Ontario Canada skate punk band HANDHELD pays tribute to fellow Canadian, the late great actor and comedian John Candy on their newest single and the just-released music video “Leaving Candyland.”
Of the video, the band says, “We wanted to pay tribute to the great human that was John Candy and honour his life in a unique way. We picked 6 of our all time favourite John Candy roles which included: Barf from Spaceballs, Gus from Home Alone, Chet from The Great Outdoors, Del from Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Yosh of The Schmengie Brothers (SCTV) and Uncle Buck from you guessed it… Uncle Buck. Then for each character we shot an homage to our favourite scenes, sprinkled in some punk rock flavorings and what you get is one hell of a good time. This video is definitely big in Sheboygan.”
Handheld’s upcoming album “A Canadian Tragedy” (out June 14 on Thousand Islands Records) marks the band’s return after a 14-year hiatus.
Handheld formed in 1998 in Ontario, Canada. Fast punk rock, CHECK. Sing along melodies, CHECK. Single kick pedal, CHECK. For fans of Face To Face, Bad Religion, NOFX, and Millencolin.
Handheld released 6 Albums/EPs from 1998-2008 and then took a 10 year hiatus. A few members went on to form Curbside. Handheld reformed with the same line-up +1 in 2018 with the goal of playing a few reunion shows. Cue the Pandemic and the inability to play live shows, so the band wrote and recorded a new album. Look for ‘A Canadian Tragedy’ in 2022 wherever you buy or stream your music.
Of the upcoming album, the band says, “Yes, Sorry we know we are friendly folk full of maple syrup and cheese curds. But Canada is not without its fair share of issues. A Canadian Tragedy is full of songs about love, irony, coverup, scandal, folklore and tradition all with a Canadian twist. 11 Fast melodic punk songs written with sing-along melodies and lyrics that make you go hmmm.”
Upcoming Album Release Show for the new album will take place on June 4th in Kitchener, Ontario.
