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Irie Guy

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  1. The Spirit of the Dead Lives On

    The spirit of the Dead lives on

    The Fat Cats The Fat Cats: Josh Williams (keyboards), Chris Gatchene (guitar and vocals), Todd Gillies (guitar and vocals), David E. Hill (bass), and Ed Casasanta (drums).

    Special to The Hamilton Spectator

    In many ways, the Fat Cats were born in the ashes of the Grateful Dead.

    It was 1992, the year the Grateful Dead returned to Hamilton’s Copps Coliseum for two sold out shows which many Deadheads still count among their favourites. Unfortunately, those shows were the last ones the Dead performed in Canada. Jerry Garcia would die three years later, a victim of his addictions, just as the band was reaching new heights of popularity.

    The Grateful Dead’s 30-year-run ended, but the band’s hippie ethos carried on in the hundreds of garage jam bands that seemed to spring to life in the early ’90s.

    In southern Ontario, the Fat Cats gained a reputation as being the best of the bunch.

    The Fat Cats wrote their own music, but the inspiration was obvious. You couldn’t help but notice how much the lead guitarists — Chris Gatchene and Todd Gillies — sounded like Garcia.

    There were also those long, meandering jams, enveloped in a big fat groove. The Fat Cats always got the listener from Point A to B, it’s just that they’d often stop at Points X, Y and Z along the way.

    For the Fat Cats, the scene started in a Dundas eatery called Rockwall’s (now the Thirsty Cactus). It spread into downtown Hamilton to the original Casbah and then found a home for several years at the Pepperjack Cafe on King William (now Club Absinthe).

    The Fat Cats toured hard and established a national reputation with pockets of fan support as far west as British Columbia and east into the Maritimes. They stretched south into the U.S., playing San Francisco, home of their improvisational patrons, the Grateful Dead.

    The Fat Cats have gone through some personnel changes over the past 20 years, but founders Gatchene and Gillies, as well as longtime bassist Dave Hill, remain.

    “We all have day jobs, a lot of us have families, but we’re all musicians at heart,†says Gillies. “It’s a lifeline. That’s why we all continue to play. One of my favourite things in the world is getting together with the guys, opening a beer and seeing what we can come up with.â€

    To celebrate their 20th anniversary, the Fat Cats are releasing their third CD, a studio album of original songs called Shine Box. You can buy a copy at the Fat Cats CD release party Saturday, Jan. 28, at This Ain’t Hollywood.

    The Fat Cats

    What: CD release party for the Fat Cats’ Shine Box. The Fat Cats perform two complete sets. Opening act: The Allnighters

    When: Saturday, Jan. 28, 8 p.m.

    Where: This Ain’t Hollywood, 345 James St. N., 905-529-9500

    Admission: $10 at the door, or $20 including CD

    grockingham@thespec.com

    905-526-3331 | @RockatTheSpec

    Ba dum bump.

    And keep an eye out for some press they are supposedly getting in the Hamilton Spectator (I believe on Thurs. Jan. 26th).

  2. This had to be one of the best all round musical events I have ever been to in my 30+ years of seeing concerts. Rarely do you go to an event where the mix of young and old are having such a grand old time. Our 3 had a hoot. The food mix was great, Ethiopian food at a music festival come on. The lineups for drinks moved very efficiently there was lots of greenspace, I could go on and on it was definitely worth the drive back to Hammer and as a bonus we got to see some old friends that we hadn't seen in years. Edger, would have been nice to bump into you and Todd, maybe next year.

  3. Shoppers Drug Mart believe it or not has a really good 100% Ethiopian Fair Trade Organic coffee in their Organics Line. Price is right as well, regular price is $4.99 for a 400gm bag. It is preground but for the price it can't be beat.

    McDonalds coffee trumps Tim Hortons any day.

  4. and then along comes Dave to comment

    "It's all about money. And as nice a guy as Conan is, he's a smart fellow. And he knows that if he takes a hike, he's going to lose an enormous sum of money. So he just now says, 'Well, I'm not gonna follow Jay. You guys do something about it.' So now, NBC has to do something about it. And they have to do one of two things. They have to either pay him an enormous amount of money... this whole mistake over there at NBC has cost them hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions and millions of dollars. So now the last thing they wanna do--they just want Conan to quit and go away and for Conan to do a show in his basement. That's what they want. That's exactly what they want. But he's a smart kid. He's not gonna do that. He's in there for the cash. Or they waive his non-compete clause so he can go to Fox or come here and take my job. Wait a minute!"

    Huffington Post

    I really hope Jay never gets his viewers back.

  5. 51WqZ3f7J0L._SS500_.jpg

    Dispatch: Zimbabwe documents this unprecedented three-night benefit event reuniting members of Dispatch for a weekend around a cause. The music world was rocked when Dispatch became the first independent band to sell-out the legendary arena (three nights no-less)! More importantly, they proved the healing power of music as the band and fans collectively raised funds and awareness for poverty stricken Zimbabwe. Now available on Blu-ray Disc, fans who made it to the concerts (and those who didn't) can experience the magic in the highest quality available! Over 2 Hours of Concert Footage! Directed and Photographed by World-Renowned Photographer Danny Clinch. Shot in Beautiful High Definition. Bonus Material Includes: 30 Minute Documentary on Zimbabwe, Outtakes, and Interviews.

    Awesome show.....

  6. The one and only time I got to see U2 was waay back during the Joshua Tree tour. 88 maybe?? Anyhow, Exhibition Stadium, Cold, late Fall but still head a hell of a time. The only relation to the shows of this week is the name on the ticket.

    Strange as it may sound but I miss the 70,000+ crowds at outside stadium shows.

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