Canadian rock icon Brian Greenway, guitarist with legendary band April Wine and Saint-Lazare resident, will see his band honored on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

"We were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2010, and now we'll have our star on Canada's Walk of Fame," Brian Greenway told Neomedia.

The band, whose greatest hits include Bad Side of the Moon, Roller, I Like to Rock and Just Between You and Me, will receive their star on September 28. 

This honor recognizes those who, in their own way, have made Canada shine around the world.

Maurice Richard, Brian Adams, Chantal Petitclair, Ryan Reynolds, Sarah McLachlan, Céline Dion and many more are among those who already have their star on the famous sidewalk.

Surrounded by guitars and amplifiers from Vaudreuil-Dorion's Long and McQuade boutique, Brian Greenway spoke to Néomédia about April Wine's new tour and the arrival of their new singer, Marc Parent.

A part of the musical landscape since 1969, Nova Scotian band April Wine has left its mark, and continues to do so, on several generations.

"At our concerts, we get people of all ages. Our fans have been with us since the beginning, and more and more young people. Two, three, even four generations come to see us. Some are much younger than our songs," laughs the man who joined the group in 1977.

"There are also a lot of young musicians, including several young women. Like me at their age, they're easy to recognize. They're the ones at the front, watching us very closely. It's great to see this new generation watching us and being inspired by us," he adds.

Five decades of rock

April Wine has featured a succession of musicians, including Ritchie, David and Jim Herman, Myles Goodwym, Jerry Mercer, Garry Moffet, Jim Clench and Steve Segal.

A certain Breen Leboeuf also briefly shared the stage with Brian Greenway and April Wine, as did Blair Mackay, the man behind the Hudson Music Festival.

Over the years, April Wine has raised the profile of the Canadian and Quebec music scene not only in the United States, but also in Europe. 

Major artists such as Rush, Journey and Styx have asked April Wine to support their concerts in the United States.

This year, Brian Greenway and his colleagues will have performed over thirty concerts across Canada and the United States.

"In recent years, we had stopped touring during the winter. Myles (Goodwyn) didn't want to travel during this period, partly because of his diabetes. Now it's different. We're doing a few more concerts... It's great to be back on stage," adds Greenway.

Myles Goodwyn, an original member of the band, gave his last concert with April Wine in March 2023, in Truro, Nova Scotia. 

A breath of fresh air

In December 2022, Brian Greenway, Richard Lanthier, Roy Nip Nichol and Myles Goodwyn were joined by a new singer before Goodwyn retired. 

Well-known on the blues scene, notably with his band Wang Dang Doodle, Marc Parent has also toured extensively as a guitarist and singer with, among others, Breen Leboeuf, Luce Dufault and Marie Carmen.

"We started practicing with Marc around September last year. He did his first show with us in April. We've had great chemistry from the start. We have a wonderful complicity. When Brian sings, if you close your eyes, you really feel like you're listening to Myles. It's crazy," says Brian Greenway.

Although April Wine have no plans to record any new material at the moment, the arrival of Marc Parent brings a new energy to the band.

"There have definitely been a few negative comments on social media saying that without Myles, April Wine is no longer April Wine, but generally speaking, people are really happy we're back. The comment we get most often is that people feel like they're back to the April Wine of the late 70s. We're having a lot of fun on stage, and people are noticing it". 

April Wine's North American tour continues, with several dates on the calendar, including in Ontario.