Ruminations

I.B.S. were a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan punk and power-pop group active during the mid-1980s, built around Chris Ramsay on vocals and guitar, Robin Beitel on lead guitar and vocals, John DeCoteau on bass, and James Pollock on drums, vocals and guitar. Their music combined sharp, guitar-driven punk with melodic pop instincts, humour and a notably collaborative approach to songwriting.

The band developed within Saskatoon’s independent music community, where local record shops, promoters, broadcasters and small labels provided an important network for original music. I.B.S. became associated with Rockin’ Rod Records, operated by longtime Saskatoon music promoter and broadcaster Ron Spizzirri, who handled distribution and promotion for the group’s album.

I.B.S. were active on the local live circuit by 1986. Surviving promotional material documents an opening appearance for Rank and File in Saskatoon on July 15, 1986, while photographs and ephemera included with their album show a band firmly involved in the city’s independent scene rather than assembled solely as a recording project.

Their first and only album under the I.B.S. name, Go!, was recorded at High Level Recording in Saskatoon and released by Rockin’ Rod Records in 1986. It was produced by Duane Harder and I.B.S., with Harder also engineering the sessions. The record was deliberately presented as a Saskatoon production, the sleeve proudly noting that ‘Everything was done right in town here.’

Go! contained twelve original songs and revealed that songwriting responsibilities were shared throughout the group. Chris Ramsay wrote ‘Nice Place to Visit’; James Pollock wrote ‘The Last Time’, ‘Mood I’m In’, ‘Surfin’ on the South Saskatchewan’, ‘Hey Betty’ and ‘Girlfriend’s Dead’; John DeCoteau contributed ‘Changed My Mind’, ‘It Doesn’t Matter’, ‘Based on Faith’ and ‘Glad You’re Gone’; and Robin Beitel wrote ‘Ebony, Black and Charcoal’ as well as the music to ‘Truth and Memories’, whose words were written by Pollock.

That collaborative structure gave Go! considerable variety. Songs dealing with relationships, uncertainty and everyday frustrations sat alongside satire, humour and deliberately eccentric material. ‘Surfin’ on the South Saskatchewan’, dedicated to Malibu Deb Rolfes, was an instrumental, while titles such as ‘Girlfriend’s Dead’ and ‘Ebony, Black and Charcoal’ reflected the group’s playful and occasionally absurdist streak.

The musicians approached the presentation of Go! with the same sense of humour. Its illustrated inner sleeve introduced the individual members, described DeCoteau as ‘an academic, a bass player and a great dancer’, and concluded with the declaration ‘This album is MIDI incompatible.’ Credits ranged from conventional production and artwork acknowledgements to roles for a flashlight man, clapping and a ‘Gimme a Break’ singer.

The album artwork was credited to C.K. Cousins, with the inner sleeve created and designed by Troy Apollo. Ron Spizzirri handled distribution and promotion, and the extensive acknowledgements reflected I.B.S.’s connections throughout the Saskatoon music community and beyond, including The Pursuit of Happiness, Chip and Tony Kinman, and numerous musicians, friends, promoters and supporters.

The story continued after Go!. The core of I.B.S. remained together, although the guitar position changed. Robin Beitel departed and Tony Zuck joined on lead and acoustic guitar. Ramsay, DeCoteau and Pollock continued with Zuck, and the group eventually adopted the suitably self-referential name Different Initials.

Evidence suggests that the transition was gradual rather than the formation of an unrelated band. Saskatoon journalist and musician Stephen A. Nelson later recalled meeting I.B.S. around 1986–87, interviewing the group for a local entertainment publication and attending recording sessions. He remembered receiving a cassette of unreleased material well before the eventual second album appeared, particularly recalling ‘Trouble’s Leaving Town’ and ‘Kiss Without a Cure’. His recollection suggests that the material eventually issued by Different Initials developed over an extended period.

As Different Initials, the lineup consisted of Chris Ramsay on vocals and guitar, John DeCoteau on bass, James Pollock on drums and vocals, and Tony Zuck on lead and acoustic guitar. The renamed group became one of Saskatoon’s more popular independent and alternative bands of the period, playing university dates and sharing stages with artists including David Lindley and the Hoodoo Gurus. Zuck later described Different Initials as the most successful band he had played with.

The resulting Ruminations was released by Rockin’ Rod Records in 1989. Its ten songs were ‘Selfish Heart’, ‘A Thousand Tales’, ‘Trouble’s Leaving Town’, ‘Kiss Without a Cure’, ‘What’s Going Round’, ‘Ruminations’, ‘It Might Be Today’, ‘Stranded’, ‘My Life’s a Lie’ and ‘Hopin’ You’re Happy’.

Ruminations was recorded and mixed at Audio Art in Saskatoon. The album was produced by Robin Billinton, engineered by Glenn Ens with assistance from Vance Boymook, and mixed by Ens and James Pollock. Arrangements were credited collectively to Different Initials. Charles Cousins handled the design, Bob Short supplied the sleeve photography and Cathy Schick provided the cover photograph.

The progression from Go! to Ruminations was therefore less a new beginning than a continuation of the same musical partnership. Ramsay, DeCoteau and Pollock provided the direct link between the two records, while Zuck brought a new guitar voice to the lineup. The later material was more polished and expansive but retained the melodic songwriting and independent character established by I.B.S.

Different Initials eventually ended in what a contemporary Saskatoon Star-Phoenix account described as an acrimonious breakup. The members subsequently scattered. James Pollock relocated to Toronto, where he was working with former Pursuit of Happiness bassist John Sinclair and vocalist Leslie Stadnyk. Chris Ramsay moved to Victoria, while John DeCoteau also relocated to Toronto and divided his time between music and medicine. Tony Zuck remained in Saskatoon.

Zuck’s next activities provide another link to the wider Saskatoon scene. He fronted High Speed Sacrifice, described at the time as an offshoot of Different Initials. The group opened for artists including David Wilcox, Luba, The Forgotten Rebels and Harlequin. Zuck subsequently formed Martyr Bones, continuing a musical path that had included I.B.S. and Different Initials.

Tony Zuck also remained active in Saskatoon music and community broadcasting, including involvement with CFCR, while pursuing a career outside music. Although drummer James Pollock shares his name with a noted Canadian poet, no reliable evidence has been found establishing that they are the same person, and the two should not be assumed to be identical.

Taken together, Go! and Ruminations document the development of one Saskatoon group under two names. I.B.S. captured the energetic, humorous and independent character of the city’s mid-1980s punk and power-pop scene, while Different Initials carried three of the same core musicians into a more polished and increasingly successful second phase. Their recorded catalogue was small, but the two albums preserve a distinctive chapter in Saskatchewan independent music history.

-Robert Williston