The Government

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The Government was a new wave, art punk band, primraily active in Toronto during the 1979-1981 period.

History

The Government, a new wave band, leaning on the art punk side, became well known on the Toronto Queen Street club circuit, playing such venues as The Crash And Burn, The Edge, Larry's Hideaway and The Beverley Tavern and the Music Gallery. Their album Electric Eye was recorded live at the Music Gallery as the soundtrack to a full-length video production.

The band was part of the early punk scene which, in Toronto, crossed paths with the art world with regularity. The Government was featured in File magazine, published by General Idea. Andrew J. Paterson was the singer, guitarist and composer of most of their material . He was also a writer and a performance and video artist. The band was an element of his work in this medium, often incorporating music videos and performances by the group for works such as Electric Eye. Other videos by Paterson include Controlled Environments in 1994 and the inter-discipline work Mono Logical in 2005.

The "Flat Tire" ep was recorded at Comfort Sound Studios in Toronto on eight-track analog by Doug McClement. The end of the song is actually from a previous take, which was recorded over, except for the final chord. When Andy Paterson heard the playback, he decided to leave it in the final mix.

In addition to Paterson, other members included bass player Robert Stewart, guitarist Jeremiah Chechik and drummer Ed Boyd, later replaced by Billy Bryans. Bryans played on How Many Fingers? before going on to co-found the Parachute Club in 1982, around the same time that The Government disbanded.

Discography

Singles

• 1979 Hemingway (Hated Disco Music)/I Only Drive My Car At Night [independent]
• 1979 Flat Tire/Zippers Of Fire//Get You Sleepin'/Sponge (Modern World) SMW-1

Albums

• 1979 Electric Eye (original soundtrack) (Voicespondence/Trend)
• 1980 Guest List (Jackal/Modern World/Trend) WOW-713
• 1981 How Many Fingers//Plaza Del Pimps/Portrait/Paranoid Downtown Funk Pt.2 (Government) GOV-581

External links

• The Government
• CanuckistanMusic review of Hemingway (Hated Diso Music) and the Zippers of Fire EP

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