The Lowest of the Low

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The Lowest of the Low were a Canadian alternative rock group in the early 1990s. Although they never broke through to the mainstream, they were one of the most influential bands on the Canadian alternative music scene.

Formed by Ron Hawkins, Stephen Stanley and David Alexander, the band was originally known as Popular Front. The band's punk-inspired jangle pop quickly became a popular draw on the Queen Street West club circuit in Toronto.

In 1991 they released their debut album, Shakespeare My Butt, featuring songs they had already performed and toured for several years as Popular Front. Hawkins's songs were filled with lyrics about Marxism and the Spanish Civil War, but also contained many references to Toronto landmarks like the Don River, Bathurst Street, and his local pub, "The Only". The album was actively supported by Toronto radio station CFNY, and quickly made the band a popular name across southern Ontario and western New York. The album became one of the best-selling independent releases in Canadian history (although it was eclipsed in the same year by Barenaked Ladies' Yellow Tape), and was later named one of the ten greatest albums in Canadian music history by the music magazine Chart.

In 1993, the band signed a distribution deal with A&M Records, and released Hallucigenia in 1994. Unfortunately, the band was riven with tensions, and broke up later the same year.

Hawkins released a solo album, The Secret of My Excess, in 1996, and then formed Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails.

In 2000, The Lowest of the Low set aside their differences for a five-show reunion tour, which saw the band playing to sold-out venues in Toronto and Buffalo, New York. In 2001, the live album Nothing Short of a Bullet was released. The album also featured a second disc with three new studio songs, including a cover of a Bad Religion song.

Sordid Fiction, the band's first new studio album since 1994, was released in 2004. Following the tour for that record, the band went on extended hiatus again.

In November 2007 the band announced that they were breaking up for good. Their final Canadian show was December 4, 2007 at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. The absolute final show was December 8, 2007 at Club Infinity in Williamsville, New York. This concert was released by fans of the band as a DVD, incorporating several camcorder recordings of the show and a soundboard audio patch. The fan released DVD was entitled "Into the Black", and can be downloaded on Ron Hawkins web site.

"Rosy and Grey", from Shakespeare My Butt, has been covered by Weddings Parties Anything. The band has also been cited as a major influence by The Weakerthans.