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Legendary Canadian hard rock quartet Killer Dwarfs have officially announced the 'Reunion Of Scribes', a celebration in honour of the 20th
anniversary of the inception of the band. The "classic" line up of founding member: Russ " Dwarf" Graham (vocals) and drummer Darrell " Dwarf"
Millar, together with guitarist Mike "Dwarf" Hall and bassist Ronald "Bad Ronbo Dwarf" Mayer, have reformed with the express intent of touring and
producing the long awaited live album and DVD/VHS release "Reunion Of Scribes - Live 2001". These four musicians, all of whom comprised The
Killer Dwarfs' most successful period (1985-1992), are set to unleash their pent-up musical talents on stage for old and new fans alike.
Amidst the growing list of hard rock acts returning to the touring circuit,
Killer Dwarf fans have been hoping for the past several years this reunion could be worked out. Sceptical at the reformation of this critically acclaimed outfit, Killer Dwarf's front man Russ Dwarf
remarked "the bottom line is to do it with some integrity. We love the idea of playing together again. If we couldn't do it with all the guys from our glory years, we wouldn't bother"
Formed in 1981 by Russ and Darrell, the Killer Dwarfs released their self-titled debut album in 1983. The award-winning band established a solid following in Canada, while achieving modest worldwide sales.
The break-through in the United States came when San Antonio based radio personality Joe Anthony started spinning their
album on a regular basis, much to the delight of hard rocking Texans. This planted the seeds for what would result in Killer Dwarfs receiving a lot of attention South of Canada's border.
Mike Dwarf joined the band in 1984, followed by "Bad Ronbo Dwarf" less than a year later. With the "classic" Dwarf line up now
in place, the boys continued touring and writing songs for what would become the now-classic "Stand Tall" album: a gem in the
world of indie rock. A tour of Texas brought the band to American soil for the first time in July 1986, to rave reviews and sold out shows.
Released in 1986 by Maze/A&M in Canada and Grudge in the USA, "Stand Tall" was embraced by American Rock radio. The
first single, "Keep the Spirit Alive", was an anthem of the times. The accompanying video was added to regular rotation on MTV
and the newly born Much Music. By spring of 1987, the video became the most requested video on MTV, setting a record that
would take years to surpass. A second video for the title track was greeted with similar accolades. This wide exposure allowed
the group to tour coast to coast in the US and Canada with such acts as Saxon and Accept, selling an unprecedented 80,000
copies of "Stand Tall". It also led to serious interest from a number of American record labels.
Later that year, the Dwarfs signed a worldwide recording contract with Epic Records in New York, and returned to the studio
with acclaimed producer Simon Hanhart. The result was the album 'Big Deal'. Released in 1988, the album spawned the single
and video We Stand Alone plus several tracks (I'm Alive, Startin' to Shine, Tell Me Please) that became staples of hard rock
radio and live shows for years to come. Killer Dwarfs launched a club tour of North America, and landed an opening spot for Iron
Maiden's sold out tour of Great Britain. The tour climaxed at Wembley Arena and the Hammer Smith Odeon in London, England.
The following year, Killer Dwarfs moved operations from Toronto to L.A. to record the "Dirty Weapons" LP with award winning
producer Andy Johns (Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, and who had recently led Philadelphia based rockers
Cinderella to chart topping success.) Released in 1990, the album sported the band's first radio hit in the USA - "It Doesn't
Matter". The song went to number one in thirteen cities, including two major stations in Los Angeles. The title track, "Dirty
Weapons", also became a smash and a standard on MTV's "Headbangers Ball" program. Headlining club dates and performing
at sold out shows with such acts as Dio and Michael Schenker across the continent suggested an even brighter future for the
hard working band. Later that year "Dirty Weapons" received a nomination for Canada's prestigious Juno Award as "Heavy Metal Album of The Year".
Mike Dwarf left the line-up in 1991. The band recruited guitarist Gerry "Dwarf" Finn and continued recording their 1992 album
"Method To The Madness" with Andy Johns back at the helm. The singles "Hard Luck Town" and the wistful "Driftin' Back"
secured rock radio and video airplay that landed the band a North American tour with Pantera and Skid Row. Not long after,
changes in the music business saw melodic hard rock and metal acts taking a back seat to the Grunge movement. Like many
of their contemporaries, Killer Dwarfs found themselves without a record label or outlet for their genre of music. The band's final performance was in their hometown of Toronto in the spring of 1995.
After a six year hiatus, the Dwarfs remain a world class rock band. The brisk sales of their re-released albums, "Killer
Dwarfs","Big Deal", "Dirty Weapons", and "Method To The Madness", steels their resolve to deliver on the live album the band's
fans have been demanding for years. This tour will facilitate not only in re-creating the live material, but aid in the promotion of this new album.
Along with Rush and Helix, The Killer Dwarfs are one of the few Canadian hard rock acts to achieve international success. If
ever a time was right for Killer Dwarfs to re-surface, it is the present. Check out the recent Bullseye releases "Stand Tall" and "Reunin Of Scribes Live" CD & DVD.
The hiatus is now over, IT'S TIME TO GIVE 'ER!!!!
For more info:
http://www.killerdwarfs.com
president@bullseyecanada.com
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