Serlin Greaves: The Needle And The Damage Done

By Kerry Doole

Serlin Greaves -The Needle And The Damage Done (Fifth Kid Records): The Watchmen were one of Canada’s most successful rock bands in the ‘90s, releasing a string of gold and platinum albums. The group has continued to play occasional shows, and now their loyal fans will be thrilled to hear that guitarist Joey Serlin and vocalist Daniel Greaves have launched a new project, Serlin Greaves.

A label press release notes that “it has been almost 20 years since Joey Serlin and Daniel Greaves last collaborated on new music together… Spending many years focused on his family, craft as a musician/engineer, and a business owner, the songs finally returned to Serlin in a wave of unexpected inspiration. With a collection of new music and ideas, Serlin reached out to his long-time songwriting partner, Daniel Greaves.”

Greaves also contributed some new material, and a debut full-length record will be released in the new year (date TBA).

As a preview, Serlin Greaves have just released a cover version of the Neil Young classic, The Needle and the Damage Done. This came as the result of an invitation by CITI FM (Winnipeg) radio host and long-time friend, Howard Mandshein, to contribute a song for a radio special in honour of Neil Young's recent 75th birthday. 

Joey Serlin explains that “being from Winnipeg, and knowing that a lot of Neil’s formative years were spent in Winnipeg, it just gives you hope that you can go out there with hard work, with an honest voice and intent in your songwriting, and have people hear your music. He was definitely a big part of my career and my life."  

Given the ongoing opioid crisis across Canada, the sentiments of the song remain sadly timely, almost 50 years after Young recorded it. Serlin Greaves do it justice, keeping it both concise (2 mins in length) and convincing.

Links

Publicity: Amanda McCauley, Indoor Recess

Booking:  Ralph James, APA Canada (The Watchmen)