Five of Vancouver’s top musicians become Unsung Heroes to have fun in the clubs

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 10, 1983

By Steve Newton

“I think we’re exactly what our name signifies,” says singer Nancy Nash of Unsung Heroes. “Not to be pompous, but the name Unsung Heroes refers to the people who are always doing the work behind the scenes. To me any star, or anybody who makes it, it’s not just because of them–it’s always because of the people behind them.

“So it’s more like a statement as far as people in general go; we are representatives of people who do their share.”

The members of Unsung Hoeres–Nash, guitarist Harris Van Berkel, bassist Rene Worst, keyboardist Graeme Coleman, and drummer Geoff Eyre–have done much more than their share as far as contributing to the Vancouver music scene goes. Nash has sung on all three of Loverboy’s albums and worked with such other big-name local acts as Bryan Adams, BTO, and Trooper. Eyre has drummed with Shari Ulrich, Valdy, Headpins, Straight Lines, and the Hometown Band. And Van Berkel, Worst, and Coleman–as well as being mainstays in Vancouver’s  fast-rising instrumental group Skywalk–have collectively helped out on sessions by Ulrich, Valdy, Silverlode, and Prism.

So why would five of the city’s most in-demand backup players form their own musical union?

“At this point,” says Nash, “our whole reason for being together is because we’ve always wanted to play together. And we’re having a ball! I mean, we are never uptight. I was a little leery at first because you’re dealing with pretty intense personalities here, and there’s a lot of possibilities for serious differences in opinion.

“But we were able to work it out because, when we start playing our music, we recognize that we’re there for the people. We’re there to give them a good time, and entertain them, to get them dancing or just to fulfill some space in them.

“And I think we do that. We’ve only done one gig, but I’ve had good reaction. And also we really pleased the staff at the Ankor. They always tabulate how good you are by how much booze you sell, and apparently we were really good!”

This writer can testify to that. In fact, Unsung Heroes were really great when they played the classy Gastown nightspot for the last week of May. Even more so considering the band just recently came together.

“Three rehearsals and away you go,” says Van Berkel, the group’s corkscrew-haired guitarist. Undoubtedly one of Vancouver’s most versatile axemen, he adds a flashy dimension to the band with the rockish habit of throwing back his head and closing his eyes while his nimble fingers seek out the perfect phrase on his fretboard. His formidable rock chops get a real workout in Unsung Heroes, while his role in Skywalk is much more structured and controlled.

“It’s great,” he says with a laugh. “At least I get to use them without feeling embarrassed.”

Unsung Heroes play a collage of musical styles. “We do something by Aretha Franklin,” says Nash, “and then we do a Police song, and then maybe an old Fleetwood Mac song. What we try to stay away from is stuff that is played to death. They hear that on the disco between the sets.

“From what people have told me, they really enjoy the calibre of the musicians. They recognize that these guys are great. When we told them that it was our first gig at the Ankor people found it hard to believe. They enjoy the fact that the songs are tight and that we’ve done a different type of arrangement with them.”

Their reworkings of R&B classics like Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” are a real highlight of the Unsung Heroes’ repertoire.

“That’s a  strong side of the band,” notes Coleman, “the modern rock/R&B-flavored thing. We’ve played R&B and like it, but doing an R&B shtick is not really up the band’s alley. We play it the way we feel it–with more of a 1983 feel.”

Even though Skywalk–which is now getting major distribution offers for its Silent Witness album–is Coleman’s main musical priority, he sees Unsung Heroes as much more than just a sideline. He sees it as an ongoing project because it’s fun.

“There’s no point carrying on with any band if you’re not having a good time and feeling that you can get your music across. The band was initially an experiment just to see what kind of music we’d produce and what kind of fun we’d have playing it–and it worked out really well. It’s so different from Skywalk that it’s certainly not going to interfere with that project at all.”

Nash, who makes most of her living as a jingles singer–you can hear her singing the praises of McDonald’s Free Sunday Dessert on local airwaves–realizes all too well that there are financial, as well as artistic, reasons for keeping her musical eggs in more than one basket.

“The thing is that in this town everybody has to have two or three trips, because they can’t pay the rent if they don’t.

“For the members of Skywalk, Unsung Heroes doesn’t make them any money at this point. Their Skywalk trip is more important as far as their own musical talents go. They would probably cancel an Unsung Heroes gig to do a Skywalk gig. But I know all the members of Skywalk that are in the band equally love this kind of music, so if the situation arose where, say, someone offered Unsung Heroes a record contract, they would definitely consider it.

“But I can’t really see that anyone is going to be interested in Unsung Heroes unless we show them some kind of original direction. They might choose a couple of people in the band and say, ‘Well, we have a direction for you.’ Like the Strange Advance story. Bruce Fairbairn says, ‘Hey, I have this trip. Are you interested?’ So they become part of his trip and as a result are very successful.

“But at this point we don’t really have any big desire to get famous,” says Nash with a hearty laugh. “Our motive is to go and play in the clubs and try and work wherever people want us to.”

Considering the top-notch talents of every one of the Unsung Heroes, it shouldn’t be long before people everywhere want them to work. They’re quite simply the classiest cover/dance band in the city.

To read over 100 of my interviews with local Vancouver musicians since 1983, go here.