Biography

Molding cultured synth-pop and darkwave ambience, the Canadian band Moev first came together in 1981 when Vancouver natives Tom Ferris and Cal Stephenson were seeking a motivated electronic sound. They weren't concerned with heavy punk elements, and classic rock riffs. The were leaning on the secretive new wave beauty of spiraling guitars and dramatic keyboards. It wasn't long that vocalist Madeleine Morris and guitarist Mark Jowett joined Moev to make the unit a solid four-piece. They released several 12" singles, eventually signing with Go! Records in 1982 and debuting the full-length Zimmerkampf. The band toured Canada and the U.S., but album sales deemed low and Moev was unsatisfied by the support being received at Go!. The label went broke the following year, and Jowett and Moev manager Terry McBride in turn founded Nettwerk in 1984 so that Moev's material could be honestly and sufficiently released. Several singles were later issued, and also during this time, Morris left the band and Stephenson assumed full-time vocal duties. Michella Arrichiello stepped in a year later to become co-lead vocalist alongside Stephenson, and Moev signed a deal with Profile Records. Their sophomore effort Dusk and Desire was released to critical acclaim in North America in December 1985, yet a shift in band members continued to riddle Moev of complete creative concentration. Jowett switched to entirely prioritizing things at Nettwerk, and Stephenson split to go back to school. Arrichiello also left; vocalist Dean Russell and multi-instrumentalist Kelly Cook joined Moev for the second coming of the band, just in time to sign a deal with Atlantic and release a third album, Yeah, Whatever (1988). Head Down, which showcased backing vocals from forthcoming Nettwerk artist Sarah McLachlan followed in 1990, but reviews were mild. Obituary Column appeared a year later, making for a lackluster effort and a merely coincidental connection to the end of the band. Russell died of AIDS complications in 1994, and Ferris went on to form the alterna-rock unit Econoline Crush in the mid-'90s. He and his wife Julie, however, iginited the Moev flame again in 1998, and Kelly Cook and Cal Stephenson rejoined the band and added Redshift guitarist Drew Maxwell to the line up. Fresh and revived for the new millennium, Moev released their first album in nine years entitled Suffer. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi