Eye Eye

Eye Eye started life as a duo formed in Canada in 1983 by two friends, guitarist Andy Ryan and drummer Mark Caporal. Soon the pair expanded to a band with the addition of bassist Doug Ruston and singer Michael Bell. Ruston and Bell would eventually leave, and bassist Tom Lewis and singer Bill Wood joined the lineup. The group added keyboardist Don Quon in 1988, just in time for the ringing of the final bell. In 1984 Eye Eye started catching the interest of some of those in the music world. Around that same time the group won a big contest that actually earned them a recording contract with a small record label. The members passed on the deal, and went out on their own, releasing a debut single, "Hollywood Girls," independently. In 1985 Eye Eye placed in a battle of the bands-type contest, sponsored by Much Music Talent Search and National Rock Express. The group captured some positive press and used the chance to put some tunes together on a demo and send it out. The result was a signed contract with Duke Street Records. Working under the Duke Street label, Eye Eye recorded a few more singles and finally a debut album, Just in Time to Be Late. It took two long years for a sophomore offering, Common Ground, to be completed. That length of time proved fatal for the band. Times and music styles were changing, a new decade was close at hand, and fans moved on easily to new game. It didn't help that there had been problems in the ranks for some time and not long after the release of the second album, Eye Eye fell apart. Some of the members went on to other music endeavors, others settled down to a more domestic lifestyle. In 1990, drummer Mark Caporal was killed in a plane crash. Some of the group's tunes fans can sample from the two albums include "Endless Night," "My Sensation," "X-Ray Eyes," "Heartbeat," "Out on a Limb," and "Perfect Day." ~ Charlotte Dillon