The band started out the year in one of their traditional Hamilton venues
-- the Gladstone Tavern. Some of the band members have been playing
music in this room for 40 years. It was a fun night and nice to see a lot
of old friends come out and enjoy the evening with us.
It was saxophone player night at 'the Glad'. Below, is the band's first sax
player, Morris Sardo and his g/f Linda. Top right is Darcy Hepner, back in
town from a very successful few years with Blood, Sweat & Tears, with
band saxophonist, Tom Forsyth. Above left is Ronnie Lodge, lead
singer/bass player for local group, Ronnie & the Rockets, back on stage
singing for the first time since some rather serious medical problems.
As always, it was an enjoyable night at the Gladstone.
The Powerhouse Horns
Following the band's show at Brock University for the Haitian
Relief Benefit, the band was on the road the following week for a
couple of shows with Dave Battah and his 'Tonight's the Night'
tribute to Rod Stewart. The first show was mid-week down in
Peterborough, ON for an evening show at Kawartha Downs.
Tony couldn't join us for these shows so we had our good friend
Suzanne O (pictured left) filling in with us on keyboard and vocals.
Suzanne's worked with us before and, as we've learned to expect
from her, did an excellent job.
It was one of those shows with a lot to do both before and during
the show. We'd like to thank our friend Mike Maguire for sending
us the picture to the right, taken during the band's set-up and
soundcheck.
Following a mid-week show at Kawartha
Downs, Dave Battah and Powerhouse were off
a few days later for the weekend at what is
becoming one the band's favourite U.S. dates
at the Bay Mills Casino on the southern shore
of Lake Superior in Michigan, U.S.A. As
they've done in their previous three trips up to
Bay Mills, they drove up Friday, played two
shows on Saturday night and came home on
Sunday. And with the unseasonably warm winter this year, the drives up and back were both pleasant
and event-free. There were two one-hour shows this evening, both fully sold-out. The band,
Powerhouse, opened the night to a rather sedate, seated, dinner crowd. This changed rather quickly,
though, when Dave Battah took the stage as 'Rod' and headed out into the crowd.
Joining us on this trip were Glenn
Higgins, one of the band's
'regulars' on saxophone, Suzanne
O on keyboards and vocals and
our resident 'Maggie May'
mandolin player.
All that remained was to decide what to do
about tomorrow's hockey game. It was now 11
p.m. and Canada and the U.S. were playing for
Olympic Hockey Gold tomorrow afternoon at 3
p.m. and there was no way that we were going
to miss it. The problem was ... if we left Bay
Mills at our usual time next morning, it would
put nine Canadian musicians in a roadside bar
somewhere in the middle of Michigan trying to
watch a Canada-U.S. hockey game.
It didn't take a lot of band discussion to realize
that this might not be such a good idea. Suzanne voted for anything that didn't involve getting
up before noon, and Dave ... well ... he appeared to agree with Suzanne. So it was decided.
One truck would head out early (6 a.m. early) and try to make it home and the second truck
would head out later and try for inside the Canadian border. The early truck made it home for
the game and the later truck watched the game in Sarnia, just inside the Canadian border.
Yes indeed, an excellent week with Dave Battah and his Rod Stewart show.
Back home again, the band was at a very crowded
Hamilton Copps Coliseum for opening night of the the
5th Annual Food & Drink Festival. Between sampling
the culinary treats -- and there were many -- a packed
house, including many friends stopping by for our home-
town show and two rather long shows, it was a full and
excellent evening for the band.
The band may have looked small on the floor of the
crowded arena (set up underneath the two lit sign-
boards in the distance) but we tried to make sure we
didn't sound small. Joining us this evening on saxophone this evening was our
old friend, Paul Augustyn (pictured above). It's always a pleasure to do a show
with Paul, one of the band's original members.
Excellent crowd and a fabulous night
for Powerhouse at Copps Coliseum at
the Hamilton Food & Drink Fest.
After a couple of local stops at the Gladstone Tavern and the Grand
Opening of Stonewall's Restaurant in Hamilton, May 24th weekend saw
the band playing at a rather 'interesting' venue -- the Four Seasons
Nudist Resort in Freelton, Ontario. This resort has been going for
many, many years now -- right back to when a nudist resort was maybe
not as well accepted in the scenic Halton Hills area of Ontario.
I arriived at the resort early and linked up with Tom, the new owner (of
a few months) and he took me on a short tour around the grounds and
told me of the many plans that he had in store for his new property. He
planned a number of improvements
around the waterfront area over the
coming months and, probably of
interest to the general public, the resort
was now to be advertised as 'clothing optional', rather than strictly nudist.
As one would expect, pictures of residents and visitors at the resort was prohibited,
but I did manage to snap some pics of the grounds and the band at one point in the
evening.The resort was beautiful, with a definite 'back to nature' feel. Directly behind
the main building on an elevated area sat the inground pool and various outdoor patio
areas. Down the hill behind this, the property panned out into a waterfront area
around a spring fed pond.
The Four Seasons Resort caters to weekend visitors and a number of resort regulars
who have full-time living status on the property. To the left, the outdoor pool and a
major spring that feeds the pond behind the main building. I didn't walk back through the forest road to see some of the other homes as, being a nudist resort,
personal privacy was a major consideration here.
There was actually a good crowd turnout to see the band this night, but because of the picture restrictions on the property, I had to snap the pic to the right at a
time when there was no one directly in front of the band. It was a rather unique room too, as a large dance floor area was lowered over the indoor pool directly
below where we played. It was a good evening for the band at a very unique venue.
Powerhouse closed out the late
spring of 2010 at a rather opulent
location in downtown St.
Catharines, ON. – Rodman Hall, a
mid-19th century building with a
rich local history. In 1960, Rodman
Hall was incorporated as the
Rodman Hall Arts Centre – now
with an affiliation to Brock
University. In June of this year,
Rodman Hall held their 50th
Anniversary and Powerhouse was
pleased to play at the evening
festivities. Advertised as ModRod,
the event had a distinct 60's feel as
Tiny Bill Cody filled in the
afternoon's portion of the show. The event was
Emceed by Canadian singer/songwriter, Marc
Jordan – himself, a Brock graduate.
With the grounds bordering against the Twelve Mile Creek ravine, Rodman Hall was truly gorgeous, with
lush gardens and beautifully sculptured landscaping surrounding the main building. Most of us took the
time to walk the grounds while listening to Tiny Bill Cody finish his last show of the afternoon.
Before Powerhouse took the stage for their evening shows, emcee for the event, Marc Jordan (pictured
above from his website at www.marcjordan.com/) gave a fairly lengthy speech about the Canadian arts
community and his early years at Brock University. Marc, a Brock graduate and a member of the
Canadian artistic scene for decades was the perfect spokesperson for the Hall's 50th Anniversary. He's
been making and producing records since the mid 70's. His songwriting credits span his own recordings
plus those written for artists like Rod Stewart, Cher, Josh Groban, Natalie Cole and many more. His film
credits involve work with Dudley Moore and Jeff Bridges, among others. Currently he's working on the new movie: "Score: A Hockey Move" with Olivia
Newton-John. His Powerhouse connections are firstly with Tony Aquino, our keyboardist who spent a SOCAN-sponsored weekend singer/songwriter
conference with Marc in the late 90's. And our drummer, Steve Negus, engineered and was the drummer for one of Marc's latest releases: "Lunch at
Allen's" – a collaboration with fellow Canadian artists, Ian Thomas and Murray McLaughlin. It was 'old home' week for a couple of our band members as
others met Marc for the first time.
And, of course, there was the show – a couple of sets of Powerhouse 60's music to fit the 'Mod Rod' them of the day, played on the back lawn of the
gorgeous Rodman Hall grounds. It was an enjoyable evening, to be sure.
On January 12, 2010, a devasting earthquake hit the island country of Haiti,
flattening parts of many citites and leaving an estimated 3 million people in
need of aid. As is often the case with global disasters, musicians and
bands around the Southern Ontario
area of Canada pooled their talents
over the coming weeks in various
benefits organized to help the Haitian
country. Powerhouse played their
part on a Wednesday night in
February at the 'Help for Haiti Benefit
Concert', presented by Classic Rock
FM 91.7 Radio and held at the Sean
O'Sullivan Theatre at Brock University.
As bad luck would have it, on February 17, the Niagara Region of Southern
Ontario was hit by one of the few snowstorms of the winter season. The
crowd, although less than desired, did grow to half-fill the theatre through
the evening and were treated to a number of excellent Niagara-area
musicians and bands.
2010 was a good year to be Canadian. The great success of the Vancouver Winter
Olympics and Canada’s gold medal wins in ice hockey were something most folks
won’t soon forget. The band rushed home on a Sunday from a show in northern
Michigan the night before to be sure to watch the men’s gold medal game on native
soil. So when Canada Day rolled around at the beginning of July we were ready to
celebrate with the rest of the country.
It would be tough to top last year’s Canada Day show in Richmond Hill, but as it
turned out, the July 1st Canada Day long weekend was just the beginning of an
excellent month for the Powerhouse Band. We traveled from the Gatineau Hills in
Quebec to the cornfields of Iowa, with a number of stops in between. But first up
was the July 1st long weekend and two shows in the Lac Leamy Casino in
Gatineau, Quebec – right across the river from Ottawa. Our Chicago Transit and
Rod Stewart shows were booked to play the two nights following Canada Day so
many of the band members took advantage of the location and the long weekend
and made a working weekend/holiday out of the shows. Some of us headed out a
day early to watch Canada’s 143th Birthday festivities in the nation’s capital.
Others stayed later in the weekend, taking the extra time to drive home through the
northern part of the province. Still others stayed in the area for a few days, going
directly to Brockville for our mid-week shows in their theatre next week.
If there’s one thing that can be said for Canada’s capital city –
it’s that it does like to dress up for the country’s birthday. Flags
and red & white were everywhere. And there was a lot
happening on Ottawa on July 1st this year.
Ottawa always has lots of street craftsmen throughout the
summer. The city also has a very strong 'Blues' scene and the
annual Blues Festival brought in some excellent acts this year.
To the left, Sandy stands with the rather odd 'flame in the
fountain' display while above, John Is with a beautifully-done
recently-christened, life-size bronze statue of Canada's late,
great jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson.
A national birthday party wouldn't quite
seem complete without the R.C.M.P. on
horseback. Today they had the special
task of escorting the city's special guests
-- Prince Philp and Her Majesty, Queen
Elizabeth II. Once the setting sun cast its
long shadows across the beautiful
architecture on Parliament Hill and dipped
below the horizon, it was time to party as
the bands and the music took to the
various stages found throughout the city.
The rest of the band rolled in next
day and by 4 p.m. it was time for
sound check. The Theatre venue
was in its own building, a separate
area from the casino and was done up in
the traditional theatre style -- flat black
everywhere, full dinner seating on the
spacious main floor, a large elevated
balcony spanning the back of room, and a
HUGE stage area. The venue was
definitely set up to accomodate almost any
act that would be passing through.
Above (from left to right) -- the Benedictus
Family: Mike, Mike Jr. and Karen and our
drummer Steve behind the ladder.
Phil in a quiet moment
There was just enough time left to grab a
bite to eat and walk around the beautiful
grounds of the Casino. They have done a
beautiful job of the landscaping here. Set
right against the lake, there was plenty of
boating facilities, swimming, summer patio
bars nestled in the trees and plenty of
greenery and walkways everywhere. To the
right, Joanne looks out over the lake from
the walkway behind the casino.
This evening’s audience was a seated dinner crowd so pics of the band had to come from the wings. But the nearly full house seemed to really
enjoy the band's Chicago Transit Tribute Show. Tomorrow night we'd be back again with Dave Battah and his Rod Stewart Tribute Show.
Showtime
The Horns
Note: they only appear to be napping.
The Rhythm Section
One of other benefits of traveling around the country playing music is
that you get to see the country when you're not playing your music.
Soundcheck on the second day wasn't until later in the afternoon, so
most of the band scattered for the day to see a very beautiful part of Canada. Some went
to Gatineau Park and the Lake Meech
area and others headed due north into
the highlands to Saint-Anne-du-Lac.
It's not really necessary to give
explanations to the pictures, above right
-- just click on the thumbnails to
enlarge. Mostly, the morning and
afternoon before our everning Rod
Stewart show was about visual
stimualation. The day was a pleasant
break between shows. By late
afternoon, everyone headed back to the
theatre for soundcheck, then a break for
dinner, then the show.
After a great day driving around the Quebec countryside, it felt good to play some music,
and with Dave Battah front and centre, it's always a good night of music. The full house
really enjoyed the show. Apparently, Les Quebecois enjoy a Rod Stewart show as much as
Les Anglaises.
All that remained of this weekend was the drive home -- some of the band members stopping off in Ottawa the
next morning before taking a Sunday drive through some of the more gorgeous countryside of Southern Ontario.
Set-up and Sound Check
