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A CASE OF THE BLUES
By NAOMI ZWOLINSKI
Staff Writer
Friday August 20th was the date and a bluesy/funky/jazzy sound was on the bill for the night at the Silver Dollar Room with both The Stickmen and Planet Earth. The Stickmen opened the evening with their flare of a New Orleans mix of soul/funk sounds. The fairly recent collaboration of the 4 men proves to be a match made in blues heaven.
On guitar and vocals is Bernie LaBarge. He's a long time veteran of the 6 stringed instrument. Playing since the tender age of eleven and professionally since '67, Bernie has made a name for himself in this industry. He was nominated for "Most Promising Male Vocalist" at the '84 Juno Awards for his album, "Barging In". He's performed and recorded with many prominent artists locally and abroad. Bernie can be seen every Friday with The Stickmen and Saturday with The Dexters at The Orbit Room.
On bass for The Stickmen is Gene Falbo who has been a long standing force to be reckoned with in the music industry. He's played bass on live projects and done a great deal of studio work as a session player.
On drums is Jim Casson who considers himself a chameleon of sorts in the types of music he plays. His favourite style is funk so he came to The Stickmen with his kit in tow. He too has been nominated for a Juno and has performed on various live projects and done studio work.
Finally, we have Brent Barkman on the Hammond B3. He comes to the band with a
Cannes Award and a love of music. He's played with everyone from Alanis Morisette to Aretha Franklin.
With over 100 years of combined experience, The Stickmen leave no stone unturned in stage presence and talent. They can be found at www.thestickmen.ca and can be seen every Friday at The Orbit Room on College Street in little Italy.
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