The Grapes of Wrath are a Canadian rock band from Kelowna, British Columbia. Formed in 1983,"Grapes of Wrath in the Cold, But Far from Out in the Cold". Chicago Tribune, January 5, 1990. the group enjoyed their greatest commercial success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The group split in 1992, with Kane going solo while Jones and the Hoopers continued to record as Ginger. Vocalists Tom Hooper and Kevin Kane briefly reunited as the Grapes of Wrath for one album in 2000. With the return of Chris Hooper for a festival appearance in 2010, the three founding members were back together and have continued to perform and record since.

Singles, a greatest hits collection featuring two new recordings, was released in October 2012 by EMI in Canada. The band's most recent studio album, High Road, was issued in 2013, with a compilation album of sessions recorded for CBC's Brave New Waves following in 2017.

History The Grapes of Wrath were formed in Kelowna, British Columbia, in 1983 by Chris Hooper, Tom Hooper, and Kevin Kane."Grapes of Wrath: Rising out of Kelowna". Ottawa Citizen, May 6, 1988. All three had been members of the short-lived punk rock band Kill Pigs."B.C. group raring to go again". Toronto Star, June 28, 1992. They came up with the new band name after looking at a movie guide, though nobody in the band had seen the movie or read the book.

In 1984, they signed to Nettwerk, and released a self-titled EP that year."Inside the Sleeve: Pop; Alibis, Moev, Skinny Puppy, The Grapes of Wrath". The Globe and Mail, January 31, 1985. The following year, their debut album September Bowl of Green was released."Kelowna-bred Grapes branches east". Toronto Star, November 9, 1987.

Treehouse (1987), produced by Tom Cochrane, was the band's Canadian breakthrough, yielding the hit single "Peace of Mind"."The Grapes of Wrath a rare pop music item". Toronto Star, November 11, 1987.

Their 1989 album, Now and Again, produced by Anton Fier, was the band's most successful."Grapes of wrath put on seedless show". Calgary Herald, July 29, 1990. During the demoing process for the album, the band officially added their touring keyboard player, Vincent Jones, to the band as a full member. The band's tour to support this album was also notable for its opening act, a then-emerging singer/songwriter named Sarah McLachlan."McLachlan, the Grapes both ripe for greatness". Montreal Gazette, October 13, 1989.

Produced by John Leckie and mixed by Leckie and engineer Gareth Cousins, These Days, released in 1991, found the band experimenting with a harder rock sound,"Mellow rebels: The Grapes of Wrath have matured". Calgary Herald, October 28, 1991. and spawned the band's highest-charting singles, "I Am Here" and "You May Be Right". It received the 1992 CASBY Award for Favourite Album, and "I Am Here" won the CASBY for Best Song."Barenaked Ladies, Grapes of Wrath win multiple CASBYs". Vancouver Sun, November 17, 1992.

These Days was, however, to be the band's last new album for almost a decade."Ginger out of Grapes: Band didn't break up, it grew up". The Province, October 27, 1993. In December 1992, it was reported that Kane had left the band. The rest of the band continued to perform and record together as Ginger.

In 1999, Kane and Tom Hooper, the Grapes' principal songwriters, decided to work together again, and in 2000 released Field Trip under the Grapes of Wrath name."Grapes of Wrath get it together on Saltspring". Victoria Times-Colonist, September 26, 2000. Neither Chris Hooper nor Vincent Jones took part in the reunion.

In 2009, Kane and Hooper decided to play together again as an acoustic duo."Grapes of Wrath duo reunites, plays Surrey". Surrey Leader, September 7, 2009. Several concerts were scheduled in Western Canada.

On July 18, 2010, the three original members performed together at the Surrey Fusion Festival in Surrey, British Columbia."Grapes end their wrath; Folk-rock trio cites maturity for helping overcome their differences as they focus on recapturing musical magic". Victoria Times-Colonist, October 31, 2013. It was the first time the original trio had played together since 1992.

The trio of Hooper/Kane/Hooper continued to tour regularly thereafter, and the Grapes of Wrath announced that they were beginning work on a new album. Two newly recorded tracks from these sessions were issued on the band's 2012 compilation Singles (EMI)."Grapes of Wrath savouring sweet reunion: After nasty split and two decades apart, B.C. band is enjoying easy return". Toronto Star, October 7, 2012. To mark this release, the band was joined by guests Sam Roberts, Whitehorse, Ron Sexsmith, Hayden, Great Lake Swimmers and other notable Canadian musicians at Toronto's Mod Club.

The band's latest studio album High Road was released in March 2013 through Aporia Records."Grapes of Wrath take the High Road". The Globe and Mail, March 30, 2013. The band continues to tour and play live dates.

Kevin Kane joined The Northern Pikes in 2019, though he continues to play shows with The Grapes of Wrath.

Discography

Singles Release Date Title Peak chart positions AlbumCanada RPM 1001985"Misunderstanding"September Bowl of Green1985"Love Comes Around"October 1987"Peace of Mind"#56TreehouseJanuary 1988"O Lucky Man"March 1988"Backward Town"July 1989"All the Things I Wasn't"#19Now and AgainOctober 1989"Do You Want to Tell Me?" #50January 1990"What Was Going Through My Head"#33May 1990"The Most"July 1991"I Am Here"#8These Days October 1991"You May Be Right"#7February 1992"A Fishing Tale"#60September 2000"Black Eye"Field TripMarch 2013"Good To See You"High RoadDecember 2014"Mexico"

Albums Year Title Certifications CAN1984The Grapes of Wrath —1985September Bowl of Green —1987Treehouse Gold1989Now and Again Platinum1991These Days Platinum2000Field Trip —2013High Road —2017Brave New Waves session —

Compilations Seems Like Fate 1984–1992 (1994) Singles (2012)

References

External links The Grapes of Wrath