If you did not want to spend your time walking up and down Queen Street East last Friday at the Beaches Streetfest, there were three bands playing at the Linsmore Tavern just up the street.

You could feel that the people just wanted to congregate in one spot and be entertained. Well they were entertained by three very different bands. There was Tony Hawk and the Outlaw surfers who I just saw for the first time last week at East Lynn Park. Please read that review from last week.

This band, I believe is very local with a neighborhood that supports their cause. I immediately noticed a small change in the band. The drummer looked a lot younger than the one I saw last week. Well that is because this chap whose name is Ayden is the son of the lead singer. He sat in on the first four songs. This is the way a Father should break his son into show business, just throw him on stage and get his chops right away. As it turns out this is his second professional gig as a drummer. Keep up the good work Ayden!

Once the drummer entered the picture again, I noticed something unique. At one point he was holding a maraca backwards and using it as a stick, to get that extra shaking sound. That is a very cool move. This band is on a mini tour right now. First East Lynn Park, then the Linsmore then off to Sauce on the Danforth. It certainly beats that cross Canada trip some bands take.

Here is Tony Hawk and the Outlaw Surfers

Well, if you wanted a surf sound, you were about to enjoy one of the best surf bands in Toronto today. The Calrizians took the stage with their wavy gravy sounds that gave everybody flashbacks to their LSD days. Their psychedelic space took us to see “Jack the Tripper”, “Lucifer Sam”, and we even got to meet a Japanese madman.

They even had a spaghetti western moment with a card player that was nothing less than a scoundrel. How weird are these guys? They are so weird that they finished us off with a Mel Torme tune.

Here are the Calrizians

The Final band up was very excited to be there and they brought all of their friends to party with them. The bar was filled with Loud Almighty T-Shirts. We should all have a team drink before we start. They are called Loud Almighty and this is a warning for what you will have in store.

With a line of beer and whiskey lined up along the front of the stage, this band was here to party. We should all take a team drink!

With the amps turned up to 11, and three chords crashing in your face they opened with a punk rock version of “Ring of Fire”, by Johnny Cash.

This seems to be a band that is taking a rocking punk attitude and rearranging classic songs. I must admit there was a couple of arrangement I didn’t quite get.  The ones I did, they really were out to trash them in their own unique way. Their April Wine’s song, “Could have been a lady”, was so trashy they ran her over with a garbage truck.

They played “Tie your Mother down”, by Queen. They tied her up and flogged her hard. Team Drink.

It wouldn’t be a good night of covers until someone yells out…FREEBIRD! Have no fear they did not shoot that one down. That is what is original about this band; they really take classic songs and push the limits to how we should hear them. They have that love or hate us attitude. Isn’t that part of the Rock and Roll dream?

For me, I got a kick out of their version of Johnny B Goode. It was Chuck Berry meets the Sex Pistols. They should rename this song, Johnny B Rotten” What a Rock and Roll Finish! Team Drink!

If you would like to see all the up-and-coming acts at the Linsmore Tavern, please go to our Music Directory to find out!

Here is Loud Almighty- Team Drink!