School does seem to figure large in conversations I have had with the DR Rockstars. It came up when I spoke with lead vox Dan Walters of the Brown Hornets. Dan is a professor at UOIT as well as being of the finest frontmen in town. To him his school was an escape from the chores and isolation of the farm he grew up on around Newcastle. The classroom became a playground. Learning became a lifetime vocation. Play and work were interchangeable until there was no line between them anymore.

I wonder if somehow the strong work ethic all of our iconic Canadian singers have is due in part to their rural schooling. Many of the friendships forged in the heat of high school form a strong basis for a band. The Hampton bred Small Sins is one example.

The Hornets managed to stay together for many years but now Dan is the only original member left. He still remembers all the work and people who got him here and each performance is played out like a homage to that journey. He gives it. New guitarist Paul Kehayas brings a 70s-era Brit swagger to the band.

...Jeff's paintings are only on display until Feb. 2 though as another local artist Monigue Bent is having a show. She explores eroticism in religion and her guest band for the night... The Brown Hornets, of course, for what is rock n roll baby but sex as art.