The Eastern Passage

The Eastern Passage, fronted by guitar player and singer John Lacasse, came closer to the big time than any other SJA group when Warner Brothers almost signed them to a deal for the United States in 1968. Starting as The In-Crowd, they evolved into The In-Sect, before settling on their final name. By this time, in 1967, they had become firmly established on the local scene. Being one of the groups that Donald Billows managed, they frequently played at his club, opening for touring acts and frequently headlining. For their vinyl debut, on Sir John A., they refurbished "When You Ask About Love," an old Crickets tune. It did reasonably well, but failed to chart high enough to qualify as a real success. The ambitious young men then went about producing what they hoped would be a number one hit, not only in Canada but also in the U.S. Billows entered into an arrangement with a well-connected promoter in Ohio, who could help them get their new record into rotation on some of the United States' top radio stations. Within a month of its independent release on the band's own Zoo label, "I Could Make You Fall In Love" had charted in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and had been chosen as a pick to click on WABC in New York. By July 1968, Warner Brothers had picked the single up for distribution, just as the flip-side was starting to get some action. After ten thousand copies had been sold in a relatively limited market, executives at the company finally decided to sign the group. They were even booked to play on Upbeat, a popular American Midwest TV show. Unfortunately, internal wrangling at Warner Brothers put the signing on hold and kept the band in limbo. The single began to slip off the charts and, with no other recordings to bolster them, Warner Brothers lost interest. They continued to play in and around Ottawa until 1970, when they called it a day after an outdoor gig at Pineland.