Reunion At The York: Ground Zero of a Canuck Cultural Revolt

The Nihilist Spasm Band at the York, 1968: Hugh McIntyre (bass), Art Pratten (Pratt-A-Various), Archie Leitch (slide clarinet), Murray Favro (guitar), John Clement (guitar), Bill Exley (theremin), John Boyle (kazoo), Greg Curnoe (drums).

Believe it or not, the York Hotel – a somewhat seedy neighborhood pub in London, Ontario – which regularly played host to traditional country and folk acts also spawned two of Canada's greatest contributions to the musical avant garde: the Nihilist Spasm Band and the London Experimental Jazz Quartet. The CFPL-TV documentary Reunion At The York, featuring insightful commentary from Eric Stach of the LEJQ intercut with brief flashes of brilliant archival footage, sheds light on London's strange cultural blip in the late 60s that would be heard around the world.

Destroy The Nihilist Picnic - London Experimental Jazz Quartet