Blacknoise  

The       Archive

While this remains a good history of the band, there is a more up to date list at Wikipedia

1976

· Cameron Hawkins (keyboards, bass guitar, vocals) and Nash the Slash (violin, mandolin, vocals) form a two-man electronic band and call it FM.
· FM debuts in concert at the art gallery "A Space" in Toronto Ontario during November 25th - 27th (other performers in the series include an emerging New York band called Talking Heads). [Article here ]
· An award-winning live performance on TV Ontario's Nightmusic features three of the band's original songs: Phasors on Stun, One O'Clock Tomorrow, and Black Noise.

1977

· Drummer Martin Deller joins FM.
· FM appears on CBC's "Who's New" TV variety program. The band, now an established part of Toronto's music scene (which includes such diverse groups as Rough Trade, Max Webster, and Pockets {later renamed Saga}), spends the summer performing in Toronto clubs and outdoor Rock Festivals.
· CBC approaches the band to record an album for its Broadcast Recordings division.
· The album Black Noise is recorded and mixed in 12 days at Toronto's Sound Interchange with engineer Mike Jones, and CBC staff producer Keith Whiting at a reported cost of $10,000.
· The CBC presses 500 albums and releases them to its affiliates (the record is also available via mail order) (Record company #1).
· Nash the Slash leaves FM to pursue a solo career.

1978

· Ben Mink (ex - Murray McLaughlin's Silver Tractors) replaces Nash on electric violin and mandolin and the band goes into Phase One Studio's to record a live "Direct to Disk". The record, FM Direct to Disk is released by Toronto indie label Labyrinth in early 1978 and becomes the first widely distributed FM album.
· The Black Noise album, after being turned down by all major Canadian record companies, is picked up by Visa Records in the U.S. and released in Canada on Passport Records distributed by GRT of Canada (Record Company #2), spring 1978.
· The single from Black Noise, Phasors on Stun, becomes a smash hit, both in Canada and on FM Radio in the U.S. The record sales are strong and the band is present with a Gold record (100,000 copies) at its Ontario Place concert in August.
· With sales heading toward the Platinum level, the band tours nationally and into the U.S.

1979

· Work is begun on a follow-up LP. Touring continues. The album Surveillance is recorded, mixed, and readied for release Summer 1979.
· The Canadian distributor GRT declares bankruptcy 1 week before the release of Surveillance. Visa Records claims it has never received royalties due from Canadian sales of Black Noise. FM hasn't either.
· Capitol Records moves quickly to license and release the pending Surveillance LP and also acquires distribution rights for Black Noise (Record Company #3).

1980

· The band continues to tour and records City of Fear under Passport records, released late in 1980. Larry Fast (Peter Gabriel) produces.

1981

· More national tours, including a major U.S. tour as special guests of Rush.

1982

· Passport Records is distributed by A&M Canada. (Record company #4) Black Noise is still in production.

1983

· Ben Mink leaves FM and the band is put on hold for awhile. Nash the Slash rejoins after his hit American Bandages sparks some interest in FM again. Nash wanted to tour to promote the album but did not think he fit the double bill with the Spoons so FM was back on the road doing their material and Nash performing his solo music

1984

· Passport Records goes out of business.

1985

· Nash's current label Quality was impressed enough with the band and so ConTest is released on Quality (which soon ceases operations) then MCA Records. (Record Company #5). MCA stepped in to rescue the album but the momentum was lost and Martin Deller soon quits to spend more time with his family. 

1987

· Tonight released on Duke Street Records. (Record Company #6) Greg Critchley (Partland Bros./Spoons) and Simon Brierley (Lee Aaron/Strange Advance) joined the band until they decided to fold once again in 1989.

1994

· Now See Hear releases the Compact Disc Version of Black Noise by FM. (Record Company #7) Cameron Hawkins remasters the version from a near perfect copy on vinyl (the original master tapes had been lost).

1995

· Retroactive CD/CD-ROM released through MCA Records. (Record Company #8). A triumphant return concert was captured and recorded November 19, 1994.

1996

· Black Noise to be distributed by MCA Records Canada.

2001 

· Nash pulls tapes from the archives and releases Lost in Space on CD.

2006

· FM regroups with Claudio Vena on violin and play NEARfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA on June 24.

2013

· Finally Blacknoise, Direct to Disc, Surveillance and City of Fear are released on CD by Esoteric Records.

2014

· Nash The Slash passes away at age 66 on May 12, 2014.

· The live DVD\CD performance of the band at NEARfest in 2006 is released on Esoteric Records.

2015

· FM releases a new album called Transformation on the Esoteric label. Co-founder and bass player/keyboardist Cameron Hawkins is joined by drumming legend Paul DeLong (Kim Mitchell, Roger Hodgson), viola/mandolinist Edward Bernard (Druckfarben) and violin virtuoso Aaron Solomon on nine, brand new compositions mixed by world-renowned producer/engineer Terry Brown (Rush, Tony Levin Band, Fates Warning, Dream Theater).

Credits:
Some of the information on this page came from an artist biography from MCA Records which was dated November, 1995 as well as information from the Canoe Pop Encyclopedia.

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