Rockateria: Bringin' it Back

Rock 'n Roll and Wild Rides

Over the years Toronto has grown saturated with dance clubs that have flooded the downtown core. Rock n' roll nights seem to have become a thing of the past. Looking to shake it up to your favorite band? Get ready for a long haul or hit the Phoenix. The Gasworks days of parking your bike in front of the club are as good as gone. Or are they?
Veteran event hosts Geo and Billy X think differently. The Crystal Room (567 Queen St. West) has become home to their Thursday night gig Rocketeria. I caught up with this dynamic duo just moments before the night got on its way.
Apart from hosting, Geo, you're also on the decks.
G. That's right. We're doing a diverse genre of music with rock as the main theme: early rock, classic rock, alternative rock, remixes and mash ups.
B. We're going to be showcasing what we perceive to be a rock n'roll lifestyle. In the summer you'll see a lot of motorcycles and custom bikes. We're also going to have a lot of live acts. Last week we had Rachel Serling from the Pussy Cat Dolls come and set up a burlesque show for us. Soon we'll have fashion shows and art exhibits all with a rock 'n roll theme to them.
Billy, you've been in the scene for a bloody long time. I mean you're still young but your name has become quite iconic to many special nights.
Both Geo and I have been around for a long time in the entertainment field here downtown. I started in the very early eighties working as a bar-back in my uncle's disco when I was sixteen years old. Then I went to university for a few years but didn't find that too appealing. Then I worked at a club called the Silver Crown. That was one of the first to push new wave music like the Cult, the Cure, that sort of stuff. From that point on I started being involved in other clubs downtown. For a while I worked at the Gotham Club in Markham. It was way out in the middle of nowhere but happened to be the leading place in the city for alternative and industrial music.
This was in the late eighties.
B. Yes. In the nineties Geo owned a club called Catch 22 where I worked as well. We also had Exit to Eden and Club Max. That was a three-level night club with rock music on one floor, dance on another and alternative on the last.
That was the first live to air shows in Toronto right?

B. One of the first for sure. I think Chris Sheppard had one before that.
G. On CFNY.
B. That's right. At the Copa, back in the day.
I wasn't allowed out that late back then.
B. ( laughs ) How old are you Mike? If you don't mind me asking?
Thirty.
B. Thirty? Ya, we got some years on you (laughs). See, back then Club Max had a concept that I think has to come back again. I know a few people have multi-level clubs but they're mostly based around commercial dance music, r 'n b, pop or house. I think there's a demand these days for a more variety of music.
I met you during those magic Tuesday nights you had at Gypsy Co-op. They made an era. I know people that would stay home the rest of the week just to be there.
B. It was a lot of people that made those nights special. DJ Vagna was there with me and played throughout the six or seven years. Geo too was involved.
Then you opened Tilt. I know that's still going well.
B. I've been working there with our friend Patrick from Up 'N Down. It's a small cocktail lounge close to where we live. I always wanted my own spot on College where we can have coffees and hold score, so to speak.
Now you've got the Crystal Room on Thursday night. It really is a gorgeous venue...pool tables, sexy bars even a luxurious chill out room with two king size beds...what kind of crowd are you expecting?
G. What's going to differentiate this night from some of the other rock 'n roll venues in the city is that our crowd of people have been our friends and customers for the longest time. They're more of a wide open crowd: they like rock music, they like dance music, they're all different sorts of people. The fact is you can't really classify them as say, long hairs or clubbers...they are however all highly educated in their music. Not only do they know about old rock and new rock but all the remixes and mash ups that are coming out these days.
G. As well, we're trying something new here. Rockateria is being streamed live on the internet through Woofer.com. They deal mostly with new music and independent bands. We're the first live show DJ wise...it's a work in progress. You can go to Woofer.com, punch in Rockateria and you can check it out. Like I said, it's a work in progress but by spring we'll have it running smooth.
I heard the burlesque show went really well last week.
G. I thought it was pretty good. Good looking girls. Smart. We'll be sure to have that again in the future.

B. There's always options for more burlesque style entertainment here. I always thought this place should work along the lines of the night that Geo had on Monday nights at the Phoenix called Silk Paradise. That was a huge rock night in the city and had a big following of industry people and bar staff. Great live acts came, Cirque duo Soleil, Burton Cummings...a whole variety of entertainment really and I think Rockateria is going to be along the same vein.

G. Q107 presented that. So we're going to have a different kind of music here. Speaking of which I've got to go and start my set!
(Geo runs off to the Dj booth and some sick Stones remix starts the night)
Toronto is seeing a growing trend of motorcycles whether it be low riders or racing bikes. You seem to be gearing up in full support of that. I've been a rider for years and I'd love to have a place where I can enjoy that feeling of getting off my bike right in front of the club and going in.
B. We're waiting for some nice weather to come. Like right now it's raining. Last week it was freezing. Before that we had a blizzard. It seems we've been hit with some bad weather on Thursdays. But it seems like it's starting to warm up here and we all know that come May everyone's going to have their bikes out and cruise. This is going to be a real bike friendly location to come, park your ride out front and hang out. As well, a lot of custom shops are going to come down and show off their work. In the whole we'll celebrate the culture of motorcycles in a good and positive way. When I've told people lately that we're pushing for a biker crowd some took a wrong connotation to that.
I can understand why.
B. We're expecting great people here that all enjoy the passion for motorcycles: Harley enthusiasts and speed bike lovers as well. Great music, hot bikes and beautiful women. That's the policy. Rockateria.

Publication Date: 2006-03-26
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=6104