CoverStory
The Chain
Who's in the band Chrissy Klaas on vocals, Peter Gleeson on organ/piano vocals, Rob Jardine on guitar, harp, and vocals, Greg McIntosh on bass and vocals, and Jim Differ on drums. How long have you been around? We have all been in the music business for 30 to 40 years but The Chain has been together for 10 years. Favourite song to cover? The band has two: “Way Down in the Hole” by Tom Waits and “I'd Rather Go Blind” by Etta James.
Best song you’ve written? From our older material we would have to say “Freehand Lightning” and from our new album it would have to be “Blue Monday Blues.” What’s new? We are currently recording a new album of all original material and hope to have it out for the 2017 Thunder Bay Blues Festival. What’s your motto? We don't really have a motto but there is a mutual respect and admiration for each other in the band and that makes for a great writing and performing environment. Chrissy does always say "smile and have fun" before each show though.
John Ongaro Photography
What’s your style/genre? We all come from different musical backgrounds so it's hard to pinpoint a style for us. We come from jazz, flamenco, country, blues, and rock backgrounds so it makes for an eclectic sound.
Contact: Chrissy can be reached at thechain@live.com.
The Vilification What’s your style/genre? Progressive/ technical metal. Who’s in the band? Eric Niemi on bass, Eric Morettin on guitar, Ben Tranter on vocals, and Daniel Rocco on drums. How long have you been around? Seven years. We started on New Year’s Eve 2008 jamming out some riffs and Killswitch Engage covers in our ex-guitarist’s (and now producer’s) basement. Favourite song to cover? We’ve never been a band to play covers… however, our whole band is very involved with the bi-annual Cover Show at Black Pirates Pub. This year three of us covered Architects and our drummer Dan covered Tame Impala.
BLVCKSHEEP
Who’s in the band? Joey Bergman. How long have you been around? I started mixing vinyl and blending banging house music at parties/ underground venues, eventually opening for big acts such as Laidback Luke, The Chainsmokers, A Tribe Called Red, and Keys N Krates. Favourite song to cover? Well, as a DJ mixing tracks live together creating an atmosphere, I don't physically play live instruments but I do enjoy playing Nirvana's “Lithium” because it stems
What’s new? Like we mentioned, we do have an EP coming out in the near future. We are currently starting to record the drums and vocals. Our next project will be a lengthy endeavour—our debut full length album. There’s about 12 rough songs that we have set aside. Once the EP is wrapped up, we might tackle some pre-production and demo recording to keep the ball rolling. What’s your motto? “Tuning down since 2010.” Contact: Find us on Facebook or thevilification.bandcamp.com.
from my youth and is a reminder to my supporters where I come from. Best song you’ve written? True to most artists, we think all of pieces of work are the bomb but the most enjoyable track I've made is “OFFSPRING” because I made it with the full intention of being a deep bass layered track but also kind on the ears, with Cypress Hill samples. What’s new? I’m currently working on an EP and have a track titled "BLVCKTRAP" posted on SoundCloud which has 200+ plays in a short time of being released, with 3,800 plays in total for only three tracks I’ve posted.
Ascension Photography
What’s your style/genre? My style is heavy electronic-based music ranging from 126 bpm electro bass house to 150 bpm trap music. I play high energy sets mixing fan-favourite acapellas with dirty bass lines that keep the crowd eager for more!
Best song you’ve written? We recently just wrote a song for our upcoming EP that’s called “Through Iron Sights”— it’s the one we have been most excited about in both a live and recorded context.
What’s your motto? "Less is more." Contact: Management: AK Management at alexanderkenneth.com, blvcksheep. com, or j3erg@live.ca. The Walleye
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