Dunk, also previously known as Starkicker and blue.bottle.fly., was a

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power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band from St. Catharines,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, who were active from the mid 1990s to early 2000s."New name means new approach for Dunk". ''

Victoria Times-Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily Co ...

'', November 25, 1999.

History

The band formed in the 1990s, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Ben Dunk, bassist Nick Dunk and drummer Doug Boudreau. The original name of the band was blue.bottle.fly. The band sold 1,500 copies of their independent album in the St. Catharines area, after which they were signed by Sony. In 1996, the band changed their name to Starkicker due to another band on the Sony label having a similar name,

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. The band released the album ''Beach Music'' through Sony in 1996. The first single from the album, "Get Up", peaked at No. 10 the week of August 26, 1996 on the ''

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. By September 1996, the album had sold about 10,000 units. The second single from the album, "Neil Armstrong", enjoyed even greater success, peaking at No. 26 on the ''RPM'' Top 100 singles chart. ''Beach Music'' was a top-30 Canadian campus radio chart hit in the late summer and fall of 1996. The band garnered a nomination for Best New Group at the

1997 Juno Awards The Juno Awards of 1997, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 9 March 1997 in Hamilton, Ontario at a ceremony in the Copps Coliseum. Jann Arden was host for the major ceremonies which were broad ...

. Deciding that the name Starkicker didn't fit, in 1999 the band changed their name to Dunk, added guitarist

Tawgs Salter Thomas "Tawgs" Salter is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer and recording engineer. His extensive body of musical work includes a vast array of artists ranging from Josh Groban, Lights and Lenka to Chantal Kreviazuk, Fefe Dobson, Dear R ...

to the lineup, and released their follow-up album ''Time to Fly'' under their new name on September 7, 1999. The album's first single, "Crowdsurfing", peaked on the ''RPM'' Rock chart at No. 18. On July 1, 2000, the band performed at

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References

{{Authority control Canadian indie rock groups Canadian power pop groups Musical groups from St. Catharines Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 1995 establishments in Ontario 2006 disestablishments in Ontario