Feb. 7th, 2022, CRAVE streams TRIUMPH: Rock and Roll Machine.
Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine, will be right at home in the Banger Films catalog, among such esteemed rock docs as Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage, Super Duper Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden: Flight 666, & most recently, ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas. Featuring interviews with Triumph, their contemporaries, their close friends, partners & their fans. This film is an all-access pass into the story behind the hit records & the light shows. Overflowing with unseen footage & unheard audio, this is a film for both the diehard fans & the casual observers, a story about the three friendships that formed the basis of one of Canada’s most successful rock bands. Bell Media announced that this documentary was available for streaming in Canada on CRAVE, starting on February 7, 2022. in the capable creative hands of Grammy & Gemini nominated Juno, Canadian Screen, Peabody, Tribeca Film Festival Fans Choice & International Emmy award-winning filmmakers, producers & directors, Sam Dunn & Marc Ricciardelli, this unique film is a Bell Media CRAVE original documentary that chronicles the career of the multi-gold & platinum-selling legendary power rock trio Triumph. Was produced in association with Revolver Films, Live Nation Productions, NBC Universal Canada, Slaight Communications Inc. & the Rogers Documentary Fund. Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine was released in Canada by Bell Media with international distribution rights represented by WaZabi Films.
TRIUMPH put Toronto on the map in 1975, as they globally dominated through to the late ’80s. Drummer/singer Gil Moore, singer/guitarist Rik Emmett, & bassist/keyboardist Mike Levine took North American stages, radio & MTV by storm with their masterpieces, one after the next, as they totally Lay It On the Line, expressing fans to Hold On through their Magic Power. This trio was at the ready to Fight The Good Fight who planned to Never Surrender as they engaged fans to always Follow Your Heart. They left their worldwide sea of fans totally Spellbound, They let us know that Somebody’s Out There in these Allied Forces even in a Midsummer’s Daydream. Triumph never disappointed as they always put on A World of Fantasy one sold-out show at a time. This Rock and Roll Machine continually over the years gave us a Blinding Light Show while reminding us to Never Say Never, even When The Lights Go Down, that there will be No Tears in The Rain when they have to Say Goodbye. Despite being one of the world’s biggest rock bands, the group split at the height of their fame & seemingly disappeared without explanation to their fans or media. Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine brought a lot of emotions to the forefront & totally dove deep into Triumph’s legendary history, giving fans insight & even included a once in a lifetime moment, a Triumph thank you get together, a Fan Fantasy day in appreciation of the fans for sticking around with Triumph throughout their momentous career. We were honored to be included in this stupendous experience that gave us first-hand magical memories as 2 of the 150 elite that were selected to attend on November 16th, 2019. Here’s just a glimpse of what occurred during this once-in-a-lifetime Triumphant opportunity that was filmed for this brilliant documentary.
“Mike, Rik, and I are thrilled to revisit Triumph’s history, and especially to express our gratitude to our amazing fans,” says Gil Moore. “We are excited to be working with Banger Films and this documentary is our way of reaching out to all those people who have touched us along the journey to say ‘THANKS,’” drummer Gil Moore shared.
“Sam & Marc did an outstanding job documenting what it’s like to have been aboard the Triumph train for the last 45 years. For fans old, new, and those to come in the future, this is all they’ll need to know about the band. It’s great that the doc is making its USA premiere in Philadelphia – Triumph always looked forward to playing for the amazing Philly fans,” shared Triumph bassist Mike Levine.
November 16th, 2019, marked a pivotal moment in musical history with the TRIUMPH SUPERFAN FANTASY appreciation day that was filmed as part of their Banger Films Triumph documentary. We were spoiled rotten from start to finish with great food, a fabulous never-ending rare display of one-of-a-kind artifacts, props, outfits, memorabilia & original song lyrics, just like a rock n roll museum, that was spread throughout the enormous Metal Works warehouse. This space brought fans together from as far away as Brazil, Texas, & all across North America. Banger’s staff professional photographer Scott Braun, captured everyone on stage, one at a time, with Gil, Mike, Rik & their instruments on display, oh man, that was just the tip of the iceberg!
We grabbed our seats as the MC & radio personality, Joey Vendetta, began our once-in-a-lifetime adventure, with a sneak-peek into the documentary. Just as they were handling the famed Triumph banner lights in the film, the real-life curtain dropped in front of us, exposing the same famed TRIUMPH banner lights, which hung high & shone brightly once again as the original Triumph trio were rocking in front of us with a surprise showcase!!! Fans went nuts, literally leaping in shock from their seats fueled with emotional energy! To quote Triumph: “Spotlights. Houselights ready to cue. Backstage smoke is risin’ Steamin’, like a witch’s brew. I want to play some rock ‘n roll, want to sing the blues. Yes I know, I feel it comin’, Let the party roll” & that they did, as they ripped into When The Lights Go Down. As mesmerized as we all were, we became further hypnotized as Canada’s iconic rock n roll trailblazers gave us what we’ve always wanted, another round!! Bassist/keys Mike LeVine, drummer/Vocalist Gil Moore, & Guitarist/Vocalist Rik Emmett, assembled as they set the stage ablaze for the 1st time in 11 years & the 1st time in 31 years as the originally founded legendary power trio, never missing a beat just like a pause button was stuck on, sounding like they always did. They sure did Lay It On The Line with just the right amount of pyrotechnics flaring, totally fueling the revved-up audience as they rushed the stage (Kevin being one of them). I stayed back & mounted 2 chairs for stability & watched the magic forming on stage clearly atop the crazed fans. Kevin joined me holding my hand high upon those collapsible chairs, tears flooding his heart exiting his eyes. This was truly a rare sentimental moment in time to see Kevin’s dream come true as Triumph ended their epic set by sharing their healing of Magic Power. The audience resumed their seats as fans got up close & personal with Triumph, where they got to pose their questions.
We will never forget this moment!! I looked over at Kevin & asked, “hun are you crying, did this just happen?” With watery eyes, he replied, “omg, yes, this was incredible!”
Next, everyone got to physically meet & greet Triumph for personal photo captures. Then we were further surprised with an extensive swag bag filled with one-of-a-kind memorabilia including a poster, signed photograph, coffee mug, Triumph’s biography book, a free Rik Emmett Res9 download, & Rik’s autographed guitar pic, 2 tapes-Stages plus Allied Forces, a rare collectible 45, our very own specialized event T-shirt & can’t forget the 1985’s Thunder 7 stickers all inside our Triumph gift bag. Just when you thought that was the end of the day, wrong!!
We split into 2 groups, escorted inside then taken on a FREE extensive tour of both the iconic Metal Works recording studios & Metalworks Institute (College) (omg, the history inside, if only the walls & gear could TALK!) I am still numb just thinking about it! I am personally not aware of any act that has reached out to their fans in this way, thanking us all for being there with them for over 30 years. what a memory!!


This incredible documentary is fitting, it’s time overdue to celebrate these splendid superstars, their musical legacy as 1 of Canada’s rock n roll innovators, & their career which has been nothing sort of triumphant. With 17 masterpiece studio/live/greatest hits albums/DVDs under their belt, with 18 gold & 9 platinum awards, these Mississauga Legends Row, Juno/Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame inductees even have their own street named after them called Triumph Lane. Fast forward to 2019 where we find Triumph holding keys to the City of Mississauga, being awarded for their journey as Legends of Live for the 2019 Live Music Industry at Canadian Music Week, & being inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, now this wonderful documentary.
Special thanks to the entire Banger Films staff, Triumph, Mike, Gil, Rik’s wives & family, Metal Works staff, & to a special die-hard Triumph fan Nancy Inch who worked alongside these teams to make this day a reality!
Beautifully done Banger Films. Thank you for bringing together Rik, Gil & Mike to share their magical memories with us & for allowing the puzzle pieces of this iconic musical phenomenon to fit back together once again, well done.
TRIUMPH https://www.triumphmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/TriumphTheBand
https://www.instagram.com/triumphtheband
https://twitter.com/triumphtheband
METALWORKS STUDIOS is a Greater Toronto Area Recording Studio & Mastering facility that has maintained an unsurpassed level of excellence spanning over four decades. Our team brings a wealth of experience to every project, along with the care, creativity, & attention to detail essential to ensuring the best results. Whether you’re an indie artist or a studio veteran, we will prepare a customized solution to suit your project’s precise needs. https://metalworksstudios.com/about https://www.facebook.com/pages/Metal-Works-Studio Regarded as one of North America’s premier recording studios for many years, Metalworks has played host to a veritable who’s who of international recording stars. Being recognized by Canadian Music Week as Canada’s ‘Recording Studio of the Year’ 17 times is a testament to their depth of expert management & engineering staff as well as technical equipment resources. Established in 1978, Metalworks Recording Studios was originally the creative workspace for the legendary Canadian supergroup Triumph. From these humble beginnings, Metalworks expanded over a 40+ year time span into a six-studio powerhouse that today ranks as Canada’s consummate world-class studio facility. Also, is home to Canada’s Premier Entertainment Arts School Metal Works Institute that is the educational creation & natural extension of world-renowned Metalworks Studios; home to some of the world’s most successful artists & producers. Mandated by founder Gil Moore to provide a superior curriculum, as well as an unrivaled social, educational, & artistic experience. Metalworks Institute is not your average school. Accordingly, Metalworks Institute embraces a philosophy of mutual respect, inspirational mentoring, & balanced life values. The state-of-the-art campus facilities, located adjacent to the studio complex, support this vision. Providing students with the best tools, instructors, & environment to complete their studies: Metalworks sets the standard for entertainment arts education. https://metalworksinstitute.com
RIK EMMETT https://www.rikemmett.com
https://www.facebook.com/rikemmettnetwork
https://www.instagram.com/rikemmett
https://twitter.com/rikemmett
BANGER FILMS was founded in 2004, Banger Films is a global leader in music & documentary storytelling. Banger has an award-winning catalog of feature documentaries, doc series, live concerts, kids programming, & VR experiences that have featured the biggest names in music & media, screening across all platforms worldwide. https://bangerfilms.com
https://www.facebook.com/banger
https://www.instagram.com/bangerfilms
https://twitter.com/bangerfilms
CRAVE – Crave is a complete premium entertainment subscription video-on-demand service experience. https://www.crave.ca https://www.facebook.com/cravecanada https://www.instagram.com/cravecanada https://www.instagram.com/crave_pr https://twitter.com/CraveCanada
REVOLVER FILMS was founded by Don Allan in 1983, before the mass popularity of Much Music & MTV, Toronto-based Revolver Films has built a reputation for world-class & award-winning music-based films & video projects for over 30 years. Revolver’s portfolio spans TV commercials, branded content, music videos, films, and TV series. https://revolverfilms.com/
SLAIGHT COMMUNICATIONS https://www.slaightmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/SlaightMusic
https://www.instagram.com/slaightmusic
https://twitter.com/slaightmusic
LIVE NATION PRODUCTIONS is the film, television, & documentary production division of Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment company. https://livenationproductions.com
NBC UNIVERSAL CANADA is a media & entertainment company that develops, produces & markets entertainment, news, & information. It owns an operation portfolio of news & entertainment television networks, a motion picture company, television production operations, a television stations group, theme parks, & a suite of Internet-based businesses. https://craft.co/nbc-universal
ROGERS DOCUMENTARY FUND has established by the Rogers Documentary Fund in 1996 to foster the growth of documentary film production in this country in both official languages. Its creation helps sustain Canada’s tradition of quality, independently produced documentary projects &
ensures that these productions are seen by the widest possible audience. https://rogersgroupoffunds.com