Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (June 28/02) - Inuvik got another taste of 70s rock last week with a visit from Canadian rockers Doug and the Slugs.

Canadian rock veterans Doug and the Slugs played Inuvik's Mad Trapper last week. The band's front man Doug Bennett has been performing since 1977. - Terry Halifax/NNSL photo

The band played four shows at the Mad Trapper, which brought in the band to coincide with the petroleum show.

Lead singer and songwriter Doug Bennett is the only original member of the group. He started the band in the late 1970s, following a brief career in the newspaper business.

"I worked for the Georgia Straight from '73 to '77 and around '77 I started doing songwriting and trying to get demos to other people to record my songs," Bennett said. "The nature of the beast, is that if you're not a country songwriter, you'll never get your material anywhere."

He says the bands of the 70s had to write their own material, but also needed to put their time on stage and on the road.

"A lot of young turks now-a-days have the hit single, but they're only about one song deep," Bennett said. "A 'live show deep' means that you can walk out with a bunch of material that people may not recognize, but you have enough charisma or personality to make people have fun."

The band's first album Cognac and Bologna, was released in 1980 and sold nearly 100,000 copies. Wrap It was released in 1981, with Music for the Hard of Thinking being released in 1983.

Following albums included: Ten Big Ones, Propaganda, Best of Doug and the Slugs, Tomcat Prowl, Tales from Terminal City and Slugcology 101: A Decade of Doug and the Slugs.

Bennett also released the solo effort Animato in 1986.

Bennett said he brings in a decent living from the royalties, but like his counterparts from Trooper, they are making a tradesman's wage.

"It varies year-to-year, but in Canada royalties add up to what a very successful plumber might make," Bennett said.

He recently sold a theme song for the ABC sitcom Norm.

"That paid tons of royalties," Bennett said, adding that they've also sold songs to movie soundtracks, so the royalties vary from year-to-year.

"Any young artist should maintain all their original publishing, because that's what's going to keep you going for years and years," he advises. "They may ignore your songs for 20 years and then you may find it in a Nike commercial or something and it makes you a million."

The band now consists of Elio Martelli on guitar, Marc Gladstone on keyboards Chris Murray Driver on drums, Jay Wittur on bass.

Bennett said he and the Slugs are working on a new album that should be out in the fall.

"We jokingly call it the 'Tuesday Night Songwriting Club,'" he said.

Gladstone said while Bennett does a lot of the songwriting, he does allow input from the rest of the band.

"It's got a lot of the spirit of the old Doug and the Slugs, with a new sound," Gladstone said.

"Also maintaining the sense of humour in the music -- that's the key to it," Martelli added.

The band still tours and has dates at festivals this summer, but they say the live music scene in Vancouver is not what it used to be.

"There are probably more clubs here than there is left in Vancouver," Witter said. "Kids like the dance music and the deejays."