April’s First Friday at the Cheeky Monkey With The Casuals Saturday April 7, 2022 Vibrant Harmony Singing Gets The Toes-A-Tappin’ by Brian Hay Solid and basically faultless rhythm playing that wasn’t quite straight out of textbooks didn’t hurt either. The Casuals found a pocket early on and projected everything clearly from its centre. It’s a guess but, as their set progressed, there was a sense the cues were being set up by guitarist Bill Hines and not their rhythm players. The concept is great … when it works. If it isn’t done perfectly the energy falls out of the music faster than a skydiver who forgot about the parachute but when it is there’s not much that can stand beside it. The Rolling Stones and the Who came up with two of the most exciting rhythm sections on record with Keith Moon taking cues from Pete Townshend while Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts wove magic ...
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First Friday at the Cheeky Monkey: Four Barrels of Blues Combines For One Sweet Sound Review by Brian Hay Describing the Four Barrel Blues Band as a class act is the best way to sum what this band has to offer. They’re all classy players, stylish but without excesses and what they form as an ensemble meshes together in much the same way. Drummer Stephen Bird is an articulate player who lays out a solid backbeat without becoming heavy. Glen Perry employs a fretless bass to reinforce the time signature and provide a melodic foundation with sustained notes that type of bass delivers. They’re harder to play than conventional models because of their demand for such an exact knowledge of where “the right” spots are on the neck but the way their notes tend to hang slightly as the next ones are being introduced gives their sound a musical sonority that’s both ...
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Enduring one of the coldest First Friday's in a long time, fans of the local band REMINISCENCE filled Cheeky Monkey on January 5th. And they were not disappointed by them. Playing many familiar songs, the all instrumental band helped us keep warm with toe tapping tunes such as Stevie Wonder's 'Isn't She Lovely' and especially 'Superstition'. Another favourite was the Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars hit 'Uptown Funk'. Their playlist was perfectly suited for Reminiscence who rely on bass guitar, drums, keyboard, saxophone and trombone to jazz up their song selections. I had many listeners comment on how enjoyable it was to hear them, including music teacher and musician Al Weiss. He gave them high praise and encouraged them to reach even further to lift their performances to the next level he is sure they can attain. Hopefully, in the future, you will get chances to see and hear them again. With four of the ...
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London ON Cordcalling consisting of husband and wife duo Denise on drums and Brian of guitar, were our in-store entertainment for the evening of the December 1, 2021 First Friday. Doing several interesting cover songs with their own distinctive growl and roar to them, along with originals, many customers compared them to The White Stripes, especially as they were doing a White Stripes song. Some of the other covers they did were U2 'Streets With No Name' where Denise's vocals very much reminded us of Patti Smith and a version of The Beatles 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' that had an urgency and abruptness to it that made it distinctly their own. Along with these and other covers, they performed many originals from their most recent album release called 'We Are Still' . A quote by Jason Schnieder of the Kitchener Record newspaper describes them very well. This husband-and-wife rock duo is ...
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First Friday at the Cheeky Monkey: Fun With a Group of Wild Cards by Brian Hay The difference a change in personnel creates within a band can be amazing, especially if the musician who comes in is a strong one. That was definitely the case with Wild Cards, the group that played at the Cheeky Monkey for this month’s First Friday celebration. The playing of guitarist Sara Campbell, bass player Scott Vegh and drummer Gerry Hawley and how they meshed together was known well enough to think there might be an idea of what to expect. The first few seconds of their work proved how wrong that notion was emphatically. The entry of singer Renee Card altered things in ways that couldn’t be predicted. Part of the reason is that she’s an exceptional singer but citing that as the only factor would be an oversimplification. She brings a touch to the delivery ...
MoreReview of October 6, 2021 First Friday event featuring Missy Burgess & Sue Webber written by Brian Hay. First Friday at the Cheeky Monkey was fun and the music was great. That's sort of a "given" when the people playing are Missy Burgess and Sue Webber though. They delivered a mix of original material and covers with flair and a spirit of joy that both communicate beautifully. Originals such as 'Missy's Blues' and 'Don't Go To Cincinnati' shone. Covers such as 'Smile' were played with such warmth as to become beacons of light. That's one of the things music can accomplish though and these ladies work toward that. The sweetest moments came when they did harmony work together. That's something they'll hopefully do more of in the future. And of course there was Missy's (almost obligatory at this point and it's a great thing) nod to Tom Waits. 'Chocolate Jesus' and 'The Last Leaf On The Tree' (the piece he ...
MoreThe HJ's performance at Cheeky Monkey during the September 2017 First Friday was a night filled with pleasant surprises. Being a new duo that started playing together only 10 month ago, Harold Collins and Justin Hayes did not really have any kind of reputation to precede them. From what I had been informed, they were mainly an acoustic act. Well not for this night. Also, I mention they are a duo. Again, not for this night. The drummer was an unexpected pleasant surprise on many levels. Chloe Kendel was not only a very new addition this being only her second time playing with Harold & Justin, but she is only 16 years old. We have known Chloe for many years as a regular customer we always look forward to seeing in the store. We had no idea she was a drummer - and a really good one at that. During the HJ's ...
MoreTo say the August First Friday was a roaring success is an understatement. A combination of pleasant summer weather, GreekFest happening a block away and Offsite Impact playing at Cheeky Monkey was the best possible mix to kick off the Civic Holiday weekend. We were very familiar with the talent of three members of Offsite Impact. Dale White (Keyboards/ Back-up Vocals), Barry White (Frontman/Vocals/Bass Guitar) and Paul Eastman (Drums) have all played at Cheeky Monkey previously in other bands. Paul, being a very versatile and accommodating drummer, has played in at least four different bands appearing over the years at Cheeky Monkey. We were so very impressed with Offsite Impacts sound and stage presence, that we sincerely hope Paul has found a long lasting band to set his kit up with. Offsite Impacts playlist is an impressive selection of very dance-able hits from over the decades. Suspect they choose these particular songs to ...
MoreMike Blackmore has played at Cheeky Monkey many times over the years. As has Dwayne Cloes. Both have been here as part of bands and played here solo. During the 2017 Record Store Day, they played here for the first time as a duo. We were so impressed, we asked them to come back - so they did - for the July First Friday. With Mike on guitar, d'jembe (hand drum) and looping machine, and Dwayne playing bass guitar they created a unique musical experience. You could not find two more different people in their history and approach to music, but somehow the combination of their wealth of talent works wonderfully for them. Armed with a playlist of originals and cover songs such as 'Knocking On Heaven's Door' and my personal favourite Mike has done for years, but never the same way twice, 'House of the Rising Sun', they easily entertained the audience ...
MoreThe Gypsy Flats are a local band that clearly enjoy playing live music. During the June 2, 2022 First Friday at Cheeky Monkey, the audience clearly sensed that by the reaction and comments they made. Playing primarily music that was popular before they were born, The Gypsy Flats give the songs penned by the likes of John Prine, Neil Young, Kris Kristofferson and John Fogerty a special touch creating their own sound. Each member of the band brings a unique ingredient to the mix to create the perfect recipe for an entertaining evening. The Gypsy Flats consists of Cassy Dube, lead singer and rhythm guitar player backed by Marc Gauthier on bass, Ryan Smith on drums and vocals along with Mike Beauchamp on lead guitar and vocals. In their playlist are also several original songs. Currently they are booked to play at several of the upcoming summer festivals such as the Kinsmen Ribfest July 8, headlining ...
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