By Roger White

Northern Pikes bring 30th anniversary tour to the Dekker Centre

Nov 21, 2017 | 9:00 AM

Whether it’s their tongue-in-cheek lyrics or their small town Saskatchewan charm, The Northern Pikes have been a favorite of concert goers for decades and now they bring their 30th anniversary tour to the Dekker Centre in North Battleford this Friday night.

The Northern Pikes have been a mainstay on Canadian radio for the past three decades with hits like Teenland, Girl With Problem, She Ain’t Pretty and Hopes Go Astray and recently have re-released their debut album Big Blue Sky with a bit of a twist.    

Big Blue Sky (Super-Sized) features the original tracks on disc one, and 10 previously unreleased songs from a stockpile of demos, followed by a full-length exclusive live show from September 1986 at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on disc two. The re-release is also available on vinyl as well.

“The new Big Blue Sky is really exciting for us,” said drummer Don Schmid. “I think it’s a perfect way to celebrate an album that launched our career.”

Along with Schmid, the group consists of bassist Jay Semko, guitarist Bryan Potvin and Kevin Kane formerly of The Grapes of Wrath on guitar.

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“It’s a thrill to have the Pikes return to the Battlefords,” said Moe McGuinty, general manager of the Dekker Centre. “When I heard that this tour was happening, I just knew they had to come to the Dekker Centre.”

Schmid, who has been with the group since 1986, said they have played in the Battlefords on at least six occasions and are looking forward to playing in the Dekker Centre.

“We have always had great response from the Battlefords,” he added. “Plus we have heard a lot of great things about the Dekker Centre so we are pumped to play there.”

He said the audience will be taken on a musical journey through The Northern Pikes storied career.

“To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Big Blue Sky we play the complete album in the first set with a few newer songs that you will hear on the re-release,” Schmid said. “The second half will be many of the hits that audiences know and love.”

Schmid said the band has always tried to bring the perfect tempo to their stage show and for the very first time, they have added a new component to the show.

“We have had a video camera with us for the past 30 years taking videos of shows, recording sessions, on the bus, even in the hotel rooms,” he added. “We took the best of the clips and have added a video portion to our show which we think is pretty neat.”

The Northern Pikes take to the Dekker Centre stage Friday night at 8 p.m. with a limited number of tickets available by calling the box office.

roger.white@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @RJWtheReporter