A Sort of Biography
Blair Petrie's music career spans many decades; artistic and musical styles; political ideals and ideas and even a couple of continents. Through a combination of sometimes fierce idealism, doing the right thing in the right place at the wrong time (And any variant of that possible), a never ending urge to keep trying new things and constantly evolving and moving forward, amongst many other factors, he has most meticulously avoided any contact with commercial reward.
A permanent fixture in the dark, distant corners of many underground movements He has garnered some recognition from time to time. From Avant Garde Rock and Jazz to experimental, electronic to punk, pop and more (blah, blah, blah, so many descriptors for what are just sounds and words - and no sounds or words), he has steadfastly remained unknown.
After a twenty year absence from music he has returned with a pending four album vinyl release of previously unavailable recordings. There will also be a release of brand new recordings sometime after.
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Leave us alone!!! Why are you calling?! What do You want?!? (Hereafter, mostly incomprehensible , apoplectic yelling and screaming...Possibly something like: ‘please don’t kill us’. It’s really hard to remember it all).
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A Frantic, ranting and raging Peter Grant, Manager of led zeppelin, when we called to politely enquire about our demo tape that we had dropped off a couple of weeks earlier At Swansong.
/ Rather unSatisfied owner of a Record label /
The beginning of slime
1968/69-1972: Worked and experimented with tape loops and tape recorder composition and electronics as well as playing jazz and renditions of serious music in various ensembles. For example: amplified piano and drums, feeding/treating electric guitars (Bob Bell), hammond organs, et cetera through reel to reel tape recorders in various experiments in 1970-71; psychedelic, space rock, new rock, jazz, improvisational and performance art group; and other intense explorations.
1970-1972: (Concurrently) Founding member and leader of two ‘new rock’ groups which performed original works and arrangements of Bartok, Sibelius, Bach , et cetera. One group featured Charles Waitt on keyboards who went on to study music at the London School of Music, then taught music in London, England. The other group featured a rather overweight young man who went on to don a three piece suit and talk his way into managing a large, prestigious shopping mall at sixteen, until discovered…
1970 - 1972: (Also Concurrently) Played in and with various improvisational and experimental groupings doing folk, blues and other similar music forms.
1972 - 1973: Travelled throughout Europe and Britain.
The ugly and the dead
1973 - 1979: Was the founding member and leader of Necromancer, an avant garde group that encompassed a full spectrum of musical styles in an original and aggressive manner. “Modern jazz through new rock to obscure edges of the avant garde”. 12 note row compositions, unusual time signatures and instrumentation (vibraphone, drum kits, various percussion instruments, flutes, saxophones, harmonicas, electric basses, organs, synthesizers, thumb pianos, tape loops, effects devices, recorders, pianos, electric and acoustic guitars, et cetera), noise, jazz styles from Eric Dolphy to Cecil Taylor to Billy Cobham, free and structured improvisation contrasting with highly technical and complex compositions. There were many different group members over the years which facilitated the exploration of several styles and approaches.
The original line-up featured Bob Bell who went on to become well regarded in free and avant garde jazz. A later line-up featured Duncan Stewart-Ross, an English synthesist and keyboard player, who eventually worked with Dave Stewart from Egg, Hatfield and the North, National Health and other adventurous groups.
Necromancer also worked with many musicians over the years including Phillip Durant a violinist and composer who was playing with Tony Oxley and attending the London School of Music at the time. He is now a respected musician and composer. Some other past members of the group are Dave Jacobs, saxophones and flutes; Ben Gaylie - who said Blair ruined his life by luring him into experimental and difficult music - percussionist and composer, who went on to become active in electronic pop music; Frank Charrington, electric and acoustic guitars, going on to play in jazz/rock ensembles.
In London, Blair became the second person to ever walk into EG Records off the street with a demo tape. This caused tremendous confusion with the people on the front desk and led to a leisurely afternoon with either 'E' or 'G' - I can't remember which. Oh, the first person to ever walk in was someone called Brian Ferry. Necromancer also caused quite a stir at Swansong Records for a reason still unknown to any of the then band members. The hysterical rants from administration staff extended one time to Peter Grant who got involved and began an incoherent scream fest of rage and fear at Blair. He is sure that "Satan" and a wide variety of expletives, as well as begging for us to leave him alone, were amongst the apoplectic outbursts...
The ugly and the dead - part II
1979 - 1980: Worked with Paul Dolden and Ian Campbell playing contemporary jazz and experimenting with computer music. Paul is now an internationally recognized electronic music composer. Hopefully, he has also learned to cook.
1979 - 1980: (Concurrently) Forms The Shreik, or Shreik, with Ben Gaylie. Jon Doe of Vancouver’s first punk band, Rabid, on electric guitar. Punk rock morphed/morphing with/into modern electro-rock, pop, electronic.
1980 - 1981: Co-formed the Rosa Luxembourg Band with Rosemarie Swift from the Insex and Ian Parnell. A tempestuous songwriting/band liaison between Blair and Rose but the music comes out well and according to some sounded like a cross between Television and Romeo Void. Rosemarie is now a famous cosmetician.
Meat juice on mars
1979 - 1983: Started solo career with a demo tape in September 1979 and put together a book of early poetry. Neither released. Recorded another demo tape on 24 channels in a real studio in early 1981. What was completed sounded pretty good and a rough mix tape resulted that was never released except for an early, incomplete version of Belsen.
Other recordings (mostly primitively done on a stereo reel to reel with a couple of inexpensive mics in the room) and a variety of musical experimentation both solo and with others.
Rented an 8 channel tape recorder, huge mixing board and some effects in the autumn of 1981. Had no idea how to operate any of it. Recorded four pieces that again were never fully realized, except for possibly Pamela, which was released in a couple of versions a couple of years later.
My first solo release appears on the compilation Stitching Small Tears just after the premiere on CBC national radio of Pamela. Big Red Rolls Royce, mansions, drugs, perverse sexual addictions and swimming pools here I come…
1982 - 1983: Joined Sexbeat a power pop/rock band consisting of former members of the the Coverboys. Gigs and recording. An EP released. A second one in works when band broke up.
1983 - 1985: Released a solo vinyl mini lp in the autumn of 1983 though it had been recorded in 1982 but had been delayed in manufacture. Recorded Interference. sixty-five minute cassette tape album, at home (a tiny seventy-seven square foot one room apartment on a stereo reel to reel and released it. John Cahoon produces a video about Blair which finally (John could never seem to finish it - always re-editing and changing things) began airing on local cable stations in late 1984.
Acquired a four channel tape recorder, a small mixing board and a real microphone… Wrote and recorded several pieces for a variety of people such as Mark Mushet at CITR Radio; Mark Lane in L.A.; Fraction Studios in France, et cetera. Released a few more albums on cassette tape. Busy.
why did you have to say that?!
1985 - 1991: Approached by an acquaintance, who was a business person but had been involved in aspects of the music industry in the past and still had significant connections, mainly in Europe, and asked if Blair would be interested in forming a band, which he would finance, manage et cetera. He said he knew of two young musicians who might have some potential. After some hesitation and thought Blair agreed (Ooohhh!? Was he thinking, “Another chance for the Big Red Rolls Royce, mansions in Beverly Hills and endless drug and sex orgies”? Probably). This was to be a more accessible venture and Blair thought it could be a challenge to be somewhat “commercial” but still make it musically interesting. Working also with a professional music producer (Des Hidson) that Blair had met through another friend work began on writing and recording.
The group, known as Ultramarine - suggested by Malcom Lowery’s first novel - gained a large loyal local following when, after numerous personnel changes, they began to play live. Various recording done for demo tapes with a variety of group line-ups. Nothing released. A few songs played on alternative/college radio. After many years of hard work and great music Blair decides it is time to move on. Some best remembered moments are a dance floor full of young punks and cool kids dancing enthusiastically to a song in 15/16 time…
1986: (Concurrently) During a lull in Ultramarine Blair and good friend Stefan Tischler write and record Gorgons and Gargoyles. We do a small cassette release of it but it is later released on some small independent labels in cassette and cd form. Many nights roaming streets and hanging out in bus depots, clubs and street corners with a DAT recorder and stereo mic…
1986: (Also concurrently) Blair and Andrew Lissett form Pig Doctor. Blair had thought that sounds like those of Nitzer Ebb and Accept really should be united into one and Pig Doctor was born, or, rather, regurgitated and rampaged with a buzz saw… Some writing and initial demo recordings then interrupted by Ultramarine back on track.
1985 - 1991: (Concurrently) Continue to record various solo pieces. One or two are for special radio broadcast but most are not released.
Stardom and the cesspool of life
1990 - 1992: Experimenting with various (very loud) electric guitarists looking to do something more aggressive in nature, more in your face…
Doesn’t really go anywhere, so Blair continues with Ultramarine a bit longer but also records some songs more in the vein of the aforementioned experiments on his four channel. Never released.
Also does a bit of jingle recording with Ron Allan for potential commercial. Blair worked with Ron as a live sound engineer since Sexbeat - crystal clear and very loud!
…Around the same time…
Gord Martin is trying to get a band together and approaches Blair to join. He does and we quickly write and arrange music for a forty minute live set. With the variety of excellent musicians in the group and great music it looks as though they could be the darlings of the heavy underground music scene happening at the moment.
Unfortunately, Gord, who is the vocalist, can’t manage to complete lyrics for more than about two or three songs, possibly a little lack of confidence, which is unfounded. In a situation that seemed to me similar to Rosemarie in Rosa Luxembourg he starts looking for others to blame…
After the drummer is fired for no particular reason - being a competent drummer for this particular style of music - Blair leaves shortly after along with most of the band), sensing this is starting to go nowhere, but on good terms. Eventually, the band kind of fizzles out but Gord becomes a celebrity chef and finds gastronomic fame and fortune.
An Acid Bath in Every Home
1991 - 1993: Those songs Blair wrote and recorded earlier eventually morph into Garden of Earthly Delights after sifting through many musicians. Many songs, gigs and some recording. A sound is starting to evolve but band members drop out and band ends.
1993 - 1994: Blair runs into Ben from the ancient past and starts jamming. Andrew Lissett from GEDs joins on guitar. We do some new songs and a few older ones. A bit of recording, no shows.
1994: Ben and Blair go to LA to check things out. Blair returns after awhile and reforms Pig Doctor with Andrew. Record a couple of new pieces on 24 channels. Never released.
1994: Blair writes (in LA) and then back in Vancouver records his last piece before a twenty year musical hiatus…
2014: Blair begins music once more. Starts work on first composition in over 20 years.
2015 - 2017: Begins work on what is to become Metempsychosis ...the unheard music. A retrospective, of sorts, of the various solo works Blair had done, almost none of which were ever released. Also begins working (writing and recording) again on the new piece and completes Inject Glue Into Brain (Song for End Times).
2017 - 2018: Mastering and working on graphics for Metempsychosis.
2018: Writing and recording two more pieces. Release Metempsychosis ...the unheard music.