Crash Vegas

Crash Vegas was a Canadian folk rock band which formed in 1988, and achieved moderate success in the early 1990s.

Biography

The band was formed by Michelle McAdorey and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo in 1988, who were also in a romantic relationship. They had met in the late 1970s, and McAdorey had later appeared in the music video for Blue Rodeo's song Try. The two could not agree on a name for the band, originally selecting Giant Tambourine. McAdorey stated that they eventually settled on Crash Vegas by "bouncing words around", a name she liked for its "abrasive vividness".Jocelyne Lanois joined the band as bassist, and shortly after Ambrose Pottie joined as drummer. It was one of the early acts to emerge from the vibrant Queen Street West music scene that developed in downtown Toronto beginning in the mid 1980s.

The group's first performance was at The Cameron House in Toronto, and it played many opening shows for Blue Rodeo over the course of the following year, including at the Horseshoe Tavern and The Rivoli, and entered an extensive writing and rehearsal period. Jocelyne introduced the band to Hamilton guitarist Colin Cripps, whose influence on the band increased as he created "acoustic and ambient guitar sounds that perfectly complemented McAdorey's yearning vocals". According to Cripps, the band's desire for greater autonomy eventually led to firing Keelor, who was supportive of the band's decision as his commitment to Blue Rodeo took precedence. Keelor recommended that Crash Vegas sign with Risque Disque, an imprint of Warner Music Canada, and the band recorded its first album, which was produced by Malcolm Burn in the "Kingsway" studio of Daniel Lanois (brother of Jocelyne) in Hamilton and New Orleans.