The Northern Pikes began their career in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in early 1… Read Full Bio ↴The Northern Pikes began their career in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in early 1984. Over the next two years, the band recorded and released the independent EPs 'The Northern Pikes' and 'Scene In North America' with producer and pal Mitch Barnett. Both were recorded and mixed at Studio West in Saskatoon. Sharing a taste for jangly, tuneful songs mixing alternative rock with power pop and indie music, the original lineup was spawned from the ashes of three local groups, 'The Idols', 'Doris Daye', and '17 Envelope', and consisted of Jay Semko, Merl Bryck, Bryan Potvin and Glen Hollingshead, who left the band in 1985.

Numerous drummers came and went until June of 1986, when Don Schmid joined to make it a permanent quartet. With the help of friend and local booking agent Robert Hodgins, the band cut its teeth on the prairie bar circuit. The combination of exciting live performances, well-received indie albums, and the continuous stream of demos caught the ear of Doug Chappell, President of Virgin Records, Canada, and with the help of managers Fraser Hill and Ed Smeall, The Pikes signed to the label on December 19, 1986.

In January 1987, the band began sessions at Metal Works Studio in Toronto with producers Rick Hutt and Fraser Hill, and they finished mixing at McClear Place Studios for what would become its first Virgin album, titled 'Big Blue Sky'. It was released in June of '87 and featured the singles "Teenland" and "Things I Do For Money", introducing the band to a wider audience and expanding the touring range to all parts of Canada and the USA.

Spring of 1988 saw The Pikes at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, NY. and later in Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec for the recording and mixing of 'Secrets of the Alibi'. The sophomore album had a more "live off the floor" feel, and the heavy airplay of single "Wait For Me" and "Hopes Go Astray" kept the band on the road virtually non-stop across the continent until the summer of '89.

Up to this point, the primary singers and songwriters were Jay and Merl, with the exception of some group compositions and "Hopes" written by Bryan. The Pikes third album Snow In June saw the blossoming of Bryan as a singer and writer, most notably for the hit single "She Ain't Pretty". In addition the album featured other hits, "Girl With A Problem" and "Kiss Me You Fool", and featured a star-studded cast of additional musicians - Garth Hudson, Crystal Taliefero, John Sebastian and Stan Szelest, as well as mixes by acclaimed engineers Bob Clearmountain and Hugh Padgham. Recording again in Bearsville and mixing at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, the Pikes spent almost six months working on the album, considered by many to be their finest.

After almost two years of touring to support Snow In June, the band began work on Neptune in July of '92 at A&M Studios in LA with Rob Jaczko as co-producer. Subsequent sessions continued at Metal Works in Toronto and Blue Jay Studio in Boston. From start to finish the album took exactly two months to record, mix and master¤ the fastest turnaround since their indie days- Released in November, Neptune featured the keyboard work of Ross Nykiforuk, also a native of Saskatoon and an on-stage addition for the Snow In June tour. Also featured were two duets with Margo Timmins of "Cowboy Junkies", one of which¤ "Worlds Away"¤ made its way onto an episode of the TV series "Due South". The album featured the singles "Twister", "Believe" and "Everything", and in December saw the band fly from one end of Canada to the other on a whirlwind tour promoting the record.

The spring of '93 saw the last tour for The Pikes, and the fifth and final album gig, recorded live during concerts in Montreal and Toronto. It featured 13 songs and showcased the raw energy the band always exhibited onstage.

The Northern Pikes played their final concert of this first era on July 2, 1993 in Fort Frances, Ontario. Their unofficial final recording session took place July 9, '93 in Don's "Fresh Vibe North" studio where Jay, Bryan, Don and Ross laid down the original tracks for the theme song to "Due South" written by Jay and Bryan. Shortly afterwards, the band disbanded.

However, in 1999, the band reformed to build a Greatest Hits package, called "Hits and Assorted Secrets 1984-1993." On the subsequent tour to promote this album, the band decided to release a live work in 2000 ("Live"). This was followed by a studio album in 2001 ("Truest Inspiration"), and another in 2003 ("It's a Good Life"). A collaborative album with fellow Canadian artist Les Stroud followed-up in 2008. They've continued to tour over the past few years.

Due South
The Northern Pikes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

High winds in northern sky will carry you away
You know you have to leave here
You wish that you could stay
There's four directions on this map
But you're only going one way
Due South .......
(that's the way I'm going)
Due South.......

Saddle up my travelling shoes
I'm bound to walk away these blues
Due South.......

You could walk a hundred thousand miles and never find a home
You always knew someday you'd have to strike out on your own
You look up at the clouds and you can see which way the wind is blowing
Due South
(that's the way I'm going)
Due South.......
Saddle up my travelling shoes, I'm bound to walk away these blues
Due South.......

Due South....... (that's the way I'm going)
Due South.......
Saddle up my travelling shoes, I'm bound to walk away these blues
Due.......

Saddle up my travelling shoes, I'm bound to walk away these blues
Due South.......

Due South.......
Due South.......

Overall Meaning

The Northern Pikes's song Due South talks about leaving home in search of something new. In the lyrics, it is clear that the main character has to leave his/her home, which will always remain a place of great memories. However, the character is determined to leave, set out for somewhere new, somewhere due south. The wind seems to guide the character in the right direction, and the person is ready to start their journey, all geared up and ready to walk away from the blues.

The lyrics also express a sense of uncertainty in the journey ahead, epitomized by phrases such as "You could walk a hundred thousand miles and never find a home" and "There's four directions on this map, but you're only going one way." The character seems to be willing to take the risk since every step taken is one step into the unknown. However, the person is confident in the direction they are headed, ready to take on any challenge and press on to see what destiny holds.

Overall, Due South talks about the journey of finding oneself by starting afresh, letting go of the past, and embracing the unknown. It's about stepping out of the comfort zone, leaving behind what's known and trusted, and embracing change while remaining open to all possibilities that lay ahead.

Line by Line Meaning

High winds in northern sky will carry you away
The strong winds up north are capable of taking one away from their current location.

You know you have to leave here
You are aware that you have to depart from your present location.

You wish that you could stay
Although you have to leave, you desire to remain in your current location.

There's four directions on this map
The map displays four cardinal directions to follow.

But you're only going one way
Despite the four possible paths, you have chosen to follow only the southern direction.

Due South....... (that's the way I'm going)
The direction you are heading is south, as indicated by the repeated phrase 'Due South'.

Saddle up my travelling shoes
Get ready, prepare your shoes to enable you to journey efficiently.

I'm bound to walk away these blues
You intend to leave your problems behind and seek better times by departing from your present location.

You could walk a hundred thousand miles and never find a home
Even if you wander for a long time, you may never discover a permanent dwelling place.

You always knew someday you'd have to strike out on your own
It was always clear to you that one day you would have to set out alone and face your journey independently.

You look up at the clouds and you can see which way the wind is blowing
By observing the movement of the clouds, you can determine the direction of the wind.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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