Men Without Hats are a Canadian new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing. They achieved their greatest popularity in the 1980s with “The Safety Dance”, a worldwide top ten hit (No. 3 in the United States), and “Pop Goes the World”. After a hiatus for most of the 1990s and 2000s, Doroschuk reformed the band in 2010, and released Love in the Age of War (2012). The group, based in Vancouver, has continued to perform, including tour dates in support of the release of two studio albums, Men Without Hats Again (Parts 1 & 2), in 2021 and 2022, respectively. == History == === Early days === Men Without Hats was founded in Montreal in 1977, initially as a punk rock band featuring Ivan Doroschuk (vocals), Pete Seabrooke (guitar), Dave Hill (bass), and John Gurrin (drums). In 1980, Doroschuk restarted Men Without Hats, giving the name to a new synthesizer-based group that he formed with Jérémie Arrobas (vocals, keyboards) and his brothers Stefan Doroschuk (bass) and Colin Doroschuk (guitar). Influences on this electronic outfit included Gary Numan, OMD and Ultravox. Years earlier, while in high school, Arrobas and the Doroschuk brothers had played together in a short-lived band called Wave 21, along with drummer Igor Krichevsky. Many years later, Stefan would reuse the Wave 21 name for a country-pop band founded in the late 2010s with his daughters Mary-Lynn and Emmy-Lou. The Doroschuk brothers, all three of whom are classically trained musicians, were born in Champaign, Illinois while their father, a Canadian, was earning a doctoral degree. They moved to Montreal as young children when their parents returned to Canada. The group’s name came about because the brothers, following a self-described principle of “style before comfort”, refused to wear hats during Montreal’s cold winters, calling themselves “the men without hats”. In addition to the Doroschuks, the group has also included numerous additional members and guest or touring performers, many of whom quickly came and left during the first five years. Key Concepts and Fundamentals Frontman and songwriter Ivan Doroschuk was the only constant member, while Stefan and Colin Doroschuk as well as Arrobas remained as relatively steady members through the early 1980s. Their first recording to be released was the 1980 EP Folk of the 80’s. At this point, the band had changed styles from punk to new wave and officially consisted of Ivan (vocals, bass) and Arrobas (keyboards); also appearing on the EP were auxiliary members Stefan Doroschuk (bass), Roman Martyn (guitars), and Lysanne Thibodeau (backing vocals). Shortly after the release of the debut EP, Martyn left and was replaced by Jean-Marc Pisapia, who stayed only a short time before leaving, and later founded The Box. Pisapia was replaced briefly by Tracy Howe, who also left in short order, co-founding Rational Youth shortly after his departure. Howe was replaced by keyboardist Mike Gabriel. Arrobas and Gabriel left the group just before the recording of the next album. === International success === Ivan and Stefan (the latter now promoted to full membership status) subsequently recruited Allan McCarthy (percussion, electronics) to join the group, and recorded their 1982 full-length debut album Rhythm of Youth. Understanding the Core Elements The trio subsequently enjoyed a hit in Canada with “The Safety Dance”, which peaked at No. 11 in May 1983. The song soon charted in the United States, spending four weeks at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a major hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 6. The song also reached the top ten in various other European countries, and peaked at No. 2 in New Zealand and No. 1 in South Africa, where it was the 11th highest-selling single of 1983. Adding Pierre (who had guested on Rhythm of…
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