBN 0-9696631-0-2.
  6. 1 2 "Ciao Manhattan : Chris Barry, Snake Appeal, and The Cult of Purple..., Sugarbuzz Magazine, article by Kenney Silvers".
  7. ↑ Psyquebelique 2009
  8. ↑ Jam.ca The 39 steps
  9. ↑ Cummins, Johnson (January 8, 1998), "The 40th Step", Montreal Mirror
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