KILLER DWARFS - CANADA

Killer Dwarfs -1983 - Attic
Stand Tall - 1986 - Maze
Big Deal - 1988 - Epic
Dirty Weapons - 1989 - Epic
Method To The Madness - 1992 - Epic
Reunion Of Scribes - Live - 2002 - Bullseye
Start @ One - 2013 - Independent
No Guff – 2018 - EMP

Killer Dwarfs image
  
 
Members
Vocals
Oz, Penny Black, Solo>>RUSS DWARF GRAHAM>>Penny Black, Solo

Guitar
Sphinx>>Bryce Dwarf Trewin - Helix, Black Star>>Mike Dwarf Hall>>Helix, Black Star - Helix>>Gerry Dwarf Finn>>Helix, David Usher, Brian Byrne - David Usher, Brian Byrne, Helix>>GERRY DWARF FINN

Bass
Ange Dwarf Fodero - Ronald Dwarf Mayer – JOHNNY DWARF FINN

Drum
Sphinx, Auto/Bon, Laidlaw, Automan.ca>>DARREL DWARF MILLAR>>Auto/Bon, Laidlaw, Automan.ca




History & Biography
Toronto-area’s Killer Dwarfs was as much known for its monicker, humour and antics as for its basic hard rock. The group has fun with the members’ heights (Russ, Bryce and Ang were 165 cms tall) and made a show of it. Notice the name of the band’s 1986 album. Russ would get on a tricycle on stage, wear Godzilla costumes and pedal around to the audience’s amusement.

The act was founded in the autumn of 1981. Darrell and Russ had run into each other in Quebec City where they had gigs booked. A demo was recorded in Oshawa where the band was based. Two members came from Edmonton-based (by way of Oshawa) Sphinx while another came from an Alice Cooper covers’ band called Oz. The group issued two albums through Toronto independent labels Attic (Lee Aaron, Anvil et al) and Maze (Varga and Piledriver) before going to the majors. The band’s manager Rob Connelley also worked with Lee Aaron. The debut was nominated for a Juno, but Attic dropped the band. Mike Hall, a friend of Russ, joined the band at this point in the summer of 1984. Russ’ mother financed the independent recording of the second album. Trewin and Fodero had been replaced by the time the majors came around. Epic out of New York City signed the act. The act was managed by Bruce Wilson. The video for Keep The Spirit Alive was getting airtime on MuchMusic and MTV. Russ Dwarf and Rob Halford hosted an episode of Headbanger’s Ball on MTV. The band supported Big Deal on Sony through a tour with Iron Maiden in Europe on the latter band’s Seventh Son... tour. The act relocated to Los Angeles in the USA in search of success and instead sold fewer records. Dirty Weapons got the band another Juno nomination. The band lost to Rush. The band was dead by 1993. Gerry Finn was drafted in 1990 for Method To The Madness replacing Mike. Killer Dwarfs recorded a live CD/DVD in Toronto in 2001. The new and old guitarist would decamp to Helix at the turn of century. The band would perform a show in Toronto in 2001 which local label Bullseye would record and release. A video of the same performance was also in the works. The members had been writing new music on and off while busying themselves with other projects.

Killer Dwarfs would reunite in 2013 to tour for the release of its unreleased album Start @ One. The songs on the disc were recorded in 1993 at Powerlines Studio in Toronto, Canada with producer Fred Duvall. Johnny Dwarf Fenton joined on bass in 2013. Russ Graham of Killer Dwarfs was released from hospital in May of 2014 and was recuperating after the band was involved in a crash with Johnny Fenton driving on May 26th in Indiana after playing at the Rocklahoma Festival. The band’s June concert in Toronto was cancelled. Alcohol may have played a part. Canada-based Killer Dwarfs signed with EMP Label Group in early 2018. The first order of business was a re-release of recent demos.

The band undertook the 40 Years Still Standing Tour in the summer and again autumn of 2022 in Canada and the USA. Sebastian Bach joined the band on stage for the song Heavy Mental Breakdown in Las Vegas. Helix and Killer Dwarfs played a concert in Edmonton.

Russ has a reputation for being an alcoholic.


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