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So.... things have been happening. Here's a little history of me. In around 1992 I had my first taste of what its like to be on stage after playing a few songs in the upper level of one of our local ( since closed down ) strip joints , with some dudes I had met in my area which included Jon Ingham who I would come to work with again some 13 1/2 years later. I was pretty nervous and never really played again in a structured format. I did some karaoke contests (lol) where I would win stuff but never really thought I’d do the band thing again. In 2004 while at Long and McQuade I grabbed the number from a band's want ad that was looking for a lead singer. The band was called " A Crooked Mile ". That number stayed in my pocket for a month until one Sunday while I was working I came across it. I phoned and began talking with Scott Dumbelton ( Drummer for Crooked Mile ) who told me that after producing their own CD they unfortunately had a falling out with the lead singer and was looking to do another Album. This sounded so wicked to me I said I was available ASAP for an audition. Hence " Crooked Mile " (version 2) was formed featuring myself as lead vocalist, Peter Leonard on lead guitar, Lee Lane on bass and Scott Dumbelton on drums. I got up to speed on the cover material that they had been jamming to and was also learning the original stuff. After a couple of months we played at my staff Christmas party doing such songs as " Highway Star " , " Ziggy Stardust " and " Let's Shake " . It was a blast and with all the support I received from my friends whom attended, I decided to pursue some gigs from the local bars that I had developed relationships with by being in the bar/restaurant industry myself. In June of 2005, "A Crooked Mile " played its first show at the Banshee in Oshawa. After fine tuning the show, ( and my confidence level ) at other small local venues we got our shot at " The Wing Shack Whitby " which was one of the best places to see live rock locally. Bands such as Honeymoon Suite, Goddo, Killer Dwarfs and many of Darren Smiths' bands played here regularly. It was exciting to play on a stage that had the presence of real pros previously on it. So in August 2005 we played our first show there, and then became part of the rotation with other local acts. We then changed our name to “ GEEZER “ and focused on being a cover party rock band. We developed a small reputation which led to gigs at the newly opened " Za Za Zoo " where we played their Halloween party as well as another show shortly after. In November we entered the Long and McQuade / Wellcraft Studios “ Local and Live “ contest for original material under the name of “ A Crooked Mile “. We were happy with our performance and how we were received but unfortunately did not qualify to carry on deeper into the contest, so we continued to focus on our “ Party Rock “ cover thing. After continuing to play regularly at both Wing Shack locations we were offered the New Year's Eve show where we opened for Darren Smith's band " Live Sex Show " as well as “ Honeymoon Suite “.In March we were placed on the roster for a couple GTA booking agents and after a bang up job on our first “ Agent “ booked gig our opportunities compounded. Unfortunately our original bass player , “ Lee Lane “ left the band because of his unavailability with all the shows we were becoming in demand for. Without a bass player, and just starting to develop as a front man, I phoned my old friend Jon Ingham to come aboard and be “ GEEZER ‘s “ new bass player. Jon learned all the material in about 3 weeks and we were up and running again playing in May doing 4-7 shows a month. We were the first band to play at the gorgeous new club, “Johnny B’s†in Whitby where we played several shows as we cemented our reputation as one of Durham’s best party rock cover acts and were now playing from Bowmanville to Missisauga to Barrie.We then headlined New Years Eve at the Wing Shack under the name “ NICE PACKAGE “, unfortunately that would be the last show I would play with GEEZER / NICE PACKAGE. Jon Ingham and myself went on our own to start a heavier rock/alternative cover band called “ SEXTION 8 “ where we would be covering Audioslave, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters and Rob Zombie material. We were lucky to meet Paul Howell ( former guitar player for the Van Halen cover band “ Fair Warning “ ) , and I called old school mate Rob Therrian ( long time, and current drummer for the very popular Tragically Hip cover band “ From the Hip “ ) to come on board this new project. We learned about 36 songs in 2 ½ months and played our opening show at the Wing Shack Whitby. Unfortunately some personal problems caused the implosion of that project and Jon Ingham left to pursue other opportunities as a solo artist. I brought in Heather Stobo, ( a well known session, and wicked live act Bass player ) to fill the void, and we performed at the Johnny B’s and Healey’s jam to great reviews as we honed our material and show for another unveiling of “ SEXTION 8 “.With an even greater sense of confidence I decided to try and tackle another project as “ SEXTION 8 “ was in its final preparations to broaden my musical social circle and responded to an add on www.overhear.com from a local cover band I had heard of that was looking for a lead singer. It was there that I met Mike McAvan who was the lead guitar player. The band consisted of Mike ( Guitar ), Bryan Parker ( Bass ) and John Beach ( Drums ). After one audition I was offered the position and with out a thought accepted the role immediately after witnessing the super strong instruments I’d have behind me. We learned songs at a pace I had never experienced, and before I knew it “ RHINO LOVE “ was born.While the final touches were being put on “ SEXTION 8 “ ( which I would unfortunately step out of because of all these new commitments ) and “ RHINO LOVE “ myself and guitar player/ good friend Paul Howell decided it would be a good idea to network with some of the awesome musicians that hosted the Toronto open stages. Before long we were sharing the stages at the jams with people like, “ Rick Van Dyk, Stan Mizcek, Kojo Ferguson, Karim Moussa, Stephen Bahnesli , Dale Harrison and Wild T. “It was at one of these jams that I met Cory Manahan, ( the 14yr old phenom ) damn this kid can play anything, and before long we were playing together every week. I gladly accepted his invitation to play at one of his shows in Elgin Park and will be doing vocal work on his demo. This relationship continues to develop.With the creation of “ LOVE RHINO “ the team chemistry that was bubbling between myself and Mike McAvan led to an audition with his already established Progressive Rock Original Band “ SIXES & SEVENS “ which I was lucky enough to earn. I am excited to be part of the “ SIXES & SEVENS “ team which features Mike McAvan ( Guitar ) , Micheil Gray ( Bass ), and Ken Cormier ( Drums ). We have been speeding through the old and new material and have our debut at the new “ Rock & Roll Heaven “ on Oct 25th where we are headliners.That brings me up to now. I will be posting my full calendars as things are confirmed. Thanks for reading my bio ( if you made it this far ..!! lol ) I’ll add as things continue to blossom…!BE RICH ..!C.
