Rukus - November
2011 -
Courtesy of Bob Dalziel
Rukus
AKA:
Bob & Rod, Rockhouse Raucous
Victoria,
British Columbia
1977
- Present
Members
Marty
Adams ~ Keyboards, Vocals
Barry
Casson ~ Drums
Bob
Dalziel ~ Guitar, Vocals
Steve
Hanson ~ Bass
Dave
Kissinger ~ Guitar, Vocals
Alumni
Ian
Adamek ~ Bass
Rod
Arundell ~ Guitar
Adrien
Aucoin ~ Bass
Kim
Cutler ~ Lead Vocals
Helen
Davies ~ Lead Vocals
Art
de Meulles ~ Bass, Vocals
Brian
Ferguson ~ Keyboards
Fred
Herfst ~ Bass, Vocals
John
Hughes ~ Keyboards
Dan
Ison ~ Drums
Phil
Issacson ~ Guitar, Lead Vocals
Rick
Longhurst ~ Bass
John
Lorenzo ~ Drums
Peter
MacDonald ~ Bass
David
Master ~ Keyboards
Dave
Paul ~ Drums
Steve
Peabody ~ Drums
Norm
Piercy ~ Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Bob
Richardson ~ Bass
In
Memory of
Art
De Meulles - d: 28 Jan 2013, Age 68
See
Rukus on YouTube
Rukus in April 2010 -
Courtesy
of Bob Dalziel
Rukus
at Butcharts Gardens - 2009
Photo
Courtesy of Bob Dalziel
Rukus
- Photo Courtesy of Bob Dalziel
Rukus
Calnendar - Image Courtesy of Bob Dalziel
Rukus
Calnendar - Image Courtesy of Bob Dalziel
Rock
& Roll for Little Souls in 2007 - Courtesy of Bob Dalziel
Present
and Past Rukus Members at a 2004 Reunion - Courtesy of Bob Dalziel
A BRIEF HISTORY
1977 - 2007
The band
that is now 'Rukus' was started in 1977 by two Rock 'N' Roll fans, Bob
Dalziel and Rod Arundel. Bob and Rod met in 1970 over a few beers at
the
old Century Inn and, sharing a love for authentic 50's Rock 'N' Roll,
they
talked about getting together with their guitars for a jam. Though Bob
was always impressed with Rod's 'Scotty Moore - Elvis' type guitar
licks,
life went on and it was a long time coming.
Ironically, the
real
beginning of 'Rukus' began with the death of their mutual favorite,
singer
Elvis Presley. Rod called Bob up on August 16th, 1977 and after a
lengthy
telephone conversation, it was decided that life was too short to keep
putting the guitar jam off. So a week later they got together and
banged
away at some old Rock 'N' Roll. They played mostly in the 1950's
rock-a-billy
style, covering most of Elvis's early Sun recordings as well as songs
by
Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins and Ricky Nelson, to name a few.
They developed
a
repertoire of 20-25 songs and played at parties and a few 'live' shows
which were shared with other acts or canned music. After a year or so,
the music was starting to get stale and they made a souvenir long play
record of twelve Elvis songs which they called 'Mystery Train' and it
sold
300 'limited edition' copies. After that they stopped playing for a
year.
In 1980, Bob
ran
into an old acquaintance and bass player, the late Bob Richardson. They
arranged to get together, and thus spawned another year of Tuesday
night
jams. During that time, friend and drummer, Dave Paul, was repeatedly
asked
to join the boys, but put it off until early 1981.
The first real
gig
they had was videotaping seven songs for a local CHEK-TV show,
'Daybreak'.
The band now needed a name and so Bob asked the guys for their input.
On
the day of taping, May 16th, 1981, the band met at Bob's house. Rod had
come up with 'Rockhouse' and Bob thought of 'Raucous'. So when asked,
they
called it 'Rockhouse Raucous'. During one of the broadcasts, the emcee
of the show, Bruce Payne, introduced the band as 'Rockhouse Ruckus'. It
was mutually agreed to drop 'Rockhouse' and just call the band 'Rukus'
without the 'c'.
Shortly after
they
acquired an old friend, Phil Issacson to help out with rhythm guitar
and
vocals. Phil had been in various bands and brought with him both
experience
and showmanship. After a six month rehearsal period, the band was
really
on its way. In 1982 and 1983, 'Rukus' rocked around Victoria until
October
29th, 1983 when they played their final dance at the Princess Mary
Hallowe'en
party. It was a crazy night with three live bands and about 2000 people.
'Rukus'
disintegrated
that night until longtime supporter Stew Thompson got them back
together
to play at his 40th birthday party on November 19th, 1988. After that,
'Rukus' went through a five year rebuilding period that went in many
directions
and with a constant change in personnel. Through these years, they did
manage to keep playing 'live'. It was the love and dedication of
keeping
the true spirit of authentic Rock 'N' Roll alive and well that kept the
band together. During the 1990's, the 'Rukus' personnel read like a
'who's
who' of Victoria musicians but kept going. In 1991, Dave Kissinger
brought
his many years of rock and roll guitar experience to the band.
The current
'Rukus'
lineup is the best yet. Keyboard player Marty Adams joined the
group
in 2001. The late John Lorenzo left the group due to illness in
2003
and and was replaced by Victoria Rock "N" Roll Hall of Fame drummer,
Barry
Casson. In September 2007, Bass player Fred Herfst retired after
7 years and was replaced by Steve Hansen.
'Rukus' has
been
performing Golden Oldies for more than 25 years. Since 1981 they have
played
to enthusiastic audiences of all ages playing in almost every venue in
and around Victoria. Highlights through the years include opening for
Buddy
Knox's 60th birthday party bash in 1993, winning the 1999 'Battle Of
The
Bands' competition out of sixteen bands, working with Rock "N" Roll
Hall
of Fame disc jockey Red Robinson on three different occasions and
setting
the attendance record for the Government House "Music On The Lawn"
outdoor
concert series in 2006. Rukus has also played on shows with Tommy
Sands, Bobby Curtola, The Coasters, Susan Jacks, Randy Bachman, as well
as Buddy Knox. With five members they are able to re-create a
wide
variety of the sights and sounds of the Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll,
from
Elvis to the Beatles and everything in-between.
If you are
planning
a dance, birthday, retirement, wedding or reunion and want the best of
authentic 50's and 60's Rock 'N' Roll dance music...call 'Rukus'.
Boasting
an almost unbelievable 200 years of combined stage experience, they
promise
a fun night of dancing and entertainment.
(From the Rukus
Website.
Used by permission)
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