Like Something You’ve Never Seen Before… literally!

What do you get when you mix the Blue Man Group doing a mash up of Jimi Hendrix’s if 6 was 9, K-Tel’s 23 difficult to strip to hits and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in reverse? I’m not sure but it might be very close to at least a part of what will happen on May Long Weekend at The 40. Yes folks, hang on to your brewskies, this could very well prove to be the most outlandish musical event to ever take place in B-Town.  If you’ve never been to a show or an event that left you incapable of describing or explaining, well, now is your chance.

Origins of Monkeyhouse:

How bizarre is this thing going to be? Take John Byner’s old cast and crew and get them loaded. After those of you born after 1990 finish googling John Byner, take a boo at this event promo poster and let it sink in…

An evening of The Invisible Men and their Zuperfriendz is the brainchild of music lover and local music scene supporter extraordinaire Lyall McDermid. Along with his band mates, McDermid cooked up the idea for this event at his jam space which is infamously known as Monkey House or MH3 for short. Anyone who has ever been in a band knows the importance of having a kick ass jam space. For McDermid, MH3 is the third incarnation of such a thing. His band preceded the Monkey House but the Monkey House was an eventual necessity for the band as they outgrew their original jam space. As McDermid recalls their humble beginings, his recollections read like a screenplay of a yet to be produced biopic, “The Invisible Men in its various forms have been around now for 18 years (WOW, there’s a crazy thought)!! If I can recall that far back, we cooked up this band idea in a small room on Princess Ave while sipping adult beverages! With cheap guitars and 60's retro drums (which I still have), we began jamming in dark , damp basement in the heart of the city! Flash Gordon ahead a couple years , I purchased the original Monkeyhouse. A tiny cabin style house that became jam central, our fortress of Rock and roll for Justice!”

The band plays on…       

They would eventually outgrow the confines of their original jam space, the same scenario would arise from MH1 as McDermid explains, ““After ten years plus and a serious guess of over 500 plus jams, the band and life had outgrown MH1. Then came MH2 after purchasing a larger home and reconditioning the basement as the new Jam Space. Eventually we would wind up building a new and improved spacious spot for which we could create tunes in. This jam space is now proudly referred to as MH3. MHIII lends itself to be a great place for many a musician over the years to come and unwind and let it out! Our jams have been the talk of folklore. Sometimes till dawn. Go in the building at dark, exit at dawn! Squint eyed and confused!” With the countless jams held in the various jam spaces over the years, the band’s list of acquaintances continued to grow. When you have open jam sessions the network of players multiplies as friends bring other friends and so on and so on until it becomes a sort of six degrees of separation scenario for everyone that has ever been involved. McDermid is thankful to have cultivated such a vast network of friends within Westman’s music scene, “Our Zuperfriendz that joined TIM over the years have made many live gigs at various venues about town. Always a superhero around to save the day! Not even sure I can name all TIM's Superfriends but here goes… Jason, Terry, Jessica, Saphira, Mike, Mike, Frank, Adrian, Paul, Chris, David, James… and literally dozens more jammers, singers, guitar players and movers and shakers!” McDermid’s appreciation for his myriad of musical mates is what spawned the idea for the May Long weekend Zuperfriends Jam, “Without all these Zuperfriendz and their superpowers TIM wouldn't be. The scope of talent that Monkeyhouse has heard over all these years is immeasurable. Many of these players have gone on or are in current working bands! Having many different players or sounds over the years has jumped around and been to many galaxy's.” The combination of players associated with MH3 has led to this event which McDermid will be appealing to music fans who have varying musical tastes, “Being in Monkeyhouse III, we have created a peaceful environment with many influences! The sound has developed in a mix of reggae, blues, funk, rock and a touch of psychedelic!” The same can be said for the sounds created by The Invisible Men as their formula always stems from their musical influences and as McDermid puts it, the song, “Our jams end up creating songs. That’s basically it. Always the song starts with a jam, a simple riff and some vocals for texture.” The guys say their approach always comes from their love of the music mixed with the fun they can have creating it, “We try not to take ourselves too seriously! If you have ever seen one of our 30 plus videos you would understand. Type in TIMFM into YouTube for the link. We are also on Facebook if anyone cares!”

T.I.M. (L-R: Jason, Terrry and Lyall) captured during their live on the floor set at the 40 for Ridgefest 12. (Photo from the Ridgefest archives)

Not Just Another Gig:

The evening is designed as more of a reunion open to everyone with a love for locally created live music. It’s an event spawned from the Monkeyhouse and all the foggy memories that come with it, or as McDermid comments, “This gig encompasses all our Zuperfriendz over the years. We have a few old hits as well as a few surprises in store.” Major thanks go out to the 40, Brandon’s premiere night spot for live entertainment has always been a solid supporter of the local music scene exclaims McDermid, “The 40 (Heidi and staff) are such great supporters of live music. 35 years of being the best stage and sound system in Brandon!  We always look forward to playing the 40! They make us sound great. Please come join us for some fun May long Superhero theme! Dress up if ya feel like getting your geek on!”

This just in…

100% of the door donations / cover will go to the Red Cross directly to those in need in Fort Mac! Rock beats Fire! Doors open at 6pm and the live music will start around 9:30pm Saturday night. MHIII has been home to hundreds of jams over the past 18 years. If you’ve ever been a part of any of those jams you might want to bring your instrument and join in on what will most likely turn into one of the most epic “MH Jams” ever!