By barnaby
Boy Golden, Bob Moses, July Talk, The Beaches, Metric, Dear Rouge, The Glorious Sons, Arkells, Billy Talent, The Darcys, Monowhales, Anyway Gang, Mother Mother, and Dear Rouge stand out in the year-end Alt category.
Bob Horne
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Siouxsie and The Banshees drummer Kenny Morris and Black Midi guitarist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin.
Bob (Robert) Horne, keyboardist in popular '70s Canadian rock band A Foot In Coldwater, died suddenly on Jan. 12. His age and a cause of death have not been reported.
News of his passing was posted on the A Foot In Coldwater website.
"Bob was a classically-trained keyboardist, and was one of the most unique and proficient B3 organists we ever knew," writes Horne's bandmate Danny Taylor in the tribute. "He loved R&B music and played with Toronto icons David Clayton Thomas and Domenic Troiano before joining The Power Project in the late 1960s. When The Lords of London made the switch from a commercial rock band to a progressive fusion style, we asked him to join us in Nucleus. When Bob, Hughie Leggett and Danny Taylor met Alex Machin and Paul Naumann, A Foot In Coldwater was born."
Prior to helping form A Foot In Coldwater, Horne made a mark in the Toronto bands The Lords of London and Nucleus. Prior to Horne joining, teenage pop band The Lords of London (then comprising Greg Fitzpatrick, Sebastian Agnello, Danny Taylor, Hughie Leggat and John “Screamin’ Jr.” Richardson) scored some moderate hits with their singles “Cornflakes and Ice Cream,” “The Popcorn Man” and “Candy Rainbow.”
By the fall of 1968 , the group was veering away from radio pop towards extended, improvisational rock. Agnello departed and was replaced by Bob “Tonto” Horne. The new sound brought a new name, Nucleus.
The A Foot In Coldwater site terms the Nucleus sound "an innovative, free-form blend of R&B & Jazz, a syncopated psychedelia. The band was a regular attraction at Yorkville's Elpatio coffee house. In 1968, Nucleus recorded their first & only album at A&R studios in New York City, and the self-titled release came out in 1969 on Mainstream Records.
"After its release, a tour quickly followed along with numerous television appearances in Canada and the USA. They performed to packed houses at the Electric Circus in Toronto & New York, and became a hit with the college crowd. Inevitably, Nucleus succumbed to internal & musical feuds and disbanded on the eve of a Californian tour, that would have included their first headline gig at the Whiskey a Go-Go."
"The band enjoyed an underground FM hit with Hugh Leggat singing lead vocals on 'Communication.' Nucleus has been described as a musician's band, drawing accolades from artists such as Walter Becker, Neil Peart and the late Jim Morrison."
Citizenfreak notes that "Although the LP sold poorly on release, 'Communication' earned significant underground airplay, especially along the U.S. eastern seaboard. Billboard even suggested that Nucleus was 'on the verge of breaking through internationally,' but the momentum wasn’t enough.
"Despite issuing two follow-up Canadian singles in 1970 — 'Johnny Peace' and 'Wonder Girl'— the band still struggled to gain broader industry support. Taylor, Leggat, and Horne moved on to form A Foot in Coldwater with Alex Machin and Paul Naumann, while Fitzpatrick and Richardson eventually pursued work in California.
"The Nucleus album went on to become one of the great cult artifacts of Canadian progressive rock — a heavy, imaginative, forward-leaning LP that predated the early-’70s prog boom and showcased a band brimming with youthful creativity. Its reputation grew steadily among collectors."
Horne's new band, A Foot In Coldwater, soon caught the attention of legendary Canadian music publisher and record label head Frank Davies. Davies recalls to Billboard Canada that "I came to Canada from the U.K. record business to start a label [Daffodil] in 1970. A Foot In Coldwater were one of my earliest signings after the King Biscuit Boy, Crowbar and Tom Cochrane.
"The band was still known as Nucleus when I first heard their music. Bob 'Hornet' Horne's driving, tasteful and edgy keyboard playing, together with his longtime ex-Lords of London bandmates, the equally impressive rhythm core of Hughie Leggat and Danny 'Crow' Taylor, had created an original highly 'progressive rock' sound that had already resulted in a U.S record deal with Mainstream in New York, with no less than the great Phil Ramone producing their album.
"Shortly after, that core threesome met Alex Machin and Paul Naumann and Foot was born. We worked together on the first two A Foot In Coldwater albums I produced with the band before he left for warmer parts after the subsequent third album, All Around Us."
In 1972, Daffodil released the band's self-titled debut album. Its first single, "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want" reached the top 25 on the Canadian charts, and became a hit for a second time in 1974 when a shorter version was included on the group's sophomore album, The Second Foot in Coldwater, according to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. That record also featured the moderately successful singles "(Isn't Love Unkind) In My Life" (No. 34) and "Love is Coming" (No. 27).
In 1993, "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want" earned a SOCAN Classic award for over 100,000 airplays and was also chosen for the Oh, What a Feeling compilation. The song was covered by hard rock band Helix In 1984 and inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.
In 1974, Daffodil released a third A Foot in Coldwater's third album, All Around Us, followed, in 1976, by one more A Foot in Coldwater single, "Midnight Lady."
Daffodil then filed for bankruptcy, leaving the group label-less. Horne had left the group by that point, moving to the U.S.. He exited the music business there, working successfully as a pool designer .
A Foot in Coldwater broke up shortly after, then (minus Horne) reunited In 1988 for several short tours.
In 1998, Unidisc Music reissued the first three A Foot in Coldwater albums along with a two-disc compilation album, The Very Best of A Foot in Coldwater.
"In the studio Hornet would constantly be reminding me to mix the keyboards up more and get a greater, cutting dynamic out of his B3," Davies tells Billboard Canada. "But these were early analog and studio days in Toronto, without the digital transparency needed to feature everything we wanted.
"Getting his creative B3 parts fully heard over the top of that wonderfully syncopated and very heavy bass and drum mix of Hughie and Crow, along with Naumann's brilliant guitar parts and Alex' great rock voice, was never going to be 100% perfect. Nonetheless in its own way it was 'perfect' in hindsight! A simply fabulous band, hugely underappreciated and for me there was/is no better grouping of rock musicians anywhere, then or since."
"While Hornet and I had not seen each other since he moved to the U.S many moons ago, his playing, leadership and personality is still strongly embedded in my memory."
His bandmates in A Foot In Coldwater not in their Facebook tribute that "Our relationship with Bob was multi-faceted. He became our de facto leader. He excelled in the business side of music. He was tough, enterprising and talented. If you were lucky enough to be his friend, you were his friend for life. To us, he was more than a friend...he truly was our Brother. Rest in Peace our dear Brother. You will be forever in our hearts."
John Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician known for his work with the Fugees and the Refugee Camp All-Stars died on Jan. 12, at age 50. He was found dead Monday afternoon in his home in Chilmark, Massachusetts, according to police.
Chilmark, Massachusetts Police Chief Sean Slavin said in a statement that there were no signs of foul play or “readily apparent cause of death.”
A Billboard obituary notes that "A native of New York City, Forté was a musical prodigy who broke through in his early 20s as a contributor to the Fugees’ Grammy-winning The Score and to Wyclef Jean’s Grammy-nominated The Carnival. A multi-instrumentalist and rapper, he also released such solo albums as Poly Sci and I John, with contributors including Carly Simon, whose son, Ben Taylor, was a close friend of Forté’s."
Forté scored one solo hit on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Ninety Nine [Flash The Message]” peaking at No. 59 in 1998. His Poly Sci album, released that same year, peaked on the Billboard 200 at No. 84.
In a statement sent to Billboard, Fugees’ Pras said: “John was more than just a collaborator. He was family. We came up together in an era when hip-hop was about pushing boundaries, telling real stories, and creating something that mattered. His talent as a writer, producer, and artist was undeniable. Anyone who heard his work knew they were in the presence of someone special. I’m glad I got to share the stage with him one last time. The hip-hop community has lost a real one. I’ve lost a brother. Rest in power, John. Your music and your spirit live on."
Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, guitarist and co-founder of English rock band Black Midi, has died, at age 26.
A family statement issued via Black Midi’s label, Rough Trade Records, notes that his death came after a “long battle with his mental health.”
“A talented musician and a kind, loving man finally succumbed; despite all efforts,” the message reads. “He will always be loved. Please take a moment to check in with your loved ones so we can stop this happening to our young men.”
Billboard's obituary reports that Black Midi first rose to prominence in 2019 after developing a following in London, playing gigs at Windmill Brixton. Kwasniewski-Kelvin met his bandmates — vocalist Geordie Greep, bassist Cameron Picton and drummer Morgan Simpson —at London performing arts institution the Brit School.
Before they even released their debut album that year, they’d already drummed up enough demand to embark on a tour of Europe and the United States.
"Schlagenheim dropped in July 2019 via Rough Trade, giving the world its first sample of Black Midi’s blend of experimental rock. It was followed by Cavalcade in 2021 and Hellfire in 2022, the latter of which debuted at No. 13 on Billboard‘s Top Alternative Albums chart and led to Black Midi topping the Emerging Artists ranking."
The band earned a passionate fan following and the album was shortlisted for that year’s Mercury prize. It was also given Pitchfork’s “Best New Music” rating, with the album described as “magnetic and dazzling”.
"By that time, however, Kwasniewski-Kelvin had already stepped back from the group, exiting the band in 2021 after its first album due to him feeling “mentally unwell,” he shared in a statement at the time.
The band was last active in 2023, touring the U.S., Asia, Europe and Latin America before disbanding in 2024.
A Guardian obituary calls Black Midi "one of the most talked-about, musically adventurous rock bands in recent years."
Kenny (Kenneth Ian) Morris, an English musician, songwriter and painter best known as the drummer for Siouxsie and the Banshees, died on Jan. 15, at age 68.
While at art school in London, he attended the first live appearance of Siouxsie and the Banshees at the 100 Club in London in September 1976 and was reportedly impressed by their performance. He then briefly joined the band the Flowers of Romance with Sid Vicious, but after a couple of months of rehearsals, they split up before playing any concerts or making any recordings
Morris joined Siouxsie and the Banshees in February 1977, and his first studio recording was in November 1977 with the band's first John Peel session for BBC radio, which is retrospectively considered as one of the starting-points for English post-punk.
Morris' drumming style quickly earned acclaim. Music journalist Kris Needs (ZigZag) said: "Like a rhythm machine for feet and guts, Kenny Morris' drumming is unorthodox, primitive (in a tribal sense) and far removed from the clicking hi-hats of the fly-strength paradiddle merchants".
During the recording of the band's debut single, "Hong Kong Garden," producer Steve Lillywhite suggested he record the drums separately. Morris did the bass drum and snare drum first, adding the cymbals and tom-toms later. Lillywhite also added echo on the drums, adding significant space to the entire recording. NME writes that Lillywhite's work with Morris "revolutioniz[ed] the post-punk band's sound with an innovative approach to laying down the drums."
He played on the Banshees' debut album, The Scream (1978), and Join Hands (1979), then, along with guitarist John McKay, left the band at the beginning of the Join Hands tour, in September 1979.
He was cited as a major influence by several drummers of the post-punk era including Stephen Morris of Joy Division and Kevin Haskins of Bauhaus. His drumming on "Metal Postcard" (1978) was extensively sampled by Massive Attack in 1997.
Post-Banshees, Morris worked as a drummer with Helen Terry and other musicians for live stage sets. He also composed and produced "La Main Morte," a 12-inch solo single on Genesis P-Orridge's Temple Records in 1987. His short film of the same name was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, a rare achievement for a musician associated with the post-punk movement of that era. In all, Morris directed five short films.
In 1993, Morris moved from London to Ireland and, with a BA Honours degree in Fine Art, held several teaching posts, as well as running an art gallery and selling his own paintings online and via exhibitions in galleries. A 2024 exhibition of his artworks in Dublin was titled A Banshee Left Wailing. A memoir is scheduled for publication in 2026.
Read a Billboard obituary here.
