These 6 local artists are making waves in the Thunder Bay music scene. We sat down to ask them a few questions about their passion.
Danielle Pollari
What’s your style/genre?I describe my genre of music as soulful R&B pop. It’s raw, honest, and vulnerable.
How long have you been around?I’ve been performing my whole life really. I fell in love with acting and singing when I got the lead role of Annie in our high school musical at St. Patrick High School. I moved to Toronto to study acting where I got a yummy taste of acting for film and TV. I would sing on the side but it wasn’t my focus. I recently decided to move back to Thunder Bay to focus on my mental health. A big part of this soul care was creating music and sharing it with the world. I started to take my music career more seriously a little over a year ago. So far it’s been a challenging yet beautiful healing journey.
Favourite song you cover?“ La Vie En Rose” by Louis Armstrong. I sing it to my pug, Gumby. He’s my biggest fan.
Best song you’ve written? “Liquifying.” It’s so soothing to sing and play on Luna (my ukulele).
If you could collaborate with any musician/band, living or dead, who would it be and why? I would love to work with the Australian singer-songwriter Matt Corby. His music and his voice bring my insides to life.
What would be your dream gig?My dream would be to find my own band of like-minded, soulful, talented musicians and go on tour! We would play at festivals and charity events. We would perform for TED Talks, NPR Tiny Desk Concerts. We would do gorgeous video performances for Mahogany Sessions and Colors X Studios.
What’s new? I just released my very first single! It’s called “Ain’t Good For Me.” It’s on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and all the other online platforms.
What’s the best thing about being part of the TBay music scene?Although I still feel new to the TBay music scene I have already found it incredibly supportive. Because we have such a small pool of artists here compared to Toronto, it really feels like we are all on the same team, building one another up. There is so much talent here and I’m really excited to connect with more artists, to create, collaborate and inspire each other. Moving back to Thunder Bay was so crucial for myself as an artist.
Contact: Instagram: @daniellepollari or shoot me an email at daniellepollari7@gmail.com.
ICOSA
What’s your style/genre?My alias ICOSA is based on the icosahedron, which is the fifth and final platonic solid representing the element of water, the sacral chakra, freedom of expression, creativity, and going with the flow. My music is a reflection of this as I do not like creating genre-walls when I DJ and consider my style to be “versatile bass music” that is always changing. Some genres I like to include in my sets include dubstep, bassline, grime, hip hop, deep house, trap, and drum ‘n’ bass.
How long have you been around?I first picked up DJing as a hobby in 2012 and didn’t know any other local DJs at the time. I listened to music at home all the time and thought it was time to get a bit more hands-on with it. After some encouragement from friends, I played my first live show in February 2015 at Black Pirates Pub. Since then I’ve played over 100 shows ranging from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg all the way over to B.C., including music festivals such as Emotion (Manitoba), Motion Notion (B.C.), Bring Your Love (Manitoba), Solstice (Saskatchewan) and Love and Kindness and Tumblestone locally.
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If you could collaborate with any musician/band, living or dead, who would it be and why? Wow! There are so many talented musicians and DJs I would love to collaborate with. Over the years I’ve taken influence from many artists, especially those that have diversified their sound. I guess some of my top picks would be Big Chocolate (USA), Zeds Dead (Toronto), My Nu Leng (U.K.), and Moody Good (U.K.)
What would be your dream gig?Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo, B.C. This was my very first experience attending a music festival and also what inspired me to begin DJing in 2012. This was a life-changing event for me and since this is where it all started for me I would love to go full circle and play there myself one day.
What’s new?2019 has been wild and I had a lot of fun travelling across Canada playing at some new music festivals and opening for DJs including Abstrakt Sonance, Stickybuds, Greazus, and AppleCat. This year was definitely one of transformative growth where I’ve been able to hone my unique style and capture it in the last few mixtapes I released.
What’s the best thing about being part of the TBay music scene?Community 100%. Although Thunder Bay is a small city, our music and arts scene has been really developing. Some examples within the electronic music scene are Atmos Club and the Thunder Bay Rave Community (TBRC). The TBRC started just as I began DJing in 2015 and has since built up a base of over 1,400 members with fantastic shows happening every weekend and a community-oriented vibe that promotes safety and PLUR [Peace Love Unity Respect]. Atmos is relatively new and started as an after-hours club that has the best sound system in Northwestern Ontario and rivals many other clubs across Canada despite its small size. Without community, Thunder Bay would not have the electronic scene as it is today.
Contact:facebook.com/djicosa, soundcloud.com/icosa, or instagram.com/djicosa.
Lockyer Boys
What’s your style/genre?Pop alternative/rock/country
Who is in the band?Will and Charlie Lockyer. We are brothers who have been around music all our lives and want to continue for as long as we can.
How long have you been around?We have been performing as LockyerBoys since we were eight and ten (seven years). We started playing piano with Lyn Walter and participated in the Lakehead Festival of Music with Applauze Productions. We also were just in All the Daze’s Les Misérables at the [Thunder Bay Community] Auditorium and will play lead roles in Shrek the Musical at the Auditorium on December 6.
Favourite song you cover?We enjoy playing “Chicken Fried” (Zac Brown Band) because we get the crowd interacting and singing along with us. We also like playing “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”—we even get a volunteer to play the cowbell.
Best song you’ve written? “Take You There” is a song we wrote that will be on our next album. We have been playing it for a while now—we actually got our fans to name it! This song has a neat little feature where we actually recorded our grandparents singing along in the car and we added it to the beginning of the recording. It’s moments like that the song is about.
If you could collaborate with any musician/band, living or dead, who would it be and why? The Honest Heart Collective. We saw them on Canada Day at the Marina and they’ve always been our favourite local band!
What would be your dream gig?That’s a tough one. We really feel like the best gigs are not about the venue but about the people listening. Some of our best times have been in our living room with family!
What’s new?We’re finishing off an album to be released before the end of the year.We’re also opening for Coney Hatch in November!
What’s the best thing about being part of the TBay music scene?The best thing about the Tbay music scene is how welcoming and helpful everybody is and the fact that there’s so many opportunities to perform around town.
Contact: info@lockyerboys.com, Instagram/Facebook @lockyerboys. Also on Apple Music, Spotify, and other major music platforms.
Megan Nadin
What’s your style/genre? As I’ve walked along this music journey trying to find out where exactly I fit, my music has been described and labelled as a variety of different styles/genres. Some have called it pop, adult contemporary, folk-rock—some even soul or contemporary R&B.
How long have you been around?Although I’ve been singing and songwriting from a very young age, it was always behind closed doors due to my insecurities. I only began publicly sharing my love of singing/songwriting with those closest to me in 2013, after a life-changing trip teaching abroad in Cambodia. I’ve only been publicly pursuing music since 2017.
Favourite song you cover?“Me and Bobby McGee”
Best song you’ve written?Although each song I write is important to me and for different reasons, If I had to pick at this point in time I’d say “Watermarks.” I wrote it when I first started using my guitar in my songwriting process and it was one that literally fell out of me.
If you could collaborate with any musician/band, living or dead, who would it be and why? After seeing Sir Elton John on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour this past October, I’d love to write a song with that man! And truthfully for all the same reasons I’d want to collaborate with Freddie Mercury. He went through and overcame so many obstacles both personally and professionally; his art came from his heart and soul and he was truly in a class of his own.
What would be your dream gig?My dream gig would be to play on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I’ve been a huge fan of her for well over a decade and wanting to attend her show since about 14 years old.
What’s new?Well, I’ve been working my butt off to put together a package of six songs with plans to release them to the world, one at a time. I’ve written about 45 songs in the last year and a half, narrowing it down to the first(s) I want to share. They are currently in the production phases, which is so incredibly exciting!
What’s the best thing about being part of the TBay music scene?I’m really new to the TBay music scene, so for me it’s been so awesome meeting and connecting with so many incredibly talented and creative new people. Thunder Bay is filled with so many amazing singers, songwriters, musicians, producers… the list goes on. If I have the opportunity to see a show, I go. As someone who was so afraid of putting myself out there, I can’t help but want to show love, respect, and support to anyone who is willing to be vulnerable in front of a room full of people and put their art out there, whether it’s music related or not. I’m excited to continue to get to know all the incredible musical creatives that call Thunder Bay home.
Contact:Instagram @megannadin, youtube/megannadin, facebook.com/megannadinmusic, and megannadin.com.
Robin Ranger
What’s your style/genre? Jazz
How long have you been around? 15 Years
Favourite song you cover? “Wild is the Wind,” written and performed by Nina Simone but popularized by David Bowie.
Best song you’ve written? “It’s Only For Us,” a personal favourite from In From Out of the Rain.
If you could collaborate with any musician/band, living or dead, who would it be and why? Be part of the production team under Miles Davis (perhaps in charge of microphones) at Columbia Records during the making of Kind of Blue. Just to watch him work.
What would be your dream gig?First Montreal then Montreux.
What’s new?Launching a new website, which will feature all previous material for free download. Going into the recording studio with new material and after a very successful tour to Poland this past summer, and planning for another European tour for autumn 2020.
What’s the best thing about being part of the TBay music scene? Jazz is a cooperative musical environment and I’m so grateful for all of the incredible jazz musicians in Thunder Bay. Their inclusion, encouragement and support have meant everything along the way.
Contact: robin.ranger@gmail.com or facebook.com/robinrangermusic.
Shatterhorn
What’s your style/genre? Heavy psychedelic sludge rock
Who’s in the band? Josh Therriault (vocals), Louis Zucchiatti (guitar), Rob Hibberd (bass), and TJ Gunnell (drums)
How long have you been around? Josh, Louis and Rob had been tossing around ideas for the band as far back as two or three years ago and recorded a demo that was slightly reworked and became one of our songs, “Enchantress.” We got together for our first jam after Josh and TJ were talking about a new band during a busy Cover Show season. That caused the formation of the band sometime in April 2019.
Favourite song you cover? “Green Machine” by KYUSS
Best song you’ve written?That’s a hard one, its subjective—but we all agreed it has got to be one of our new songs we haven’t played live or named as of this point.
If you could collaborate with any musician/band, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Therriault: Bette Midler (so he could pick up some tips for his hair care routine);
Zucchiatti: Jon Bovi (“Living or dead” must have made him think of dead or alive);
Hibberd: The Sugar Crisp Bear (for his laid-back vibes and solid hook-writing capability);
Gunnell: Lemmy (just to bask in the glory and jam with the godfather of heavy music).
What would be your dream gig?We’d be stoked to play Kilroy’s, but that isn’t going to happen is it? Just a dream… First Ave in Minneapolis would be a good alternative.
What’s new?We’ve been steadily playing gigs, but taking some time now to work on getting several new songs sounding tight, with our first real recordings taking place just around the corner. Keep those peepers peeled.
What’s the best thing about being part of the TBay music scene?It’s got to be the sense of community and depth to the scene. There are so many great bands supporting one another and tonnes of talented musicians. Getting to know other folks and jamming helps us all grow and get better at our craft.
Contact:Hit up ya bois at shatterhorn.tbay@gmail.com or on Facebook/Instagram.
