Pat Blythe – Indie Week – The Finale

I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!! So many changes and new roads to travel. New challenges….a thrilling ride ahead. Loads of work too but I’m pumped. As the weeks progress I’ll fill you in. In the meantime, there’s Indie Week Canada 2015 Part Two to wrap up. …and yes….I’m still “squirreling” and driving my son nuts…. So….. where were we?

Checking back on last week’s column it appears I was day out. Way too much going on and several late nights. So correction, I judged at the Silver Dollar on Thursday night (not Wednesday). My apologies to the bands that played Thursday — Devon & Khalid, The Bootlegs. The Modern Hearts and Common Deer. Jeez….brain fart.

Okay, on to Friday night. This time it’s My Hollow at Coalition Club (after meeting these wild and crazy dudes at the Indie Week opening night soiree, I agreed to check them out during Indie Week) and The Killing Floor at the Silver Dollar.  Walking down College Street between clubs, my head in another world and strutting that “woman on a mission walk”, I whizzed right past Cam Carpenter and Mike Joyce out having a smoke on the street. I think Cam had to call my name twice before I twigged.

Coalition Club opened in July 2014 on Augusta Ave., conveniently around the corner from the Silver Dollar. Formally known as NEUTRAL, the venue has a past as a Goth bar, Disco/Reggae dance club and now features primarily Punk Rock bands with a few Metal evenings. To broaden the landscape (so to speak) Coalition also hosts Trivia Nights, Karaoke, Art Festivals and some comedy events. The little white leather couches make you think chilled, relaxed, even quiet(ish). Think again. Not this evening anyway and certainly not with My Hollow pounding and screaming out their brand of metal music. The ear plugs were immediately inserted and the camera is flashing. The audience was totally into the band and the music. One fellow bounding and hopping all over the dance floor, first on one leg then the other, loving and grooving to the tunes in his own world. The band is electrifying and immediately in your face. Singer Daniel Gaudreault doesn’t stop moving, from standing on speakers to hanging from the ceiling. He leans so far out over the stage he damn near kisses the lens of my camera. Drummer Angelo Giammattolo….well his nickname HAS to be Animal, ’cause that’s exactly how he drums. Absolutely crazy, maybe even a touch fanatical, a raw and aggressive drummer hammering out the beat….the backbone of the band. I wonder how long his skins last? Bass player Sean De Faria and guitar players Lenny Chiasson and Greg Gallagher round out the five-piece metal band. Constantly in action these guys are both a challenge and entertaining to shoot. You never know what they’re going to do next.

Daniel Gaudreault

Angelo Giammattolo

Lenny Chiasson and Angelo Giammattolo

Sean De Faria (L) and Greg Gallagher (R)

….AND THE INDIE WEEK CANADA 2015 WINNERS ARE THE KILLING FLOOR!!!

A British/American rock band that gets its name from the Howlin’ Wolf song, “The Killing Floor”….a song that has been covered by Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Johnny Winter (on his last album). TKF members are brothers Mark and Oliver Alberici from London, England, Marco Argiro from NYC and Ricky Muzik from Nashville, Tennessee. Home base is wherever they happen to be. After meeting them at the Indie Week opening night gala I decided to check them out at the Silver Dollar later in the week. I did catch them briefly at the Brooklynn Club but it was already extremely late night so decided to wait and hear an entire set at the Silver Dollar. Muzik is a crackerjack drummer, clean, tight, focussed and sharp. His meter is never off. When he’s drumming, he’s in “the zone”. Lead vocalist Argiro’s bass throbs and thunders as he makes love to the microphone. Driving and sometimes grinding guitar riffs courtesy of the brothers Alberici with some plaintive and soulful solos by Mark. The brothers also provide perfectly blended harmonies. A blend of British rock combined with American alternative pop rock, “forming a electrifying blend of power and melody”, TKF are not to be missed live. Loud (yes the ear plugs were back in), I kept thinking they would sound amazing in a much bigger room….like  a concert hall. That’s where I want to see them next.

The Killing Floor – Howlin’ Wolf

Oliver Alberici and Marco Argiro

Ricky Muzik

Marco Argiro and Mark Alberici

Oliver Alberici

“Drawing from the tradition of hard rock as well as from the more emotional and melodic indie guitar rock of the 90s, NYC’s The Killing Floor forge a sound that’s at once powerful and impassioned. What stands out though is their proficient songwriting, that allows them to write tracks that rise above the average.” – The Deli Mag (NYC) 

Grace – The Killing Floor

Closing night at the Mod Club saw the week’s nightly winners vie for top spot — Best of The Fest. Sliding past the lineup I flashed my VIP lanyard and slipped into the club, quickly scoping out both upstairs and downstairs looking for varied angles to shoot from. Almost subdued early in the evening, the club rapidly filled up and by the time seven-piece band Gold Complex hit the stage the place was hopping. The major sponsors of the week’s festivities were all comfortably seated along the eastern wall, ensconced in their cushy couches with Miller beer and a bottle of Jack Daniels on ice neatly situated on the tables in each seating area. Between sets I had a lovely conversation with photographer Lisa MacIntosh and ran into the guys from The Killing Floor upstairs who had a bird’s eye view of the festivities below. I chatted with the singer and drummer from Uniter for a few minutes and then happened upon Carol-Lynne Quinn of Rend whom I had met a few days prior at Cherry Cola’s. I managed to fire off a few shots of Bob and Carol-Lynne and, a short while later, Cam and Bob, after I discovered them deep in conversation. As for the performers, I managed to catch Ivy James, Uniter (whom I had also seen for two songs at the Silver Dollar and have a fabulous female drummer), Kendall Thompson, Gold Complex and brother/sister duo, The Reklaws. Unfortunately I had to leave before the night ended and missed The Killing Floor win the grand prize.

I congratulate ALL the bands (about 300 of you) who contributed their time and talent to a very successful Indie Week Canada! You are all an inspiration to your audiences and to each other. You pour your hearts and souls into your music. NEVER lose your excitement, your enthusiasm but most importantly your passion.  As the saying goes, “keep on keepin’ on.”

Stand up and take a bow. You all deserve a standing O.

Here are some shots of the final night and a few songs to go with….

Drummer from Uniter

Cam Carpenter and Bob Segarini

Gold Complex – L-R – Will Bowes, Graeme Wallace, Martin Matuszczak

Mod Club crowd and photographer Lisa MacIntosh getting in a shot

The view from above

Bob Segarini and Carol-Lynne Quinn of Rend

Jenna Walker of the Reklaws

…and for your Dining and Dancing (mostly dancing) Pleasure….

Backbone – Gold Complex

Thunder – Ivy James

Seeing Stars – The Reklaws

….and to close off….

Shout – The Killing Floor

Next week I’ll share a special evening with The Runaway’s Cherie Currie at Cherry Cola’s.

Cheers,

Pat

All photographs by Pat Blythe – Girl With A Camera “The Picture Taker”

Sources

Indie Week Canada, YouTube, Wikipedia, CBC, AllMusic, Facebook, various band websites

=PB=

Pat’s column appears every Wednesday.

Contact us at: dbawis@rogers.com

In “real” life Pat Blythe has spent the past 32 years as a consultant and design specialist in the telecommunications industry. After an extended absence Pat is now heading back to the GTA clubs, immersing herself in the local music scene, tasting what’s on offer, talking to people and writing once again — sharing her passions and her deep love of music. Together for 34 years, Pat also worked alongside her late husbandChristopher Blythe, The PictureTaker©, who shot much  of the local talent (think Goddo, Frank Soda and the Imps, Plateau, Buzzsaw, Hellfield….) as well as national and international acts,  Currently making her way through 40 years of Chris’s archives, Pat is currently compiling a photographic history of the local GTA music scene from 1975 to 1985. It continues to be a work in progress. Oh…..and she LOVES to dance!