Queen City Kids - DANCE

The core of the  Queen City Kids began even before these guys from Regina were in high school. In the 70s schoolfriends Alex Chuaqui on vocals and guitars, Jeffrey Germain on drums, and John Donnelly on bass started banging out tunes in a basement.

After hearing 12-year old Fyhn singing a rousing version of "Hey Jude" in music class, he was invited to play and soon the boys had a working repetoire of Beatles, Bee Gees, Safaris, and The Animals. While practicingin the basement, Donnelly's father's suggested they call themselves the VIPs. Their first real show together was the local annual Pile of Bones Day festival in Wascana Park. When they were old enough to play the bars, they paid their dues on all the unpaven back roads of the prairies.

The band's writing matured quickly and they scraped together even pennies to make some demos, and had gained enough of a reputation that they opened for Rush on more than one tour, while still only 16. Their sound was getting heavier, and they played covers of Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, and Foghat.

They continued shopping their demos around to no avail, when they decided to take matters into their own hands and release a record on their own. But when CBS heard Gene Martynec, was going to produce it, label execs changed their tune and signed them to a multi-album deal.

With a major deal comes better studios, and they were shipped off to Century 21 in Winnipeg, the same studio Streetheart usually used.

Regional tours in bars and small gigs all across the western provinces and into the US were followed by cross-Canada jaunts, including the coveted opening slots for Ozzy Osbourne, April Wine, Streetheart, Blue Oyster Cult, and Joan Jett. Before the tours were over, they'd also headlined a number of their own prominent shows, including one at the famed El Mocambo in Toronto. Their brash, energetic live show mixed with their loyal fanbase pushed the debut gold, reaching number one in Regina and Winnipeg.

They resurrected an abandoned bank in Winnipeg for the project in January 1982, and the result was BLACK BOX that summer. To appease the American leg of CBS, the record's jacket was different Stateside than the Canadian version. More tight guitar trade-offs between Fyhn and Chuaqui with Donnelly and Germain holding the backbeat was the concept. The "just gotta make your feet move" single "Dance" and the title track helped circulate the group's message of straight-forward rock and roll.

"Girls" was also heavy on the FM playlists that summer as the third single helped break new ground, showing they were capable of the tender power ballad as well as the guitar crunching sound paved with the first record. Another series of extensive and exhaustive tours ensued the day of its launch, taking them across the country and deep into the American market for the better part of the next year.

But run ragged from the constant touring, with barely two nickels to rub together, and frustrated with what they saw as a lack of interest from management or the label, the band called it quits in late '82 after 13 years. They each went on to do their own thing, with Donnelly and Germain teaming up to form the quasi-punk band Love Active. Chuaqui formed Straw Dog, and Fyhn wandered around with different groups, including Kenny Shields of Streetheart. Donnelly later joined Babyface, a Vancouver-based group that enjoyed success with the independent "In The Night" in 1985.

The Best of QCK was released in 1989 and is required material for anyone hoping to pass Canadian Headbanging 101. They band reformed every now and then for the next two decades, while the members were each off doing their own thing. In October 2007, QCK was inducted into the Western Canada Music Hall of Fame, while still driving home their message the old fashioned way - with the amps turned up to 11.

And we've cranked the flavour from the finest Brazil Santos beans to 11 with the QCK - DANCE Blend.

Our Brazil Santos are dark roasted to enhance all the richness without any of the bitterness. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy the full flavor of coffee without having to compromise on taste.
Our Brazilian beans are grown in volcanic soil at altitudes up to 1050 meters, which gives them their unique and delicious flavor profile. You won’t find a better cup of coffee anywhere else. And after one cup, you'll be definitely want to Dance your way through the day.

Altitude: 900 - 1250 meters above sea level
Harvest: May - October
Processing: Dry processed Sun Dried
Aroma: Slightly Sweet Neutral
Flavour: Soft Cup Clean Round Slightly Fruity Aftertaste
Body: Full
Acidity: Light
340g/12oz