56 SHOWBIZ

Gricken rockin east end

Music

The Toronto Sun n Friday, august 24, 2012

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Has helped make Queen St. ground zero for rockabilly

Janice Gricken began promoting rockabilly shows by accident and has inadvert-

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ently contributed to the east ends reputation as the focal point of the scene. A hardcore rockabilly fan, Gricken says that after finding herself always heading to the west end to see her favourite bands, she began to question why nobody ever played on the east side. (To be fair, the Dominion on Queen has become the go-to spot for rockabilly over the past few years, thanks to the excellent East End Rockabilly Riot series.) The Duke Live (on Queen St. E.) has been my local watering hole and a place Ive worked off and on at for about 15 years, Gricken says. It has a great stage, a big dance floor, reasonable drink prices and excellent sightlines, so I approached the owner and asked him if I could do a night featuring some of my favourite acts and also introduce the rockabilly sound to the regulars. She got the green light and wasted no time planning her first show. Coincidentally, both the Duke and the Dominion are historic landmarks. I asked Teddy from The Royal Crowns if they would be a part of the show, and since he lives in the east end, he was totally on board, Gricken says. Next, I asked The Millwinders and The Hellbent Rockers, and a show was born. The gig was a huge success, she says, adding that it was standing room only within an hour of the doors opening, the busiest night the bar had seen in a long time. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and folks asked Gricken to do another show. I am not a booking agent nor do I have any experience with promoting shows, so I turned to my musician pals like Christian D (who fronts The Hangovers), Ginger St. James and Snow-Heel Slim (from Boogie Infection), who agreed to do the second show, she says. While making the posters, I noticed that seven weeks had passed since the first show

Janice Gricken got tired of heading to the west end to satisfy her need for rockabilly. Inset, Christian DeArmond.

and that all of us who were at it were itching for more. Thats how The 7 Week Itch Rockabilly Showcase was born. The second gig was equally successful and the Itch now attracts fans from across the city, as well as from Hamilton, Oakville and London, Ont. Every seven weeks, well be showcasing rockabilly, cowpunk, swing, surf, psychobilly and vintage country sounds, Gricken says. In fact, the October and November slots are already booked. To m o r row s s h ow f e a tures The Diamond Drapes from Hamilton, and Christian

DeArmond doing a solo set. Anyone who has seen him perform with his band ( T h e Ha n g ov e r s ) k n o w s that he dishes out a feast of hard-edged, raw sound that reminds you of Shakin Stevens-gone-bad-boy meets Nick Cave, Gricken says, offering a spot-on description

got the itch?

Tomorrows 7 Week Itch Rockabilly Showcase kicks off at 10 p.m. Cover charge is $7. The Duke Live is at 1225 Queen St. E.

of his music and persona. DeArmond says his set will involve some trashy guitar playing, talking, singing and shouting and maybe a stomping board. And I might speed up some of the songs from (his solo EP) Beat Up Guitars. One of the scenes most magnetic performers, the singer-guitarist says he just wants to write songs and then burn myself to the ground playing them live. Its like a self-exorcism. Hopefully, its entertaining to watch. If I leave the stage wrung out and barely able to speak, then I feel like Ive done my job.