Tag Archives: Shane Cloutier
Shane Cloutier Plays the Leeky
Shane Cloutier is coming to the Leeky Canoe on Saturday night. As a resident of Collingwood, he likes to come to Meaford to play and has played The Leeky often, enjoying the vibe of the local music fans. That’s good news for Meaford because Shane Cloutier, and the pair of players that form his backup band, play at a level that would make you expect to find them at a much bigger venue with a high ticket price (there’s no cover at all at The Leeky and a bonus of food specials to boot!). It is one of the many blessings of the Southern Georgian Bay area that there are musicians here who would rather stay home just because it is such a great place to be. For Shane, operating a music school in Collingwood makes that possible.
When he plays with his band, bassist Johnny Roy and drummer Skip Wamsteeker, it’s a powerhouse sound, but Shane is such an accomplished performer that he holds the stage well as a solo act with an acoustic guitar. As a professional musician working in a relatively small market, he knows that every avenue must be explored.
Originally from Orillia, Shane Cloutier studied music at Humber College in Toronto before settling in Collingwood. He opened a music store and began to take on students while working on a music career. He began working with Frank Marino, from Mahogany Rush, playing rhythm guitar for them on tour. Marino has helped him with his recording career. He put out an album called “Scars” in 2012 and worked hard to promote it, including showcases in LA. It found a place in a movie soundtrack and his efforts brought him some international attention that included endorsement deals with Ibanez guitars. In 2015 he formed another band called Bent Nails, with legendary drummer Jorn Andersen and Max Webster bass player Mike Tilka. Again working with Frank Merino in Montreal, he created a new album with this combination.
Here is a beautiful original song from his debut album “Scars”
Getting ahead in the music business is not always a direct result of skill and talent. It’s a process of climbing one mountain after another and hoping to reach the peak before a landslide brings you down. The real musicians, the ones who will eventually prevail, are those that are willing to climb that mountain all over again. Usually while they do they play small venues close to home and those lucky enough to be in their proximity get to see world class talent that the rest of the world just hasn’t yet caught up to.
That’s what’s in store for The Leeky Canoe fans on Saturday night.
Itinerant Troubadours Are Coming
The open mic night on Wednesdays at Captains Corner won’t be running through the winter months but Amanda Dorey and Carey have promised to bring it back in the spring when the patio can be used again. There are still two open mic opportunities on Wednesdays not far away, at Ted’s of course, and at The Corner Café in Thornbury hosted by Dave Russell.
Laurie Zwarich plays Friday at Captains Corner
Friday live music is still happening at Captains Corner and this week Laurie Zwarich is coming in from Nottawa to sing a variety of covers with a smattering of original songs.
Shane Cloutier, powerhouse guitarist, plays The Leeky on Saturday
This Tuesday, John Marshall will be joining Chris Scerri for his open mic at The Leeky Canoe. On Thirsty Thursdays, they feature the WKRP trio and Saturday night brings the great guitarist, and singer songwriter Shane Cloutier.
Tuesday is also the night for the Georgian Shores Songwriters’ Circle, moving back to The Marsh Street Centre in Clarksburg this week. The gathering grows in size with each passing week so the main auditorium at Marsh Street will allow room for everybody. The more songwriters attend, the more inspiring it is, with a wider variety of original songs and better feedback. Last time the session was at Marsh Street, a group went down the road to The Leeky afterward to catch some of the open mic there.
There are a number of performers out there on the icy roads of Ontario as winter creeps ever closer, and they will be stopping in Collingwood and Owen Sound this week.
Graham Playford at The Huron Club on Wednesday
Folky singer-songwriter Graham Playford will be driving up from Toronto to play a Wednesday night at The Huron Club in Collingwood.
Zachary Lucky is on the road promoting his new release “Everywhere A Man Can Be”, enjoying the new experience of touring with a band. They’ve been through the East Coast, Quebec and much of Ontario, and will be landing at The Bruce Wine Bar in Thornbury before carrying on down the road to visit Peterborough, Uxbridge, Waterloo, Oakville, Cambridge and Guelph before Christmas.
Matt Epp and Christina Martin Saturday at Heartwood Hall
Matt Epp and Christina Martin are touring together with a busy schedule. Last week they were in the maritimes and this week they’ll be making stops every night starting tomorrow in Montreal and stopping in Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton before arriving to play Saturday night at Heartwood Hall in Owen Sound. After the Christmas break, Matt will spend January touring Germany and Christina will follow through that country in February.
Summerfolk presents Irish Mythen at The Harmony Centre
Irish Mythen, who will be playing The Harmony Centre in Owen Sound this Saturday spreads out her dates a little more, but she has been all around the world. A favourite at folk festivals, she toured Australia last spring opening for Melissa Etheridge and returned with her own tour later in the year. After a December stop in December at Millgrove, she’ll be back home in Halifax through January.
We can find these touring artists just down the road at some great local venues, and when they have come and gone, there will be more coming over the hills to entertain us.
Tinman and The Flying Monkeys Tonight At The Leeky
It’s an exciting event when Tinman and The Flying Monkeys reconvene to play a gig in Meaford. “Rocking your face off since 1994” as their poster for tonight’s event proudly proclaims, the band that was once the busiest band in town has slowed down in recent years because of members’ other commitments. They haven’t played The Leeky Canoe since January.
Tinman and The Flying Monkeys, as least in local terms, is something of a supergroup. The four members that make up the band are Martin Rice on guitar and lead vocals, Stuart Narduzzo on lead guitar and harmonica, Johnny Roy on bass and Beaker Granger on drums.
Martin Rice plays less these days, with the focus on his growing family. He performed twice as part of the Friends of The Library summer concert series this past summer, once with his father Waverley Rice’s band, and once in a show of his own tunes. He is also part of River and Rock, although that band often performs in scaled down versions when Martin can’t make it.
Stuart Narduzzo was at the Leeky just last weekend with his band Those Handsome Hooligans. He is also a member of The Royal Pains. In addition to his input on guitar, Stuart is an exceptionally talented poster artist. Any band that he is part of has the immense advantage of incredibly eye-catching poster designs to promote their gigs.
Johnny Roy is also part of River and Rock when he can make it, and he regularly contributes his dynamic bass playing to the weekly jam at Ted’s Range Road Diner. He contributes bass to the Shane Cloutier band. He organized the music at this year’s Canada Day celebrations as well as playing in two bands.
Beaker Granger, in addition to fronting his own band, River and Rock, plays drums with RPR, and sometimes provides the house band for the bi-monthly open mic events at Heartwood Hall in Owen Sound.
All four of these musicians are highly respected for their years of contribution to the local music scene and tonight at the Leeky they’ll be drawing fans who have rocked to their music since they were the local high school band a few decades ago.
Meaford Rocks With Local Talent Tonight
Before or after the screening at MIFF tonight you can catch local talent offering up some great rocking tunes just steps from Meaford Hall.
Bored of Education have a busy weekend
If you’re in the mood for fish and chips, make sure to time it between 6 and 9 at Captains Corner so that you can enjoy a set by Bored of Education. They are always in demand because of their great selection of covers that range over several styles. Last time they played Captains Corner on the patio, there was a crowd of people on the sidewalk enjoying the tunes and waiting for others to leave so they could come in to enjoy a big plate of fish and chips.
Shane Cloutier rocks!
After the movie, follow the crowd to The Leeky Canoe to hear one of the greatest guitar stylists in the area, Shane Cloutier. A lot of people do covers of classic rock but his covers bear an uncanny resemblance to the originals, especially when he takes on tunes by guitar heroes. If he chooses to include some original songs, they stand up well beside the covers. This will be a great way to wind down rocking into the wee hours.
