Music Has Your Back! Rock Supports Tony V’s Garage During Covid

It’s like a giant reset button has been hit.

Covid-19 dropped on the world and forced us to throw our lives up in the air. Everything landed again, but in disarray. Some parts broke. Some parts landed like a cat with nine lives. And others got bigger and more important. As we all scrambled to make sense of this “new normal,” we found ways to stay healthy and connected. Online shopping and conferences are the big winners in all of this. Without them, our lives would be a lot more lonely.

Two segments of our society hard hit by this are restaurants and bars.

Tony V’s Garage in Everett has been using creative ways to keep the money coming in while the public isn’t allowed inside. The crowds are gone, and the bills remain. A series of live concerts – streamed over the internet – has been a way for Tony Verhey to get “ticket revenue” through PayPal and Venmo. On May 2nd, Wyatt Olney And The Wreckage hit the stage to bring some high energy rock to the live stream.

Then on Saturday May 9th, Glenn Cannon and The Damage Done took to the stage for a one-hour set of originals, covers and requests!

The band consists of Glenn on guitars, Jeff Eason on bass, Lui Williams on drums, and Lance McKay on keyboards. I wrote about them last year, after attending their CD Release at The Crocodile. The music takes fans back to a pure rock sound that is reminiscent of the 70s; no one member has more juice than the next. Equal, like brothers. They contribute and augment as a team – lifting each other up and doing their part to hurdle the sound over the edge of Audio Infamy.

Here’s their set list for the night:

Hello Oblivion
Whole In My Hands
Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zeppelin cover)
Don’t Let Me Down
Day’s Long Gone
The Long And Lonely Hard Goodbye
Rattlesnake Shake
Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper cover)
Make It Alright
Devil In The Sunshine
No Quarter / The Void (Led Zeppelin intro cover)
Something So Sour
War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover, by request)

The night was captured for the live stream by Josh Hamilton and Twizted Images Cinematography, which has worked closely with Tony Verhey to bring his shows to life.

Josh also interviewed me and the band after the show, for a piece he’s doing on how Covid has impacted the local music scene.

Because no crowd was allowed, a heavy string of wooden cutout fan profiles were attached to the front of the stage as a gag; a couple of them even have googly eyes!

The band pulled out the power and took over the stage. Adjusting from live crowd to camera tripods was quick, and the guys launched into their set. Glenn’s voice was strong and filled with the excitement fans have come to love.

Jeff drew magic from his bass with little effort – a testament to the depth of his veteran skills.

Lui decreed that his sticks and skins would do the heavy lifting, and lay down a percussion line to keep the band exactly where they needed to be in the song.

Lance’s finger work and Mellotron sounds brought authenticity and embellishments that filled out the band’s sound.

The final song of the night – War Pigs – was an online request. The guys had never played the song together as a band. They rocked it from memory, with Lance and Glenn trading off vocals. The guys were not afraid to try, and that sense of adventure endears them to everyone. It was very clear they had a lot of fun doing War Pigs for the donor who asked for it! Drinks, toasts and hugs (yes, hugs for the fearless) were shared and enjoyed after this successful show.

That giant reset button may have restarted our lives at a slower speed, but it didn’t clear the memories of things we did and enjoyed prior to the pandemic.

It’s inspiring to see friends, families, and communities come together to bring some normal elements into the chaos that remains. I’m thankful to see the local music scene stepping up, and working hard to give back to the venues like Tony V’s that have hosted them in the past – helping them hold on until this whole thing is over.