Young Canadians (originally The K-Tels) were a Canadian punk rock band formed in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1978 and active for just under two years. The YC's were influenced not only by the other punk bands in town at that time such as

D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...

and the Pointed Sticks, but also by the

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...

the Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

, and 1960s

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

. Although the band only released a small amount of material before breaking up, their single "Hawaii" is one of the classic Canadian punk anthems.Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, '' Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995''.

ECW Press ECW Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by Jack David and Robert Lecker in 1974 as a Canadian literary magazine named ''Essays on Canadian Writing''. They started publishing trade and scholarly book ...

. . The band's leader, songwriter and guitarist was

Art Bergmann Arthur Frank Bergmann (born February 8, 1953 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who was one of the key figures in Canadian punk rock in the late 1970s.Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, '' Have ...

, who went on to become one of the key figures in Canadian

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

in the 1980s and 1990s."The resurrection of a lost Art". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', February 18, 2009. The other band members were bassist Jim Bescott and drummer Barry Taylor. Their first-ever recording was the song "I Hate Music", for the ''

Vancouver Complication ''Vancouver Complication'' is a compilation album featuring many influential Vancouver punk bands. It was released in 1979 on Pinned Records, and has been reissued a number of times with several different cover designs. Considered one of the m ...

'' punk compilation album. Just before the release of "Hawaii", they were forced to change their name when threatened with legal action by the

K-Tel K-tel International Ltd is a Canadian company which formerly specialized in selling consumer products through infomercials and live demonstration. Its products include compilation music albums, including ''The Super Hits'' series, ''The Dynami ...

corporation. The K-Tels supported

the Boomtown Rats The Boomtown Rats are an Irish rock band originally formed in Dublin in 1975. Between 1977 and 1985, they had a series of Irish and UK hits including "Like Clockwork", "Rat Trap", "I Don't Like Mondays" and "Banana Republic". The original line ...

on a tour across Canada. Following their breakup, their two EPs and single, plus unreleased live tracks, were re-released in 1995 on the album ''No Escape'', with liner notes written by Buck Cherry. ''Joyride on the Western Front'', a live album documenting a 1980 concert at

Mabuhay Gardens The Mabuhay Gardens, also known as The Fab Mab or The Mab, was a former San Francisco nightclub, located at 443 Broadway Street, in North Beach on the Broadway strip area best known for its striptease clubs. It closed in 1987. History The Ma ...

, was released in 2001. Founding member and bassist Jim Bescott died in an accident in Vancouver on August 31, 2005 at the age of 52."Jim Bescott, Singer-songwriter, 1953-2005". ''

'', October 7, 2005.

Discography

*''Hawaii'' 4-song 12" EP *"Automan" 3-song 7" single (available only as a bonus single inside the first pressing of ''Hawaii'' EP) *''This Is Your Life'' 4-song 12" EP (produced by

Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician, best known for producing rock bands and music artists such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, The Tragically Hip, the Cult, 31 ...

) *''No Escape'' (CD compilation of studio and live tracks) *''Joyride on the Western Front (live concert recording from 1980)

References

External links

K-Tels
at Pacific Northwest Bands site {{DEFAULTSORT:Young Canadians Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 1980 Musical groups from Vancouver Canadian punk rock groups 1979 establishments in British Columbia 1980 disestablishments in British Columbia Canadian garage rock groups