Great party music knows no borders.
Dwayne Gretzky, one of Toronto’s premier Canadian cover bands, is coming to the Northeast this July to spread a little Canadian cheer to the United States.
The band, which started out as a collective of friends covering fun party songs, has become a phenomenon north of the border. The band garners massive crowds and even sold out 100 consecutive shows.
Recently we spoke with Nick Rose of Dwayne Gretzky about the band’s awesome name, heading into the U.S., cool songs to cover, and somehow we manage to talk about hockey.
First off…Dwayne Gretzky…it’s an amazing name. Can you talk about the story behind it?
Well like most good things it started as a joke. When we began playing shows in Toronto we didn’t have a band name. It didn’t really seem necessary somehow – we were just a bunch of friends playing covers for the fun of it. But then at one of our first shows somebody inevitably yelled out “What’s your band called?” and I just replied “Dwayne Gretzky” for a laugh. Honestly, it was just the first thing that popped into my head. Then a few days later somebody posted a video of us on Youtube and referred to us as Dwayne Gretzky and that was that. Luckily I think it kind of suits us. Thank god I didn’t shout out something stupid!
How did the band first come together?
We’ve been a band for about seven years. At the time Tyler [Kyte] and I were playing in an originals band called Sweet Thing that was kind of winding down. We were both living in the same apartment building along with a few other musician friends of ours. We all befriended the superintendent who gave us access to his top secret jam space in the basement.
It was a full on Ninja Turtles vibe – you could literally lift the manhole cover from the ceiling that opened up to the alley alongside the building. Most evenings we’d go down there and watch hockey and muck around playing Tom Petty songs and such. Once we had learned enough songs for a set we booked a couple shows just for the fun of it. The band has really expanded over the years and it’s now our full-time gig but the feeling has always remained the same – friends playing they’re favorite songs.
You guys cover some pretty great songs — what are some of your favorites, and what have become the fan favorites?
Tough to pick favorites when they’re all the best songs. “You Can Call Me Al” [by Paul Simons] is one that stands out for me, as is Under Pressure [by Queen]. It’s always fun to tackle something as epic as “Bohemian Rhapsody” or Manfred Mann’s version of “Blinded By The Light.” Generally, we steer away from predictable cover band material and try to challenge ourselves by learning songs you don’t see a lot of band’s doing.
You guys are touring the Northeast this summer. Is this your first tour of the America?
We did a short US tour in February playing only ’90s songs which was super fun. Otherwise we’ve played NYC and Buffalo a handful of times. We’re hoping to be do this kind of thing more often in the coming year or two. We’ve got a great thing going in Toronto and southern Ontario but it’s exciting to explore different cities and play for new audiences, particularly south of the border. This will be our first time in NJ.
For those who have never seen you perform before what can they expect from you in regards to a live performance?
You’ll see a lot of people on stage having fun celebrating the greatest songs. I think that energy is very contagious, with everyone participating in this kind of joyful shared nostalgia. I’m also very proud of all the great musicians we have in this band who are all capable of playing a lot of different styles and feels.
Can you talk about Camp Dwayne which is happening at the end of summer?
Over the past few years we’ve played a couple events at this place called Camp Timberlane. It’s an amazing summer camp on a beautiful lake about a three hour drive north of Toronto, in the heart of the Muskokas. We decided it would be a great idea to host our own party there this upcoming labour day weekend, where we’ll perform two nights in a row, curate a bunch of different musical acts including original side projects from Dwayne members, and also enjoy typical camp activities like canoeing and swimming and burning marshmallows etc. We’re all very much looking forward to it.
What do you love about being in Dwayne Gretzky?
We’re very fortunate that we get to do this as a full time gig – play our favorite songs with our best buds. We’ve got a really great group of people in this band and I’m very grateful for that. They’re all a bunch of sweethearts and there’s never a shortage of dumb jokes to go around.
What are you most excited about for the rest of 2018?
The leafs just signed John Tavares, baby! Let’s get this NHL season started already!
