Eightball Chatham Venue closes

Tony

Bands @ Eightball

Venue: Eightball VIP Sports Cafe
Year: 2004
Location: 90 Richmond Street, Chatham Ontario
Main owner & manager: Tony Almeida
Opened: October, 1983 as Eightball Billiards & Games
Closed: 2004

About EightBall:
From the early 90’s to 2004, EightBall was the main consistent provider of live entertainment with variety.
Owner Tony Almeida was simply the nicest bar owner in Chatham and a true supporter of the community and its local bands. Tony decided to retire after 25 years in the business which began as EightBall simply being a Billiard hall. The venue has since changed its name to Twisters, and a few others before becoming Encore, which it is now known as in 2010.
Over the years, the bar hosted acts including Finger Eleven, Great White, Quiet Riot, I Mother Earth, Nazareth, Big Sugar, The Trews, 54-40, Econoline Crush, Default, Theory of a Deadman, Bif Naked, Rusty & many, many more.
EightBall began hosting local bands to play shows back in the mid 1990’s. They were often given Sundays to do their thing. Otherwise, the young kids would normally have to rent a hall (JC Hall, KBD Hall, CAW Hall, Polish Hall, & the Legions) which was a big burden and risk to take for these young kids. Tony did his best to share his good fortune and develop a good community spirit amongst all club goers, whether it be rap, dance, country, techno, metal, or foam parties.
 Like all bars, it had a few slow years caused by various reasons, but mainly, it held its ground as the top entertainment venue in Chatham for the majority of the time.

Personal Note: I have worked with Tony for many years performing in bands (Foster Child/ Janet Theory) & he sincerely was the best owner, taking care of the bands he had play at his club. He took care of his customers, staff, and hired entertainment with respect. He gave opportunities to young new acts, and in return, we did our best to try to make the shows extra special so that the venue would be packed and everybody wins.
Tony remarked “I certainly miss all the people that I used to work with and of course, The group Foster Child/Janet Theory was sincerely one of the best to work with. I really miss you guys and will never forget some of the good times that we all had!
I will always be gratefull for all the effort that you guys did to help Eightball become what it did back in the day”.

A few of the bands that performed here were:54-40, Ashes of Soma, Betrayer, Big Sugar, Cage 33, Carpedeim, Clark Nova, Closer To Closure, Crazy Babies, Crutch, Default, Driving Lester, Dropping Poppies, Ego Seed, Fat Doug & The Sinners, Filmores (the)Finding Core, Finger Eleven, First Line Third Planet, Flicker, FLOORrYDe, Foreign Film Stars, Foster ChildGilligans Eye Lid, Halfway There, Hatchet Man Phenomenon, Hollow (the)HorrowShow, Janet Theory, J Englishmen, Joy Drop, Limblifter, Mad Dash Tour, Modena 440, Nerve, Orinj, Power Trip, Quiet Riot, Random Time, Room Without A View, Rusty, Salads (the), Sedated, Scratching Post, Social Code, Source (the), Stutter, Tangled Puppet, This End Up, Toast & Jam, Tranzit, Trole, Typhoid Mary, Wide Mouth Mason, Whaling Band & Whatever.

If you have pics from Eightball,
Email us:
chatham_music_archive@hotmail.com

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Ralph Murphy 2004

Bio

Name: Ralph Murphy
Year: Circa 2004
Raised: (Chatham-Kent) Wallaceburg
Position: Performer, producer, songwriter & publisher.

Notes:
Amongst many other projects, roles, & duties, highlights for Ralph Murphy this year include:

* 2004 – Co-worte ‘He Got You’, re-released by Ronnie Milsap for his greatest hits collection’ Ultimate Ronnie Milsap’.
* 2004 – Co-wrote ‘The Edge’. Artist: Annihilator. Album:Set the World on Fire/In Command: Live 1989-1990. Road Runner Records.
* 2004 – Wrote the song ‘Phoenix Rising’. Artist: Annihilator. Album: The Best of Annihilator.
* 2004 – Producer credits. Artist: Brutus. Album: For The People.

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The Janet Theory Reunion 2011

Band: The Janet Theory
Year: 2011
What: Reunion show
Genre: Rock/Punk
Home: Chatham Ontario

Note: Complete details (article) in pictures above.
Current projects:  Members have went on to form other bands such as Dead Girls Union, Sound of Static, Face4Radio, Demo Kid, Nikki Nine Doors, & Infinite Arms. (As of 2012)

 

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Jani Jakovac 2004 CD

Artist: Jani Jakovac
CD Release: Take Cover
Year: 2004
Home: Chatham Ontario
Resides: Vancouver

Notes: Jani records a collection of songs by other artists that she likes, which makes “Take Cover” a great  name for this collection of covers.

Bio:
Who is this Jani anyhow? Where has she been hiding? Well, actually it is Jani (jay-nee) Jakovac (jack-o-vack) but who she is can be as tricky as the name. Because she is many things. She is a singer, songwriter, pianist, actor and an athlete to name a few. She’s funny, she’s intense, she’s energetic, she’s controlled, she’s sweet, but don’t ever get on her bad side…not so sweet. She is chic while she owns 6 pairs of slippers and wears flannels to bed. Clearly, she is a Gemini with issues.
She studied drama and played varsity volleyball at the University of Guelph in Ontario. The day after graduating, she moved to Vancouver to pursue an acting career. This led her to few acting roles and many bartending jobs. She then moved to Europe to benefit from something else she had put many years into…. volleyball.  She played and coached professionally in Denmark for three years.
So, that was where she’s been “hiding”. If hiding was her intent, this would be about the only place this 6 foot blonde could have remained inconspicuous. But inconspicuous she definitely was not when she was hopping up on stages in Copenhagen and joining bands in impromptu performances.
Growing up in a house that thrived on music, it was always a part of her, a necessary element of her being. She knew she could sing, but strangely enough, she did not think it was “a big deal”. And since the only people that had ever heard her sing were friends and family, Jani assumed that they were merely being polite when they told her that she had talent. Belting out the blues or luring people into a trance with her sultry sounds was just her own act of passion. But the response to her music made it undeniably clear that people wanted to hear more. The music she writes is a soulful mix of the different styles she grew up listening to. The diverse music she appreciated were just a turn of the radio dial away from one another. The stations were numerous. The stations were from Detroit.
She grew up in the small city of Chatham, Ontario, 45 minutes over the border from the Motown.  Her influences, ranging from classical to funk, are revealed in every song that she writes. Her often autobiographical lyrics leave audiences thankful for the living she has done. No, music has not been the only part of Jani’s life, but it has been the strongest, most dynamic, most necessary, always with her, traveling to every place she has been. The ever positive, vibrant, energetic Jani, admits that her music is a therapeutic device that she has used for many years to keep the smile on her face.  Audiences are thrilled she has lived enough life to have stories to tell with her songs and young enough to make it interesting.

Visit Jani online. Visit her website to order the CD.
http://www.janij.com/
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Social Code – A Year at the Movies (2004)

Band: Social Code
Release: A Year at the Movies
Date: 2004
Style: Rock
Home: Alberta
Chatham Connection: Travis Nesbitt (vocals) was born and raised in Chatham Ontario Canada.

Members
Travis Nesbitt — vocals (Chatham)
Logan Jacobs — bass
Dave Resse – guitar
Ben Shillabeer — drums

Tracks
1. Beautiful
 2. Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)  
 3. Gone Away
 4. Cats And Dogs
 5. Miss You
 6. Perfect Grave
 7. Everything Fine
 8. As Good As It Gets
 9. Flurry
 10. I Was Wrong
 11. Waiting
 12. No One To Save

Bio
   Formed in 1999 by high-school friends Travis Nesbitt (vocals) and Logan Jacobs (bass), the Canadian alternative rock act Social Code initially operated under the name Fifth Season. The group issued Patiently Waiting in 2001 before changing to its present name, the bandmembers realizing that they shared their original moniker with a popular group overseas.
   After a development deal with Columbia Records fell through, the band wound up ultimately inking a deal with Interscope in late 2003. Social Code released their proper debut album, A Year at the Movies, in May 2004, and the following fall was spent on the road, where the group played shows alongside Bif Naked, Good Charlotte, and the guys from MTV’s Jackass. The album went on to sell over 20,000 copies in Canada alone, though besides some attention for the song “Beautiful,” the band remained largely unknown in the United States.
   Several lineup changes occurred over the years; after guitarist David Hesse exited the band during the mid-2000s, Chris Ruddy (formerly of Drive by Punch) joined the existing lineup of Nesbitt, Jacobs, and drummer Ben Shillabeer. Ruddy was later replaced by guitarist Morgan “Macchio” Gies, and the revised group built a studio in the basement of bassist Jacobs’ house before setting to work on a follow-up album. Released solely in Canada in May 2007, the self-titled Social Code heightened the band’s profile when its lead single, “Bomb Hands,” received heavy video rotation from MuchMusic. Also helping things was a string of early 2008 tour dates alongside likeminded bands Hedley and Sum 41. Again, though, Social Code’s U.S. presence was minor; they hoped to change things with the release of their U.S debut, the self-released EP He Said She Said, in late October 2008. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide.

            

If vid does not appear, click here.

Visit Social Code here or here.

 

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Janet Theory Say Good Night (2004)

The Janet Theory

Live

With See Spot Run

Shawn And Bob Hitz

  
Musicians:
Mat Drew – Vox, 
Shawn Beaulieu – Guitar, Vox, Loops & Programming
Jesse Verleye – Bass, Vox
Dave Richie – Guitars, 
Dave Major – Drums, Vox

The guys take a break from full on music and decide to wrap it up to spend time with families for a while. After years of playing non-stop in bands, they take a rest. The Janet Theory had fun and thank everyone for their support. Band members will be back on the scene soon slowly one by one.

   The band was featured on 2 different compilation Cds put out this year also.

From The Underground – features ‘It’s Alright’. (New York Label)
Winter Rose – features ‘ You Suck’. (Chatham Kent/ Essex Release)

Both tracks are from the 2003 CD Sacriluscious.

Website with music & videos: http://www.myspace.com/janettheory

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