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Where did all the bands go!
There was a time when live music was King in Wasaga Beach. From
the west side with "The Beacon" to the main Beach area with "The
Dardanella" , you weren't a nightclub unless you had a good band.
Well those days are long gone partner. Live music has taken a big
hit since the Big Band days of the 40's and 50's to the Rock 'n'
Roll 60's and 70's. Somewhere in the mid to
late 80's live music stopped being the draw it once was. Video
didn't kill the Radio Star, it killed the live music scene.
Today's consumer has so much to choose from when parting with
their entertainment dollar. Going to see a live
band use to be a great thing. Now you can catch a 5.1 surround
sound "Peter Gabriel" concert on the widescreen with your
satellite without even leaving the comforts of your living room.
So.....Where do I go to see a band?
Well; during the winter you're basically out of luck. The Beacon
has a Wednesday Night Jam Session hosted by the local "John
Marshall Band". Unfortunately, Wasaga's relatively small
population base makes the draw of local musicians very small. Even
though there are several pro musicians living in Wasaga, they
don't seem to visit the weekly Beacon Jam. This means the jammers
are usually of the beginner to hobbyist level. "Sorry, what
channel did you say Peter Gabriel was on?" |
This brings us to the summer. Well, hail
The Dardanella.
Like I said, every nightclub ran live music in the old days.
Nowadays you basically have one choice. The Dard. The Dard runs
Top 40 Rock bands in their club downstairs during the weekends and
brings in the big guns almost every second weekend during the
summer. Bands such as "The Tea Party", "Colin
James", "Kim Mitchell" and more. Big name Canadian acts that are a
little too popular for the bar circuit but not popular enough for
the Air Canada Centre. Last summer USA blues man George Thorogood
was also on the menu. The Dard does a great job
with top notch sound and lighting. No fooling around here. The
venue is a large, high ceiling old wooden structure with plenty of
room to Rock n Roll. Some of the smaller
Restaurants and Bars on Beach Drive did bring in some Top 40 /
Blues / Rock bands last summer so hopefully they will continue
with their live music policy this coming summer. When more info
regarding Live Entertainment in the Beach becomes available we
will post it here. There is even a slight
possibility that we will do some concert/live music reviews. That
will be different. A music critic who is a musician. And people
say Simon Cowell is brutal. Hold on to your hats! |
