Back before there was something called "alternative" music, there was a radio station around Toronto called CFNY ("The Spirit of Radio") who put on an anti-Juno Awards award show called the U-Knows. The name was soon changed to the CASBYs, which stands for "Canadian Artists Selected By You." Among the many cool bands honoured back around the late '80's/early '90's was The Pursuit of Happiness.
About 16 years later, a lot has changed: "alternative" is a format, CFNY is owned by a big corporation, has studios in a massive downtown Toronto building and goes by the name "The Edge." But 3 years ago they decided to bring back the CASBYs, and included a Lifetime Achievement Award. The previous winners were Canadian legends The Rheostatics and The Lowest of the Low. This year, it was TPOH's turn.
So in front of more than 2,000 radio contest winners, among performances by current bands like The Dears and Sum 41 (with a cameo by Iggy Pop), the Pursuits played "Hard to Laugh" and "I'm An Adult Now." Then Dave Bookman, The Edge's patron saint of indie bands, enthusiastically presented Moe with a red and yellowish guitar to signify the Lifetime Achievement Award. Moe thanked everyone who'd ever been in the band, everyone's significant others and the fans. The axe got packed up with the rest of the band's equipment, Dave, Moe and Renée went to The Tap (Dave DJs new wave every Wednesday night - mark your calendars!), and everyone got on with their lives with a little warm glow of looooong overdue appreciation.
We hadn't intended to have a photo page for this event, but so many great pictures came in from visitors and friends, we figured we had to share them with you. After all, you are as much a part of any lifetime achievement as anyone. Thanks to Dave, Caroline, Nick Sciarratta, Andrew from St. Catharines and Lanny Pizzingrilli for the photos that made this page happen.
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