| Lost Dakotas | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genre: | alternative country |
| Years Active: | – |
| Label: | 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. 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 .[9]
McConnell went on to form Stratochief, but died in 1999. 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.