Windsor-Essex Artists are Making an Impact and Getting Heard
The Windsor-Essex region has a long history of producing great music for global consumption. Whether it be The Tea Party, Ashes of Soma, The Blue Tones, R&B singer Tamia, Autumn Kings, local-born Shania Twain, country artists Buck Twenty or Kelsi Mayne, or the hard rockers Teaze, the underground music scene has always been rife with talent, and occasionally, someone breaks through to the mainstream.
There are many bands on many levels that come from this area. At one end, you may have a well-established artist, like Billy Raffoul, who has over a million monthly listeners on Spotify and is a major label artist. At the other end, you have bands fighting to make it onto the scene. However, some of those bands are ascending and will soon make a dent in the industry, putting up hits on streaming services and getting plenty of lip service on the summer festival scene—bands like Slim Pickerel.
Stepping Out from Dad’s Shadow
Growing up in Leamington, Billy Raffoul and his brother, Peter (also a recording artist), were raised in a house full of music. Sons of local indie legend Jody Raffoul, the brothers were raised to understand and appreciate music, both as an art and a passion.
“My dad’s influence was very heavily weighted towards the British invasion—starting with the Beatles and going from there,” explains Billy. “We had all of the Beatles’ records memorized by the time we were 10, and the sequence and order of how they were released.”
“My father’s influence at a young age definitely gave me the bug, so to speak, to get into it and pursue music full-time. I was getting into the family business.”
Billy says that his mom, Lisa, also had a say in the music that was played in the house. Some of which helped shape Billy’s musical mind for years to come.
“I have a vivid memory of my mom introducing me to U2 and Coldplay and singer-songwriters like Damien Rice,” recalls Billy. “Even though my father was the musician, the influence came from both of them.”
These days, Billy tours the world, but, as a kid, his father helped nudge him in the right direction. “I was very fortunate to have my dad invite me up on stage well before I should have been up there playing songs—and then eventually playing sets,” admits Billy. “Eventually, I was playing on my own and getting into bars—getting in on the last name alone because of the road he had paved before me and my brother got into it.”
As his name spread across the Windsor-Essex region and into Detroit, Billy was asked to help on a few Kid Rock demos across the border in 2013. This eventually led to his management contract and the kick-start to his professional career.
Raffoul is preparing to tour Europe this fall and North America in the spring in preparation for a self-titled album, his fourth, in July. The lead single, “Homebody”, will be available to the public on October 11.
“If I were to sum it up, storytelling is what I like to do—in many different boxes; in different sonic landscapes,” Billy explains. “At the end of the day, I think It’s about taking the art and crafting a story or taking the listener on a lyrical journey—that’s what I try to do.”
Making a name for themselves
Cottam-based Slim Pickerel, through word-of-mouth, has been turning heads on the summer festival scene. Comprised of Mark Posthumus, Adam J. Brydges, and vocalist Sean Lavin, Slim Pickerel plays what the band calls “Southern Ontario Rock” or “County Music”, playing what feels good to them—a mix of rock, country, and a little soul.
“We started off jamming together as an excuse to get together with friends right around the time the world told us we couldn’t go out and enjoy the social aspects of life,” explains the band in a statement, recalling the pandemic. “Our jam space in the back of Cottam quickly became the place to be on Thursday nights for live music—kind of like a speakeasy.”
The band started off with no real direction, relying on cover songs. However, the instant chemistry they found with each other led way to improvisation, then jams, and soon into original material. This led to the recording an album in their home studio, nicknamed the “Dojo”.
“The idea that no one person had all the answers, and nothing was off the table made it a great creative environment to just see what comes out of our “beer league” jam band atmosphere,” they say.
The band has received recent radio attention for their hometown inspired jams, such as country-influenced “Redbone Coonhound”, “Muskoka Memories”, with its Bobcaygeon-esque soundscape, as well as rocker “Pass The Mustard”.
“All artists create something and then pass it along to the listener,” they explain. “At that point, the music takes on a life of its own. New interpretations will change its meaning along the way. We love hearing what people think “Pass the Mustard” means. It never gets old.”
All three members of the band were born and raised in Essex County and the influence of their upbringing is very noticeable in their music, referencing the area’s agricultural roots, great fishing and boating, as well as the region’s spectacular sunsets.
“Our music is a series of love letters to the place we call home,” they state. “We have the warmth from our small-town upbringings, but we have the gritty vibrations from spending a lot of time in Detroit. Growing up with airwaves from that monster across the river has opened our ears and minds to all sorts of phenomenal sounds.”
The band says they have plenty of surprises coming our way. Their newest single, “Great Lakes Pirate”, dropped on all streaming platforms on Sept. 22, while their follow up to their 2022 eponymous debut album is due next spring.
Windsor-Essex is loaded with talent
“The best way to experience any new music is to get out there and see local original artists,” says Slim Pickerel. “We’d love to be able to see more of that coming out of the area. Our community has a lot of talented musicians and songwriters that just need to be heard.”
The band says that after “slugging it out in the local bar scene,” they are starting to play on larger stages. They were showcased this year at Canadian Music Week in Toronto and have been storming the festival scene.
“That wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t hit the ground running in our own backyard,” they say. The band adds they are open to collaboration, but they are committed to playing original tunes and avoiding playing covers whenever possible at shows. “When you have a crowd singing your songs back to you, that is where the real high comes from. It’s why we do what we do. Staying true to our sound is paying off.”
Billy Raffoul agrees that Windsor-Essex is a hotbed for talent and hopes that more local artist can join him on the world stage.
“I think there is so much talent in the area and so many artists who do different things, that make different types of music, produce and write, that are filmmakers, and write scores,” states Billy. “It’s such a creative community and I feel like everybody sharpens each other and supports one another.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time in Nashville and in Los Angeles and New York making music and working with different creative people and, in my opinion, Windsor has just as much to offer even though it’s a smaller sample size.”
“I think it’s an incredible place to be from and an incredible place to be inspired by.”
