THE VANCOUVER PROVINCE - FEB 28th 2010

TROOPER AT THE OLYMPICS

Trooper's amazing performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics medal Ceremony in Vancouver Sunday night rocked a sold-out BC Place crowd and was broadcast on CTV and 'live' on MuchMusic. Tens of thousands also watched live on jumbo screens at Whistler Mountain and lower mainland Olympics sites.

contributed photo by: Steven Brule

“RAISE A LITTLE HELL” THE ‘UNOFFICIAL’ 2010 OLYMPICS THEME SONG?

Overheard on Twitter and elsewhere online:

"Looks like Raise a Little Hell from Trooper has become the unofficial song of the 2010 Olympics, I hear it EVERYWHERE!!!!"

"During CTV's report about closing liquor stores in #YVR - playing "Raise a little hell" by @trooper_band LOL"

"Awesome firework show in Robson Square! Raise a Little Hell!!" ("Hell" is the pivotal song in a spectacular 9-minute laser show that runs every night of the Olympics).

"Raise A Little Hell" is to Canada as "Waltzing Matilda" is to Australia.

And this from Canadian radio and TV favourite, Stu Jeffries, who twittered yesterday: "The Believe song ain't doing it for me. No chills. This is Canada. Raise A Little Hell after every medal win would work fine"

TROOPER PERFORMS FOR THE OLYMPICS

• Trooper's performance at the Winter Olympics Victory Celebration at BC Place on Sunday February 21, 2010 has been seriously sold out for weeks. Parts of the show will be televised on CTV and the entire event will be streamed to giant screens at Olympics sites throughout the lower mainland and Whistler.

• The Trooper (Official) Facebook page - launched last week in honour of the band's 35th anniversary - has quickly become a flourishing community of Trooper friends and fans. Please join them, and the band, there at: http://www.facebook.com/trooperband

• Behind the scenes, this web site has been undergoing a radical re-design. For several months, the new magazine-style format has been tweaked and tested, and word is that it will be ready for launch "soon".

UPDATE: From the Vancouver Province Newspaper, Monday Feb 15, writer Ed Wiles muses about some Olympic things, especially the opening ceremonies.

"Loved the treatment of Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides Now' and K.D. Lang's cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'. They just needed Neil Young's 'Helpless' to complete the triumvirate of great Canadian songs. Could have done without the Canadian Idol version of 'O, Canada', though. And while we're on the subject, how can you have a big Canadian extravaganza without Trooper?"

UPDATE (Sunday February 21):

Ra McGuire of Trooper will be on CBC News this morning around 11:00 AM with host Heather Hiscox. Mike Reno from Loverboy is expected to join.

Here is the Vancouver Province piece about Trooper and tonight's sold out BC Place Stadium Olympics show.

Trooper has been told that MuchMusic will air the Trooper and Loverboy Olympic performance for the Vancouver 2010 Concert Series tonight. Check your local listings.

ROCKING CANADA FOR 35 YEARS

This picture was taken 35 years ago in New York City. Ra McGuire, Brian Smith, Tommy Stewart and Harry Kalensky are posed in front of their first-ever limo - right before their first meeting with the MCA Records brass. Ra & Brian are 25 and 26 years old. The first Trooper album was released only weeks before on Canada Day, July 1st, 1975.

2010 will see Trooper celebrating their 35th Anniversary - starting with their Winter Olympics Victory Celebration show on February 21st and carrying on with other major parties across the country all year long. A year to celebrate. Trooper - Still alive after 35!

UPDATE: Now on Facebook. Please come visit and "Become a Fan"

Gogo's long awaited new road report has been posted. Read about the adventures of Gogo Manor and how Trooper almost didn't make it to the Grey Cup Riderville show.

'Twas the night before Christmas, band and crew are all home
Guitars, gear, and luggage tucked away
Snug in their own beds, they've turned off the phones
Relaxing with family for a few days

Chalk another year up to grand Trooper fun
The brotherhood rocked on strong
Festivals, world games, city theatres, small-town runs
Every show a new party, every night a new song

The lyrics are the same as we've all come to know
But the music differs each single date
It's the fans across Canada who come ready to go
Their love and energy fuel the magic that creates

2010 will mark Trooper's 35th year
And what a party it will be
There'll be new stories and laughs, new fans and friends found
New travels and adventures, sea to sea

So as we all slow a beat to enjoy this holiday time
The Trooper family sends thanks and good cheer
May you enjoy peace and love in your own hearts and homes
Merry Christmas, and see you next year!

CBC's new series "Battle of the Blades" featured the hockey stars performing to "Raise a Little Hell" in the show's opening sequence last night. Click here to see the video footage.

UPDATE: For those Trooper fans who have inquired - the version of “Raise a Little Hell” used to back the skaters in the Battle of the Blades video was not performed by Trooper.

Ra and Connor McGuire will be making father-son appearances on two Vancouver radio shows in support of the October 3rd Commodore Ballroom show featuring Trooper, Shaun Verreault (from Wide Mouth Mason) and Connor McGuire and the Lives of Others.

On Thursday October 1st, at 5:00 PM PST they’ll be joining Joe Leary on Talk 1410 AM, and the next morning (Friday October 2nd) at 8:00 AM they’ll be joining Bro Jake and the crew for a multi-generational “On the Record”, spinning another stack of classic wax. Shaun Verreault will also be joining the OTR crew this Friday, September 18th.

The Commodore Ballroom is Trooper’s favourite Vancouver venue and the site of their unforgettable 25th Anniversary reunion show in 2000. Nine years later, the October show will mark the first time that Trooper and Ra’s son’s band; Connor McGuire and the Lives of Others, have performed on the same bill! Tickets are still available at the usual outlets including Ticketmaster online. It’s going to be a great hometown party!

The much anticipated follow-up to the “Shakin’ All Over” documentary that chronicled Canadian music in the '60s debuts on the CBC starting on August 27th at 9:00 PM. Trooper pops up in part one, but be sure to watch it all!

From the press release:

This Beat Goes On -
Canadian Pop Music in the 1970s

The 1970s gave us bell bottoms, shag hair, shag carpeting and a whole lotta great music … from glam and progressive rock to punk and reggae. This Beat Goes On offers a jukebox full of chart-topping songs, from “Sundown,” Gordon Lightfoot’s confessional tale of infidelity, to Trooper’s rambunctious party anthem “Raise a Little Hell,” to showcase the rapid growth of the Canadian sound.

"Trooper — truly Canadian stars" - an article by Joel Rubinoff in The Record, in support of tonight's show in Waterloo, Ontario.

"... a band as ubiquitous on this side of the border as maple syrup and Mounties, popping up every three minutes on classic rock radio ..."

" ... what becomes more apparent with each passing year, is that this frolicking, rollicking showcase for McGuire’s soaring pop melodies and whimsical wordplay is arguably one of the biggest Canadian bands of all time ..."

**Important news for Trooper fans who currently have trooper.com or trooper.ca email addresses. Coinciding with an upcoming server change, these custom addresses will soon be discontinued. Further details here.

Heads up for Trooper fans attending the Nakusp show on Friday (July 17th):

Insane travel arrangements (to Thunder Bay Ontario the next night) will require the band and crew to bolt from the stage immediately after their Nakusp set - making their usual post-show autograph session impossible. Although t-shirts etc will be available for sale before and during the show, Trooper apologizes in advance to any fans hoping to hang out with the band afterward.

Ra McGuire celebrated his 59th birthday at a sold-out Trooper birthday party in Wilkie, Saskatchewan last weekend. Trooper wants to again thank show promoter Bryan Legrow, and the cake-maker, for the excellent birthday cake which, as you can see from these photos, was customized extensively by the partying band and crew. Many thanks also to the good people of Wilkie who helped make Ra's birthday party rock!

This spring, Brian Smith travelled to the Beverly Hills Hotel for a star-studded birthday party for Sam Feldman, Trooper's good pal and former manager who now manages Diana Krall, Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones and Elvis Costello.

The party was attended by 125 people - all of Sam's family plus luminaries from in the record and film industries, and promoters from around the world. Hosted by Vicki Gabereau, there were performances by Chantal Kreviazuk, Sarah McLachlan, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, and Murray McLauchlan. Speeches by friends and colleagues included Denise Donlon (Executive Director of CBC Radio and former GM of MuchMusic and President of Sony Music Canada) and Bruce Allen (manager of Bryan Adams). Recorded birthday greetings were sent from Bill Clinton, Smokey Robinson, Robin Williams, Burton Cummings, and many more.

Sam Feldman, Brian Smith, Casey Boyle, Denise Donlon, Murray McLauchlan

Ra McGuire will be live on-air on The Bro Jake Show April 24th, for "ON THE RECORD". Here's from their web site:

"The Bro Jake Show is hosting an in-studio Celebrity ON THE RECORD for one hour every morning. These guests will drop by the Out-of-Control Room with an armload of their personal favourites and take the helm to speak about their music passions and how music of their generation affected your life!"

Ra also recently chatted with longtime pal Stu Jeffries, for "The '80s Show".

For those who don't yet use Twitter, there have been some fun discussions and questions for both Ra McGuire and Trooper. Here are some of them:

- "How many [Junos] has Trooper walked away with in it's Illustrious, ageless and endless career?"
Seven nominations and one win for Group of The Year (read Ra's blog post about that here)

- Fan movement to see Trooper receive Canadian Music Hall of Fame Award.

- Why isn't Trooper on Canada's Walk of Fame?
You can nominate them now by clicking HERE. *Nominations close at the end of this month!* (Hint.. hint...)

- Trooper Page on Facebook - "Is this authentic or is it a fan page??"
There are many fan-made Facebook groups and profiles, but NONE are authentic or done by Trooper at this time. >> UPDATE: We have now launched an official Trooper Facebook page HERE. Hit it and "Become a Fan".

A big shout-out and thanks to celebrity BBQ chef and author Ted Reader. Ted's newest book, "Sticky Fingers & Tenderloins" includes a recipe for Raise a Little Hell Steaks as a tribute to Trooper. Word is that Ted is also working on a take-no-prisoners "Raise a Little Hell" hot sauce in his secret lab. Here's the delicious steak recipe!

And thanks to Kev S. who just alerted us to some fascinating Trooper trivia posted on YouTube. Namely, that Gene Simmons discovered the band, Trooper's original guitar player was Angus Young of AC/DC, and that "it is well-known that Freddy Mercury and Ramon had an affair after a practice gig in Kentucky. Freddy had targeted Ramon and wanted him on his list of men he seduced. Read about that in The Queen Diaries, written 5 years ago and published by RandomHouse."(Click HERE for more hilarity.)

Trooper's Brian Smith celebrated his 60th birthday at another sold out show at the Red Robinson Show Theatre in Coquitlam BC. Thanks to Trooper-fan-extraordinaire Kevin Cahoon for the photo. Kevin adds: "Somebody better check this guy’s birth certificate, he doesn’t act 60 !!!"

The Gods of VanRock!!

As Vancouver gears up for the Juno Awards ceremonies, Trooper's Ra McGuire, Loverboy's Mike Reno and Canadian songwriter extraordinaire, Jim Vallance talk with Jian Ghomeshi about "the Apex of Vancouver rock" on CBC Radio - Wednesday, March 25th.

March 25: Q live from Vancouver! In the first of our Vancouver specials, we host the Gods of VanRock: Mike Reno of Loverboy, Trooper lead singer Ra McGuire and Jim Vallance, the writing partner of Bryan Adams. They talk about the apex of Vancouver rock and how it shaped pop.

Also in Juno-related news:

In an article in the March issue of UP Magazine entitled "One For the Money, Two For the Show", brilliant Canadian comic, and host of the upcoming 2009 Juno Awards, Russell Peters was asked:

"What Canadian artist do you particularly dig and want to see perform?"

He responded:

"There's a rapper out of London, Ontario, named Shad. He's really good, really talented and really fun. I'm sure he's considered a newcomer, but he's got a couple of albums out.

Really, I want to do an all-classic Canadian-content Junos. It would have guys like Trooper, Loverboy and Kim Mitchell."