Take One

Roxslyde were an Edmonton, Alberta-based rock band active in the mid-to-late 1970s, centred around songwriter and guitarist Dave Cox and vocalist, keyboardist and bassist Rob Rohac. The group also included Brian Weafer on guitars and vocals, Kirk Roby on percussion, and Jay Golumbia on concert bass and vocals, and operated squarely within Edmonton’s independent recording and label ecosystem.

Their earliest release was the 1976 45rpm single 'Do It Again' b/w 'Badalac', issued on the local Mustard label and co-produced by Garry McDonall and the band. The single established Cox as the band’s primary songwriter and marked Roxslyde’s first appearance on record.

In 1977, Roxslyde released a second single, 'Morning Light' b/w 'Sugar Ray', on Edmonton’s Maple Haze label. Produced by Len Thuesen and engineered by Barry Allen, the single was recorded at Sundown Recorders, a key studio in the city’s 1970s rock scene. Both tracks were written by Cox and published by Maple Haze Music, reflecting the label’s in-house, artist-managed model.

That same period saw the release of Roxslyde’s only full-length album, Take One, on Airborne Records. Recorded and mixed at Sundown Recorders and produced by the band, the LP featured nine original compositions written by Cox, Rohac, and Jim Duperron. The album also included backing vocal contributions from Duperron and Mavis McCauley, with art direction and photography by Ken Gray.

Dave Cox and Brian Weafer later resurfaced in the Edmonton hard rock band Millions, whose self-titled LP was released on Mustard in 1981. The connection places Roxslyde within a wider Edmonton recording network that also touched Mustard, Sundown Recorders, Airborne Records, Maple Haze, and the early-1980s prairie rock scene.

-Robert Williston