The MRQ
The Modern Rock Quartet was a Canadian jazz-rock band put together by former Luke & The Apostles keyboard player Peter Jermyn with several musicians who had played with Bruce Cockburn in the final lineup of [The The Esquires (Canadian band)|Esquires (Canadian band)|The Esquires].
Origins
When the original Luke & The Apostles broke up in mid-August 1967, keyboard player Peter Jermyn moved to Ottawa where he joined the local band Heart, which was fronted by singer John Martin. A short while later, Jermyn met former Esquires members Doug Orr and Robert Coulthart, with whom Jermyn had become familiar while with the Apostles, and invited them to join him and Martin in a new group.Formed in August 1968, Modern Rock Quartet and quickly attracted record company interest with their unique sound. The band was approached by five US labels and in the end, signed with RCA, which invited them to New York to record material.
Jermyn first took the band to Toronto in late 1968, where it played the El Patio. Though based in Ottawa, The MRQ returned to Toronto on numerous occasions throughout 1969 and 1970, playing at the Varsity Stadium on June 22, 1969, with Steppenwolf, Chuck Berry, Blood Sweat & Tears, Johnny Winter, Sly & The Family Stone, Procol Harum, Tiny Tim, Alice Cooper, Al Kooper, The Band, Velvet Underground, Rotary Connection, and others, performing at the Toronto Rock Festival on March 25, 1970, with Canned Heat, The Faces with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood MC5, Parliaments & The Funkadelic, and others, and appearing at the Festival Express show at the CNE Stadium on June 27–28, 1970 with The Band, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead Mountain, Traffic, Ten Years After, Buddy Guy, Robert Charlebois and others.
Bruce Cockburn
The group's lone single, Jermyn's "Plastic Street", backed by "Games", written by Bruce Cockburn and Michael Ferry, failed to chart. Both sides were also recorded in French and released by RCA as "Rue Plastique" / "Des Jeux". The group also recorded a couple of tracks that were never released, such as "Revolution" and "Lady of Pleasure".Ahead of its time
During 1969, The MRQ supported The Who and Procol Harum and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The MRQ's shows were highly ambitious and Jermyn's keyboard skills were reportedly a big influence on Keith Emerson. The bulk of the group's material consisted of concertos by Jermyn and Bruce Cockburn songs, which the songwriter chose not to record himself. Jermyn's pieces included "Opening Jam" and the live favourites "Happiness Is Majority" and "Cities Are Tight".Martin left after the single to be replaced by Bob Blyth, who was succeeded in turn by former Esquires singer Brian Lewicki. The group also added former 1910 Fruitgum Company guitarist Pat Karwan, who soon left to form TCB.
Peter Jermyn leaves
Jermyn lost interest with Lewicki's arrival and following a prestigious appearance at Expo '70 in Japan, he left the band. Drew King from the group, White, replaced Jermyn but the band split up a short while later.The Sackbut
In the early 1970s Jermyn helped to design a new musical instrument, the Electronic Sackbut, with Dr Hugh LeCaine from the National Research Council. He spent several years doing lecture tours demonstrating the instrument and did the theme tune for NBC TV's children's science programme, Dr Wizard using the Sackbut. During the 1980s and 1990s he did freelance television work and wrote soundtracks for films, including the special effects for Heavy Metal. In recent years, he has joined The Apostles for a series of shows at Toronto bar, Blues on Bellair.Aftermath
The remaining trio of Lewicki, Orr and Coulthart spent a few years playing in a bar called Chez Henri in Hull on the Quebec side of the river, outside Ottawa before breaking up. They reunited in 1974 with Rod Phillips on keyboards, and recorded one 45 for the Aquarius label.Trivia
The group's first live date was at Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's official residence.Discography
- 45 "Plastic Street" c/w "Games" 1968