Edgar Breau

EDGAR BREAU: Moments of musical magic can sometimes be found in unlikely places. A cold night in Parkdale, for instance. At cozy neighbourhood bar Mitzi's Sister, a small audience was on hand for Hamilton cult hero, Edgar Breau. He achieved that status with "ahead of their time" psych rockers SIMPLY SAUCER, and he has now morphed into a folk-oriented singer/songwriter. His new solo disc, the aptly-named Canadian Primitive, is a compelling, but decidedly non-commercial work. He is understated onstage, but his inventive acoustic guitar work and poetic songs left a mark. Accompanied by bassist KEVIN CHRISTOFF and, occasionally, harmony singer COMPTON ROBERTS, he concentrated on his new material. Some of his tunes are inspired by writers like Melville and W.B. Yeats ("Rockin' Chair"), but his more autobiographical tunes had most resonance, especially the lovely "I Miss You My Nico." Breau is far from a smooth vocal stylist, but the sincerity of his approach overcomes the flaws.

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EDGAR BREAU: This Hamiltonian earned cult hero status as the mainman of ahead of their time' '70s rockers SIMPLY SAUCER and has just released a fine solo CD, Canadian Primitive on Songhammer Records. It reflects Breau's switch from electric to acoustic guitar, and the mellower approach suits his poetic lyrics. His influences range from the visionary poets (one tune is set to w.b. yeats' words) to the likes of SYD BARRETT and RAY DAVIES. One highlight is a moving expression of love for '60s icon NICO ("I bought all your records, I saw you at The Edge"). This is raw and compelling stuff. Along with his skilled producer, PAUL RIEMENS, Edgar will play a pwyc gig at Mitzi's Sister in Parkdale on Nov. 4. It is definitely recommended.

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“I like to call my music more folkadelic,” smiles the singer. “There is a thread that runs through it all. Lyrically, rock music became very politicized in the ’70s and ’80s, and I found that I wanted to be a free agent in terms of what I believed and the way I lived. I didn’t identify with pop culture anymore after Saucer, and my influences came from other places.

“But the songs have got to be there first,” he adds. “It’s no good using them as a vehicle for your ideas if you don’t have the music there first. I might be an amateur philosopher, but as a musician I have a responsibility to make good music.”

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The 1970s were a dynamic time for Hamilton music. Ask anyone who was involved--fans, promoters, or the artists themselves--and they'll tell you that they were witness to the birth of the Hammer rock scene.

Edgar Breau isn't a household name in this city, but by all rights he should be. In the '70s, Breau fronted a four-piece outfit called Simply Saucer. They were experimental, they were dynamic, and they were one of the world's most important precursors to the punk and new wave movements. But Breau's legacy doesn't end there. In the decades since Simply Saucer, he has reinvented himself as a powerful singer-songwriter, and he shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

So what's kept his songwriting going through the years?

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Cyborgs Revisited has just been remastered and reissued by Sonic Unyon, and features a clutch of previously unheard Saucer material. The re-release has re-activated Breau's desire to perform. He'll even take a run at some Cyborgs-era material when he plays the Horseshoe Wednesday (May 28) alongside original Saucer bassist Kevin Christoff.

Does this feel like Cyborgs Revisited revisited for you?

The first time it came out [through zine publisher and former eye correspondent Bruce Mowat's Fistpuppet label], we didn't have a lot of money to promote it, even though it did well critically. It feels wonderful to have it resurface again, but it is an odd thing to have happen. I was 21 when I made most of this. It was just a demo that was shopped around to the majors. But they weren't interested in our "heavy band." That was what they called us.

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