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
Hi Keith, long time no see. You and I jammed a few times back many decades ago. Dan Boden jammed with us. I think you had a Musicman amp if memory serves me well. I remember almost all the musicians you mentioned. Steve McPhail dated my older sister while he was touring in a band I think was called Total Stranger who put out an album. I have connected with him through his website recently. 3 song Lonnie married my younger sister and that ended badly. I was in a band with him called "Driver". Not a good experience. |O| He's not in the music thing anymore. I moved to Simcoe for a short while and jammed with Dan Boden in a band called Rhythm Method that later changed their name to Valice. We came back to the Soo via Greyhound and then he vanished. Last I heard he was out west. That was in the late 80's.
The band Undercover was with Ernie Debardino on guitar, Frank Guzzo on bass, Al Armstrong on drums and Colin Nelson on vocals. I was just curious where these guys went. Colin is still in the Soo I believe. Armstrong was a great drummer but a rumour a while back said his health was failing.
Jack Fuller is here and we bump into each other from time to time. He's been battling health problems for some time now.
As for Michael Shah, I actually know his dad as my best friend fixes his computer all the time.
Chris Russel I haven't seen in years and I know Kevin Erikson but haven't seen him in years either.
Remember Roy Mancini? Another guitarist gone missing. :-)
I remember you Keith as being into Van Halen quite a bit. I also heard you had a band called *something* Rabbit. Not totally sure of the name but thought Rabbit was in the title.
Are you still married to that short cute gal? I forget her name.
I will check out your website. ;-)
Nice to here from you and thanks for posting. ;-)
Glen Thomas
Hi Glen! Thanks for posting my message.... No, not married to the short cute gal... BAAAAAAAAD experience there... Nightmare..... LOL!
Good memory! Yeah, Music Man amps... Had a couple of those... Served me well...
I remember Ernie Debardino.. Use to do pickup potting on his Les Pauls... Roy Mancini sounds familiar...
Jack Wrabbit was my last major band... We never played in the Soo - southern ontario and Toronto area. Was a great band... Came "close", but no deal...
Keep in touch,
Keith
Hi again Glen,
Question for you: Were you in a band called "Ostrich Party"? Rick Gabrylewicz's remembers your name.. Trying to do decades old name associations!
Keith
Hi Keith. No, I wasn't in a band called "ostrich party". I do remember that name though. Actually in my very early years, I was in the bands Lyrx and another one called "Children of the Dawn". From there I was in a bunch of bands but the best one was an all original music band called "Thansis Colle" with guitarist Paul Tikkanen. After that I was in tons of bands and toured for years and put out a number of albums with various bands like Rainhorses, Patrick Stewart band, Wishbone, Huckster and more.
You and I jammed at my girlfriends house on Westgate Drive near Korah one time with Dan Boden. We jammed a few other times at some other house but I can't remember if it was Dan's or not. Last time I saw you was in Arnill's when they were on Queen Street in the basement section. My musical tastes always had me in really strange bands that were into prog rock or fusion type bands in my younger days. When you and I jammed, we did a bunch of Rush songs and may have even did 2112 and Spirit of the Radio. No vocals.. just musically. I don't recall what else.
If you connect with me on Facebook you can see a picture folder of some of the bands I was in. ;-) Just search out "glen the freq thomas".
Hi Glenn,
Trust you're well...
So, after some years, I'm actually in the Soo this Thursday 'till Sunday... Bringing some gear up to pass the time on the weekend - blow the dust of a speaker... Occurred to me to ask of you: where are the good places/pubs/cells for jams? Who's playing where?
Keith
Cool. Someone actually remembers us. Old Hat morphed into the Roll Ons in its later days after Peter Cooper left the band. Peter is still a fixture of the Soo blues scene.
You can hear the Roll Ons on MySpace at:
http://www.myspace.com/rollons
OK, Keith Danby is me.... Mike Cliff e-mailed me telling me about your blog. Nice job!!
Frustrated with the Soo music scene circa early '80's, I moved to Toronto and played the circuits in southern Ontario for some time... Hooked up with a few stellar musicians, cut demo's, etc., couldn't get a deal in those days before Internet, technolgoy. etc... Plus, agents/manager/attitudes/etc. dominated so I pursued a more stable direction, still in the entertainment industry... Today, I play private gigs in and around southern Ontario with more stellar musicians/human beings! Road work is fun, for a bit, but you soon find out that the two hours of playing every day - while GREAT - is followed by the next 22 hours that you have to get through! Plus, donuts/coffee, motels, vices, egos....
Dan Boden quit playing in the late 80's and went on to become a chef somewhere! Road work was hard on Dan... Great bass player - he and I played for a bit in the Sault in various bands... Algoma College loved us, LOL!
Screwge was Shane McConnell's band (great guitar player). Screwge was IT in the late '70's. I can only recall Shane and bassist Frank Guzzo. Don't know what Shane or Frank are doing now... Shane was great - nice dual stacks of Marshall's!
Old Hat was to Screwge like Max Webster was to Rush... Better band (IMHO) but not as popular - odder choice of material... Old Hat turned into Straight Jacket in the early 80's with myself, George Pavalich (who's up there in the Soo - one of the greatest guitarist I've every heard and had the extreme pleasure of gigging with), Randy Grant on drums (equally great), Steve Russell on keys, Bill Lindsay on bass and lead vocals. GREAT band - rocked! You can hear us on my website at www.keithdanby.ca. Go Away Boyz was the only song recorded that I still have... "I don't care what you hear, you make-a no money if you sell-a no beer!" It takes a bit in the business, but you learn the meaning of this lyric... LOL!
Don't recall Armstrong or Undercover. Vaguely recall Undercover as a pop band that had one local hit with a female vocalist Lisa ????.
Others to mention from the late '70's, early '80's scene that were well known: Steve McPhail, who now is a successful musician and music teacher in Burlington, ON. Steve is "Sonny Boy Mick" and regularly plays great establishments in and around lovely Toronto... www.sonnyboymick.com.
Others more: Serge Trembly (guitar - who's still musically active); Michael Shah (the Soo's own David Lee Roth at the time - I have the photos!); Chris Russell (bass and all around great musician - who's now a honcho for Long & McQuade music stores); Rick Gabrylewicz (KILLER bass & still one of my best friends); Jack Fuller (drums); Kevin Erickson (guitar); Mike Cliffe (of course, guitar extra-ordinarie); Chris Deschamp (drums and now an OPP officer in Kingston); Lonny Lahaie (vocals, still in the Soo)...
Late '70's Soo music "scene" credit also has to go to Jay Johnson and Marty Wyant (recent CEO of the YMCA in the Soo). Marty, Jay, and I were Joe Band and anyone that partied on Friday and Saturday's on The Drive (and other Soo parties) "knew". LOL! We owned the Sault party circuit then...
Lots of stories!! Thanks for the interest and taxing my memory!
Regards,
Keith Danby
danby@mac.com