1976-82
New music outta NYC. Patti's Horses LP. Television's Little Johnny Jewel. Pere Ubu 45s, The Ramones. Talking Heads in New York Rocker magazine.
In Toronto 1976, Andy Meyers, fresh out of High School, and Ken Badger, working at the local music store, met and formed The Scenics. Inspired by the new sounds, (and the VU, Roxy Music, Syd Barrett, etc), Ken and Andy began writing songs that defined their sound- chancy, noisy, with big pop choruses and gear-stripping guitar. Quirky lyrics that saw the world from the other side of "normal".
In their five year run they shared stages with Talking Heads, The Troggs, Simply Saucer, Teenage Head and dozens more. They played the infamous Last Pogo— and were captured on the film and live LP. They filmed a live set of their own, and made numerous trips into the recording studio, releasing an LP for Bomb Records and an indi 45.
They broke up in the spring of ’82. Over time, ex-Scenics went on to join Blue Rodeo (Mark French) and the Fleshtones (Ken Fox). Badger and Meyers raised families, Meyers moving to the west coast.
2007-16
Sparks flew again in late 2007, when Ken mailed Andy 300 hours of tape recorded 1976-82.
They formed Dreamtower Records and released a live CD of Velvet Underground covers. Now out of print, it made Top 30 in national Canadian Campus radio and top 10 lists in the Village Voice and elsewhere. The Scenics reunited to play NXNE with vintage members Mike Young (bass) and Mark Perkell (drums). Over the next 5 years the same lineup played gigs in Ontario and Quebec.
The band released The Last Pogo DVD, which included video of a live Scenics set as a special feature. They recorded Dead Man Walks Down Bayview, an LP of new material. They released the In The Summer LP in 2016-- original studio recordings from 1977-78.
In 2016 The Scenics returned to their original trio format as Badger, Meyers, and Perkell headed out for 9 dates ranging from New York to Chicago, followed by 4 solo Meyers dates on the west coast, all to celebrate working with Light in the Attic and Italy’s Raveup Records for In The Summer’s release.
2018 to present
A couple years off became a couple more when the pandemic hit...
In 2023 the focus shifted to the band's 300 hours of recordings from 1976-82. Thirty hours of tape from 1976 was transferred, covering Ken and Andy’s first duo rehearsals to the first Scenics lineup with Mike Cusheon on drums. The New Part in Town/1976 LP was released in 2024 on Supreme Echo.
In Dec 2025 the Scenics released the digital single Take Care, their studio version of the Big Star song.
60 hours of 1977 recordings were parsed and a Younger Version 1977 LP, half studio, half basement tapes, is mastered and ready for a 2026 release. Plans are afoot for a 1978 split LP with scene mates Simply Saucer… and so on.
Currently, Ken Badger continues to play and write songs in Ontario, and Andy Meyers is writing and gigging on the west coast.
The Scenics send out remembrances to friends and heroes from eras past and appreciation to those still playing and listening today.
The Scenics are alive and well, and hope you are too!
Mark, Andy, and Ken at Mohawk Place in Buffalo minutes before the first gig of their 2016 tour.