COURTESY TBSHOWS.COM
When Lake Superior Magazine wanted to find someone with a finger on the pulse of the Thunder Bay music scene, Jean-Paul De Roover’s was among the first names to pop up. Jean-Paul, a city native and a musician, has performed around the world, and while he continues to perform, he became one-third of a different kind of trio.
TBShows.com teams Jean-Paul with Jimmy Wiggins, another T-Bay native, musician and music promoter, and Kevin Sidlar, a musician and computer geek. (All are portrayed above.) A fourth local, Andrew Ryan, the original architect of the website, has stepped down from an active role.
TBShows.com grew from what these fellows saw as a need to create the No. 1 website in the know about local music and live entertainment in Lake Superior’s largest city.
Jean-Paul snuck some time from his music, TBShows.com and hanging with his almost-1-year-old son to answer a few questions (with the help of a couple of calls to the rest of the TBShows team) about the T-Bay music scene … and why visitors and locals should be flocking to performances.
LSM: Has Thunder Bay’s local music scene been growing or stayed steady over the last 5 to 10 years?
J-P: Thunder Bay’s music scene is incredibly active. We regularly have live music events every night of the week, whether it’s a rock concert, featured DJ dance nights, open mic or karaoke. Our online calendar is always jam-packed. There are roughly 30 to 35 venues that have music on a monthly basis, with about 20 of those offering live music weekly.
Every venue features local performers, although some cater more specifically to our homegrown talent whereas others like to bring in national/ international headliners.
The Waterfront District is a great start (for visitors looking for local music). With about a dozen venues all within four blocks of one another, you’ll definitely find something worth listening to.
LSM: Is there a Thunder Bay sound?
J-P: Thunder Bay’s sound is quite varied. About 15 years ago, there was a definite boom within certain genres like metal and punk, but a wonderful eclecticism has come out of that, mixed with different generations participating in the same music scene. Blues cover bands, jazz trios, indie rock, singer/songwriters and more all occupy many of the same spaces.
LSM: What one thing don’t visitors usually know about the T-Bay music scene that they should?
J-P: That Thunder Bay’s scene is as active as it is. We get pegged as a small town with an equally small music community, but the truth is we’re responsible for some amazing songwriters and performers who have really come into their own over the past few years after leaving Thunder Bay: Coleman Hell (whose 2016 debut album “Summerland” has a national audience), Poor Young Things (a five-person indie rock band) and Classic Roots (an electronica artist).
LSM: What one thing don’t local residents know about the Thunder Bay music scene that they should?
J-P: That it’s happening every day around them. A common Thunder Bay complaint is that “There’s nothing to do here.” Our goal is to provide them with every opportunity to prove that statement wrong.
Making a Splash from Thunder Bay
SHANNON LEPERE
Jean-Paul De Roover returned to Europe this November, bringing what he calls his “post-pop” sounds to Germany. The Thunder Bay-born musician grew up in Africa, Asia and South America before returning home. His upbringing made for the eclectic blending of rock, pop, a cappella and electronica that goes into the multi-instrumentalist’s music. He says every performance, influenced by the audience, is a unique experience. “I wanted to challenge myself by having to record every part of my show live, on the spot. It provides a unique show for anyone that sees me.” Over 11 years of touring, he’s shared the stage with the Beach Boys, Goo Goo Dolls, The Weakerthans and Beardyman. He counts as his musical influences, Steve Martin, Danko Jones, Bjork, A Wilhelm Scream, Mike Patton, Rockapella, Silverchair, The Jimmy Swift Band and Nick Cave.
COURTESY THE HONEST HEART COLLECTIVE
The Honest Heart Collective, an “anthemic indie rock” group, is made up of brothers Ryan and Nic MacDonald with Jay Savage, Kevin Heerema, Conner Harris and Keenan Kosolowski. It is one of two groups (with Greenbank below) Jean-Paul named when asked for hot local acts. They describe themselves as born out of a moment at a Bruce Springsteen concert into a rotating cast of musicians made permanent. The group’s bio states: “Buoyed by the backdrop of their Northern Ontario roots, the band’s debut LP tells a story of longing, deceit and new beginnings. ‘Liar’s Club’ encapsulates The Honest Heart Collective’s old soul take of heart-on-sleeves storytelling through music. Armed with the self-built Lionheart Studios, a blue-collar mentality and 150+ shows later, The Honest Heart Collective has become six best friends raring to put out new music and get back on the road.” They’ve also done an album covering some Johnny Cash songs. The band’s latest album will be released in 2018. Musical influences: Bruce Springsteen, Brian Fallon, Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan and Johnny Cash.
CHAD KIRVAN
Greenbank harkens to the folk-rock masters bringing socially conscious lyrics and stories of the road to the stage. The duo (formerly The Greenbank Trio) now features Jimmy Breslin on guitar and Craig Smyth on keyboards, both doing vocals. They’ve toured around North America, “playing everywhere from cramped kitchens to sold out auditoriums,” as they describe on Facebook, have landed opening gigs for Chicago, REO Speedwagon, Leann Rimes, Cheap Trick and the David Suzuki Blue Dot tour. Their debut album, “Money Machine,” came out in 2015. “With great influences, great songs and a great passion for music, it’s easy to see why so many people have fallen in love with (Greenbank),” Fresh Print Magazine in Toronto wrote.