LITTLE CURRENT—The dance was slated to start at 8 pm, but everyone knows that nobody shows up until 10 pm, so the band was leisurely going through its set list for the evening when The Expositor showed up for a chat.
“We have had a pretty good success,” said band leader Laurence Massicotte, who formed the classic rock band in 1989 with wife Glenda (vocalist and keyboards). “It’s great when you can make music with your family.” Daughter Jenny also plays with the band on vocals and lead guitar. Ettiene Junior Labelle (drums), Germain Gaudreau (guitar, bass and vocals) and Edward Landriault (sound tech/bass guitar) round out the band’s roster.
Mr. Massicotte explained that Railroad Steele “was born out of the need to feed the musical soul.”
The band is largely based out of Massey, a location that has proved to be very useful being halfway between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie and many players from the area between Iron Bridge and Massey (which the band affectionately call Walford Station) have played with the group.
The band boasts an eclectic set list, having traversed the musical universe between country rock to classic rock, with just about everything in between. “The great thing about playing classic rock is that we already know the songs,” laughed Ms. Massicotte. The band tends to practice through the winter months and spends much of the warmer months on the road.
They also have a fairly impressive roster of their own original tunes to fall back on as well.
The band has opened for Canadian music giants April Wine, The Stampeders, The Bright Brothers and has shared the stage with the likes of Kim Mitchel, Honeymoon Suite, Prism, Glass Tiger, Colin James, Coney Hatch, Carol Baker, and Graham Townsend to name more than a few.
While many live acts are finding venues to play becoming more and more scarce, Railroad Steele has found themselves a successful niche and genre. The band tends to specialize in fundraiser events these days, and have plied their skills for the Sick Children’s Hospital and the Cancer Society at venues that have included the Rock N Roar festival in Spanish Ontario, Food Jam in Elliot Lake, the Massey Fair, the North Shore Cruisers Steak Eating Contest, and the Corn-fest for Cancer, as well as Saturday’s Legion fundraiser.
As the evening wore on the Legion Hall began to fill with dancing bodies, bringing about one of the most successful events in recent memory.
