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Harem Scarem was formed out of the remains of two virtually unkown bands in Canada in the late 1980s. Harry Hess had been the lead vocalist with the metal band "Blind Vengeance" and Pete Lesperance had been the guitarist for "Minotaur

They formed to become the primary songwriting force behind Harem Scarem and are responsible for creating a large part of the Harem Scarem sound. Along with drummer (and excellent vocalist in his own right!) Darren Smith and bassist Mike Gionet, they went on to form the original line-up of Harem Scarem. The members of the band remained unchanged until shortly after the recording of "Voice of Reason" when Mike Gionet left the band for personal reasons. Barry Donaghy (formerly of Blu Bones) stepped in and more than filled the void left by Mikes departure.

The band exploded onto the music scene in 1991 with their self-titled debut album, "Harem Scarem". The first album spawned several singles and videos which proceeded to take Canada by storm. Songs like "Slowly Slipping Away," "Honestly," and "Hard To Love" were pure gold on the radio and started to create an international following for this new band. However, while the world was just starting to find out about Harem Scarem, lucky listeners in their native Canada had already become familiar with their distinctive sound through countless performances in local bars and clubs. However, before that the band recorded a demo tape that was instrumental in their signing with Warner Music Canada. The self-produced and recorded demo was almost unprecedented for an unkown band -- they even managed to get the demo pressed on CD for potential labels. (Copies of that original demo are now treasured collectibles among HS fans!) The band wrote the songs and recorded the demo before ever playing in front of a live audience, knowing that people wanted to hear original songs that werent just put together in an hour. They took their time and got the right mix of ballads and rockers together in order to attract faithful listeners. In the end, I think its safe to say that their plan worked out well, since they are now known worldwide.

Pete LesperanceThe release of their second album, "Mood Swings," brought even more acclaim from fans and critics alike. With this album, the band also became very popular in Japan. "Mood Swings" was the first of Harem Scarems album to be released in Japan, and they developed an instant following there. (The first album was quickly issued in Japan, along with 3 bonus acoustic tracks.) The difference between "Harem Scarem" and "Mood Swings" is noticable from the first notes of "Saviors Never Cry." Pete turned up the volume on the guitars and the songs took on a much harder edge. Many people consider the first album to be an AOR classic, but definitely not a hard rock album. "Mood Swings" provided the extra oomph that the debut album did not, and truly is a "hard rock" album. Harry and Pete really grew as songwriters with this release and showed that they were more than a fluke on the debut album. The "bigger" sound atrracted new fans, but also retained all the qualities that people loved about the first album -- fantastic melodies, seamless harmony vocals, and the unbelievable fretwork of Pete Lesperance. This is the album that fans who had seen the band live really expected from them. It was also more of an album that the band wanted to make. Because, while it provided the opportunity to break big, the band themselves are not very fond of their first album. They think that is far too much a "hair band" album and that it doesnt really represent the type of music that they want to write. (As a critic, I can see where theyre coming from with that opinion, but as a fan, I still think that "Harem Scarem" is one of the best debut albums ever!) The only song from that album that they still play in live concerts is "Slowly Slipping Away."

Many of the tracks from "Mood Swings" have become favorites to casual listeners and die-hard fans alike -- "No Justice" and "Had Enough" are among these classic songs that almost any fan of hard rock music loves.

During the course of the "Mood Swings" tour, the band released an EP for Japan only. "Live & Acoustic" (which was later released in Canada) featured a mix of live songs recorded in Toronto, acoustic versions of some of their biggest hits, and a few edited versions of songs. While the live performances are good, its difficult to get the true "Harem Scarem experience" from just a few tracks. Fortunately, just last year, the band released "Live In Japan," which included an (almost!) complete concert as well as 2 new tracks.

Barry DonaghyIn 1995, the band returned with their riskiest album yet -- "Voice Of Reason." VOR was initially dismissed as another album where a band had jumped on the "alternative" bandwagon. The album is indeed a bit "darker" than either "Harem Scarem" or "Mood Swings" but still possesses the classic HS elements underneath. Unfotunately, this album didnt produce the big hits that the earlier albums did, only resulting in one minor hit -- "Blue." While it wasnt a huge commercial success, "Voice of Reason" was well-recieved by many critics. Most of them felt that the band was really progressing forward and not limiting themselves to a particular style of music. Unfortunately, many fans didnt agree and didnt give the album a chance. I admit that on a first listen that it sounds a lot different than their previous material, but after the shock wears off, its really quite a good album. Pete explored a whole new realm of guitar sounds, mostly with the wah effect. The songs themselves showed depth in the lyrics and an expansion in the music, building almost to a "wall of sound" on some tracks.

The "Live In Japan" album, true to its title, presents a concert performance recorded in Japan during the "Voice Of Reason" tour. It also included two new tracks -- the instrumental "Pardon My Zinger" and the "semi-ballad" "More Than Youll Ever Know."

In addition to working on their own music, Harry and Pete have become well-known in the recording and producing world, leading to the formation of their own independent record label - Vespa Music Group. Harry and Pete have both been involved in writing songs for and producing many of the artists on their own label as well as other acts, including: Dr. Rock and The Wild Bunch, Mystery, Lame, Ritual, Xntrik, and their latest project, "Fiore."

Creighton DoaneThe new album, "Believe," was released on May 25, 1997 in Japan. The album was released in Canada as "Karma Cleansing" with 2 additional tracks that were previously only available on the "Die Off Hard" single. The band then released the compilation album "Live Ones" to help support their 2nd tour of Japan. This album was essentially a re-packaging of "Live & Acoustic" and "Live In Japan" with the bonus track, "Change Comes Around" (Acoustic). A Special Edition of the album "Believe" was released October in Japan. This new edition included several remixes (by producer Kevin Elson) as well as the "Full Band" (essentially "electric") version of "Rain" from the "Rain" single, and also a cover of the Cheap Trick song, "Surrender."

After a successful return tour of Japan, the band returned to Canada to perform several concerts. One of these shows was recorded for the live album, "Live at The Siren." Also on the album were 2 bonus studio cuts, including the fantastic rocker, "New Religion."

The band returned with the latest studio album, "Big Bang Theory" in June, 1998. This album took the band in a little more modern direction, while still maintaining the classic Harem Scarem sound. Once again, the album was released in two different versions - one for Japan and one for Canada. The majority of the tracks are similar, but there are a few "bonus tracks" on either version. Personally, I prefer the Canadian version, but I still highly recommend both incarnations of the album.

The next Harem Scarem release was a Japanese-only "Best Of" album. This is simply a compilation of many of the biggest hits over the bands first 7 years. Also included was the bonus track, "What I Do" - which was also featured on the Canadian release of "Big Bang Theory".

"Big Bang Theory" was the end of Harem Scarem (at least for a while) but also the beginning of Rubber. Fans who had followed the group from the start realized that there had been a significant shift in the style of music they were writing/recording. The band realized this as well, and took the unprecedented step of re-naming themselves Rubber.

The self-titled Rubber album was released in the summer of 1999. In Japan, it was still released under the name Harem Scarem, but the Canadian release officially introduced the new name. Fans and critics alike were mixed in their reaction to the change in style. Some fans accused the band of "selling out" to a more modern sound, while some embraced the musical direction in which they were moving. The single, "Sunshine," was a moderate success in their Canada, but initially most people considered the Rubber experiment a bit of a disappointment. In addition to the new name, the Rubber album featured a few more changes. Pete Lesperance took the mic for the lead vocals for the first time on the song "Trip" - one of the best examples of the new style of the bands sound. The disc also was Darren Smiths last recording with Harem Scarem as a full-fledged member of the band. Darren left the group to focus on his own band Juice, as well as pursue other musical interests. However, the guys remain friends and hes continued to participate in a more limited role on the bands latest releases.

While the band moved on as Rubber, there wasnt a shortage of material under the Harem Scarem name. Between the end of 1999 and early 2001, Warner Music released two compilations - "Ballads" and "Rocks" which respecitvely highlighted the bands lighter material and their heavier material. Both discs contained two new recordings, including the killer ballad "Remember." There was also another Japanese-only live disc titled "Last Live." The setlist almost exclusively consisted of the bands new material from the Rubber album. Two studio tracks rounded out the disc - "Lauralie" (again featuring Pete Lesperance on lead vocals) and "Another Nail For My Heart" - a cover of the Squeeze song from the 1970s. "Last Live" also was the first release with new drummer Creighton Doane.

The second Rubber disc, "Ultra Feel," was released late in 2000 in Japan. (It was released in early 2001 in Canada with a slightly different tracklisting) This time, the album was released worldwide under the Rubber name. This disc continued the more modern feel that the band started with the first Rubber disc. It also included 3 tracks featuring Pete Lesperance on lead vocals.

2001 saw yet another Japanese-only compilation disc - "The Very Best Of." This was basically an updated version of the "Best Of..." disc, and included the new track "Freedom".

After a little more than a decade with Warner Records Canada, Harem Scarem was at a crossroads. The Rubber albums had been moderately successful in Canada, but fans still wanted the band to return to a sound more like their early albums. For a while, the band considered packing it in and moving on to other interests. To the delight of many of their fans, they thought twice about that decision and signed a new record deal with Now & Then Records.

"Weight Of The World", released in the spring of 2002, was the first album on the new label and was instantly hailed as a classic. The disc was a perfect mix of the melodic rock of the first Harem Scarem albums and the modern rock that they adopted as Rubber. They followed up the release with an appearance at the Gods rock festival in Bradford, UK in June, 2002. The show was recorded for the "Live At The Gods 2002" CD/DVD that was released in December, 2002.

The beginning of 2003 saw the release of the first solo disc from Harry Hess. "Just Another Day" came out in March of this year and focused more on the power pop and modern influences that made up the two Rubber discs. The rest of the group participated on most of the tracks, making it almost like a 3rd Rubber album. Despite a flurry of releases, the band didnt take much of a break. August, 2003 saw the release of "Higher" in Japan. This album was a natural follow-up to the "Weight Of The World" disc -- perhaps a bit lighter in tone, but again a nice mix of the more pop sound of Rubber and the classic Harem Scarem sound. Time will tell how well this album is received, but all indications are that it will be another in the line of melodic masterpieces that have become familliar to Harem Scarem fans everywhere.

Bryan Toth, August 2003

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