INDUCTION SPEECH:

If you can make your passion your profession, you will never have to do any real work again. It’s a philosophy that many men and women have dreamed of, but few have successfully executed. Pre-eminent among musicians who have transformed their careers on the stage into a business that hasn’t just survived off the stage, but has earned its stripes on the forefront of the Canadian music industry is Mississauga’s Gil Moore.

Everyone knows the story of Triumph, the Mississauga band who performed anthemic metal miracles in arenas around the world in the 1970s and 1980s, releasing more than a dozen albums, selling millions of records and eventually earning a place in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame. In 1978 the band opened its own private studio on Mavis Rd. so it could tinker with its songs and not have to worry about booking studio time. When Triumph stopped performing a decade later, Moore dedicated himself full-time to the studio. “Who doesn’t want to work at Disneyland each day?” he said when asked about his motivation in launching the studio. It is a decision that Canadian musicians — and musicians everywhere — look back on with deepest gratitude.

Metalworks has gone from a hole-in-the-wall industrial unit, with 20 students, to a musical mecca that is now more than 17,000 sq .ft. in size and features six studios, state-of-the-art lighting and sound, and audio facilities and innovative teaching techniques that reflect its owner’s unmistakable stamp of professionalism — a word that isn’t always top of mind in many aspects of the music business. “Word of mouth from the artists is important,” Moore told The Mississauga News in an interview last year. “I think trust is number 1.”

When the referrals are coming out of the mouths of artists with first-hand experience at Metalworks whose names are David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, The Cranberries, Rush, Prince, Tom Cochrane, Christina Aguilera, Guns ‘N Roses, Nelly Furtado, Anne Murray, Feist, and Metric, to name but a few — that’s a gold-plated endorsement. Metalworks was named Recording Studio of the Year at the Canadian Music Industry Awards for a dozen consecutive years – so often that it might as well have been renamed the Gil Moore Recognition Award.

With all of the accolades that Triumph and Metalworks have received, you might think that a little some of that might go to a person’s head. But Gil Moore remains the same native son of Mississauga, the same unpretentious guy who founded Gil Moore Audio as a teenager and attended Streetsville and T.L.Kennedy Secondary Schools. The same guy who always had a yen for construction – which may be why the never-ending expansion of Metalworks continues to this day.

If you need a Mississauga Idol judge or sponsor, Gil is there. The prize may be studio time for just the winner, but somehow, he finds time for the top three finishers to record.
Metalworks sponsors the Q107 Homegrown contest , which is no accident. Moore has always had a deep and abiding respect for homegrown talent and he’s always respected his roots — which were planted deep in Mississauga, where he still lives. He grew up in Erindale Woodlands and his parents, Martha and Herb, wrote columns for many years in The Mississauga News. One of those columns was called Suburban Style. The Moores would be infinitely proud to know that their son has come to epitomize his own form of suburban style — one grounded in respecting and teaching the entire business of music, from conception to performance to recording to marketing and beyond, to succeeding generations of musician.

Yes, Gil Moore is a wonderful musician, but we recognize him tonight for all the things he has done that make him so much more than that — those things that make him a true champion of his craft and a perpetual leader of his industry.

“It’s a different type of recognition in your own community,” said Moore. “It has a special feeling and a special meaning.” While growing up, Moore said, he was a fan of both Hawkins and Peterson. So, last night, he was elated to be in the their company and to be honoured with other accomplished musicians.

“Ronnie Hawkins is a legend,” said Moore. “And as a kid, I heard Oscar Peterson records over and over again.” While posing for photos with fans, Hawkins said, “I think it’s just wonderful,” in his famous southern drawl. “I’ve always loved ol’ Mississauga.” Szabo, who received a MARTY Award in 2005 from the Mississauga Arts Council, found it a little daunting to receive her plaque after the Hawk.“Ronnie Hawkins is a very hard person to follow — what a tribute,” she told the crowd. “I’m very proud to be from Mississauga.” During the closing remarks, Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion declared: “Mississauga is growing up in a big way.” That’s exactly what Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey had in mind when he put forth the idea to city council.

“It used to drive me crazy when the media would talk about Gil Moore and Oscar Peterson and say they’re from Toronto,” Tovey said. “We’re not a city of 250,000 anymore, there’s 740,000 people in this city — that’s a big city.” Tovey said initiatives such as the Walk of Fame and the arts and culture office make Mississauga a cultural hotbed.

“We’re putting more and more money into arts and culture each year,” he said. “If we’re going to become a real stand-alone city, we’re going to have to have our own arts and culture identity.”

Moore agreed, saying “We’ve got some great achievers and some great monuments and some wonderful things to celebrate here.” Or, as Hawkins put it: “Mississauga starts things first, so Mississauga is rockin’.” Tovey said the Music Walk of Fame monuments have been constructed to last. “They’ll be there for a hundred years,” he said of the four-inch slabs. “There will be 40 more of them here, and school kids will be using them as projects to do history.”

Original Article

The post Gil Moore enshrined in Mississauga Music Walk of Fame appeared first on Triumph.

New “street cred” puts TRIUMPH on the map… quite literally. Mississauga’s world champions of classic rock, TRIUMPH will be toasted by a host of appreciative fans, friends, celebrities and dignitaries as a new street is named in their honour.

No strangers to the world stage or international airwaves, the hometown group can now also be found on the latest GPS systems, GTA street guides, and Google maps.

TRIUMPH Lane encircles a newly built development by Bremont Homes and is located at Derry Rd. W. and Terragar Blvd., in the Meadowvale section of Mississauga. 2011, just paces away of the Lionheart Pub (located at 3221 Derry Rd. West , 1 km west of Winston Churchill Blvd.)

Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore will meet with fans, pose for photos, sign copies of albums, memorabilia and their latest CD’s and DVD, on Thursday, July 14. All funds raised through the evening (via photos, autographs and silent auctions) will go directly to support Wounded Warriors of Canada and the special needs of our troops, who very truly know what it means to ‘Lay it on the Line’, ‘Fight the Good Fight’ and ‘Never Surrender’… and those who have also sustained life changing injuries during the Afghan mission.

Think you’ve got ‘The Magic Power?’… there’s an open mike portion of the evening where performers can pay tribute doing various TRIUMPH songs. Access will be limited with advance reservations required.

Please contact;richardallan01@hotmail.com and kindly leave your name and contact info.

Stay Connected…

The post Ribbon Cutting for “Triumph Lane” Takes Place Thursday July 14th appeared first on Triumph.

Often considered one of the most disappointing Triumph records, “The Sport of Kings” was attacked because of its heavy keyboard sound and the band’s shift to a more radio-friendly song style (in the vein of the then uber-popular Foreigner and Journey).

While this newly remastered version of this CD can’t erase all of that 80s cheesiness, “The Sport of Kings” does sound more dynamic today than it did upon its initial release, even if some of the songs are truly dated (and, over 20 years later, why wouldn’t they be?). While songs like “Tears in the Rain” perhaps play better today than in 1985 (due to the exquisite remastering here), the lackluster of other songs — such as “What Rules My Heart” — becomes really apparent.

Not a bad Triumph CD if you’re a fan of 80s rock radio, but quite disappointing if you like Triumph’s harder-edged sound, “The Sport of Kings” at least benefits from the recent re-mastering. It still may not be one of the band’s best CDs, but at least some of the better tunes have been punched up a little.

Triumph: Rik Emmett – guitars, vocals; Mike Levine – bass, keyboards; Gil Moore – drums, vocals.

The post The Sport of Kings (www.roughedge.com) appeared first on Triumph.

Often considered one of the most disappointing Triumph records, “The Sport of Kings” was attacked because of its heavy keyboard sound and the band’s shift to a more radio-friendly song style (in the vein of the then uber-popular Foreigner and Journey).

While this newly remastered version of this CD can’t erase all of that 80s cheesiness, “The Sport of Kings” does sound more dynamic today than it did upon its initial release, even if some of the songs are truly dated (and, over 20 years later, why wouldn’t they be?). While songs like “Tears in the Rain” perhaps play better today than in 1985 (due to the exquisite remastering here), the lackluster of other songs — such as “What Rules My Heart” — becomes really apparent.

Not a bad Triumph CD if you’re a fan of 80s rock radio, but quite disappointing if you like Triumph’s harder-edged sound, “The Sport of Kings” at least benefits from the recent re-mastering. It still may not be one of the band’s best CDs, but at least some of the better tunes have been punched up a little.

Triumph: Rik Emmett – guitars, vocals; Mike Levine – bass, keyboards; Gil Moore – drums, vocals.

The post The Sport of Kings (www.roughedge.com) appeared first on Triumph.

When I was 13, my uncle had a music store in Tulsa, OK and he let me pick out any cassette I wanted — a cassette, mind you. As you may guess, I chose Triumph’s “Allied Forces.” Well, some may argue with my choice but it sparked a love for music that led me to keep that cassette free of nicks and scratches until the CD came out and I guard that closely as well. I primarily picked it because of the radio favorites that you can still hear today on any classic rock station. Listening to Triumph on my MP3 player destroys the memories I had when they released this guitar-flavored favorite, so I try to preserve what I can.

Rik Emmett and Gil Moore share vocal duties on this disc. They each take turns per the tracklist but it’s Emmett who shines on such classics as “Magic Power” and “Say Goodbye.” I’ve heard Triumph called by some as “the poor man’s Rush” but I give credit to both bands equally. I’ve always felt that Triumph had a slight amount of blues stirring in them and the song “Hot Time (In This City Tonight)” confirmed that to be true.

My only complaint is the song “Ordinary Man.” It’s kind of cheesy and long but, at 2:46, the song takes a gallop and keeps your interest for a few more bars. I know that they are a progressive band but this track just drags along. One that may have slipped by you is “Petite Etude” — it has some clean classical guitar picking and it leads into the final track that allows Triumph to close out their fifth disc with an oft-requested favorite.

There is a passionate sound that Triumph tried to translate in their music; I got it, and although some 80s music has been shelved for a while; it calls to those who liked Triumph to at least revisit their mark on history.

The best cuts are “Fool For Your Love,” “Magic Power,” “Fight The Good Fight,” and “Say Goodbye.”

Triumph: Rik Emmett – vocals, guitar; Gil Moore – drums, vocals; Mike Levine – bass, keyboards.

The post Allied Forces (www.roughedge.com) appeared first on Triumph.

There’s a reason this “Greatest Hits” package is entitled “Classics.” I think that’s an appropriate title because Triumph’s music can be heard on the classic stations, and, after you review the track list and haven’t heard one of these songs in awhile, call up your local DJ and request it.

“Classics” runs the years between Triumph’s best hits and even pulls from their first album with the raw 1976 hit “Rock & Roll Machine.” The song “Somebody’s Out There” could have been taken from any Journey album when Steve Perry was crooning to the crowds. All in all, it’s a musical treat from start to finish. Each song is a memory and everybody has their own to relive and smile about.
I won’t wax anymore than is needed. If you have this CD then kudos to you for buying one of their compilations, if you don’t, seriously, what’s wrong with you?

The post Classics (www.roughedge.com) appeared first on Triumph.

After the disappointment of some fans with 1985’s “The Sport of Kings,” Triumph recorded and released “Surveillance” which, while not a complete return to form, was at least a step in the right direction.

Adding more hard rock crunch in the form of distorted guitars and irresistible riffs, and bolstering the number of rock’n’roll anthems versus radio-friendly ballads, “Surveillance” gave longtime Triumph fans more of what they wanted: music that sounded like the band’s earlier albums.

This re-mastered edition is incredibly crisp  and, although the music never aspires to the glory days of “Allied Forces” or “Never Surrender,” “Surveillance” is still a pretty damn good Triumph CD.

Triumph: Rik Emmett – guitars, vocals; Mike Levine – bass, keyboards; Gil Moore – drums, vocals.

The post Surveillance (roughedge.com) appeared first on Triumph.

The post RIK EMMETT Discusses Rumors of 2011 Tour w/ VAN HALEN appeared first on Triumph.

By Perry Stern, Canadian Musician, October 1986

Whoever invented the term “Rock -n- Roll Machine” must have had a band very much like Triumph in mind. In the face of radio programmers that have gone  soft-headed with yuppieism, against an ever-changing backdrop of fashion  conscious video personalities calling themselves musicians, and in the wake of a  tidal wave of pseudo-disco and stadium anthems, Triumph relentlessly churns out a style of music that the experts regularly pronounce to be deader than a doornail. And if it weren’t for the millions of people who regularly buy Triumph  records and attend Triumph concerts, the experts would be right.

Mike Levine, Gil Moore and Rik Emmett have been making records for ten years now  (“eleven in September,” Emmett corrects). The Sport of Kings is their  ninth and, though they’re loathe to admit it, its importance in the future of  Triumph’s career is pivotal. It’s not so much a matter of how well the record will sell, a band rarely has had so solid a base of fan support as this one, rather it seems really to be more important that the album be appreciated. And it’s not as though the band will crumble if things don’t work out as well as they hope, but the prospect of making the tenth album will be that much less attractive. Recording, on any level, is hard work, but for Triumph, The Sport of Kings may just as well have been called The  Record From Hell.There’s something milquetoast about seeking  “appreciation” (a word the band would never use), but in the context of heavy rock music, being appreciated by one’s peers, by the press, by record companies  – or, rather, not being appreciated is the albatross around many a guitar-star’s neck, People just don’t seem to take the art form seriously, But the fans do,  and one of Triumph’s greatest triumphs has been the ability to look their  critics squarely in the eye and wait for as long as it takes for them to blink. And the critics always have to blink first because, in the end, they have to admit that Triumph is one of Canada’s, if not North America’s most successful  rock acts. We’re talking consistency here, and endurance.

A  year-and-a-half ago, after many months of litigation, Triumph made the move from  RCA to MCA. The album Thunder Seven (which went platinum) was released  almost immediately, and the double live set Stages (which is now close to  double platinum status) followed after about nine months. For the band, and for  the record company, the next release would actually be the “first” MCA / Triumph  release because, as Moore describes it, the other two albums were more or less “inherited” from RCA. “They made only one request in the entire first  year-and-a-half of our relationship, ” Moore says of MCA, and it was to, “use a producer and have it be Ron Nevison.” Now while that may seem an innocuous request, especially with Nevison fresh off the success of his efforts with  Heart, Survivor and Ozzy Osborne, the fact of the matter was that Triumph never  had more than a co-producer on any of their previous albums. Even still, the  band met the request with enthusiasm. The prospect of working with a hot  producer piqued the boys’ interest and the possibility of getting radio airtime with the help of Nevison’s expert ministrations was a key factor in setting the  deal. You didn’t hear heavy rock on AC radio until Heart’s last album with  Nevison at the helm came out, and with the door broken down MCA wanted Triumph  to get inside, quick. “They were looking for the guy with the magic wand,” Moore  says. The plan was simple. Starting in January, Nevison and his partner Mike  Klink, would start working with the band in pre-production. After the bed tracks  were laid, Nevison would split to record Night Ranger (a project he never completed), and Klink would be in charge of the overdubs of vocals and guitars.  When that was through, Nevison would return for the final mix and mastering.  Nevison said he had some songs, exclusive songs, that he would bring with him into the project. Everyone wanted this record to be he band’s most popular and  they felt that more variety in the song writing would be desirable for embracing  a larger, broader audience. “It was an effort,” Klink says, “predetermined by  the record company and the band, to get a commercial sound.”

The plan was simple. Get some good tunes, get some expert outside input, get a real tight sound, then run the flag up the pole and see who salutes. After eight albums done their way, Triumph was prepared to give the other way a shot. They  would even do some recording in LA. What the hell, they thought, maybe a change of location will do some good. But even the best laid plans, especially simple ones, sometimes go awry.

All three members of Triumph are quick to point  out that they hold no grudges against Nevison professionally. Levine, who worked most closely with him, calls Nevison a “brilliant recording technician,” but in the insular world of a three-piece group, Nevison was like a bull in a china shop. The role of the producer is to take charge, give direction, make decisions, and there are a number of ways you can go about it, You can cajole,  seduce, or demand, and Nevison opted for the latter. “It was his way or the highway,” Emmett recalls. Levine would add later, punctuated with wry laughter,  that it was an ineffective way to deal with “a bunch of old farts like us.” During pre-production there was plenty of talking, lots of room for discussion, but that all changed and, as Levine says, “you have to be consistent. ” When it  came time to actually lay the bed tracks, Nevison took complete control and the  band felt shut out. Levine said it was as though Nevison was “changing horses  midstream. ” Moore is more colorful; “It was like the full moon came out and  hair started growing out of his face and hands.”

Up to a point the band was more than willing to take it all in stride. They had made their commitment to Nevison, and there was his track record to consider (let alone a contract),  and he did get an excellent drum sound for the beds, so everybody grinned  and bore it. Feeling a little stepped-on was probably a “natural reaction” for Emmett. As far as being even slightly resentful about the temporary loss of  control, he says that, “I think if you’re artistic and conscientious about your work you feel that way” when someone else is in charge. “Ron was the first guy  in eleven years to be let into the family circle,” Emmett explains, “and this  guy wants to be the patriarch.”

Everything was fine until someone heard  “One Chance,” one of the “exclusive” tracks Nevison brought to the project, on  the radio. And then the video was seen on TV. Emmett gives Nevison the benefit  of the doubt by allowing that the producer had his eye on the American market and that a domestic release by the song’s Canadian writer, Stan Meissner, wouldn’t effect a Triumph version, but Moore says, “We felt it hurt our integrity somewhat.” Arguing over the practicality of keeping the song, and the  reasoning behind Nevison’s claims of “exclusivity” was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Nevison cited “artistic differences” and never returned to the project after his initial involvement with the bed tracks ended. “Producers leave records all the time,” Levine explains with a shrug, and Nevison’s departure was hardly treated as a catastrophe. He is even philosophic about it. “When I heard about “One Chance” I knew we needed a new song right away. I  phoned Ricky and told him we needed a good Triumph rock -n- roll tune and that he should go away and just woodshed `til he got one. The song ‘Somebody’s Out  There Somewhere’ turned out so good it’ll be the first single. Out of all  negatives comes something positive.” The problem wasn’t so much that Nevison had  quit, it was that the record was set up to accommodate his working style, It was  too late in the day to re-schedule and re-locate the recording of an album that was half finished. It was already mid-May, and the record was to be finished in  June.

The guys in Triumph aren’t the kind of people who spend a lot of time kicking themselves if they think a mistake’s been made. Not with studio time booked. When Mike Levine talks about the band “united”, you know he means  it, and that, as a rock -n- roll machine, there would be no stopping the Triumph  train once it go back on track. With Nevison gone, Klink was now the nominal producer – a situation that no one had a problem with. “It started out as a 50/50 proposition with Ron,” says Klink, “and then it became 100 per cent mine. It was only hard as far as the hours were concerned.” Without Nevison, Levine  had to re-gear his thinking about his role in the project and play catch-up with  Klink. Now at the overdub phase, he had to hear all the tracks and all the takes  so that he could be sure that he was satisfied with the work so far. Separated by the according process, the band had not been communicating with each other  about how they thought things were going. With Nevison gone, they were free to vent their frustration about the “experiment,” and rallied around each other.

Because Nevison and Klink wanted to work on their home turf, the recording and mixing of The Sport of Kings was done primarily at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. None of the band was pleased with the situation (if you  owned the best recording studio in the country, would you want to record  anywhere else?) but they were resigned to it. The person who found it hardest was Levine, who returned to his traditional band role as man-behind-the-console  with Klink. Moore says that it was hard for Mike because he had “no point of  reference” for how the rooms in LA could sound. For example, while Triumph  usually records their drum tracks in the empty warehouse next door to  Metalworks, this time Moore played in LA. “The room was interesting because of its volume, ” Moore recalls. He estimates its dimensions as 65x65x241 “The room  had a controlled ambiance,” Emmett adds. “There were ambient mikes that were  high up in the back of the room so that it sounded like the kick was already gated. The delay it had sounded like gated reverb with ambient sustain.” Unfortunately, though, Moore felt that there was “no value in the close miking.”

For his part, Klink held up admirably and hung on to the basic plan he and Nevison had for the album from the beginning. A fastidious engineer, and a stickler for detail, Klink wanted to give Triumph a “tighter sound, more  structured than it was before.” While recording the drums he had the snare heads  changed daily. He made Emmett retune his guitar after every take (“It drove me crazy,” he confesses.) “It was a little difficult at first, but I think they  need that outside input. They’re not used to working as hard as I pushed them, doing parts over, getting them right,” In the end, during the arduous mixing process, he and Levine worked together, eighteen hours a day for thirty days.  Laughing, satisfied with the final product, delighted to be finished, Levine  states categorically that, “There’s no way I’m ever going to record or mix a record in LA again.”

If The Sport of Kings was, in fact, The  Record From Hell for Triumph, it was a hard time born from a great idea.  With a new label behind them, and a fresh outlook on the music scene, they  wanted to break out of the cubbyhole that most of the industry had slotted them  in. “Radio is ridiculously tight now,” Moore explains. “It’s really unfortunate for new talent. Shrinking playlists do nothing but destroy an industry that  radio helped to create. ” For some time now it’s been be rigueur to trash bands  like Triumph in the press. “The fortunate thing for us,” says Emmett, “is that  we’ve got a base of fans who believe in us and who know they aren’t going to get  short-changed no matter what media shifts there are. ” Ever mindful of this Klink explains that while they may have gone for a more “pop” oriented sound he  knew that, “to take a band like Triumph with a heavier rock sound, you have to make sure it still represents the band. ” No one involved with the project  thinks even one Triumph fan will be disappointed, and that, to a certain extent,  is the bottom line. “A learning experience” is how everyone, Levine, Moore,  Emmett, and Klink, regards the making of Triumph’s ninth album. If nothing else,  the band learned how strong their bonds were to each other, and how well they  could pull together when the going got tough. Levine says: “The bottom line for any band on the success ladder (if you want to climb it) is you have to trust  some people, but you have to trust yourself first. You have to at least think you know what you’re doing and not let anybody convince you that you don’t. As  soon as you become insecure about what you’re doing you’re not going to be able to perform properly no matter what your task is. If anybody is allowed to  instill any self doubt in you, it will affect your performance. ”

The  plan was simple, and though the course may have been rougher than they expected and they changed jockeys mid-race, Mike Levine, Gil Moore and Rik Emmett are  happy to be standing in the winner’s circle with The Sport of Kings.

The post Record From Hell appeared first on Triumph.

‘The man behind the moustache’!

From 1979 tour book

During that summer, Mike was 26 years old (making him a ripe ol’ 44 at this moment in 1997)  and is a Gemini. Previous to Triumph, he spent a few years in New York and some time in England (no mention of what he was doing – but I’ll guess there was the odd party). He’s been playing bass since the age of 10 and has been influenced  by Richard Davis, Sly Stone and Phil Spector.

According to the concert program, Mike likes, “money, sex and room service” (so, who doesn’t?). He also likes his old Fenders, JBL speakers, Crown amps, Reflex cabinets and Hammond B3’s. Let’s remember, this list was compiled in 1979, so a bit must have changed (does anyone still use B3’s anymore?..) .

Here is Mike’s 1979 list of  Favourites!!!

The post ‘The man behind the moustache’! appeared first on Triumph.