The Lowest of the Low

The band was formed by Ron Hawkins, Stephen Stanley and David Alexander, all members of the band Popular Front, as a side project at a time when their other band was going through internal tensions that eventually led to its breakup. While performing as a trio in folk clubs, they met John Arnott, who became the band's fourth member. and released Hallucigenia in 1994. They toured to support the album and had begun early preparations for their follow-up album, but creative and business tensions resulted in the band breaking up later the same year. Hawkins released a solo album, The Secret of My Excess, in 1996 before forming Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails. ==Reunions==

In 2000, The Lowest of the Low reunited for a five-show tour, playing to sold-out venues in Toronto and Buffalo. In January 2002, the live album Nothing Short of a Bullet was released. The album also featured a second disc with three new studio songs, including a cover of the Bad Religion song "Kerosene". In 2002, bassist John Arnott left the band and was replaced by Dylan Parker. In 2004, the band signed with MapleMusic Recordings. The same year, the band released Sordid Fiction, their first new studio album since 1994. Following the tour for that record, the band went on extended hiatus again. In November 2007, the band announced that they were breaking up for good. They played two final shows, one on December 4, 2007, at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto and another on December 8, 2007, at Club Infinity in Williamsville, New York. In 2018, the band released a career-spanning vinyl LP box set called Shakespeare...My Box. It re-released their 4 studio albums, as well as including a new collection of B-sides, live tracks, and remixes, called Thrifty, Thrifty, Thrifty. Their next studio album, Agitpop, was released in 2019. In 2021, they followed up with Taverns and Palaces, a live album collecting recorded performances from Lee's Palace and the Horseshoe Tavern. In 2023, they released Welcome to the Plunderdome, which was their first album in their entire career to be collectively self-produced by the band. ==Influence==

The Lowest of the Low have been cited as a major influence by The Weakerthans, whose leader John K. Samson was previously a member of Propagandhi when the latter covered TLotL's song "Gamble". The Lowest of the Low have actually repaid the favour to The Weakerthans by singing about attending one of their concerts in the song "A Casual Overdose". Covers of Lowest of the Low songs by other artists include "Rosy and Grey" by Weddings Parties Anything and "Bleed a Little While Tonight" by Jeremy Fisher. ==Members==

• Ron Hawkins (vocals, guitar) • Lawrence Nichols (keyboards, harmonica, acoustic guitar, vocals) • David Alexander (drums) • Greg Smith (bass) • Michael McKenzie (guitar) Past members • John Arnott (bass) • Stephen Stanley (guitar, vocals) • Dylan Parker (bass) • Brian MacMillan (guitar) ==Discography==

Albums • Shakespeare My Butt (1991) • Hallucigenia (1994) • Nothing Short of a Bullet (2002) • Sordid Fiction (2004) • Do the Right Now (2017) • Agitpop (2019) • Taverns and Palaces (2021) • Welcome to the Plunderdome (2023) • Over Years and Overnight (2025) Collections • Shakespeare My Box (Box Set) (2018) Singles • "Eternal Fatalist" (1993) • "Salesmen, Cheats and Liars" (1993) • "City Full of Cowards" b/w "Crying Like a Postcard", "Bit" (1993) • "Gamble" b/w "Night of the Living Assholes" (1994) • "Motel 30" b/w "The Unbearable Lightness of Jean", "Motel 30 (Live)" (1994) • "(These are) The Lives and Times" (2001) • "Kinda the Lonely One" [live] (2001) • "New Westminster Taxi Squad" (2002) • "The Kids Are All Wrong" b/w "In The Blink of An Eye" (2015) • "Powerlines" (digital only) (2017) ==See also==