Saskatoon Star Phoenix
July 7, 1993. p.D2
By Terry Craig of The Star Phoenix
After a decade together, unbelievable distances traveling into every nook and cranny of North America, the Northern Pikes is calling it a day.
Aside from Joni Mitchell, the Pikes was Saskatoon's most notable contribution to the Canadian music scene.
"We're going on an indefinite hiatus," bassist and songwriter Jay Semko said Tuesday. The Pikes played its last show last week in Winnipeg.
"This (hiatus) had been on the back burner for a while. We had all been thinking the same thing but no one said anything to each other.
"I don't want to say we'll never play again, I hate it when you see a group like the The Who on their third farewell tour."
The Pikes - Semko, guitarist Bryan Potvin, drummer Don Schmid and guitarist Merl Bryck - first came into national prominence in 1986 when it signed a recording contract with the giant, English-based label Virgin and released its debut disc, Big Blue Sky.
"The time is right for a rest. We have been pretty busy and most of it was good," Semko said. Throughout the band's career, it worked tirelessly towards spreading its sound, a sound that captured the energy and spirit of punk's heyday with the tight, well-defined harmonies that set it apart from its contemporaries.
During its last tour, the shows were captured on both video and audio tape with a live work projected for release later this fall. All four are in the studio working on that project.
"The reality is we're still busy with the Pikes," said Semko. "We filmed the Toronto show for a television special."
The split was amicable, Semko said.
"We're all friends, there were no horrible incidents."
