Despite the first half of the July First Friday evening being rainy and the date being a week after the first Friday on the calander due to Canada Day, there was a decent turn out for the local band THE GYPSY FLATS Cheeky Monkey debut. Those that braved the elements were treated to a band that certainly knows what they are doing on many levels. With an extensive playlist ranging from newer hits to classics, they had something to please everyone listening. Most of the lead vocals were done by Cassy Dube, with a few songs being handed over to drummer Ryan Smith and lead guitarist Mike Beauchamp. All three made choices of songs that suited their voices perfectly with the other two added sweet harmonies as backup. Not to be left out, bass player Marc Gauthier enhanced the over all sound aptly. A local seasoned musician made the comment that ...
MoreJune First Friday with Marniol Nation, Bill Walters & Pat McGill We sure had a room full of talent for the June First Friday at Cheeky Monkey. Local musicians under the name of Marinol Nation provided the entertainment for the night. Below is an in-depth review by blogger, Brian Hay. It was also the opening night of a new art exhibit and sale called "From Here and There" by Bill Walters. With Plein air paintings (painted outside in the moment) ranging from nearby locales such as Canatara Park to farther points on the compass such as Lake Berkley Florida, our three back walls are a colourful travelogue. Bill's works are not your normal 'landscape' art. To me, they have a dreamy, warm feeling even if they are of a snow field or summer storm building in the clouds. In the pictures posted here and on our website Photo Gallery (CLICK HERE), ...
MoreWHAT A DAY it was on Saturday, April 16, 2016. Our most successful Record Store Day to date. Starting at 8:30 a.m. when we arrived to find not only part of the band that would be playing live in store already here to set up, but customers were already waiting too. Some had been here a while and were prepared to wait the next hour in their comfy folding chairs. A few moments after we got inside to do the last minute prep for the day, ever faithful volunteers and good friends, Ross and Laurissa Ellsworth arrived followed closely by our other dependable friend Maureen Murphy. Have to say this right now - in all honesty, we would not be able to do Record Store Day without their assistance. All 3 of them were just amazing. THANK YOU. While saying 'thank you', have to say how much we appreciate Borderlite Trio playing ...
MoreFriday April 15, 2022 update... All most all the deliveries have arrived of the RSD exclusives - few more to trickle in today. We've brought up the extra racks from the storeroom to hold the 100's of releases. Confirmed Borderlite Trio to start playing live in-store right at opening time of 9:30 am. Extra staff is confirmed to help you find what you are looking for. Food is all bought for snack table. Lots of ballots printed for free draws (thanks again Mint Records) and boxes of free gifts organized and ready. Yup - looks like we are all set for the big day tomorrow - 2016 Record Store Day. Tuesday April 12, 2022 update... huge stack of boxes just delivered for RSD - and that is only from one company - lots more yet to come! AND our good friends and next door neighbours at TOTALLY GAME MEATS have offered ...
MoreNic Swales: Subtle Depth that Instills the Desire to Listen First Friday at the Cheeky Monkey, April 1, 2022 by Brian Hay There was a lot of noise in the area immediately outside the Cheeky Monkey. Whether that contributed to the calm and quiet feeling inside the store or not is impossible to say. The contrast was very striking though because the scene inside was so quiet as to appear almost silent by comparison. There was no lack of people but even the usual hum that surrounds a crowd was largely absent. Slowly though, and with a sensibility that bordered on surreal, an essence of music began threading a subtle path to the front of the shop. That was the first sign of what Nic Swales had to offer. If there was one possible complaint it's that he could have been louder. It's a flimsy one however because his audience was listening. And they ...
MoreWhat a fun night taking us all down memory lane with the Fabulous Buck Brothers Reunion Band leading us down the musical path. Not being originally from Sarnia, we were not familiar with the Buck Brothers, but apparently many locals are. They were a popular band not just in Sarnia, but throughout Ontario in the late 1960's, 70's and into the 80's. Two of the remaining 'brothers', Orval Cavin on bass guitar and Jack Dunn on rhythm guitar have added three members of another well known local band, Copperstill, to their line up making them the newest "Buck Brothers". Gerry Ostrihon on drums, Guy Houle on guitar and mulit-instrumentalist Phil Beauchamp rounded out the group. Each of their 2 sets started off with an original song that fit right in with the cover songs they performed, but were so good it left you wanting to hear more of their own music. They don't have ...
MoreScott Manery and the Barn Burners: Live at the Cheeky Monkey for Sarnia's First Friday, February 6, 2022 by Brian Hay This article can't have a serious title because the guy the band is named after doesn't take himself seriously. The musical end of things is a serious business for him though. Nobody holds down their part in a band or plays with the level of finesse and sense of effortlessness Scott Manery projected without having spent a lifetime honing skills past the point where most would start wondering why or whether it even mattered. But the fun was there because, in Scott's words, those sounds were "just about the coolest thing he'd ever heard". When they started coming off his fingertips his smiles would have made the one on cats that got the canaries look like the expressions of depressed felines. He really does have that much fun making music. But the ...
MoreThe first First Friday of January was anything but typical. The fact it was technically held on the second Friday of the month due to the statutory holiday of New Years Day being the first unusual circumstance. The second was the weather. Higher than normal temperatures with rain made for a soggy evening. Despite those factors, those that did come to Sarnia's downtown and into Cheeky Monkey found it very much worth the effort thanks to local band Big Highway. The four piece band featuring James McNaule on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Andrew Germain on lead guitar, Dave Johnston on bass and Ric Brown on drums have a knack for picking the perfect playlist for their vast abilities. Big Highway's love for Can Con (Canadian content) is self evident. James has the perfect timber and edginess to pull off songs by Tragically Hip with ease. They did several Wide Mouth Mason ...
MoreReview of December 4, 2021 First Friday at Cheeky Monkey written by Brian Hay. Thank you Brian for attending our events over the year and being kind enough to share you insights into the local live music scene. For other reviews by Brian CLICK HERE There's still only one Mike Blackmore. The extra "Blackmore" is for the musical persona brought to life by way of the technology used in crafting backing tracks to free up other facets of his playing. The balance needed to use those devices effectively is a fine one. Overuse can turn a set mechanical, (or as one good friend quipped, "into the special olympics of music"), really fast. Tempering its use with restraint however (and playing off what it conjures astutely) allows good players to open new doors. For Mike (whose idea of variety might actually be climbing back into the box) it opens ways to rethink ...
MoreQuiet Mind: Contemporary Acoustic with Style Live at the Cheeky Monkey for Sarnia's November First Friday Celebration by Brian Hay They also had something to say, which is the most important thing. That the members of Quiet Mind, singer and guitarist James Hill and lead guitarist Pat Rice, were concerned with performing more than just filler was clear even from the covers they chose. One group whose material they obviously liked exploring was the work done by Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam. "An Elderly Lady Behind the Counter in a Small Town" was an absolute nugget for Pearl Jam with its richly unfolding portrayal of the two people who meet in the scenario conjured within the music. The interpretation Hill and Rice gave it wasn't Pearl Jam's and it wasn't anyone else's. Hill's singing captured the yearning that inevitably surfaces when one hearkens toward distant but fond memories. Rice threaded wonderfully melodic ...
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