"The Barking Eye"

Probably the biggest influence to my own local drumming career is Alan Lukala.  Alan is one of a few local drummers that can actually say they have over 3 decades of music experience in the field of drums.  Alan can easily read drum music notation faster than most read the English language in print.  His talent in rock, jazz, and latin is second to none amongst local drummers.  Currently, Alan teaches periodically through the Music Depot music store and only does a few shows a year mainly in jazz settings but also stage productions.  The drumset in his photo was custom built for him to his specs. Alan studied with Canadian drumming great Rick Gratton  and studied drums for many years in the Toronto area before moving back to the Sault.  Alan is easily one of the best players around.



Another amazing local drummer is Ed Young and yes, another of the over 3 decades playing drums club and still going strong.   My first introduction to Ed was with a band Spring Hill Jack (sp) at Algoma University back many decades ago.  Ed is not only a great drummer but also guitarist and song writer.  He has been a staple at Tom Wall's Music as a teacher.  Ed can easily be called the hardest working drummer in town and currently plays in numerous bands like Blues Harvest, Buffalo Alice along with numerous side projects like Big Suit and more.   Ed also worked for the Ayotte Drum company many years ago.
http://www.myspace.com/bluesharvest



I first heard Jimmie Chiverelli at last years Rotaryfest 2nd Stage when his band Kalle Mattson followed my band on stage.   The first thing I noticed about Jimmie's playing was how in the pocket it was which seems to be a lost art amongst local drummers lately.  Jimmie is also a very dynamic player that plays for the song rather than himself.   I later found out Jimmie is an avid Bruce Springsteen fan along with his drummer Max Weinberg.   Jimmie and his band Kalle Mattson are currently riding high in popularity and doing a lot of touring around Canada. (Jimmie photo courtesy of Donna Hopper)
http://www.myspace.com/kallemattson


Ric Datson is simply the Sault's most recognizable drummer.   Yet another member of the over 3 decades in the music biz drummer club, he shows no signs of slowing down.  He currently plays in the country rock band "Boneyard" and also the classic rock band "That's Chester".    Ric is also a local music historian and works for our local museum keeping great info on the Sault's music history amongst other things.   Ric's drumming has always been explosive and is noted for his big finishes to songs.   Although his music roots are now in rock and country, I first met Ric when he was playing in the semi punkish band Youth in Asia many decades ago.
That's Chester on Facebook



I only recently met Kev Riain  when his band and my band were competing in the KISS Battle of the bands held some months ago.   His band Sense of Truth are in the final stages of recording and releasing an album and I'm looking forward to hearing it.   Kev's playing is definitely solid and he has a ton of energy behind the kit but he also has dynamics which like I mentioned earlier, seems to be lost with many local drummers.  His playing at this show that included a ton of players easily stood out and his personality did the same.   I don't know much about Kev or his playing, though I like what I hear so far, but I do sense (no pun intended ;-) Kev will continue to grow as a musician.  Expect good things from Sense of Truth. (photo courtesy of Curtoneil.com)
http://www.myspace.com/senseoftruth



Lastly for this first segment of the Local Drummer Showcase #1 is yours truly me, Glen "the Freq" Thomas.  I will simply say that I love playing all styles of music and will never say no to attempting a style of music.   Researching and talking about local music has always been a love and I will always attempt to throw something online for others to read.  Drum wise, I'm part of the over 3 decades club and continue to play and record to this day.  I've recorded albums for Rainhorses, Patrick Stewart, Wishbone, Huckster and currently play in my own band Flat Stanley which is celebrating 10 years together this summer.  My favourite music is Jazz and Progressive Rock.  Drum wise, I love playing jazz more than anything.  I'm an avid music gear collector and built the kit shown in my photo.  I also play other musical instruments and love writing and recording my own music in my home studio.
http://www.myspace.com/the_freq

Stay tuned for "Local Drummer Showcase #2"

Glen "the Freq"

One of the most popular local bands around in the late 80's was a band called "Vandyl" featuring Dale Corcoran on vocals, Chris Lloyd on guitar, Tim Harrington on bass, Howard Bertolo on keyboards and Augustino on drums.  I should say that this was the line up for the band "Riggy Zomba" that later changed it's name to "Vandyl" when it set out on the Ontario band circuit.  In the photo above, left to right is,  Howard, Chris, (Augustino's replacement ?) Tim and Dale.  The band changed drummers a few times along with guitar players before nailing a very solid performing lineup.  The last drummer I saw with the band was by far the best but not from the Sault.  Also, replacing Chris Lloyd on guitar was another out of town player.  I don't recall his name but do remember he had a nicname that he went by.  "Squid" maybe? |O| The band vanished quickly after a few years of touring and the members splintered into various touring acts but seeing the band Vandyl at the old Victoria House in the Sault was always a highlight.  Why the name change?   Dale told me that it was because the agents didn't like the Riggy Zomba name.  Personally, the agent goofed as I think it's a great name, and so did Dale but Ontario music agents were not too swift back in those days. ;-)  Vandyl use to play songs by Europe, Judas Priest, Honeymoon Suite, Max Webster just to name a few.  This was the glam rock days so there was big hair and spandex a plenty but also solid musicianship and showmanship.  When the band was called "Riggy Zomba", they didn't really catch on around the local venues but did open for the heavy metal band Anvil.  I never saw the show but actually have the poster with a Riggy Zomba poster with it.  Collector's piece??? Ya never know. |O|   Once they did the name change and started touring, the band tightened up and were a band that probably could have made it had they stuck with it.

When the band split, Howard and Tim joined with Canadian rock bands "The Works" but also Aldo Nova for a tour and Tim did a stint with Lee Arron if I remember right.   Dale went onto perform in numerous tribute acts which he still does.   The last time I talked to Chris Lloyd was decades ago and he quit the band to do something in customs, border security and Augustino became a hair dresser and then vanished from the Sault almost overnight.  The other members I have no clue but I do think the last drummer is with a band called "the Joys".  I could be wrong on that. ;-)

Now, here's a really RARE treat.   This recording that I'm going to spring on you is so rare that I'm not even sure Dale from the band knows it exists but, being a collector of some local band goodies back in the day, I came across this "ORIGINAL" song by Vandyl in my good ole box of cassettes in my basement.   This is probably the only original song the band wrote.  It was the only one I ever heard the band play live.   The song is missing the intro but contains most of the song.  The style is similar to the band Europe, but also bands like Honeymoon Suite and Loverboy.   This original song is called "Teenage Rebel" and to top it off, this is a LIVE recording of the band. ;-). 

Enjoy this rare yet kinda dated sounding original song by "Vandyl".

Note:  Stay tuned for some info on Dale's new project in the near future.

Glen "the Freq"

 

Once in a while you receive something from someone that just puts a smile on your face just because it brings back a bunch of memories.   A fan of my band Flat Stanley gave me a few rare recordings of us during a sound check at a local bar called "Smack Daddies".   Although not flattering in any way, they are fun to listen to and it helps old people like me remember what our old song list was like.   One thing about my band Flat Stanley is that we like to experiment with music.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  In this recording, it obviously doesn't work but it was an experiment and failures happen.  My singer hates swearing on the mic so during this song, he'd turn his head and swear off mic |O|.  Also, he loved fiddling with guitar leads during sound checks and the ending of this song is full of that.  I remember we use to play a song off Geddy Lee's solo album and that tanked pretty bad live.  Yes, it sucked.   We just couldn't handle half of the experimental stuff vocally.   Every band has it's embarrassments. ;-)  Other songs my friend gave me were "Grace to Grace" by Geddy Lee which we're brutal on,  "Lost and Found by Honeymoon Suite which sounds ok for the most part and lastly  "Too Much" by the Dave Mathews Band, which again, like the 9 Inch Nails cover, isn't flattering but it shows that we did put some work into attempting to make it work.


If you have a video or recording of your band doing the "wrong" material like my band and aren't afraid to shake your head and laugh, let me know and I'll post it.  I will post a few more of my band Flat Stanley's failures soon just for shits and giggles. ;-)  It's easy to post a vid or recording when you perform well, but I want to put a spin on it and show the flubs and imperfections.  We all have them. ;-)

Over that past 10 years I've created a few music forums and sites observing local musicians and their music and commenting on the good and or bad that these artists do.   Yeah, I know,  if you don't have anything good to say about anybody, don't say anything at all.  Sorry,  I'm just not into the bury your head in the sand style of  media.  I'm not saying it's wrong.  I'm just saying that there is always a story to tell and every aspect should be looked at and told, good or bad. 

I have looked at hundreds of local band videos over the years and even more recently as local bands jump on the Youtube band wagon for showcasing themselves.  When you watch a lot of these videos in repetition you start to see a lot of similarities between a lot of the local bands but you also see a lot of flaws or what I call shortfalls. Believe me, my own bands and music have their own short comings too so I'm not just picking on others.

What I have noticed is how many local bands tune their guitars down from their normally designed pitch, which is A440, the standard pitch for most guitars.    Yes, I know, rock guitarists always strive to get the the heaviest sound possible and tuning down appears to these players as achieving that, but you also lose massive amounts of clarity.   With it, the bass and vocals also have to come down in pitch to match.   What happens is that the guitar sounds start to sound similar with all these bands.   In my own opinion ;-)  the sound becomes a drone like sound comparable to the low note on a set of bag pipes.   Listening to an albums worth of tuned down guitars, just becomes, boring and quite frankly, sonically annoying.    I look at some of the pioneers of music like Led Zepplin,  Rush, Black Sabboth, Pink Floyd and more and can't believe the clarity in their music over some of this tuned down material you hear today.   In my own love of music, I prefer bands that experiment with tunings, but always keep the designed pitch the norm.   Some players like Stevie Ray Vaughn tuned a half step down (a single fret position) on their guitars to enable the use of extremely heavy gauges of strings for big tone.  By using heavy strings, it makes it hard to bend the string, so tuning a half step down, you enable flexibility in the string to bend it.   That said, there's really not a lot of bending in today's rock music to compare with Stevie's technique of bending.   Still, I can honestly say I'm sick of the tuned down sound.    Like I mentioned earlier, when watching local band videos, some of these bands are tuned so low that the strings are hanging off the guitar fret board and at that point, losing clarity.
A few years ago, a band called Big Wreck hit the charts and what I liked about their first album was that each song experimented with a different tuning.   They weren't the first to do this, but they reminded me of Zepplin when they use to experiment with tunings.   The bottom line is that it just makes the music sound more interesting.

My other hang up while watching the local bands vids and their originals is the lack of  the "hook" or  a definitive groove.  Maybe I'm old and that's not important anymore but sheesh, legends were made from those 2 key points. Also, the use of the basic boring bar chord is just so dull to me.   I constantly nag my own band about over using bar chords.   It's like the hammer on for guitarists.. I find it boring unless Van Halen is using them.  Have you ever seen a chord chart for guitar or piano?  There are TONS of interesting chords you can play yet most bands, especially local, focus on the extremely basic ones.   Yes, we all use them but is it too much to ask to use them sparingly?    Listening to Jazz and classical music opens the door to amazing chording  which in turn will make your music a bit more interesting.   Something has to change because I just find the original music in our city is slowly repeating itself and on every repeat, something else seems to get lost or eliminated.  Is it music in general that's losing it's luster?  It's possible.  I guess the term stagnant should be used.   My other observation is the lack of  good lead guitar work.  In some cases, guitar leads are non existent but when they are there, most aren't very good.   This is actually music wide not just local.  It's sad to say but Nirvana killed the guitar lead.  There is also the opposite view where over playing during a guitar lead ruined music which I can also agree with.  Somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot but it seems no one wants to try and achieve it anymore.

Drums are also losing their luster in the local music scene.   Where are the dynamic players??  In these local vids, the drummers are beating the crap out of the kit.  There is no dynamic at all.  Dynamics are what makes each player unique so without it, drummers start to sound alike.  Don't get me wrong.  There are good drummers out there but unique ones, not really.    I watched a lot of local bands at the KISS Battle contest a while back and only 2 stood out.   That's 2 out of a ton of bands.  The rest sounded like clones of the others which I found really odd. Of course, that again is my own opinion but the bottom line is that the rest of them all sounded like they were stamped out of the same mould.  That is what bothers me.   When you take away aspects of music like dynamics, tuning or  even inventive chord patterns, you're left with some pretty dull, uneventful music.  To add to that, vocal harmonies are not longer popular with local bands taking away yet another tool to be unique.   You're left with something so basic and bland that it feels like musicians have not evolved or learned a thing from their music history.

I guess I'm just discouraged by what I hear locally.  There are popular bands but none to me fit the bill as being unique or innovative.  I don't mean that as an insult but more so as an eye opener.  Maybe being unique is harder to achieve these days OR it's magical and only happens once in a while.  I'm not sure but I hope to see and hear something new soon as it's getting pretty dull.

glen "the freq"

It's apparent to me that the band KISS is not coming to the Sault without 1. a lot of money being waved in their faces no matter how much interest from fans there is  2.  A lot of begging and crying 3.  that Sault snow weather belt vanishes completely or the Sault moves closer to the equator. |O|

Everybody is writing about this and it's getting tired fast.   Instead of wasting our time on KISS coming here, let's try and get some other acts here that actually want to play here that can fill an arena.  The perfect scenario would be to have KISS at Runway Park where 1000's more could  attend but for some reason, the Essar is the focal point which is stupid since a summer outdoor show would be best.  As for the KISS Battle of the Bands show, welllllllll.  In my opinion, it was a farce from the get go.  It seemed odd that after this show, the radio stations sponsoring this Battle went amuck with firing people, changing formats and what not.   Is it all related?  I'm not sure but everything seems kinda connected.  You know me, I love to read between the lines and come up with conspiracy theories HA!  None the less KISS still hasn't played here and the winner of the contest Garden of Bedlam have hopefully moved on without this farce affecting them too much.  

I looked at the KISS tour schedule and there is space to add a few shows just before the Toronto date but why not just add the Sault date there in the first place if they had any intentions on playing it.   Who knows? 

Did I mention their latest album is horrible? Wow.  I'm not really a KISS fan but that's a pretty lame album, but then again, most of their newer albums are.  It seems the original lineup wrote the strongest music.  

So, stop holding your breath  for KISS and try and focus on more deserving acts to play the Sault.  The list is long.AC/ DC would be cool.  RUSH would be awesome.  Paul McCartney,  Porcupine Tree, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, etc.  Think people. :-)

Back in the late 90's early 2000 a band of 3 friends put together a bar band to try and get their feet wet in the local music scene in Sault Ste. Marie.  The musicians had played in various other bands prior to "Swamped" but this new band was to venture into original material.  The band played the Nicolet on occasions playing modern rock and some classic rock material and were generally well accepted.   Swamped also played a Queen Street show and if I remember correctly, played on the corner of Dennis and Queen Street along with other bands placed in different spots on Queen street.   The drummer Jeff Pennet played in the country rock band Marshal Law for years and after Swamped, drummed for me in a band called Route 69 while I played bass.  Jeff is what is known as a south paw drummer and set's his kit up rather oddly  but  it's a tribute to his dad who use to setup the same way.   The band went on to record an EP but for some reason, 2 songs from it ended up in my collection of tapes with no label unfortunately.   I've recently contacted Joby, singer/ guitarist for the band and he is going to give me  the entire EP but until then, I have converted the 2 songs I have to video and did a quick logo for it just to at least let you hear these 2 songs.   The band Swamped also played the Rotaryfest Parade one year and I actually filled in on drums for Jeff as he had a prior engagement.   We just played a bunch of old rock and roll covers but the band started to get a following as a party band during it's short life.   As with many bands,  the recording process seemed to end the life of Swamped and only these handful of recordings remain.  I asked Joby for photos but as of yet, he's not found any so all that we have is a part of the music. These recordings are horrible quality from an old tape so hopefully Joby gives me the released version of their album soon and I will edit the music on the vid.

Here are the members of Swamped:
Josh St. Amour - bass
Jeff Pennet - Drums
Joby McClelland - Vocals, Guitar

Swamped - "On and On Again"


Swamped - Walking the Tightrope

Yes boys and girls, there was a time when mega stars "RUSH" use to play the Memorial Gardens back
in the 1970's.   Rush played here a few times and all I can tell you is they were LOUD.    By the time their album Moving Pictures was released, Rush never returned to Sault Ste. Marie.   I would love it if they would but their stage production is so massive these days, I highly doubt they'd fit in the new Essar Center.  Anyways, here are 2 rare photos I have of Rush at the Memorial Gardens back in the 70's.   Rush was noted for having thick shag carpet on their stage back then.  Unfortunately it's not shown in the photos.  These 2 photos were submitted by me to Duane Roy who is writing a book about the  concerts at our old Memorial Gardens.  Duane wrote a book about the Castle Farms recently. 
"Castle Stories: A Rock and Roll Scrapbook" was released in mid-November. Published by Alloways Printing in Blind River, the 294-page softcover book boasts more than 300 photos and memories of concerts, including Judas Priest, Metallica, Ringo Starr and The Police, presented between 1976 and 1993 at the former concert venue in Charlevoix, Mich.



                 

"We're currently looking for a local band with a commentary sound and original material to be host of a new tv show for next fall. The show would be taped in our studios (new studio downtown) over a few days in the summer. If you're interested please e-mail me at craig@soonews.ca.

This is a post from my old Musician's Central forum.  It's been mentioned on other forums as well.  Interesting idea to say the least and at least it sounds like an original idea by Sault Ste. Marie standards.  ;-)
Hmmm.  A Freq-ish T.V. show would be fun...;-)
 

Every once in a while everyone get's involved with something that in the end, doesn't pan out.  The band "Crossbreed" was one such project for me.   "Crossbreed"  was the brainchld of guitarist/ singer  Mike Kienhoffer (Conan), bassist Bob Hollingshead, and little ole me Glen Thomas back in 2001.    The band was an all original music blues, rock band formed out of various side projects we'd all been in years before like "The 2nd Hand Band", "Big and Tall" and "The Kingtones".   Throughout the bands existence, over 30 songs were written and recorded in various stages of completion.  Everyone contributed to the music of Crossbreed but Mike lead the way in number of song ideas.   The band recorded most of the material on hardrive recorders, mainly off the floor but also a few were done via multitrack.   The unfortunate story of this band is that personal health and tragedy in my own life ended the band but what's even worse is that the best versions of  Crossbreed's music were lost due to equipment failure of the recording device.  Various backups were made throughout the process but not one finished version exists.   What these recordings DON'T show is how tight the band really was.  These versions are basically the test drafts of the writing process as we wrote the material.   There are some really crude recordings done with a single mic that show
 the bands ability to ad lib and come up with ideas also and  I may post those if I can improve the sound.

The band was scheduled to play the local Blues and Jazz Festival back in the early part of 2001 but the promoter of that show ended up sinking his own ship because of  bad business dealings so Crossbreed was sidelined for the show along with many other acts.   Crossbreed continued working on originals in the basement until we were asked to play an outdoor fund raiser.   On this occasion, Crossbreed played it's entire library of original material along with some cover material.   Unfortunately, the show wasn't recorded but the response to the music and the band was a great feeling for all the hard work we had put into the project.

No video or photos exist of the band.  Only these rough demos.  Sometimes you never think of taking pictures of certain things as you figure they'll always be there.   The band garnered much interest back in it's day but then I became ill and the band, it's name and it's music faded from the woodwork.  It took me well over 8 months to get well and all my music projects were retired at the time or in Crossbreeds case, finished altogether. I had thought of regrouping the band for some live shows but with the changes in music tastes  since the band's beginnings and venues not really catering to our style of music, I'm not sure there would be interest.  We'd probably die a fast death. ;-)    Still, with it's vast collection of more than 30 songs sitting in a basement box of tapes, it might be an interesting quest to pursue.  Maybe Crossbreed should breath again.  I'm just not sure. We shall see.

Crossbreed was a great bunch of guys who loved jamming and recording but most of all writing material.  It's sad that my own problems in my life laid the band to rest but maybe it was meant to be.   My only wish is that I had the best versions of the material to showcase.     In the meantime,  I have made a few videos of our songs using the graphic I had designed for the band years ago.    You can now listen to 6 ultra rare songs from the local Sault band, Crossbreed.

Crossbreed is one of many local bands that most people didn't even know existed so enjoy this rare taste of  Crossbreed's long lost music.  If you like what you hear, please pass the music on to your friends with our blessings for listening to it.

Glen "the Freq" Thomas


Crossbreed - I'm On Fire


Crossbreed - Fields of Grey


Crossbreed - Time


Crossbreed - Creole Moon


Crossbreed - Roll On


Crossbreed - The River

1. "Swamped", the band you didn't know existed and the music they created that local media snubbed.

2. Video Interview with Flat Stanley

3. "Rush" in the Sault?

Substance abuse has always been a huge problem amongst musicians and yes, the problem plagues some of our local musicians too.   It's a growing problem that not only ruins the lives of these musicians but it really doesn't help the music they create.   Some say chemicals help stimulate the creative side of the brain when writing material but if that is in fact true, what is the cost?   I personally see no gains at all but I do see a lot of personal destruction.

My own life was surrounded by some that were alcoholics and drug addicts.   My own father fell to alcohol and finally took his own life.  My stepfather too had his problems with alcohol but won the battle in the end.   I've also lost a few friends to drug abuse.  I'm not going to sit here and preach the rights and wrongs of what this stuff does to you because simply put, I'm not a scientist or researcher.  I don't have the ultimate facts.   All I can do is let you know what I've experienced in my own life.

Throughout my own music career in the Sault,  I've watched some fabulous musicians  be eaten up by the drug culture that seems to always go hand in hand with the music scene.   It's actually so much broader than music but at some point, the music scene got blamed as being the worst for it.    I've always had an extreme hatred for drugs and alcohol.   Anyone who knows me personally or has played in any of the bands I've had over the years knows that to be true.    Nowhere in my personal life will you find alcohol or drugs.   When you see a family member self destruct and while doing so, ruin the lives of others, it's a strong signal that none of this stuff is good.    I'm a quick learner ;-)   Growing up I was amazed at how much alcohol took over my dad.   You could see it taking over him and as it did, you saw the chain reaction envelop  the people around him.   For me,  I had the will to never fall into the dark hole of alcohol.   The label "social drinker" just puzzled me and upset me.   Even to this day people come up to me and say,  "oh, you don't drink? "  Like I'm the abnormal one.   I also here the "I just drink to be social" line a lot.   You don't need to fill your body full of chemicals to be "social".    Sadly, a lot of my close friends are falling into the alcohol and chemical trap and the cost is so great that only when you're on the outside of the picture looking in, do you see it.   Some of these close friends are musicians.

I've never understood why so many people just don't say "NO" to all this stuff.  You're taught that it hurts you.  You're taught it can ruin your life.  You're taught that recovery is very slim in most cases, yet, people still fill their bodies with it.   Is it that there is an abundance of simple minded people that just can't understand that or are there just that many people set on killing themselves?   Is there nothing else in this vast world that you could fill your life with that doesn't involve alcohol and drugs? Honestly, is there nothing???  I've never had a problem with saying no to it but as I've gone through life, this seems rare amongst so many others.   I'm also not into the excuses blaming one's childhood as a reason for taking this stuff.   You're taught to not use it and you're taught the consequences, so why even try it?  Once you've crossed the line of "trying it", you're no longer following logic.

Over the years in bands I've had to play on stage with musicians that just have to have alcohol and chemicals in their life.   They feel it makes them a better player.  It really doesn't but they seem to believe it.  If there is a gain,  the loses are always far greater.   There is no balance with this crap because in most cases, it causes a negative that harms health and judgment  and or other people (family, friends, work). There is also the "craving" factor where it becomes apparent you "need" to have this in your system.   People have always asked me why I'm so serious when I play on stage.  It's simple.  I am extremely focused and while I'm on stage I listen to my own playing and making sure I play the best I can but I also focus on the playing of my fellow bandmates.   I enjoy giving 100 percent during my performance.  This is my love and this is my natural high.  I enjoy the strive to become a better player and performing the best I can.   I rarely achieve a perfect performance but that's always my goal.   When bandmates are under the influence, it affects my own playing.   Having a good time playing live is me trying to achieve a solid performance out of myself but also the band.   Some bands I've been with (not my own personal bands) have been on the floor drunk while playing and I've not stayed long in that environment.    These particular bands never understand why I would leave just because of that.   That's how lost I think these people are.  They don't realize they're making a mess out of themselves and that I want no part of their self destruction.    This has happened recently with a band I was playing with.   It's not funny and it's not enjoyable to watch a bandmate falling down drunk in a bar or get so wired on chemicals, he forgets he's playing an instrument.   How can this possibly be enjoyable for an audience to watch?  The fact is, it's not.   It's a false illusion.  What you are doing is killing yourself for an audience.  Slowly but surely, you are ruining your life in public view.   That's the way I see it.   True, it may not be in a single nights performance, but over a month, a year, 2 years, etc... it's self destruction and you're letting an audience witness it.  For me, I would rather my epitaph say I was a good musician rather than "he died of self destruction".

In my opinion, creativity is in all of us and it's up to the individual to find it and bring it out if that's what they desire.   Creativity is a "natural" part of being human and it should be brought out in a way that doesn't require chemicals.  Alcohol and chemical consumption is not part of human existence.   It is ironic though that a human created alcohol and the chemicals that destroy 1000's of lives each year.  It makes me wonder if these creators died by their own invention.

At this moment in time, 2 of my friends are being overtaken by chemical and alcohol abuse.  It's a dangerous step as their personal lives have hit rock bottom.  My point will always be that these abuses will never lift you above rock bottom at these times in your lives but the alcohol and drugs will bury you in the floor of the bottom you have hit.  Yes, I am blunt in my hatred for booze and drugs.   I don't have to have tried them to know the damage they've caused.   I have lived around it and believe me, that's the clearer picture.

Eventually the human body burns out from such abuse and it usually leaves a wake of destruction around the individual that abused his or her life OR in some instances, they die alone.   The ones with will power sometimes find a way out of the hole but lots of people give over their freedom to addiction.   They simply give up, saying they can't fight it anymore OR they give in thinking this lifestyle is fun and chant the death line, " I can handle it". The plain fact is  you can't handle something that overtakes your mind and your body.  That's the logic.

I am worried about these people in my life as they seem to be on a course of self destruction.   A few of us are concerned and will intervene soon.  We have to.  These people are our friends but most of all, have so much yet to give in their lives.

glen "the freq"

I first met Patrick Stewart around 1997 in good ole Sault Ste. Marie. Patrick was selling life insurance at the time but as a sideline, he was a singer/guitarist looking to record his first album. My bass player at the time introduced him to me and we connected a bit over the next few months. He would show up at my band's gigs and ask to come up and sing a few songs and we had some good times. He was doing his own solo shows around town trying to build an audience, which he did. He was a strong singer and solid acoustic folk guitarist. The most enjoyable part of Pat's original music was his ability to tell a very clear story. His lyrics drew you in so easily that you felt you were on the same journey he had ventured to get the inspiration to write a particular song.

Patrick was now set to record his first album in 1997 but he had no experience with the recording studio. In true Sault Ste. Marie fashion, producers always seem to come out of the woodwork to volunteer to hopefully do good or in some cases, make a mess of the entire process. Recording for this album would be done at Satellite Sound Studios (now long gone). There was no doubt that Patrick wrote some strong songs and could have easily gone in and done his album with just himself and an engineer and had a project to be proud of at a minimal cost. I also believe that if you're doing your own album just as a demo or to sell locally, you don't really need a producer to control every aspect of the album. In Patrick's case, it was a signal for disaster.

At the time Patrick started recording his album, he had musicians lined up to perform on it along with a producer. He also had a graphic artist for the album's sleeve design. At the time, I was enjoying my own bands and playing around town when one day, I got a desperate call from Patrick saying that things weren't going well and asked if I would play drums and percussion on his album. I said absolutely, I'd love to. As it happened, the producer he had hired in good faith was running way over budget and he and the producer were locking heads at the direction of the project. Strange how some think they know how your song should be. It had gotten ugly and Patrick's spirits were sinking fast. When I got there, my bass player was in tow and we simply told Patrick to play his songs the way he always did in his solo shows and just get the engineer to press record. My bass player and I also said to just have fun and let what happens on tape, happen. The album process picked up speed and for the new batch of musicians, it was an absolute pleasure performing on the remainder of the album. The last song on the album "Maggie Malone" was the entire band just goofing around in one corner of the studio having a blast. Once the album was finally recorded and we listened back to it in the control room, we realized we had a beautiful piece of folk music created.

With the album complete, Patrick set out to perform shows but he also wanted to find a unique way to promote his album. He came up with a brilliant idea that to this day still puts a smile on my face. Patrick decided to approach the Agawa Canyon Train folks and become a singing linesman. They LOVED the idea. Patrick dressed up as a train linesman in vintage clothes and sang a 15 minute set in each train car throughout the trip to Agawa and back. To do this with some kind of amplification, he bought a small P.A. system on wheels that he could sing through and plug his acoustic guitar in yet have the ability to roll it from train car to train car. The audience ate this up like gang busters. He was a huge hit with the tourists and sold tons of copies of his album. He did this for 2 years until he was burnt out from playing and singing. That was a lot of singing especially during the hot summer months but it was worth the effort.

Patrick went on to play out of town and as quietly as he came into the Sault music scene, he mysteriously faded away. I've not heard from him in 10 years and there isn't a sample of his music anywhere that I can find on the internet.

Patrick was a super sweet guy that always had a story to tell. I'll always have fond memories of ordering Mrs. B's Pizza with the band while recording his album at Satellite Sound and then after a session going over to the Stonewalls bar to unwind after a night of recording with the entire band and engineer. Listening to the album as I write this today is a real treat. ;-) It's a shame this album was only done on cassette as there are some beautiful songs on here that should be redone on CD. Probably one of the best songs on the album is "Autumns Turning". That is my personal favourite. It's basically just Patrick and his guitar, a mandolin, harmonica and a backing vocal. It's got this haunting sound to it that makes it stand out from the rest of the album. Great song!!! Another personal fave is the song "Saskatchewan Moon". It was fun to play drums to but it's just an enjoyable song to listen too and it has a fun groove to it.

I really don't know what became of Patrick as some musicians only cross musical paths once or twice in a life time and never see each other again. I do hope he's still playing music as he does have a great gift. For me to be able to let you hear a few tracks of this wonderful album, I had to convert copies of the cassette to digital format which has limited sound quality just because I have a crappy tape deck but at least you will get a taste of the music of Patrick Stewart. I have created an album preview video with segments of each song for you to hear the music and view the album art.

Here is the song order of Patrick Stewart's One Road album.

1. Fee For the Fiddler
2. Whiskey Bay
3. Saskatchewan Moon
4. Autumn's Turning
5. Your Back Pocket
6. About A Train
7. Come Back Home
8. Herself Surprised
9. Piers
10.When She Flies
11.Maggie Malone

Musicians involved were as follows:

Patrick Stewart - Lead Vocals, Guitars
Rick Deevey - Guitars, Mandolin, Whistles, Vocals
Glen Thomas - Percussion, Drums, Vocals (Tracks 3,4,5,7,10,11)
George Ravlich - Bass
Jim Young - Guitar, Mandolin, Harmonica, Vocals
Rick Datson - Drums (Tracks 1,6)
Pierre Schryer - Fiddles
Mike Case - Banjo
Kelly McGillivray - Vocals

There are few musicians in Sault Ste. Marie that have the talent of Michael Yurich.  It's that simple.  He is a master of guitar, piano and vocals and on top of that I would almost say a music historian as you could talk hours about bands and their careers with him.. He has played in the Sault for years but also across Canada with many bands.  During those Sault years, his bands were top draws in our local bars and even today he is remembered for his talents and the bands he had.   His blues rock country band "The Vikings" were well known here, packing bars with their vast variety of music.  Mike was in charge of his bands in both sound, style and material.  He also knew how to get gigs and he rarely went a weekend without playing.  How do I know this?  Easy.  I spent 2 years playing and touring with Mike in the Viking band. ;-)  In my 30 years as a musician, I've never learned as much about music as I did playing in the Viking band with Mike.  Throughout those 2 years we worked pretty much every day.  We'd work full and partial weeks and toured on both the U.S. side of the border and Southern Ontario.  He simply found the work, and we followed.   Mike set the tone for songs and how they were to be arranged.  All we had to do was learn our stuff and show up.  It was all done for us.  You might call it a band on cruise control.

As a musician, I was in awe of his playing.   To watch him have a guitar strapped around his neck and play some great stuff and then walk over to the keyboards and play some boogie woogie piano line and then yank out a harmonica and play that all in the same song while punching out vocals was absolutely impressive.  In all the time I worked with him, I respected him and what he was doing.  Not everything was rosie but I will say that I left that band a far better musician with a respect for many more styles of music.  Mike recently showcased his talents for the wonderful local concert "18 Forever" where he was a backup musician and soloist for a number of the bands participating.  That show alone was a blast to see.

Mike's new album "Catching Up" is a bit mellower than some of the material we use to play in the Vikings band but his talent is easily displayed on this CD.  Mike is like many musicians doing their own home recording these days.  The album contains 10 songs that range between jazz and blues and it also contains songs I did with Mike on stage many times which are "World of Silence" and "Constantly Blue" both being crowd faves at our shows.  I remember us arranging these songs in his old apartment on Woodward Ave. back in the day.  Mike's lead guitar playing is extremely melodic on this CD and the interplay between that and his singing  is a true strong point on this album.  Filling in the spaces of a song with beautiful guitar riffs is Mike's trademark.   Mike gave me this album a few years ago and it was in my player for a while.   The only negative thing  about the album is that it uses electronic drums and drum machines which actually surprises me because Mike is a huge fan of drummers and real drums.   This album is not for everyone only because blues and jazz seem to turn people off these days but it's a great way to hear a solid Sault musician who opened the doors for a lot of other musicians in this city. I hope those musicians gave this CD a listen in support.

Now, the unfortunate part is that the change in music over the years makes it hard for talented players to keep up to the pace.  You have to adapt and evolve in some ways.   The music scene did change and has continued to change and not all for the good.  With that, Mike relocated to Sarnia last I heard which is actually a regular stomping ground for him.   I just know Mike will play guitar until his last breath.  It's probably his most loyal friend and it's got him out of tough spots throughout his life.  ;-)

Here is the track listing for the album  Catching Up.
1. Catching Up with the News
2. Close the Door
3. Singing the Blues
4. Constantly Blue
5. Didn't Say Goodbye
6. I know
7. Walk Away
8. World of Silence
9. You're No Angel
10.Into the Light

I see no signs of this album for sale on line but I'm sure it's in some of the local Sault CD joints. Definitely try the Rad Zone as they are amongst the biggest supporters of local talent.

Here is Mike playing "Constantly Blue" from the CD, live, a song I did with him many times in the past and he still sings and plays it beautifully.  Enjoy

Many may not know this and might not care but many years ago, the one, the only Buddy Rich and his Swingin' Big Band graced the stage of the White Pines Auditorium back in the 1980's.   Who is Buddy Rich you ask?
Buddy is said to be the world's greatest drummers and if you do a history check on him and read articles of other famous drummers, you know this to be true.  One just has to listen to his vast music contributions or even watch videos of his stunning playing with his band to get what people are talking about.  Buddy Rich is said to have been a true natural on a drum kit.   Having started to play at the age of 2 in a Vaudeville stage act, he quickly became a jazz music icon with almost supernatural talent.   His technique on the drums eclipses most drummers to this day.   With his orchestra he was able to focus on and hear every instrument playing on stage and knew if  certain musicians weren't pulling their weight.  His mind was able to grasp all these players performances plus give a stellar one himself.  You can see him doing that  on some videos when he's looking around at his band members.. He ran his bands strictly and was easily a perfectionist.  Many of us discovered Buddy Rich on his many visits on the Johnny Carson show back in the 1970's.    For me, it was a ritual of sorts as when I knew he was on, I'd have my old Sears hand held tape deck recording his performance off the T.V. speaker. No multitasking systems back then.   I would then try to learn some of what he did.   For any drummer, just to learn one small thing by Buddy Rich was a challenge.   It is said that drummers around the world are still trying to figure out some things he did and I've even read artilcles by the famous drummers Dave Weckl and Steve Smith who state this.   It is also said Buddy took many of his drumming secrets to his grave.

I was so lucky in my life to have seen Buddy Rich perform HERE in Sault Ste. Marie back in 1980.
Buddy was at his peak in popularity at that time but as a drummer, he was always at his peak.  I've just never seen anyone play that consistently in my life before or since seeing Buddy live.    My seat was so close
to the front of the stage that I could see him clear as day.   Yes, I wish I was dead center but I had great seats none the less.  The first thing I remember about the show was the power of his band when they kicked into the first song.   It shocked the hell out of me.   What a force of music.   The audience was in awe almost immediately. I couldn't take my eyes off that stage as for me and I'm sure a lot of others it was like a religious experience.  Yes, we were in front of the god of drums. ;-)   During his band's performance he featured numerous members in his band as they had their solo spots.  Buddy himself  was featured in 3 absolutely stunning solos and all 3 solos were drastically different.   Most of us can barely come up with one |O|.  During the performance though, Buddy stopped his band in the middle of a song to actually tell the person running the spot light to focus on the musician soloing and not just him.   Buddy was upset that the spotlight focus was always on him.   You could tell he was ticked off but anyone who knew about Buddy's history, knew he would let you have it if you ticked him off or weren't doing something right.  Like I said, he was a perfectionist.   The show was truly amazing and the aura of that show has never ever left me.  It has inspired me to this day and Buddy's playing still inspires me like 1000's of others.

What saddens me is that  Buddy died too soon.   One of his final series of performances was with Frank Sinatra and he had not lost his stride one bit.   He was still amazing in a live video of this show even though he was physically frail.   Buddy had so many heart attacks and heart surgeries in his life and none of that affected him or his playing.  It actually made him up his performance.   He was inhuman.   It is said that after his 2nd heart attack, he was back on stage only a few days later, ripping up the drums.

What angers me about the younger generation of musicians is that they never seem to research the history of music.   Many people love drummers like John Bonham, Neil Peart,  Dave Weckl and more but don't realize how much these people ripped off Buddy Rich's licks.  Some have even taken credit for something that was clearly Buddy Rich.   One of these is Tommy Lee of Motley Crue who did the spinning drumset thing.   This is a Buddy Rich gimmick that was done a bit more crudely but it was still Buddy Rich.   His drumset rolled to the side where as Tommy Lee's rolled foward.  Still, it's Buddy who did it first.   Buddy did this for a fun thing as he didn't need gimmicks with the talent he had.  Some have said John Bonham had the greatest bass drum foot for what he used to do.  He is great BUT Buddy did all that long before Bonham.   My key point is research your music history and see where your favourite drummer or musicians influences take you.  Buddy Rich had his influences but the difference is that Buddy was a leader and an innovator.  It is stated in the book  " Traps, the Drum Wonder: The Life of Buddy Rich" by Mel Torme that Buddy Rich was the greatest drummer to have ever drawn breath.  To the many thousands of people who saw him live, you know this to be true.   I am happy to say that I saw him live and I agree with Mel. ;-)

The ticket shown above is my own from 1980 and it's one of my most prized possessions.

Glen "the Freq".

Brian Tremblay is a successful Sault business man, photographer, writer, father and musician.  His musical roots come from his total love of the Beatles and their music.  His music career actually started around the same time as mine.  Actually, we were in a few bands together in our highschool days playing Knack songs and tunes by The Cars.  His original goal in life was to be a broadcaster and he did do that for some time but along the way, he was bitten by the photography bug and has excelled at that throughout his life.  I remember Brian having a dark room for photography in his mom's home.  Throughout his musical career Brian has had his ups and downs with the local music scene just like we've all had, but at one point, he quit altogether.  BUT, music has a strange way of pulling you back in and that happened with Brian.  In the early years Brian wanted to do something unique with the creation of a "tributes style" show band but at the same time wanted to make money at it.  That is very hard to do in the Sault.  He found out that the Sault doesn't take kindly to change nor does it really give you a chance to explore that far from it's center ground.   With growing frustration, he quit.  I had long talks with him about the music scene saying you have to do it for the love of it first and if money happens, great but if you're out for the money first, the Sault isn't the place to be music wise.   Well, I'm not quite sure his opinions have changed but he did throughout all of his hard work discover the freedom and pleasure of writing and recording his own music.   Brian has already released one album "Road Hockey"  locally and he just released "Steel Man" his follow up album.

Brian just seems to love writing and I can only assume that it gives him a freedom that doing cover material never gave him.   I can relate to that. ;-)   Steel Man is an album of memories for Brian and even myself because I know some of the topics he's singing about because we both lived pretty much in the same area.
Brian and I have been friends for years and have experienced similar things musically.  Brian's music surprises me in that I don't hear his Beatles influences in the music but again, the lyrics I do relate to.   Some songs from his first album related  to growing up playing street hockey or when milk was actually delivered to your door every morning in glass bottles.   Yuppers, I remember those days. I'm old. |O|   Milk tasted so good back then. ;-)  His songs are almost a history lesson on life in the Sault in the late 60's early 70's.   Brian's new album "Steel Man"  has some darker subject matter which include, dealing with bouts of depression but also upbeat songs of his teenage years and the love in his life.   After listening to all the samples on his promo site you can tell his music has grown since his first album but he also keeps a light hearted fun approach to some of his songs too.  The title track "Steel Man" is about his dad Ted who passed away some years ago.  I knew his dad and I'm sure he'd be proud of what Brian has accomplished.

Brian has been involved with guitarist/ engineer Rusty McCarthy who helped him out with the production side of his albums and all the hard work shows in the final product.   Brian's live band is Buffalo Alice and some of his original material gets played at their shows.  This year, Brian's band finally hits the Rotaryfest main stage so his music will hit a wider audience.   His wife Lynn, a great singer in her own right,  is also in the band and contributes to his albums.

I've known Brian for decades and one thing I love about him is that he's not afraid to voice his opinion.  I respect that.  Some just beat around the bush with what they want to say but Brian lets you know what's on his mind without flinching.  Hmmmm. Kinda like me ;-)   Some frown on that but Brian is still recording and performing and most of all, doing it his way, while others have faded away.   That's gotta mean something. ;-)

Brian's music can be found on the CDbaby website at the link below.  You can buy his albums or individual songs. Be sure to check his band out at the Rotaryfest concerts this July.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/BrianTremblay1

To Many, Robin Campbell was the Sault's answer to Sanford and Son or  junk collector Eustace Haney
on the Green Acres t.v. shows.   Robin was the ultimate collector, pack rat and smiling flim flam man.   He was quite the character yet to most of us, he was a wonderful person, eager drummer and singer, good friend and father, but most of all,  someone that just lit up a room when he walked in.  I knew Robin for decades and enjoyed many hours of talking about cars, drums and life in general.   Robin had the knack for finding gold mines of rare musical instruments in his travels and getting them dirt cheap.   Of course he always wanted to make a huge profit so you had to know how to bicker price when dealing with Robin.   If he liked you, he'd cave on price as long as you stayed and talked with him a while. :-)   For years, Robin drove a van that was full top to bottom with used music gear to sell or trade.   When he found something you might need, he would pretty much drive to your house and start his mobile auction at your door step.  He use to make me laugh when he'd come to my home because as he was talking the sale of the stuff he had, he would be scanning your yard, garage or basement for stuff  he wanted to buy from you even though it wasn't for sale.    I owned a 1964 Corvette years ago and he tried his hardest to trade stuff for that car.   He loved cars.  Robin use to drive an MG car if I remember correctly but he had so many that I'm not sure of the model.   One of the last and Robin's most favourite drumsets was his Rogers cutting board finish drums.   They were mint and he bragged about them so much.  The kit was beautiful.  I last saw that drumset in Robin's new garage that he built but sadly didn't enjoy long.

Robin use to visit so many bands on a weekend and each bar he visited loved it when he got up and sang.  He had a huge fan base.   I always let Robin up to sing a few songs of which one of his faves was the Chuck Berry classic "Johnny Be Good".   The place would go nuts.   To a younger crowd you might shrug your shoulders now a days and not think twice about this person singing but Robin had a giant personality that touched people more than anyone I've known since.  True, you may not have had the chance to have known him very well, but bring his name up in a conversation with older musicians and they'll know who he was instantly.   He was one of a kind.

Robin eventually retired the van and started a flea market on Bruce Street.   Sadly the building is long gone and is a vacant lot now but at the time, It was huge.   I have great memories of that place because it was a watering hole for musicians even though Robin was selling everything under the sun.  He still had a corner for music gear.   My favourite vision of Robin is going into that shop and seeing him sitting next to his antique fridge (1940's) and him sucking back a pop. He loved soda.  He drank a lot of pop in his final years.   Robin's business moved onto Queen Street for a short time and then one more time to Wellington Street.

I knew at the time he was moving his shop around that he was on hard times financially but he was still chipper and he always seemed to hide his disappoint from you but if you knew him like me and a few others, you knew something wasn't right.  Around the time he moved his shop to Wellington Street, I had my own flower shop with my wife on upper Wellington Street and we'd visit each other every other day.  Instead of trading music gear, we were trading flowers and nick nacks |O|.   One day, I went to his shop and it wasn't open.    I thought it was strange but never thought too much about it but asked fellow musicians what was up.  No one knew.    Less than 2 weeks later, Robin was dead.    Rumour has it he went in to the hospital complaining of stomach pain.  He needed an operation and during the operation found out he was full of cancer.   I'm not sure if this is true or not but I do know he was fine the last time I saw him which was 2 weeks before his death.   Robin was in my store chatting up a storm like he always did.  To say it was a shock was an understatement.   To go from laughing together one day and then never seeing him again a few
weeks later was a shock.

His store and the items in it were liquidated and a lot of us musicians were there for that.  It was a sad end for such a sweet guy.   I still have an eerie feeling when I think about being their during that sale of his property.  Most of us musicians didn't buy a thing.   In my case, like many others, we were there to pay our respects like we always did at his store when he was alive.   The building was broken down and just crammed full of stuff.   It's just a haunting memory for me. Seeing his old desk empty was heart breaking.

Robin's funeral was attended by many musicians as almost every musician at that time knew him.

It's been a long time since his death and I can probably speak for most musicians that knew him that we're
all missing him in our lives in some small way.   When I walk into a pawn shop or music store and see some old used music gear, a thought of him always pops into my mind and I just know he's looking down over my shoulder trying to bicker the price. |O|   I have an old Broadview Snare that he gave me that I still have.  It's broken with no skins on it.  It's rare.   He wanted a fortune for it when he first got it but then one day, he just
gave it to me and smiled and said have a nice day.   I never fixed the snare and it remains in that same condition because in a way,  it reminds me of him.   He always tried to sell you broken stuff and this snare just makes me smile |O|.   I miss him.

glen "the freq"

I'm looking for info about these musicians and bands of the Sault's past music scene.

Keith Danby - guitar                                                                                                                                      Dan Boden - bass
Armstrong - drummer
Screwge - band
Old Hat - band
Undercover - band

Who is Mike Cliffe you ask?  Mike is a guitarist/ song writer from Sault Ste. Marie.  He is in my opinion one of the more unique song writers in our area.  To my ears, Mike's writing is truly experimental and all about expression.  He doesn't stick to one style nor does he seem to want to bite into what is mainstream music.  I first connected with Mike's music on the Revernation site where tons of independent artists like Mike and myself showcase our music.  He has easily 50 songs on his site that range from rock to the ultimate edge of bizarre.   I can honestly say I've not heard anyone like this locally.  For me, the outer edge of creativity whether it appeals to the masses or not, appeals to me.  Experimental music has always been part of my life.
Listening to Mike's music just keeps me wondering what he'll dream up next.   I've mentioned to Mike that his music should be a score to a movie which is my own objective when writing music.   Mike's music is not for everyone but I don't think that bother's him at all.  He is a writing machine and I think deep down that if you like just a part of what he's doing, he's happy with that but the bottom line, he's a writer just for pure enjoyment.    Mike is one of the many independent musicians writing songs but also recording their material within the walls of their own homes these days.  With full control and enough gear to get the job done, the freedom to write and record on home computers has never been easier.

Recently, Mike asked me to do a drum track for a song of his called "Bad Regime".   It's an interesting concept in that we aren't playing in the same building.   He recorded his guitar track to a click track on his software and then sent me the sound file and the speed settings of the song.  All this was sent via the internet.  I then loaded his guitar part into my computer using my own software and set the speed to his settings.  I then recorded my drum parts.  I then send my drum sound file back to him and he places it in his computer as he will be putting it all together.   He also has a female singer from over seas doing keyboards and vocals on the song.   If it works great, but if it doesn't, it's still a unique experience to try.   I've done it with other players and the results are quite cool. ;-)  One thing about Mike is that he is constantly listening to new artists and their music and passing his findings on to others.  There isn't a day that goes by without a Mike Cliffe recommendation popping up on Facebook of some new artist he likes.   Being that I love new music, I always make an effort to check his links out.

Mike's influences are similar to mine which are the, Jeff Beck, King Crimson (Robert Fripp), Hendrix, Zappa arena of music.   His music is out there but if you want to hear something outside the box,  give Mike's  music a listen.  Visit his website at the link below.

http://www.reverbnation.com/mikecliffe

For those interested, there is a musician's union here in Sault Ste. Marie.  The exact title is the American Federation of Musicians or AFM.  Here are the details.

Buried in the archives of our local library is a very rare and forgotten album by a group of Sault musicians called "Northern Heartbeat". This album was compiled and recorded in April of 1998 for what was called the Sault's Homecoming which brought back many Sault folks that had moved away, back for a festival. It was a huge undertaking to put this project together but it did happen and it was a great success. Unknown to almost everyone was the production of an album for this festival which was to be a compilation of original music by local artists. The theme was to have material related to the Sault or Algoma region. Many musicians either submitted songs or were hired to record new songs for the album. I was part of this and recorded drums for 4 new songs. The producer of this project was folk singer song writer Patrick Stewart. It was recorded at Satellite Sound by Bob Macleod and all the graphics were done by Rick Deevey. Rick's paintings are also featured on the inner liner of this CD. Visit Rick's site here.  Rick Deevey's Art and Music Site

The album contained 18 songs plus a 19th song hidden at the end of the CD which only a handful of people knew about, including me. ;-) The album was completed on time and was ready to be sold at the Homecoming event but then it quickly vanished and as far as I know, the album was never made for public sale. Why you ask? There lies the mystery.

Rumours went around that a person on the Homecoming committee wrote a song for the album but was infuriated with how the song turned out. This person only wrote the words and had no musical background but left it in the hands of the producer to make a song out of it. This person heard the song after the album was printed so by then, it was too late to change anything. This person ended up sacking the entire album because their song didn't turn out the way they imagined. They never once came to the sessions so there was no way to anticipate the outcome. This is the story I've heard but no matter what, the album just vanished. Somewhere in Sault Ste. Marie there are boxes of this album with an inch of dust on them. How was the album? Overall, it's pretty sappy and dated in sound but there are moments that do shine. My memory of it is the enjoyment I got out of playing with musicians I  never had a chance to play with prior to that album. It was also one of the last projects Satellite Sound did on that scale before closing.

Recently, I revisited the music on this album as it appears I am one of the few that has a copy.  A keyboardist on the project Eugene Gassi asked me to give him a copy of the song he wrote for the album.  Like I said, there are good and bad moments on the album but the work involved was something to be proud of.  This was done at a time when the music scene was hopping locally.  It was quite the melting pot of musicians on this disc.

Producer Patrick Stewart had his own album out at the time called "One Road" which I also took part in and he was sneaky enough to slip one of his songs on the Northern Heartbeat album as a hidden track.  The only way to hear this song was to play track #18 and continue to let it play after the song ended.  After 43 seconds silence, a race car sound is heard and then Patrick's hidden track starts to play.  BRILLIANT!  I came across the track by accident when I first heard the CD on my home stereo.  In my opinion, it's one of the better songs on the album.

You can find a copy of this album at your local library apparently, if you feel you are interested in hearing it.  I've seen it advertised on the Library site.   I may post the hidden track by Patrick Stewart in a later post.

glen "the freq"

Always a great supporter of local musicians and music collectors, Len and the staff at the Rad Zone are always interested in the local music scene.  You will see Len at the Rotaryfest 2nd Stage events helping to sell products of Sault musicians.  They always have a spot on their shelves for locally produced works.  The Rad Zone also carries collector books, comics, rare LP records and some collector toys along with it's vast CD selection.  They also deal in used stereo equipment.  I recently purchased some JBL speakers for my recording studio there.
If you are looking for hard to find items, they do order material in.   Len found some ultra rare recordings of a band I love called The Easybeats. ;-)   Check out the Rad Zone in the Wellington Square Mall.  

First on the list in the new CD "Spin" by Big Wheel and the Spokes. Featuring the talents of JAY CASE ~ guitar, vocals, CLIFF ALLOY ~ drums, backing vocals, FRANK DERESTI ~ bass, backing vocals. The music is a smooth merger of jazz, blues and funk.
I immediately hear influences of "The Meters" in a few of their tunes who are among my favourite bands. ;-) There is also a James Brown influence. The album was recorded live off the floor at Stereo Soul Studio here in Sault Ste. Marie. Another sweet addition is a horn section on the album. Big Wheel and the Spokes are embarking on a short summer tour so check them out if you can. They presently tour as a 3 piece.

Listen to a few tracks off their new and past albums on their official site below.
Big Wheel and the Spokes


Next on the list are local rockers "Wishbone" who's second album should be coming out any day now. The title was supposedly "St. Misery" but rumour has it that may have changed. No word on the new title yet. The 2nd album was recorded in late 1999 and early 2010 at Stereo Soul Studio in Sault Ste. Marie. Their first album "Making Wishes Breaking Bones" garnered pretty good interest and sales and sold well over 400 copies in a short time last year. While that album was still warm, Wishbone decided to go back in the studio to nail down a follow up. The new album contains a better variety of songs and easily shows the band experimenting in new directions. Song's like "The Messenger" and "Dream the Dream" are destined to become fan favourites judging by the band's performance of these songs live at last years Rotaryfest. Wishbone has undergone a few member changes in it's history but for the sake of the music, both of the albums recorded were done by this line up. DENNIS DUGUAY guitar and vocals, GLEN THOMAS on Drums and vocals, JEREMEY SALATUK on guitar and vocals, CHRIS SMITH on bass and vocals. Yes, I'm the drummer on these 2 albums :-) You can listen to 3 new songs off the new album on their myspace page or you can also visit the Wishbone Tribute page at the links below. Wishbone is probably one of only a few local rock bands that are not in the metal style. I like to call that "old school" rock. ;-) Influences range from Big Sugar, Thin Lizzy, Gun's and Roses and even Blue Rodeo yet, in their music, it's hard to see that but it's there. :-)

The Official Wishbone Site
Wishbone Tribute Site

I am on the search for old drums or drumsets in any condition. For years I have been restoring drumsets as a hobby but also for Christmas Cheer. I'll fix kits up and pick a family to give a drumset to who really can't afford one just to help get their kids into music. I'm also into collecting drumsets of special interest. These kits can just be that they have a unique finish, or hardware or even sound. Most of the kits I collect are pre 1970's but I will consider any kit and at least have a look at it. I am always looking for Gretsch and Slingerland drums in any condition but also Ludwig, Yamaha, Coronet, Stewart, Hoshino, Leedy, Tempo, Star, etc. If you have any old kits or pieces lying around, let me know. We'll wheel and deal. If you're scrapping something, let me know first. I may be interested.

Message me here ;-)

glen "the freq"

It's Rotarfest time again and what better way to celebrate the Sault's arts than by showcasing original music and artwork this July. Submissions are now being taken for this years line up which will be held on July 16th, 2010. Visit the web site to enter the show. You will see two sections on the right side of the official Rotaryfest 2nd Stage site. One for artists, and one for musicians. If you're a musician, you must submit 3 to 5 original songs, including a photo and a short bio.
It's a well organized event and normally sound is provided by Crank Sound Distribution. They also supply the drumset. Deadline was May 7 2010 but last year they extended it a bit so I'm sure they'll do the same this year. Word has it Scott Kennedy is apparently not involved with the 2nd Stage duties this year which will put a damper on things. He's been involved for years with Rotary.

My own band Flat Stanley entered. Hope to see you there.

It was 1994 when I got my first taste of the local folk rock band Rainhorses led by singer/guitarist/songwriter Chris Belsito. The band had an interesting sound, almost gloomy in their first originals. The band recorded their self titled album with guitarist Brian Oja, Paul Blair and a few other musicians that their names escape me.
Brian and I were good friends at that time so when the Rainhorses lost their practice space, I rented them my basement for a while. Their drummer at the time decided to leave and I became their drummer. George Ravlich became their bass player after Paul moved out of town shortly after recording their debut album.
Rainhorses went on to play some great gigs and record some wonderful music. Some these include opening for Great Big Sea, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Colin James plus showcases at festivals like the Northern Lights Festival in Sudbury. The band recorded an album called "August Mask" and a later album called "Turbulence" that sadly never got completed. Some songs were recorded for it however and are posted on
the official Myspace site. Rainhorses combined folk rock with some interesting rhythms and harmony vocals to produce a very unique sound for a Sault band. The music was easy to listen to but had a deep lyrical center based on Chris's writing. Some compared our music to Blue Rodeo, Hemingway Corner and even Crosby Stills and Nash which was a huge compliment. Rainhorses wrote a ton of songs, some never seeing the light of day but they exist on tapes that were recorded in my basement. Some of these songs are now on the Rainhorses Reverbnation site and are FREE to listen too.

I left Rainhorses after doing an outdoor show at Cornfest here locally, searching for more of a progressive rock band to fill my creative bug but as years have passed, I realized I made a bad error in judgment. We all make mistakes but I feel now that Rainhorses could have gone on to bigger and better things had we all focused a bit more. We all just seemed to be searching for something better never realizing that we had the perfect situation right under our noses. Live and learn. I still get people asking about that band via the internet and yes in person and I hope one day, Rainhorses regroups for a show or 2 or even to record more music. You never know. Until then, enjoy the sounds or Rainhorses on these 2 sites.


The Official Rainhorses Site

The Official Rainhorses Reverbnation Music Site

Local sound guru George "Rav" Ravlich and his merry crew from Crank Sound Distribution have been doing wonders for the local play "Wizard of Oz". Reviews of the show and the audio have been great. George has his hands in almost everything sound these days with top gear and techs you can't go wrong. Apparently George had some nice lighting effects for the Wizard show. None the less, George has been a staple in the upcoming Rotary Fest 2nd Stage productions and hopefully he'll be doing it again this year. I'll let you know ;-).