Groovestone

Groovestone covers with style
Most cover bands have a good variety of songs. But last Tuesday during their weekly show at Roc ‘N Doc’s, Groovestone took it a step further – spanning material all the way from Electric Light Orchestra to Whitesnake, and from Led Zeppelin to Hall & Oates – while keeping everything stylistically intact.

“If it’s a quality song, then we want to do it,” explains bassist/vocalist Stan Mizcek,

“It’s like total ADD,” grins lead singer/guitarist Kevin Reid.

For all their laidback humour, these guys are proven players. Among many others, Miczek has worked with Kim Mitchell, the Guess Who, and Harem Scarem. Drummer Dale Harrison and guitarist Rickferd Van Dyk are currently out and about with The Headstones. Keyboardist Kevin “Toad” Saulnier has worked with Nelly Furtado and All American Rejects. And last, but certainly not least, Reid also fronts the Black Crowes tribute Remedy.

The band started out as a three-piece a decade back, when Reid, Harrison, and Miczek ended up on stage together during a jam at Toronto’s Chick ‘N Deli Tavern. They remain good friends, and, “it just works.”

“It’s fun for us. It translates, and everyone ends up just loving it,” Miczek says.

“We look forward to doing these gigs. The sets go by so fast.”

Coming from a blues/rock background, Reid proves a formidable front man on their “B-sidey songs” – while the band has four good singers.

Last week’s second set found him pouring soul into Elvin Bishop’s Fooled Around And Fell In Love, and Gary Wright’s My Love Is Alive, some blues grit into a Black Crowes’ number, and pop finesse into Michael Jackson’s Human Nature. From there, they launched into a full frontal assault on Tears For Fears’ Everybody Wants To Rule The World (ending in an Allman Brothers-like dual guitar jam). The Paul McCartney & Wings’ nugget Jet found their playing heavy, but so precise.

“I notice people like to watch us rather that dancing,” Reid offers.

Showtime is 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Roc ‘N Doc’s Live Music Grill, 105 Lakeshore Rd. E. - The Mississauga News (Metroland Media)