“It was sometime in 1994, likely spring or summer. I was 14 years old.”
“I grew up in a small town named Kirkland Lake in Northern Ontario, Canada, about 6 hours north of Toronto. Now, I’ve been around records for most of my life. I mean, in an age where people had long since converted to cassette and, later on, CDs, being by far the most popular mediums at the time. At least that’s what it was like for the most part, where I was from.
At that time everyone had some old records hanging around the basement. The passionate music lovers would keep and cherish them, the rest would let them sit there or get rid of them. Which was great for me, ‘cause pawn shops (or ‘new & used stores,’ like we called them over there) had gems for very cheap. At the very least, I could snag some LPs for free off of one of my friends parents, or homes/establishments trying to make some space.
Which brings me to hearing the freshest thing I’d ever heard at that time. My parents owned a small construction company. One day, one of their employees, Dan, who was likely picking up the rubbish from one of the sites they were working on, had sifted out a couple of boxes of 45s. I skimmed through the boxes of singles, which turned out to be from a collection that was previously owned by the local radio station, CJKL.
At the time, the station had switched over to CDs, likely due to the simple issue of space. It was filled with a lot of old country singles—I remember one by Smiley Bates, a phenomenal guitar player originally from my hometown, who put out at least 30 records during his time. He was very popular in the Canadian Maritimes and had also once lived in the same apartment as Canadian country legend Stompin’ Tom Connors on top of Kirkland Lake’s old Lasalle Theatre. I know this to be true as my friend Myles’ dad was their other roommate.
While flipping through all sorts of stuff I came about a 45 from this band called The Undertones, with a song on it called “Teenage Kicks.” The name of the band and the song title is what made me pull it out and immediately listen to it. I remember when the needle dropped on that thing. Hearing the chords rip through my speakers, I was hooked nearly immediately. Hearing the first verse going into the chorus:
“…Wish she was mine, she looks so good / I wanna hold her, wanna hold her tight / Get teenage kicks right through the night…”
I was hooked. I don’t think I stopped listening to it for at least two weeks. I must have driven my parents and brothers crazy. It was, at that time, the freshest thing I’d ever heard. I’m not sure that in a digital world it would have had the same impact. I found the battered single and grabbed it out of the box because I liked the name of the band and the song, not because a video had a bunch of views or social media likes or platform plays.
I took a chance and put it on the record player. Made sure it was set to 45 rpm and listened to the sound of the needle hitting the disk. I was already invested. I just sat there and listened. No other distractions. Thankfully I still got and still get that feeling with records. To this day I am still looking for my fix. Nothing else can beat it.”
—Dany Laj
Dany Laj & The Looks’ “Left Right to One” is in stores now as a split 7″ with Pink Beam’s “Wrote Me A Letter,” and can be ordered here.
Dany Laj & The Looks Tour Dates:
April 6 – North Bay ON – Raven & Republic
April 7 – Sudbury ON – Townehouse Tavern
April 25 – Toronto ON – Dakota Tavern
April 27 – Montreal Qc – Barfly
April 28 – Saint-John NB – Quality Block Party
April 29 – Moncton NB – TBA
April 30 – Boston MA – O’Brien’s
May 3 – Brooklyn NY – Diviera Drive
May 4 – Baltimore MD – Joe Squared
May 5 – Washington DC – Slash Run
May 6 – Philadelphia PA – Ortlieb’s
May 8 – Dayton OH – Blind Bob’s
May 9 – Indianapolis IN – Melody Inn
May 10 – Chicago IL – Burlington
May 11 – Rockford IL – Mary’s Place
May 12 – Detroit MI – Pj’s Lager House
May 13 – Windsor ON – Phog Lounge
May 16 – Hamilton ON – This Ain’t Hollywood
May 18 – London ON – Call The Office
May 19 – South River ON – Highlander Brew Co.
July 15th – Quebec City – Festival D’Ete de Quebec
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PHOTO: BROOKE DEE
