The Bearcats
The Bearcats from Owen Sound, Ontario, will be at the Black Swan in Toronto on Feb. 19th and at Heads & Tails
in Etobicoke on March 5th, promoting "Rockin' blues at its best" with their new CD,
Too Much Change. (Photo by Rosanne Allan)
We welcome Journalism Honours student and self-proclaimed "big blues fan" Lori Ross as a guest freelance writer with her penning of the following story about Owen Sound's Bearcats.
"The blues are not restricted to a certain income level, gender, age or ethnic group. That is why we are as comfortable performing at a street dance in Sauble Beach, as we are in this private ski club," explains the Bearcats' lead singer, James Wayner, as he gets ready to take the stage at the prestigious Georgian Peaks Club.
A veteran of 35 years in the music business, Wayner knows how to work a crowd. This big bear of a man ambles up to the centre mic; "Good evening everyone. We're the Bearcats and this is the blues!" he proclaims, launching the band into a raunchy, down and dirty blues number that has the dance floor packed before that first song is even over.
The Bearcats are performing this night to a 40-ish crowd who worked all week in the corporate world and then drove north of the big city to unwind, to ski, and to have a good time. This audience consists of people who seek perfection and demand the best, giving their all in their professions, on the slopes and now on the dance floor. The Bearcats deliver their best. Clean and crisp.
Playing the classics like "Mustang Sally" (by request), as well as songs written by Wayner, the Bearcats have come a long way since getting together 6 years ago.
"We started out as a David Wilcox tribute band. We kept the name but have now developed our own original sound. Last summer we opened for Colin James and that was great exposure for us. Our website, (www.thebearcats.com), has received a lot of positive responses about how well our recently released CD captures our `live' sound. Touring is keeping us very busy. Canadian blues does well all over the world, which is why we are getting airplay in places like Australia." Wayner summarizes, in between sets, while wiping the sweat from his head onto the large towel he keeps slung over his shoulder. Wayner moves constantly while singing. Dancing, swinging his arms about, and even jumping down onto the dance floor to sing and dance among the crowd. He lives up to his "Mr. Blues" handle.
"I was first called `Mr. Blues' in 1968 by people in the Toronto music industry. The name stuck and I now own the legal rights to it, but to me, B.B. King is `Mr. Blues'."
The band members span an almost 30 year age difference, from the youngest member, Ed Morrow, on drums to keyboard player Dave Fearnall. Wayner and Fearnall started playing together in various bands before Morrow was born. Kevin Dandeno plays bass guitar and handles the band's business end. Rod Ramsay spent 17 years playing his soulful harmonica in every bar and club in Toronto. He even makes feedback sound good as he thrusts his harp deliberately towards his amp. Together with Dan Jeffares playing guitar leads that Albert Collins himself would certainly groove to, these six members give the band their full blues sound.
Wayner says, "Although this band comes from different backgrounds, we are all united in our goal to become one of Canada's premiere blues bands."
The second set ends and the crowd thins out as exhausted dancers head home to sleep, eager to get in another full day on the slopes. After a few more songs, the waiters start stacking empty chairs onto tables. One couple remains. Wayner tells them, "As long as you keep on dancing, we'll keep on playing."
"It's all about the fans," Wayner says, after the band wears out the last of the dancers and starts packing up. "We're back here next Saturday night with all 350 tickets sold. We love playing these elite gigs but we also make sure that we play venues where kids get to see us. It's great to see young kids getting turned on to the blues. That's why we play some of the old classics. The younger generation is hearing those songs for the first time. Kids love to go and see a band, get up and dance, and have fun. That's the essence of what we are all about. You really can forget your blues when you come to see a blues band. The songs touch people because they say, `Hey, we've all been there. You may be hurtin' now but tomorrow it's gonna get better'. So come on out, share your blues with us...forget your blues with us."
- Lori Ross