Why Kingston's Pat Murphy relishes retro music and early Hip
Author: Seamus Cowan
Published by: The Review-Mirror
I won't say much that hasn't been said below about Pat and his band 80s Enuff!, except the fact that they are super fun, entertaining an incredible part of the music "community". Thanks to all of the years of performing and fundraising. Catch 80s Enuff! at The Cove on Sunday, June 30 for the annual Pre-Canada Day Party at The Cove Inn. A portion of each ticket goes to Westport Lions Club. Details and reservations here: web link
Q: I hate to break it to you but you have always been a magnetic guy with a tonne of excitement in your character. Since I have known you best, you have been the frontman of this Kingston thing called 80s Enuff! Was it your charisma or singing that made you want to front this group?
Pat Murphy: I have always LOVED singing. My mom and dad were always listening to music or singing songs. AM radio was always on in our house to start the day and my dad had the dial on country in the car all of the time. I used to play his old 50s & 60s rock albums - especially Elvis, Chuck Berry and The Beatles. My first album that I purchased was in 1979 (the same summer that my grandparents - Cec & Marion Dundon purchased their cottage on Wolfe Lake), the infamous disco album from the Village People. I loved performing in front of a mirror in my bedroom imagining that I was entertaining a crowd. And that’s when I thought, man I would love to be the front man in a real group.
Q: You are good buddies with some of the cats from The Tragically Hip. Last year, we had the pleasure of sitting back and watching you sing some of their songs side by side with BOTH Gord Sinclair and Paul Langlois. I think you did Three Pistols and I'll Believe in You (Or I'll be Leaving You). That doesn't happen everyday Pat. Must have been a special feeling.
Pat: I have had the pleasure of crossing paths with Paul Langlois and Gord Sinclair many times throughout my life in Kingston. Pick up hockey, golf tournaments, dinner parties, charity events and now our regular weekly golf get together. And they are 2 of the most humble, and nicest human beings on this planet. These guys are massive Canadian rock stars!
People will talk about the Hip being the soundtrack of their life, but there is nothing more summer-y or more cottage-y, more campfire-y, more Canadiana, than The Tragically Hip. They have secretly done more for charity than anyone will ever know. Every gig in Kingston (with the exception of the final one) always went back to help organizations in our area. These 5 friends—who stayed together for over 30 years before Gord Downie’s death from brain cancer—wrote the book about community and giving back. It’s no secret that in the Hip’s beginning, everyone contributed to writing lyrics and music, mostly as individuals. Gord and Paul have written some incredible tunes. She Didn’t Know (Paul) and I’ll Believe in You (Gord) were a few of those early tunes where they contributed words & music.
The odd time Paul and/or Gord will jump on stage and grace 80s Enuff! with their presence. I love watching first hand, the crowd reaction and the cameras as a few hundred people are treated to them jamming out a few 80s covers and a few of those early Hip tunes with our band. As special as it is for their fans, it’s more surreal to be a musician and partake in this once in a lifetime experience.
Q: 80s Enuff has been around for a while, like over 20 years. As far as I know, you got together to rehash your gnarly 80s faves, but you also wanted to raise money for charity in doing so. Can you tell us your story?
Pat: I started playing music with Brian Overvelde and Adam Check in high school, late Fall 1986. Brian played drums and his older brother Mike Overvelde was the guitarist. Adam learned to play the bass and they needed a singer. I was in high school musicals with Adam’s sister Stacy and she told them that I could sing, especially after she saw me belt out The Beastie Boys' Fight for Your Right one night at a band practice. She also said I knew lots of people, so the guys figured I’d draw people out to gigs. Ha! I had seen posters of Kingston bands playing around town. I was too young to see them in bars, but names like The Phones & The Tragically Hip stood out. And I had seen older "Regi" guys - The Itch play a few times. That’s when I realized, hey, maybe I can do this too. Ironically, around the same time, Brian, Adam, & Mike asked me to join their band and I became the lead singer of their group Bottoms Up!
We had a great few years, lots of house parties (that the police would always shut down), but the highlight was the SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) concert at Stages in 1989 where we came first and won the opportunity to record some original tunes at Dave Dawe’s Summit Sound Studio that originated in a house in the village of Westport.
We thought we would make it big, have a private jet and fly all over the world. It ended before it really got started. I miss those years and the thrill of the live show and Brian, Adam and I always talked about those times and getting back together. Well, finally—one week after September 11, 2001—we did. We didn’t have Mike, but we added a few guys along the way. Derek Cantarutti, and young Jordan Bulhoes were great additions for us, but Steve Ball, Kevin Beavis and Paul Cotman were icing on the cake.
Q: It's always a huge party where everyone gets in 80s garb and it's always a good time. What is it about the 80s that brings out a different vibe all it's own. I mean, I know my reasons for what it does to me, but I want to know what makes it do it for you.
Pat: It was so hard to get gigs in high school, but 80s Enuff became an instant success. Everyone smiles when they see us hit the stage in our colourful clothing, and if the crowd always fires us up. If the crowd happened to be wearing similar 80s garb, it takes the evening to a whole other level. The audience feeds off of us and in return we feed off of them. The live show is what I live for. Anything can happen at an 80s Enuff concert! Lots of dancing, lots of group singing, and so many times members of the crowd jump up and belt out their favourites too.
The tunes we played in high school were predominantly 70s & 80s so we thought - let’s play some of those 80s tunes and add some new ones. 80s Enuff was born. We decided to dress 80s at our first gig and we have ramped up the wardrobe ever since. We actually dressed up 80s to keep it light and make each other laugh. Sometimes we wouldn’t see each other until we hit the stage and a new costume always made us laugh throughout the night.
Q: You have continued to do this for over 20 years with your buddies, that's eons in band years, and many are still the original players. Is it because it's primarily for pure fun that keeps you together? What's next on the playlist?
Pat: We are always working on adding new tunes but when you play a show everyone wants to hear the ones they know every word too, or at least think they know every word too! Some of those favourite 80s tunes are Jessie’s Girl, Livin’ on a Prayer and of course, Don’t Stop Believin’. And don’t forget, we always sound better after you have had a few cocktails! Posted: Jun 22, 2024 Originally Published: Jun 19, 2024
Q: I hate to break it to you but you have always been a magnetic guy with a tonne of excitement in your character. Since I have known you best, you have been the frontman of this Kingston thing called 80s Enuff! Was it your charisma or singing that made you want to front this group?
Pat Murphy: I have always LOVED singing. My mom and dad were always listening to music or singing songs. AM radio was always on in our house to start the day and my dad had the dial on country in the car all of the time. I used to play his old 50s & 60s rock albums - especially Elvis, Chuck Berry and The Beatles. My first album that I purchased was in 1979 (the same summer that my grandparents - Cec & Marion Dundon purchased their cottage on Wolfe Lake), the infamous disco album from the Village People. I loved performing in front of a mirror in my bedroom imagining that I was entertaining a crowd. And that’s when I thought, man I would love to be the front man in a real group.
Q: You are good buddies with some of the cats from The Tragically Hip. Last year, we had the pleasure of sitting back and watching you sing some of their songs side by side with BOTH Gord Sinclair and Paul Langlois. I think you did Three Pistols and I'll Believe in You (Or I'll be Leaving You). That doesn't happen everyday Pat. Must have been a special feeling.
Pat: I have had the pleasure of crossing paths with Paul Langlois and Gord Sinclair many times throughout my life in Kingston. Pick up hockey, golf tournaments, dinner parties, charity events and now our regular weekly golf get together. And they are 2 of the most humble, and nicest human beings on this planet. These guys are massive Canadian rock stars!
People will talk about the Hip being the soundtrack of their life, but there is nothing more summer-y or more cottage-y, more campfire-y, more Canadiana, than The Tragically Hip. They have secretly done more for charity than anyone will ever know. Every gig in Kingston (with the exception of the final one) always went back to help organizations in our area. These 5 friends—who stayed together for over 30 years before Gord Downie’s death from brain cancer—wrote the book about community and giving back. It’s no secret that in the Hip’s beginning, everyone contributed to writing lyrics and music, mostly as individuals. Gord and Paul have written some incredible tunes. She Didn’t Know (Paul) and I’ll Believe in You (Gord) were a few of those early tunes where they contributed words & music.
The odd time Paul and/or Gord will jump on stage and grace 80s Enuff! with their presence. I love watching first hand, the crowd reaction and the cameras as a few hundred people are treated to them jamming out a few 80s covers and a few of those early Hip tunes with our band. As special as it is for their fans, it’s more surreal to be a musician and partake in this once in a lifetime experience.
Q: 80s Enuff has been around for a while, like over 20 years. As far as I know, you got together to rehash your gnarly 80s faves, but you also wanted to raise money for charity in doing so. Can you tell us your story?
Pat: I started playing music with Brian Overvelde and Adam Check in high school, late Fall 1986. Brian played drums and his older brother Mike Overvelde was the guitarist. Adam learned to play the bass and they needed a singer. I was in high school musicals with Adam’s sister Stacy and she told them that I could sing, especially after she saw me belt out The Beastie Boys' Fight for Your Right one night at a band practice. She also said I knew lots of people, so the guys figured I’d draw people out to gigs. Ha! I had seen posters of Kingston bands playing around town. I was too young to see them in bars, but names like The Phones & The Tragically Hip stood out. And I had seen older "Regi" guys - The Itch play a few times. That’s when I realized, hey, maybe I can do this too. Ironically, around the same time, Brian, Adam, & Mike asked me to join their band and I became the lead singer of their group Bottoms Up!
We had a great few years, lots of house parties (that the police would always shut down), but the highlight was the SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) concert at Stages in 1989 where we came first and won the opportunity to record some original tunes at Dave Dawe’s Summit Sound Studio that originated in a house in the village of Westport.
We thought we would make it big, have a private jet and fly all over the world. It ended before it really got started. I miss those years and the thrill of the live show and Brian, Adam and I always talked about those times and getting back together. Well, finally—one week after September 11, 2001—we did. We didn’t have Mike, but we added a few guys along the way. Derek Cantarutti, and young Jordan Bulhoes were great additions for us, but Steve Ball, Kevin Beavis and Paul Cotman were icing on the cake.
Q: It's always a huge party where everyone gets in 80s garb and it's always a good time. What is it about the 80s that brings out a different vibe all it's own. I mean, I know my reasons for what it does to me, but I want to know what makes it do it for you.
Pat: It was so hard to get gigs in high school, but 80s Enuff became an instant success. Everyone smiles when they see us hit the stage in our colourful clothing, and if the crowd always fires us up. If the crowd happened to be wearing similar 80s garb, it takes the evening to a whole other level. The audience feeds off of us and in return we feed off of them. The live show is what I live for. Anything can happen at an 80s Enuff concert! Lots of dancing, lots of group singing, and so many times members of the crowd jump up and belt out their favourites too.
The tunes we played in high school were predominantly 70s & 80s so we thought - let’s play some of those 80s tunes and add some new ones. 80s Enuff was born. We decided to dress 80s at our first gig and we have ramped up the wardrobe ever since. We actually dressed up 80s to keep it light and make each other laugh. Sometimes we wouldn’t see each other until we hit the stage and a new costume always made us laugh throughout the night.
Q: You have continued to do this for over 20 years with your buddies, that's eons in band years, and many are still the original players. Is it because it's primarily for pure fun that keeps you together? What's next on the playlist?
Pat: We are always working on adding new tunes but when you play a show everyone wants to hear the ones they know every word too, or at least think they know every word too! Some of those favourite 80s tunes are Jessie’s Girl, Livin’ on a Prayer and of course, Don’t Stop Believin’. And don’t forget, we always sound better after you have had a few cocktails! Posted: Jun 22, 2024 Originally Published: Jun 19, 2024
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