The Orbit Room
Encyclopedia
The Orbit Room is a Toronto
bar owned by Rush
lead guitar
ist Alex Lifeson
and Tim Notter. The restaurant is managed by Tim Wilson. The venue is decorated in the style of a 1950s New York
cocktail lounge, and plays host to many different kinds of live music
; particularly R&B
, funk
, and jazz
. It is located at 580-A College Street, within Toronto's "Little Italy" district, accessible by streetcar. There is street parking. They serve some food; more on certain nights of the week.
The Orbit Room began in November 1994. The original house band, The Dexters, played classic R&B Thursday through Saturdays, then Fridays and Saturdays, and finally just Saturdays. The Dexters are Lou Pomanti (Hammond B-3), Bernie LaBarge
, (guitar, vocals), Peter Cardinali (bass), and Mike Sloski (drums, later replaced by Greg Critchley). They played at the club for ten years, until their semi-retirement in 2004.
Blues, alternative rock, reggae, soul, and/or R & B can be heard live 7 nights a week. On any given night, local musicians and Canadian celebrities are often present.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
bar owned by Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
and Tim Notter. The restaurant is managed by Tim Wilson. The venue is decorated in the style of a 1950s New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
cocktail lounge, and plays host to many different kinds of live music
Live Music
Live Music is a reggaeton company owned by DJ Giann.-Artists:* Jowell & Randy* Tony Lenta* Watussi* De La Ghetto* Guelo Star* Galante "El Emperador"-Producers:*DJ Blass*Dexter*Mr. Greenz*DJ Giann*Los Hitmen*Dirty Joe*ALX...
; particularly R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. It is located at 580-A College Street, within Toronto's "Little Italy" district, accessible by streetcar. There is street parking. They serve some food; more on certain nights of the week.
The Orbit Room began in November 1994. The original house band, The Dexters, played classic R&B Thursday through Saturdays, then Fridays and Saturdays, and finally just Saturdays. The Dexters are Lou Pomanti (Hammond B-3), Bernie LaBarge
Bernie LaBarge
Bernie LaBarge is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter.-History:Bernie LaBarge began studying guitar at age 11, shortly after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964. Bernie has been playing professionally since 1967...
, (guitar, vocals), Peter Cardinali (bass), and Mike Sloski (drums, later replaced by Greg Critchley). They played at the club for ten years, until their semi-retirement in 2004.
Blues, alternative rock, reggae, soul, and/or R & B can be heard live 7 nights a week. On any given night, local musicians and Canadian celebrities are often present.