Spirit of the West were a Canadian

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

band from North Vancouver, active from 1983 to 2016. They were popular on the Canadian

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...

, and

Celtic folk Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerab ...

influences which made them one of Canada's most successful

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 ...

acts in the 1990s."The little Celtic band that grew". ''

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 ...

'', November 18, 1997.

Early years

Geoffrey Kelly Geoffrey Kelly (born October 23, 1956 in Dumfries, Scotland) is a Canadian rock musician. He played guitars, flutes and bodhrán for the folk rock band Spirit of the West, for whom he was also the lead vocalist on some songs: Geoffrey Kelly and J ...

and J. Knutson had begun playing music together as a duo when Kelly's then-girlfriend Alison, at the time a theatre student, told them she had a classmate with a really great singing voice."Spirit of the West: An audio guide to their long, concluding journey"
''

'', April 15, 2016. That classmate, John Mann, joined Kelly and Knutson as a folk trio called Eavesdropper,Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, '' Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995''. ECW Press. . and scored early gigs as an opening act for rockers such as

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 ...

and

Barney Bentall Barnard Franklin "Barney" Bentall (born March 14, 1956) is a Canadian pop/rock singer-songwriter who is most well known for his 1990s-era band, Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts. Their most successful Canadian singles included "Something ...

. Early on their set predominantly comprised covers of artists such as

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, p ...

Eric Bogle Eric Bogle (born 23 September 1944) is a Scottish-born Australian folk singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Scotland, he emigrated to Australia at the age of 25, to settle near Adelaide, South Australia. Bogle's songs have covered a variety of ...

, Richard Thompson and Billy Bragg, with original compositions gradually introduced into their set. After a gig on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

was erroneously billed as "Eavesdroppings", the band opted to change its name to Spirit of the West, and independently released the album ''

Spirit of the West Spirit of the West were a Canadian folk rock band from North Vancouver, active from 1983 to 2016. They were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which ...

'' in 1984 before signing to Stony Plain Records, a roots music label based in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Alberta.

Greg Quill Gregory Raymond Quill (18 April 19475 May 2013) was an Australian-born musician, singer-songwriter and journalist. He lived in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and was an entertainment columnist at the ''Toronto Star'' newspaper from the mid-1980s unt ...

, "Spirit offers hope for future of folk". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', February 11, 1987. Stony Plain released '' Tripping Up the Stairs'' in 1986. Following that album, Knutson left the band and was replaced by Hugh McMillan. 1988's ''

Labour Day Labour Day ('' Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...

'' spawned the popular single "

Political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

" and consolidated the band as a significant draw on the folk festival circuit. The album also garnered the band its first Juno Award nomination, for Best Roots & Traditional Album at the

Juno Awards of 1989 The Juno Awards of 1989, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 12 March 1989 in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. André-Philippe Gagnon was the host for the ceremonies, which were b ...

. After that album's tour, McMillan took a temporary hiatus from the band in December of 1988 for personal reasons and to pursue solo interests."Maybe you can hear them coming: Spirit of the West". ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The new ...

'', April 6, 1990. He was replaced by Daniel Lapp and

Linda McRae Linda McRae is a Canadian folk-roots-Americana musician. A multi-instrumentalist ( clawhammer banjo, acoustic and electric guitars, accordion, bass, and Porchboard stomp box) singer-songwriter, she is a former member of Spirit of the West. S ...

, but returned before the band's next album was recorded. When McMillan returned, Lapp left the band in June of 1989 due to his wife becoming pregnant, but McRae stayed on. (As a result, Lapp never actually appeared on a Spirit of the West recording. He pursued a solo career, however, releasing a number of albums of experimental jazz/folk/electronic fusion.) On the strength of "Political",

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

signed the band in 1989,"Their own brand of feverish folk has Spirit moving". '' Edmonton Journal'', March 17, 1990. p. B1. and Stony Plain released a compilation, ''

Old Material 1984–1986 ''Old Material 1984–1986'' is the first compilation album by Canadian folk rock group Spirit of the West, released in November 1989 by Stony Plain Records. It was the band's final release for Stony Plain Records. Side one of the album includ ...

'', to close out their contract with the label. In 1990, the band's major label debut, '' Save This House'' was released. The album track "

Home for a Rest "Home for a Rest" is a song by Canadian folk rock band Spirit of the West from their fourth studio album '' Save This House'', released in 1990. It is the band's signature song and is considered a classic of Canadian music."Songs to drink away tho ...

", which was considered a classic party anthem at universities across Canada was not officially released as a commercial or radio single, but became the band's signature song. (Despite its not being a single, a music video was released for the song.)

Evolution

As part of their tour to support ''Save This House'', the band toured

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

with

The Wonder Stuff The Wonder Stuff are a British alternative rock band. Originally based in Stourbridge in the West Midlands, England, the band's first lineup released four albums and nearly 20 singles and EPs, enjoying considerable chart and live success in th ...

,"Spirited folk-rockers show they still have lots to learn". ''

'', October 13, 1991. and decided to bring in a drummer and experiment with a more rock-oriented sound — a need which became particularly acute after the bands played two shows on the same bill as

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...

. After recording some song demos with guest drummer Darrell Mayes of the

Colin James Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and blues singer and songwriter. Biography Early years James was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His grandpa was Serbian. He got his break opening for Stevie Ray V ...

bandChristopher Jones
"Revisit NOW's cover story on Spirit of the West from 1989"
''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'', November 21, 2019 (orig. March 16, 1989). and then touring for part of 1990 with various session drummers, the band brought in Vince Ditrich, who appeared for the first time on the band's 1991 album '' Go Figure''."Spirits aim to shake up Canadians". ''

'', June 30, 1991. Although the album retained many of the band's folk influences,"High-Spirited group: B.C. folk-rockers pump up volume". ''

The Province ''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the '' Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's on ...

'', June 27, 1991. it was more

than any of the band's previous efforts, and this proved controversial among the band's fans. The album included a rock rendition of "Political", and at one show in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

, the audience presented the band with a petition demanding that they play the original version of that song."That's the Spirit; No 'Home for a Rest' as Spirit of the West releases best-of double disc and hits the road". ''

'', July 16, 2008. Despite the controversies, however, it won them many new fans in the alternative rock scene. The band received a Juno Award nomination for Most Promising Group at the

Juno Awards of 1991 The Juno Awards of 1991, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 3 March 1991 in Vancouver, British Columbia at a ceremony in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Paul Shaffer was the host for the ceremoni ...

. MacRae also appeared on The Wonder Stuff's album ''

Never Loved Elvis ''Never Loved Elvis'' is the third album by The Wonder Stuff released in 1991. Guest musicians on the album include Kirsty MacColl and Linda McRae. The song "Mission Drive" was inspired by Wonder Stuff singer Miles Hunt's fall out with best ...

'', and all of the members of both bands recorded a cover of the country standard "

Will the Circle Be Unbroken "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the ch ...

" as a B-side for the Wonder Stuff's "

Welcome to the Cheap Seats "Welcome to the Cheap Seats" is a song by British alternative rock band the Wonder Stuff from their third album, ''Never Loved Elvis'' (1991). The song features backing vocals by Kirsty MacColl and was released as part of the ''Welcome to the Chea ...

" single. Over the winter of 1992-93, the band undertook the Hollow Bodies tour, performing material in their older acoustic style. In 1993, the band released their most successful album, ''

Faithlift ''Faithlift'' is a 1993 album by Canadian band Spirit of the West. It is the band's best-selling album, and includes their biggest Canadian Top 40 hit, "And if Venice Is Sinking." The album peaked at #27 on '' RPMs Top 100 albums chart the wee ...

'', and scored their biggest hit single, " And if Venice is Sinking". 1995's ''

Two Headed ''Two Headed'' is a 1995 album by Spirit of the West. It is the band's darkest and heaviest album, with many songs directly addressing the subject of death. Ken Marshall, a noted Canadian producer of industrial music, produced the album, givin ...

'', in turn, garnered significant airplay for the single "Tell Me What I Think", and the band garnered a Juno Award nomination for

Group of the Year The Juno Award for Group of the Year has been awarded annually since 1970 in recognition of the best musical group or band in Canada. It is presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). The five nominees in the category ...

at the

Juno Awards of 1995 The Juno Awards of 1995, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 26 March 1995 in Hamilton, Ontario at a ceremony in the Copps Coliseum. Mary Walsh, Rick Mercer and other regulars of the television ...

. However, the album was not as successful on the charts, or as critically hailed, as its predecessor. In the summer of 1995, the band toured with

The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassis ...

as part of the

Another Roadside Attraction ''Another Roadside Attraction'' is the first novel by Tom Robbins, published in 1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The worl ...

festival. Beginning in 1995, the band also performed a number of shows with symphony orchestras across Canada,"Going symphonic no strain for Spirit of the West; Former folkies' concert with ESO to premiere acoustic material for upcoming album". '' Edmonton Journal'', May 6, 1995. premiering songs written for a planned symphony album with the

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The VSO performs at the Orpheum, which has been the orchestra's permanent home since 1977. With an annual operating budget of $16 million, it is ...

. After recording two shows with the VSO on May 12 and May 13, 1995, they released the album ''

Open Heart Symphony ''Open Heart Symphony'' is a 1996 album by Spirit of the West, in collaboration with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The band recorded two shows with the orchestra on May 12 and May 13, 1995, at the Orpheum Theatre. The shows included several ...

'' that year;"Smells like clean Spirit Despite many musical leaps, Spirit Of The West's aim remains true". ''

'', June 8, 1996. the concert also aired on

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

concurrently with the album's release. At the end of 1996, McRae left the band amicably to pursue a solo career, performing her last show on New Year's Eve of that year. She released a solo country album in 1997, and then formed the alternative country band Cheerful Lonesome. The remaining members recorded 1997's ''

Weights and Measures A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a multi ...

'' as a four-piece at

Martin Barre Martin Lancelot Barre (; born 17 November 1946) is an English guitarist best known for his longtime role as lead guitarist of British rock band Jethro Tull, with whom he recorded and toured from 1968 until the band's initial dissolution in 201 ...

's studio in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England, working with Barre and members of The Wonder Stuff, Capercaillie and Fairport Convention to round out the studio effort, and added Tobin Frank for their concert tour. In the same year, a studio version of the song "Kiss & Tell", which had previously been released only in its live form on ''Open Heart Symphony'', appeared on the soundtrack to the film '' The Hanging Garden''. However, with the music industry's emphasis having shifted by this time away from alternative rock and back toward more mainstream pop-oriented performers, Warner Bros. put little effort into promoting the album, and dropped the band from their roster after the tour.

Hiatus and revival

After ''Weights & Measures'' the band took a hiatus from recording and broad-scale national touring, although they continued to perform selected live dates on the summer

folk festival A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. This list includes folk festivals worldwide, except those with only a partial focus on folk music or arts. Folk festivals may also feature folk dance or ethnic foods. Handicra ...

circuit and in major concert markets such as Vancouver and Toronto. During the hiatus, Mann, Ditrich and Kelly all released solo albums, Mann pursued acting roles, McMillan worked as a session musician and producer for The Town Pants, and Kelly and Frank recorded with

The Paperboys The Paperboys (sometimes billed and credited as Tom Landa and the Paperboys) are a Canadian folk music band from Vancouver that formed in 1991. The Paperboys blend Celtic folk with bluegrass, Mexican, Eastern European, African, zydeco, soul a ...

. The band's first new album in seven years, '' Star Trails'', was released on July 6, 2004 on

MapleMusic Recordings Cadence Recordings, formerly MapleMusic, is a Canadian independent record label founded by Andy Maize, Jeff Maize, Mike Alkier, Evan Hu, Lorique Mindel and Grant Dexter in 1999 and based in Toronto, Ontario. Other investors include Gary Slaight ...

. In 2008, the band released a 25th anniversary compilation, '' Spirituality 1983-2008: The Consummate Compendium'', on

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

. The two-CD set includes 32 remastered tracks from throughout the band's career, including two new songs, "Winter's Now the Enemy" and "Another Happy New Year". Their official 25th anniversary concert, held at Vancouver's

Commodore Ballroom Commodore Ballroom is a music venue, dance floor and nightclub located on 800 block of Granville Street in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is regarded as Canada's most influential nightclub, and one of North America's best live music venues. Th ...

on March 14, 2008, was recorded and broadcast by CBC Radio 2. Concurrently with the release of ''Spirituality'', Rhino also released remastered editions of ''Faithlift'' and ''Open Heart Symphony''. In 2009, Spirit of the West opened for Great Big Sea on the "Fortune's Favour" tour, finishing in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

on March 26."Celtic music rocks on; The faddish frenzy of the '90s is over, but Great Big Sea can still sell out a hockey arena". ''

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 C ...

'', March 26, 2009. On this tour, the final encore performances typically involved both bands performing together on various songs, including Spirit of the West's "

" and Great Big Sea's "The Old Black Rum"."A great Great Big farewell; Ottawa favourites, fans in high spirits at final show before band breaks for a while". ''

'', March 23, 2009. In 2010, Kelly, Ditrich and Frank joined Ashley MacIsaac and folk musician Matthew Harder in recording a charity single, "Dreams", to benefit Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, a skier from

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

who was the first Ghanaian athlete ever to compete in the Winter Olympics."Ghana's Snow Leopard records Olympic dream song with Canadian fiddler MacIsaac".

Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...

, February 19, 2010. Nkrumah-Acheampong himself participated in the recording, playing traditional Ghanaian percussion. The single, credited to The Parallel Band, was released to

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

on February 19, 2010. Concurrently, Mann was in

, starring in a stage production of Bruce Ruddell's rock musical '' Beyond Eden''."Rock musical 'Beyond Eden' mesmerizes"

canoe.ca Canoe.com is an English-language Canadian portal site and website network, and is a subsidiary of Postmedia Network. The phrase Canadian Online Explorer appears in the header; the name is also evidently a play on words on canoe (or ''canoë'' i ...

, February 20, 2010. In 2011, the full Spirit of the West lineup recorded and released another charity single, "Bulembu", to benefit the

Bulembu Bulembu is a small town located in northwestern Hhohho, Eswatini, 10 km west of the town of Piggs Peak and close to the border with South Africa. Located above the Komati Valley in Eswatini's Highveld, Bulembu is named after the siSwati wo ...

orphanage and sustainable economic development project in

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

; the song also includes a vocal choir of children from Bulembu. Kelly underwent surgery in early 2012 and was unable to perform for several weeks; Harder and Kendel Carson of

substituted for him in several live shows during this period, including the band's traditional annual St. Patrick's Day show at the Commodore Ballroom. At the band's 2014 St. Patrick's Day show, they were inducted into the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of Fame.

Conclusion

In September 2014, Mann announced that he had been diagnosed with

early-onset Alzheimer's disease Early-onset Alzheimer's disease, also called younger-onset Alzheimer's, is Alzheimer's disease diagnosed before the age of 65. It is an uncommon form of Alzheimer's, accounting for only 5–10% of all Alzheimer's cases. About 60% have a positive ...

,"Alzheimer's diagnosis takes centre stage for Spirit of the West frontman"
''

'', September 8, 2014. but planned to continue performing with the band as long as he remained able to do so. In concession to Mann's illness, the band began performing with an

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...

mounted near the microphone in case Mann had difficulty remembering the lyrics, while Harder joined full-time to take over Mann's duties on lead guitar. Weeks after the announcement, Mann performed a concert featuring his solo material and that of Spirit of the West, which was broadcast by

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

's '' Absolutely Canadian'' in July 2015 as "John Mann Here and Now". The band's preparations for a 2015 concert at

Massey Hall Massey Hall is a performing arts theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. An intimate theatre, it was originally designed to sea ...

are profiled in

Pete McCormack Pete McCormack (born January 27, 1965) is a Canadian author, filmmaker, screenwriter and musician. He is best known for directing the Academy Award short-listed documentary Facing Ali and the Leacock Award-nominated novel Understanding Ken. He i ...

's documentary film '' Spirit Unforgettable''. In December 2015, the band announced that they would perform a three-night run at the Commodore Ballroom from April 15 to 17 as their final shows."Spirit of the West performs final concerts in Vancouver"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...

, April 14, 2016. Over the month before the final shows, the band undertook a small-scale final tour."On the Hip’s final tour, and enduring illness on stage"
''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

'', August 10, 2016. As Ditrich was also in poor health with

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...

, he was not able to perform for the full duration of all three Commodore shows, and shared drum duties with Kris MacFarlane and

Pat Steward Pat Steward (born May 4, 1962) is a Canadian drummer and singer who is a member of the band Odds, and has recorded and toured with Bryan Adams and Matthew Good, among many others. Early life Steward was born in Vancouver, British Columbia to Br ...

."Spirit of the West gets a proper send-off with hometown finale"
''

'', April 15, 2016. Kendel Carson,

Paul Hyde Paul Reginald Nelson (born 21 May 1955), known by the stage name Paul Hyde, is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter. He co-founded the rock band Payola$ with Bob Rock, serving as the band's main lyricist and vocalist. He later performed and ...

Jim Cuddy James Gordon Cuddy, (born December 2, 1955) is a Canadian singer-songwriter primarily associated with the band Blue Rodeo. Early life and education Cuddy was born in Toronto, Ontario. His Mother Jean Cuddy was an English teacher at Monarch Par ...

Steven Page Steven Jay Page (born June 22, 1970) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a founding member, lead singer, guitarist, and a primary songwriter of the music group Barenaked Ladies. Page left the band in Februar ...

, Andy Maize and

Craig Northey Craig Northey (born February 9, 1962) is a Canadian musician and film and TV composer. He is one of the founding members of the band Odds, which released four albums between 1991 and 1996. They were best known for the radio singles " It Falls Apa ...

also participated in the Commodore shows as guests. The band remained informally active through private "Johnny Jams" as a form of

music therapy Music therapy, an allied health profession, "is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music t ...

for Mann, and Kelly communicated the hope that Mann would remain healthy enough for the band to play occasional brief reunion sets in the future. Following

's announcement in May 2016 that singer

Gord Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its form ...

had been diagnosed with brain cancer but would undertake a tour with the band in summer 2016, Kelly was interviewed by both

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...

's ''

Day 6 ''Day 6'' is a Canadian radio program hosted by Brent Bambury, which airs Saturdays on CBC Radio One."Saturday morning guy; Saint John native Brent Bambury hosts new CBC radio show 'Day 6'". ''The Telegraph-Journal The ''Telegraph-Journal'' i ...

'' and ''

'' about his experiences performing with Spirit of the West under similar circumstances. The band performed a reunion set at Spirit of Canada, a benefit concert for Alzheimer's awareness at the Commodore Ballroom on November 19, 2017. The concert's lineup included

Odds Odds provide a measure of the likelihood of a particular outcome. They are calculated as the ratio of the number of events that produce that outcome to the number that do not. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics. Odds also have ...

, Dustin Bentall, Jim Byrnes, Kendel Carson,

Alan Doyle Alan Thomas Doyle (born May 17, 1969) is a Canadian musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea. Life and career Alan Doyle was born and raised in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, in a Roman Cath ...

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...

Ed Robertson Lloyd Edward Elwyn Robertson (born October 25, 1970) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the band Barenaked Ladies. He, along with former member Steven Page, founded the group in 1988. As of Page's ...

Shari Ulrich Sharon "Shari" Ulrich (born 17 October 1951) is a Canadian/American musician and songwriter. She has also worked as a television host, actress, film composer, and educator. A multi-instrumentalist, she plays Violin, Mandolin, guitar, piano, and D ...

and Spirit: The Next Generation, an act consisting of the band members' children. Before the show, the performing musicians participated in a group recording of the band's signature song "Home for a Rest" as a tribute to Mann. Mann died on November 20, 2019.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Album appearances

* ''

Island of Circles ''Island of Circles'' is a tribute album to singer-songwriter Donovan that was released on June 26, 1992, by Nettwerk. The title song "Island of Circles" is provided by Donovan himself. Along with Donovan's contemporaneous box set collection '' T ...

'' (1991): " Sunshine Superman" * ''

Back to the Garden ''Back to the Garden'' is a tribute album to Joni Mitchell, released in 1992. It was released on Intrepid Records, after the Canadian chart success of their 1991 Bruce Cockburn tribute, ''Kick at the Darkness''. The album's first single was Slo ...

'' (1992): "

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

" * '' Upfront! Canadians Live from Mountain Stage'' (1994): "

" * '' Due South: The Original Television Soundtrack'' (1996): "Bone of Contention" * '' 20 Years of Stony Plain'' (1996): "Political" * '' The Hanging Garden'' (1997): "Kiss and Tell" * ''

Frosh A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ar ...

'' (1998): "

Reception

* In 1999,

CFNY-FM CFNY-FM (''102.1 the Edge'') is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.1 MHz in the Greater Toronto Area, licensed to the suburb of Brampton. CFNY plays an alternative rock format. Owned by Corus Entertainment, its studios are in Downtown ...

ranked "

" No. 524, and "

Home For a Rest "Home for a Rest" is a song by Canadian folk rock band Spirit of the West from their fourth studio album '' Save This House'', released in 1990. It is the band's signature song and is considered a classic of Canadian music."Songs to drink away tho ...

" No. 689, in its "Top 1002 New Rock Songs of All Time" chart. * In 2005, "

" was named the 22nd greatest Canadian song of all time on

's '' 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version''. * In 2007, "

" ranked No. 8 on CFNY's "Top 102 Canadian New Rock Songs of All Time" chart. * "Save This House" is the theme song for '' Save Us from Our House'', a combined relationship/renovation/reality TV show which aired in 2007 on the Canadian cable network W, and on

HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. As of February 2015, appr ...

in the U.S. * In 2010, Spirit of the West were the recipients of the National Achievement Award at the annual

SOCAN The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...

Awards in Toronto. * In 2022, "

" was voted British Columbia's favourite song by a local artist, in a

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

competition organized by local CBC reporter Justin McElroy, beating Carly Rae Jepsen's " Call Me Maybe".

References

External links

Spirit of the West
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spirit Of The West Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 2016 Musical groups from Vancouver Canadian folk rock groups MapleMusic Recordings artists Celtic fusion groups 1983 establishments in British Columbia Canadian Celtic music groups Canadian alternative rock groups Stony Plain Records artists