Lost Dakotas

Canadian alternative country band

For the former exclave, see Lost Dakota.

Lost Dakotas

Origin| Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres| alternative country
Years active| 1989 (1989)–1996 (1996)
Labels| Cargo Records
Past members| Greg McConnell
Paul Dakota
Adam Faux
Ron Duffy
Rick O'Brien
Tim Bovaconti
J.C. Orr

Lost Dakotas was a Canadian alternative country band in the 1990s.[1] The band originally consisted of vocalist Paul Dakota and bassist Greg McConnell (formerly of Absolute Whores), who began in 1989 as a busking duo at the corner of Yonge and Dundas Streets in Toronto, Ontario.[2][3]

Dakota and McConnell added guitarist Adam Faux and drummer Ron Duffy for their 1990 debut, Love to Play.[3] Initially released as a limited edition cassette, the album completely sold out in just two days.[4] The band's visuals, including posters, album art and animated video clips, were created by artist Erella Vent.[3]

1991's Last Train to Kipling (a reference to Kipling station on the Toronto Transit Commission's Bloor-Danforth subway line) stayed in the campus radio charts in Chart for over 100 weeks.[4] The album was most noted for a countrified cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black".[5]

In 1992 Faux left to focus work on his previous band Pig Farm[6] and was replaced by Rick O'Brien[3] and later by Tim Bovaconti.[5] The band supported the album with their first full-scale national tour in spring 1993.[3]

Their third and final album, Sun Machine, was released in 1993 on Cargo Records.[7] The album included a cover of Ned Sublette's "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other",[5] 13 years before the song was made famous by Willie Nelson. At the 1993 Kumbaya Festival, the band performed the song live with rock singer Lee Aaron as guest vocalist.[8] For their 1994 tour to support that album, the band was also joined by J.C. Orr, formerly of King Apparatus, as a second guitarist.[7]

The band's final recording was a cover of Bob Snider's "You" on the 1996 tribute album Poetreason: The Songs of Bob Snider.[9]

McConnell went on to form Stratochief, but died in 1999.[4] He was replaced by Scott Bradshaw, who performed as the band's vocalist on both of their recorded albums.[10] Erella Vent, now Erella Ganon, continues as an illustrator and writer. Adam Faux currently leads two bands with drummer Topher Stott, Hot Fo Gandhi and The Tiny Specks.

## Discography[edit]

### Albums[edit]

* Love to Play (1990)
* Last Train to Kipling (1991)
* Sun Machine (1993)

### Other Appearances[edit]

* Kumbaya Album Nineteen Ninety Four (1994) - includes a live recording of "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly"
* Poetreason: The Songs of Bob Snider (1996) - includes a live recording of "You"

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Lost Dakotas find popularity with earthy approach to music". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, March 5, 1993.
2. ^ "But does it beat busking?". The Globe and Mail, February 22, 1994.
3. ^ a b c d e "Dakotas get off street ... and hit highway". Toronto Star, March 11, 1993.
4. ^ a b c "Gregarious Greg McConnell", The Globe and Mail, May 19, 1999.
5. ^ a b c "Lost Dakotas found some raunch on new CD". Ottawa Citizen, January 20, 1994.
6. ^ "Pigfarm drummer didn't miss a beat". Edmonton Journal, May 10, 1994.
7. ^ a b "Lost Dakotas find new sound going un-unplugged". Edmonton Journal, December 6, 1994.
8. ^ "AIDS benefit concert goes over big 3 ways". Toronto Star, September 6, 1993.
9. ^ "How EMI signed busker Bob Rags-to-records tale brings Snider to Yellow Door". Montreal Gazette, November 4, 1995.
10. ^ "Scott B. Sympathy lets in a little light". Brantford Expositor, May 23, 2002.

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