Uranus

1. (Union of) Uranus were around in the early to mid 1990’s and released a demo tape (called the “Backhand Demo”, which was later to become their side of the elusive split lp with His Hero is Gone), a split ep (with Quebec crusty band Immoral Squad) and the double ep (which was later re-released as a 12’’ on Farewell Records from Germany). Uranus’ was more or less based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and sort of self-perpetuated the DIY scene at the time, which was loosely organized around a venue/house known as 5 Arlington. Member(s ?) of Uranus lived at the house, which was the hub of activity in Ottawa through it’s existence. Many touring bands were brought in, who otherwise might have taken the well-worn route from Toronto straight to Montreal and avoided the smaller city of Ottawa. With an insular scene such as Ottawa had at the time (largely due to the city being relatively small), and it’s connection to Montreal, many bands such as Shotmaker, Uranus, Drift, One Eyed God Prophecy, et al. shared resources. Yannick’s record label, the Great American Steak Religion, was also responsible for releasing many of these bands, and internationally, the home scene of these bands was probably seen as being larger than it actually was. These years in Ottawa were probably the most active for “crusty” type bands (although there was always an emo aspect to the bands and activities) which, with the demise of Uranus and 5 Arlington slowly vanished. 2. Uranus is Greek pagan black metal band with lyrics about nature, cosmos and anti-christianity 3. Ontario-based Uranus was formed by Frank Ridsdale (vocals, guitar), Jack Whiteside (vocals, guitar), bassist Jerry Fletcher and drummer Dexter Beauregarde. The band released only one popular single, "You're So Square," from the 1980 album of the same name. ~ John Bush, Rovi Frank Ridsdale (vocals, piano, guitar) Jack Whiteside (vocals, lead guitar) Dexter Beauregarde (drums) Jerry Fletcher (bass) -- Formed in 1976 in London, Ontario, Uranus were originally called Cheeseburger Deluxe. They swiftly made a name for themselves in southern Ontario and other parts of Canada with their successful single "You're So Square". They released an album, produced by Ross Munro, featuring mostly cover tunes by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Buddy Holly and Bob Dylan. There were also four original tunes including the 'Ballad Of Gilligan's Isle' played to the tune of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven". After the release of their 'You're So Square' album they toured western Canada and appeared on the Terry David Mulligan Show. At the height of their popularity they were attracting a teeny-bopper and biker audience and still playing dives around the country. Realizing that the music industry was not going to offer them much else for the foreseeable future, the band split up. Whiteside and Ridsdale would later go on to The Sci Phonics and both returned home to London, Ontario; Fletcher was playing with the Georgette Fry Blues Band. Years later, Uranus' spoof the 'The Ballad Of Gilligan's Isle' became a staple on Q107 and CHUM-FM's 'Sunday Night Funnies' radio programs. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.