Simply Saucer

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Simply Saucer was a Canadian rock band, active in the 1970s. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, the band consisted of guitarist and vocalist Edgar Breau, keyboardist John LaPlante (billed by the stage name Ping Romany), bass guitarist Kevin Christoff and drummer Neil DeMarchant. The band's style has been described as a hybrid of proto-punk and psychedelia and they form a "Rust-belt punk" style, along with The Stooges, MC5 and Alice Cooper.

Formed in 1973, the band was originally a six -piece outfit featuring Dave Byers and Paul Collili. By the end of 1973, the band contracted into a four-piece. In its lifetime, the band only released one 7" single, "She's a Dog/I Can Change My Mind" in 1978 on fanzine magnate Gary "Pig" Gold's Pig Label, before breaking up in 1979. However, an abortive recording session with producers Daniel Lanois and Bob Lanois from 1974 and a concert performance on the roof of Jackson Square from 1975 were later compiled for the 1989 album Cyborgs Revisited.

Cyborgs quickly came to be regarded as a lost classic of Canadian music, being named one of the greatest Canadian albums of all time by the magazines Chart, Forced Exposure, Pop Matters and Alternative Press, as well as in Bob Mersereau's 2007 book The Top 100 Canadian Albums.

DeMarchant left the band in 1975, and was replaced by Tony Cutaia, who in turn left in 1976 and was replaced by Don Cramer. Romany left the band in 1976, and was replaced by Steve Park of Teenage Head.

Following the band's breakup, Breau continued as a solo artist, while other band members went on to form The Other One. Breau later ran as a candidate for the Family Coalition Party of Ontario in the 1999 provincial election.

Cyborgs was subsequently reissued on Sonic Unyon in 2003, with several bonus tracks including the 1978 single.

Breau and Christoff reunited for a show at Hamilton's Corktown Tavern on September 17, 2006, with Steve "Sparky" Park and Joe Csontos on drums. Park works in Montreal, and - as such - could not commit to a full-blown reunion, so new members Steve Foster on guitar and Dan Wintermans on guitar, keyboard and theremin, were brought in. The group released a new album, Half Human, Half Live, in April 2008.

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