Over the years, we’ve had some incredibly talented kids and teachers come through our music school. Here are the most memorable student bands over the years and Rock Band.
2017
Don’t Bring Me Down (Electric Light Orchestra) – performed by Pressing Demons. So crisp, with harmonies so sweet – this band has number one locked down. This band had to have snapped together so fast to produce this track. What we love: the vocalist hits a really challenging range here, the keyboardist is versatile, the bassist and drummer hold things tight through the ups and downs of the song and it features one of the tightest guitar solos of the summer.
Little Queen (Heart) – performed by Siri’s Revenge. One of Heart’s more obscure songs is covered a little bit faster and more upbeat, with the bassist holding down a funky groove. The band played like pros, even managing the transitions in and out of a slower bridge smoothly. The vocalist is both dynamic and relaxed, and carries the song right along like a little queen.
Barracuda (Heart) – performed by Trapped in The Basement with a Dead Chicken. Talk about ferocious! This is what happens when you get trapped in the basement with a dead chicken, apparently. The vocalist in this band took command of a challenging song and blew it out of the water like a barracuda on the line. The saxophone adds a great unexpected twist to this Heart classic.
2016
Witchy Woman. Everything about this song presented challenges that this band easily overcame. From singing in four-part harmony to the excellent bass and guitar, this cover easily captures the haunting mood of this classic rock Halloween staple by The Eagles.
I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Leave it to a Toronto Music Camp band to shake things up with a peppy but punky rendition of this Beatles classic. They held the original song together quite well, while keeping it pure punk – with a bit of sass from the young singer.
Time to Win. This larger-than-average ensemble found the perfect song to fit all of their styles and instruments in. This is a jazzy, funky, saxed-up rock-rap smash by Down with Webster. The song draws out their different styles and puts them together in a memorable blend that will be on our personal playlists.
2015
Can’t Explain, This band nailed this cover of this iconic 60s track from The Who. We can’t explain. Their strong vocals, perfect timing and harmonious instrumentation made this video a one of the best we’ve ever made!
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You. This band’s sound was a unique style of classic rock, which is a necessity to successfully cover Led Zepplin. The lead singer stole the show with a breathy, raspy voice that merged jazz into the heart of classic rock.
I Wanna Dance with Somebody. This band gave a solid nod to the late Queen of Pop, Whitney Houston, with one of her breakout 80s pop tunes and made it seriously rock. The singer kept true to Whitney’s vocal character, making this both original and classic.
2014
Hit Me with Your Best Shot. With Pat Benatar covers you can go wrong pretty quickly. Part of her allure is her gritty but pure vocals and her in-your-face rock and roll style. Flashback Fridays, undaunted by the queen of rock’s reputation, took to the battlefield with their best shot. Their sound is tight and their dynamic is brilliant – they certainly put us in our place.
R U Mine. This band outdid themselves with the addition of a young female vocalist who possesses an uncanny ability to lower her voice to deftly enough to capture the essence of a deeper male vocal track. The band works well together to stay true to The Arctic Monkeys’ sound.
Always on the Run. This proved to be a great mashup band with a few surprises up their sleeves. Their choice of a funkadelic Kravitz song comes off without a hitch. This group of talented rockers maintain the integrity of the patented Kravitz-style 90s funk throughout the video, proving that this band is no small potatoes.
2013
Good Clean Fun. The Allman Brothers need to watch their back! This Toronto Music Camp band has given them a run for their money with a funky cover of Good Clean Fun. Their addition of the saxophone pulls a jazzy element into the southern rock anthem that sounds like it was there all along. Surprisingly, the original song and video do not have a sax. They played the tune right on the money; by adding the sax they made the song better than the original.
2012
You Da One. During week three, our ambitious all-voice band took on the challenge of covering Rhianna. Bold, yes, but this group of girls and boys came together perfectly and made it sweet and uplifting. They created a beautiful harmony together, and each of the soloists demonstrated a strong vocal range that mirrored the original tune. The studio setting also worked well with this ear-worm.
