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Most rock bands don’t even have one good singer. Canada’s Northern Pikes--yes, another fish band--has three. They’re good. They’re just showing off. Here they come. The Northern Pikes have

been around long enough to record three albums, and they’re not this week’s Nirvana/Soundgarden clone band. Vocals by Merl Bryck, Jay Semko and Bryan Potvin make this outfit something like

Chicago’s Shoes, except from Saskatoon. Don Schmid doesn’t sing but somebody has to hit the drums. The band’s latest, “Snow in June,” is a pop rock gem featuring tunes such as “Kiss Me You

Fool,” “She Ain’t Pretty” and (we all know the) “Girl With a Problem.” A chance to see this week’s Great Canadian Band will cost you a date with the Bundys, Chris Peterson and “In Living

Color,” but that’s why they make VCRs. The Northern Pikes will be opening for Peter Frampton on Sunday night at the venerable Ventura Theatre. Frampton used to be a teen heartthrob as a part

of Humble Pie in the early ‘70s, then hit it big as a solo artist. He’s been around so long, the Canadians refer to him as “Mr. Frampton.” In a recent phone interview, guitarist Bryck

discussed the life and times of his favorite Canadian band. So how’s the tour and all that? Everything is going great. This tour is real good for us. All of the Mr. Frampton shows have been

sold out, so with the places packed, we’ve been exposed to a lot of people. When did “Snow in June” come out? It was recorded in January, 1990, and it came out in July, 1991. So it’s more

than 2 years old. We’re well-rehearsed with the songs on it. So you guys are getting the basic 35-minute opening slot? No, we’re getting 45 minutes, actually. We can do nine or 10 songs. We

do a couple off the first two albums, then about seven from “Snow in June.” How is “Snow in June” different from the other albums? Bryan Potvin is singing on the new one. On the others, he

didn’t sing. We more or less came up with three-part harmonies now. We have another writer, another viewpoint. Also, “Snow in June” is on Scotti Brothers Records, since Virgin U.S. passed on

releasing it. It took us 15 months to find Scotti Brothers, and they work very hard for us. Why are there so many good bands in Canada? I think maybe it’s that they all want to make it in

the U.S., and maybe it takes a little extra effort. You just have to be extra, extra good. You guys originated from Saskatoon. What’s that place like? Ever been to Wichita, Kan.? There’s

200,000 people there. It’s a very conservative town, very isolated, very safe. Most bands don’t have one good singer. You guys have three . . . It just sort of worked out that way. When we

first started, I did all the leads and Jay would harmonize, but my throat couldn’t handle it. Then finally we got Bryan singing. He used to write a song, sing it to us, then we figured, “Who

could do his song better than him?” We sort of just kicked him in the butt to get him singing. Where did you get the name for the band? It came out of a drunk in a bar one night. It was one

of the names we could remember. The Tundra Kings didn’t make it. How did the band get started? We’ve been together over eight years now--8 1/2 years. It was just a way to eliminate the

boredom, and all of us had a great love of music. How would you describe Northern Pikes music? It’s guitar-based, with lots of harmony and melody. The music varies from song to song. It can

be very diverse. What’s the best thing about being in the band? I guess it’s that I’m with my best friends all the time, especially on the road. On the other hand, when you’re on the road

you miss home-cooked meals and your own bed and your girlfriend and your wife, not necessarily in that order. What would you change about your career, if you could? We would’ve liked to have

our albums come out earlier. “Snow in June” is old news to us--a 15-month delay is too long. Yet things have worked out well. We haven’t gotten to the point of being noticed, but we have a

record company that supports us. Why should people go see the Northern Pikes? Because we’re a real good, exciting band that’s offering some good music as opposed to all the pap that’s out

there. What’s next? We’re going to start work on our fourth album in June or July. We’ve got about 30 songs written, which gives us a lot of leeway. MORE TO READ