A record-breaking comeback

During their heyday, spontaneous street performances at Yonge and Dundas by the Shuffle Demons were a mainstay in Toronto’s downtown core.

The shows were community events that got everyone who happened to be in the vicinity involved, whether they were fans of the band’s unique hybrid of jazz, funk and rap or not.

When vocalist/saxophonist Richard Underhill began planning the Demon’s 20th anniversary reunion tour he wanted the band’s return to stand out.

“I just thought; ‘Hey! Why don’t we break the world record for saxophones playing a song?” said Underhill. “I though this could be kind of fun, it’s sort of an old school promotional thing and it’s also (what) the Shuffle Demons are about.”

Underhill says the idea came to him after he remembered Randy Bachman’s attempt to break the world record for the most guitarists playing the same song in 1994. And Bachman succeeded too, bringing over 1,000 axe men and woman together to play the Guess Who’s ‘Taking Care of Business’.

Since the Demons used to play at Yonge and Dundas on a regular basis, and considering the number of people he’s hoping come out for the event, Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) was the logical choice for the band’s attempt at the world record. Underhill hopes to attract between 350 and 400 people to YDS on May 30 to play ‘Hockey Night in Canada’, a mainstay in the Shuffle Demons’ repertory, simultaneously.

Underhill encourages sax players off all ages and levels of talent to come out, even if they haven’t touched their saxophone in years.

“These are the people we really want to get too; the people who played in high school, they still have that saxophone lyin’ around in the case and they haven’t picked it up in a few years,” he said.

“It’s turning into a cool event,” he continued. “And we’re hoping that all those people with dusty saxophones in their closet come out and join us.”

If you’re interested in joining the Shuffle Demons in their bid to break the world record, head to www.shuffledemons.com to find out how to register. The world record attempt will take place Sun. May 30 at 2 p.m.; a set by the Demons will follow

Photograph by Rick McGinnis