Victoria’s College Rockers 64 Funnycars Preview Happy Go Lucky Reissue With “The Barbeque Party”
Hailing from Victoria, BC, 64 Funnycars return with Happy Go Lucky, a reissue of their long out-of-print debut album, preceded by a three-song teaser featuring “The Barbeque Party,” “Flat World,” and “Dull Daddy-O,” out May 6 via 604 Records, with the full album arriving May 27. First heard across Canada’s campus radio networks in the late 80s, the record lands again with its original charge intact, a snapshot of a band that thrived on instinct, hooks, and not overthinking it.
Formed in 1987 by four UVic campus radio regulars, 64 Funnycars were shaped as much by the airwaves as the stage. At a time when Victoria leaned toward the heavier and more confrontational, they carved out their own lane, rooted in melody, movement, and a shared love of jangly, high-energy college rock. Bands like Young Fresh Fellows, Hoodoo Gurus, and The Replacements weren’t just influences, they were part of a broader circuit the Funnycars actively belonged to, charting on campus stations, trading tapes, and building momentum from Victoria out into the wider Canadian network.
That crossover between radio and room came to life at Harpo’s, the band’s early proving ground and a cornerstone of the Pacific Northwest underground, where touring acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice in Chains, No Doubt, and Green Day passed through on their way up. Within weeks of forming, the Funnycars were on that stage, developing a reputation for loose, high-speed sets with no fixed setlist, three members trading lead vocals, and a kind of organized chaos that kept things on edge. As guitarist Eric Cottrell once put it, the band felt “more like a fun jalopy than a fine-tuned sports car,” a description that stuck.
Happy Go Lucky was recorded over a single weekend at Egg Studios in Seattle with producer Conrad Uno, whose work with The Posies and Mudhoney helped define the era. The sessions were fast and minimal, tracking live, stacking harmonies around a shared mic, then sleeping in their van and washing up in Green Lake between takes. That compressed, nearly-live approach gives the album its shape, capturing the same immediacy that fueled their shows and radio presence.
The teaser release centers on “The Barbeque Party,” an ideal entry point built on chiming guitars, shared vocals, and a momentum that feels just on the verge of spilling over. “Flat World” leans into the band’s wry, off-centre instincts, while “Dull Daddy-O” tightens the groove without losing that looseness at the core. Across all three, the throughline is clear, songs that feel lived-in, direct, and wired for both campus airplay and packed rooms.
On its original release, Happy Go Lucky carried well beyond Victoria, with the band touring across Western Canada, earning regular CBC Radio play, and climbing to #5 on the national campus charts while being voted Victoria’s best band in 1989. Now reissued through 604 Decades, the album feels less like a look back and more like a reintroduction, capturing a band in motion, grounded in friendship, shared taste, and a sense of play that never dulled their edge.
Upcoming Live Show Dates:
Sat, July 25 @ The Fox in Vancouver