Gran Fenwick gets heard around the world.

Gran Fenwick is the current handle of Toronto musician Ian Strung, formerly of Cold Dead Hands CA, Fine Motor Control, The John Holmes Book Club and Starship Experience. At the end of 2022, Ian started thinking about releasing his bunch of Canadian studio covers to streaming sites. Disappointed that Cold Dead Hands would now require “CA” on the name, Ian needed a name that nobody else had yet. Gran Fenwick refers to the tiny country in the 1959 Peter Sellers cold war comedy “The Mouse That Roared” that declares war on the U.S. and wins, an all-time favourite of Ian and his dad.

Gran Fenwick’s “Cancon Classics” is an 18-track (19 on Earshot Distro) musical celebration. Songs in the dance and rock genres are turned into energetic dance-rock hybrids with ear candy and easter eggs galore. This is an album of substantial weight and depth, with a real revenance for the source material, and Ian’s greatest vocal performances to date. Mastered by Lacquer Channel, this is an epic tribute to artists obscure and not.

“Cancon Classics” is the covers album that got heard by the original artists. Ian now has a warm relationship with Mike Trebilcock of The Killjoys (“Candyland”), Chris Brodbeck of See Spot Run (“Terrified”), Scott McCullough of Rusty (“Rider”), and many others. This was the album the Canadian music industry was cheering on. “Cancon Classics” became the album of the month of Earshot Distro. In early 2024, the song “Sucks To Be You” featuring Morgan Thompson-Reid hit #1 on the New Music Top 40 for four weeks (with a fifth week at #2). The song also charted on This Is Rock Radio in Spain for three weeks.

Now, Gran Fenwick is ready to release a band new track, also debuted on the Cancon Classx radio spot, also a cover. Over the past year, Ian became a huge fan of Jess Roveda, originally from North Bay, now in many different bands in Toronto. Her three e.p.s became huge favourites of Ian’s, with their 90s-style britpop and dance influences. One track, “Forever,” off her 2022 e.p. “Moonlight Arcade Delight,” struck Ian as a musical standard that could be reinterpreted. The song debuted on the P.O. Box Radio Show December 10th, 2022.

Now, on February 21st, 2024, “Forever” will be released to streaming platforms. The original track was recorded and performed entirely by Ian. The released track was mastered by Scott Gray. The music video, directed by Ron Baker and edited by local songwriter and cinematographer Joe Cash, portrays Ian on a CRT screen with video cassette interference, walking and driving in the winter around Toronto and Scarborough. This is the first of a series of singles by Gran Fenwick that will be coming out in the immediate future.

Gran Fenwick plays the Painted Lady April 5th, 2025 for the Cancon Classx 100th episode party with Mip Power Trio.