After bonding over a mutual love of The Beatles, drummer Chris Hooper introduced Kevin Kane to his younger brother Tom Hooper in 1977. While still attending elementary and junior high school in Kelowna BC, the trio began learning to play their instruments together during regular Friday night jam sessions in the basement of the Hoopers’ suburban home.
Influenced in equal parts by the British Invasion of the 60s and the DIY attitudes and immediacy of punk and new wave, the group took the name The Grapes Of Wrath in 1983, and began working on the songs that would make up their debut EP (The Grapes of Wrath, 1984) and first album (September Bowl Of Green, 1985), both of which were released by Vancouver indie label Nettwerk Productions. The band were soon signed by Capitol/EMI for albums “Treehouse” (1987), “Now And Again” (1989), and “These Days” (1991). These records spawned some of the most well-known Canadian songs of the 80s and 90s, including Peace Of Mind, Backward Town, All The Things I Wasn’t, What Was Going Through My Head, I Am Here and You May Be Right. Thanks in no small part to the support of MuchMusic, the Grapes enjoyed gold and platinum sales, with sold out shows at home in Canada, extensive radio play, and several US and European tours in support of albums that also saw release in Japan, Australia, and South America.
Amid mounting tensions in the band, the group disbanded in 1992 at the height of their career. Tom and Kevin resurrected the Grapes in the late 90s, subsequently releasing the album “Field Trip” (2000) on the Song Corp label, and reuniting for another series of acoustic duo shows in the summer of 2009 to celebrate their enduring friendship and the music they had written. The following year, an offer from a festival for a full band reunion led to the return of drummer Chris, and the original three recorded “High Road” (2013) - their first album of new material in almost 22 years - named after the street the Hoopers had lived on when they first started playing together as kids. They have been playing regularly ever since and are arguably the longest-running, still-active “original lineup” in rock.
This year, Tom and Kevin are once again hitting the road as a duo to perform The Grapes’ music in an intimate and unplugged setting, telling the stories behind the songs and putting the focus on the harmonies and melodies of their timeless music.
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