Newmarket Live Music Show a Genre Bender

When I was a 'kid" rock and roll bars were the norm. If we weren't always mesmerized by the next big acts coming to Toronto we were entrenched in the bar band scene, each having favorites.

Trooper, Max Webster, Helix, April Wine, Teenage Head, David Wilcox to name some, and then there were the infamous numerous clone acts, some of which were ( are?) pretty good like Just Alice and Blushing Brides who did The Rolling Stones so well. A Rod Stewart cover guy I recall was good as well but I got jumped after his show while on assignment for Coverstory Newspaper outside The Rockin Deli in Newmarket...I think for wearing leather pants! Long story for another day. Needless to say, Hot Legs wasn't my theme song that cold wintry night! Ahhh..the memories. Lol. Still have the scuffed pants too! Ha.

The Sean Abbott Band

With rock & roll bars on a steady decline over the past few years, one wonders if the rock genre will even survive? It's hard to deny, with one live club after another closing up shop, there is hardly any left to play live at anymore and certainly none starting up built around live bands. It's all electronic these days. Cheaper. Less hassle. But is it better?
Recently, an old haunt from the heyday, the Silver Dollar, was designated an historical building. Wow, they must feel this is a breed becoming extinct. The SD featuring top acts on the scene at one time along with the never a cover Gasworks, upstart Rock & Roll Heaven, the Rivoli, Diamond Club, Big Bop etc and what became The Guvernment, which just closed last week and had once housed bigger acts - all gone now.  Ditto the El Mocambo where recently I saw one of the final shows there featuring The Yappers.. The bars that do house live acts still, often prefer cover tunes, eliminating an entire element to the scene, including stunting the artistry of live performers.

Going, going...

So it's great to see flexible venues like Stellar Hall located above the bowling alley at 1220 Stellar Dr in Newmarket, offering great acoustics in a hall and adjoining room just large enough to call it a bash! Having put on or promoted a number of shows there over the past several years now it's been great to see them grow as a venue, adding a top of the line sound system, new lighting and mobile staging in that time as well.

Sat Mar 21 2015 will be such a night there, with a line up reminiscent of a walk back in time through a number of rock genres and featuring only top notch talent. The licensed event will also have a light menu and be Emceed by yours truly, TP, so expect some wacky improv giveaways! Air guitar anyone!? Ha!

The evening will open with house music followed by TPE intros and fun stuff before the phenomenal Brits and American blues inspired Sean Abbott Band, playing a mix of originals and covers in the rock and blues genres, take the stage. Sean, who has played with greats including guys who played with Clapton is expected to electrify the room, along with his band-mates, making for an unbelievable live experience!

The Yappers are also on the bill and play a superb original brand of reggae mixed with rock and sometimes a splash of country in a head bobbing and body sway inspiring set, with song writer/ singer/ guitar player Ray Yap leading the way, influenced heavily by bands his mentor and Uncle, Phil Chen, one of the world's most prolific bass players played with, such as Bob Marley, Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart who Yap met as a kid among some greats his uncle played alongside and also influenced Ray.Their new songs are just killer too and I can't wait to hear them live!

Hip Hop 'till you drop! Stoked!

At 11 pm the genre evolves to more recent with an All Star Showcase of Hip Hop talent taking to the stage, hosted by Stay Blessed Productions' Dean Wild and also featuring Headliners Root Of All Evil - MissPaige, DGT, Sadie Marquis..also! Enigmatic, DeeCeption - Diana Nardelli - as well as Shatter Theory  and Justin R Harris Just Flow !


Wonderground Magazine is also sponsoring a booth for the Performance Artists attending to sell their stuff! 

The entire line-up is stellar - just like the hall's name! 19+ Licensed Event with Hot Food Menu. $10 Cover. 
Doors Open 8PM. Info Call TPE@ 289-221-0928

 It's going to be one heck of a Genres Bender, March 21 2015! Snooze U Lose. Doors Open 8pm.

Advanced Tickets contact tpeproductions@gmail.com or Stellar Hall & Event Centre @ 905-830-4208 Join the Event and TPE on FaceBook

March Break, What to Do in Newmarket New Event Location

Old Poster same message..GAME on!

Having a dilemma about what to do during the March Break? How about taking a walk back in time for a day? Or if you're a teenager a week practicing road hockey until the Sat break ending tourney and event.

Like when I was a kid..in a simpler time, activities meant your mom yelling,  

  "Get out from Underneath my feet!" and you'd reply, " I'm not under your feet" and she'd say, "Get outside and play" and you'd be forced to create something to do. 

Depending on your age, friends, time of year and imagination, you may take a number of options into consideration - like building a snow fort or tree-house, maybe putting on a goofy play to music in a friends backyard or perhaps planning a neighbourhood fundraiser carnival or pick-up soccer or organizing a road hockey game. Sometimes kids would get even more anmbitious and form a team by knocking on friend's doors and seeing how many we could get, then challenging another street or neighbourhood to play.

That's the kind of spirit the annual Friendly Neighbourhood Youth Road hockey Challenge has tried to harness over the past 10 years as we continue to offer youths 13-18 and now 6-12 some free road hockey tourney play as well as pick up for all ages and free hot chocolate and nourishment as well as a chance to compete against their peers - and in recent years added "pick-up" games for all ages.

2005 tourney right on the street!

For 2014 the event will take place at 395 Mulock Dr Newmarket Town Office parking Lot.

Rockin Deli Night Sat Feb 25

     Building towards two events at once can be a bit of a juggling act, especially if you are by nature a bit of a perfectionist. Right now among some projects, we are a little behind in launching our "screener" for a documentary for which I hate missing deadlines, even if they are my own self imposed ones. I'm behind because I put off firming up the host band for our "Open Stage" portion of Rockin' Deli Night which concludes with a DJ and the latest in dance. But I'd had some discussions with Newmarket 's THE JAMSPOT owner and operator Max -  and wanting to keep things local as I know there is a ton of talent here - had confidence Max would turn me on to the right hosts given time. Gulp..but I was running out!

    Max is a consummate pro too, not wanting to recommend just anyone, and taking the time to understand what I was looking for. But I think he also realizes that we can work together here and create a cooperative  atmosphere with enough rooms for everyone to play in whether they are jamming or putting on live shows. THE JAMSPOT can also hold smaller shows as well and is ideal for CD Release parties too, but THE JAMSPOT's  big feature is the custom built sound proofing built in. Bands love it for good reason. And they are going to love playing at Deli house Caterings Rockin' Deli Night location at 1220 Stellar Dr in Newmarket as well, as it renowned for its good sound as it's original build use was for a concert hall for big name acts way back in the 50's and 60's. Later on it was also a succession of night clubs including " Club Spotlight" which featured the latest in lights and booming city-like sound for the time. Rockin' Deli Night takes a walk back into that era and even offers prime rib as dinner - optional of course!

   Funny story. I was writing a column, " At The Clubs", for CoverStory Newspaper in York Region back in the day and one night while covering a band at none other than the Rockin' Deli located on Yonge St in Newmarket, I was attacked by about 4 or 5 guys outside. They jumped me in the parking lot for, as far as I could tell, wearing leather pants! That's just a theory mind you as I was new to living here then having spent the previous 10 years or so living in cities, so pleated leather pants may not have resonated with some locals - a fact that was pointed out to me by none other than a local! ha! I'd never have thunk it. I still have the pants somewhere, scrapes and all! Ha! Anyway these guys were so drunk they couldn't sustain any damage, as whenever they went to kick me I'd roll their friend who was now lying on the ground with me (from tackling me) in front of the kick! Ha..I got hit a few times though and the doorman watched the whole thing from inside not bothering to do or say anything. Afterwards they let me in to recoup and several years later I dated the bartender who had been working that night as she remembered the incident when I relayed it to her...I should have known better when she did nothing as these guys attacked me that night, that she'd be, er ah ...interesting. She went on to have a Glass Tiger member's kid..oh well..that one's another story for another day. Ha! Now who I should have gone after was my flaxen haired co-worker Mcgurksky or something like that who had showed sympathy for me and who also was a single parent at the time like me. Her and two other girls were like the Charlies Angels sales force on the CoverStory YR team, and likely sold the jaw-dropping men ads before uttering a word. Mgoo was beautiful and hard working, but one of those women who leave you tongue tied whenever you tried to say anything to her, let alone make a play. Man, what an idiot I was. Why did I pick her to be the "nice guy" to! Ha!

  At any rate Max came through with some outstanding musicians to host the first Rockin' Deli Night on Sat Feb 25 called Sean Bourke Band! The trio's members have played with a number of bands over the years - some having played alongside The Good brothers or The Goods as once known - ironically through a time period when I interviewed the band for a TV show I produced and Co-hosted called "Out and About" - and Teenage Head to name a couple so the array of tunes they can play will be phenomenal, and any vocalists or accompanying "Jammers" can get in on the action! Everyone knows I like a good show and this one is a shaping up!

  Speaking of shaping up, the 8th Annual Friendly Neighbourhood Youth Road Hockey Challenge is shaping up with the new addition of Newmarket Mitsubishi as tournament sponsor! The now longest running street hockey tournament in Ontario features live entertainment, music, comedy play-by-play with TP's own "Gripes" as featured in the poster campaign.

This year's TP imposed theme slogan for the road hockey event is

WE WANT YOU! BACK ON THE STREETS!

And uses a Don Cherryesque character dressed in Canadian red and white stripes and mirrors the US army recruitment poster for "Uncle Sam".

    The 2012 event will be held again in the downtown Newmarket area including spots around the Newmarket Community Centre and the new Riverwalk Commons. With public skating already an attraction there we expect the road hockey activities to take off in a big way for 2012 and plan to utilize the outdoor stage for live entertainment for a "halftime show' and for the end of the event shows, including a variety of talent. We may maintain an open stage during the event combined with our canned music, but either way it'll be a fun event!
   This year youths can sign up for the free event online as well in advance @ www.tpeproductions.com

Pick up games and an Opening Face-off Party for us Oldtimers too T.B.A.! 

Car!