The Vankleek Hill Food Bank Jamboree is welcoming popular local band Madhouse at the July 6 event, which takes place in Vankleek Hill outside at the Windsor Tavern.
Madhouse is a four-member band with members from Hawkesbury, Brownsburg-Chatham, and Lachute. Ken Dodd is a guitar player and lead singer. Michel Diotte is the drummer and his brother Pierre Diotte is the lead guitarist. Dan Monette is the bass guitar player.
Dodd said the music they play spans hits from the 1970s to the 1990s.
David Bowie, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Stevie Ray Vaughn are among the acts they cover.
Madhouse has been together since 2012, but the four musicians have been playing in Eastern Ontario and Western Québec since the early 1980s.
Dodd said they are all experienced musicians and “a highly energetic rock band.”
He said they like to really get their audiences up and dancing at their gigs.
Dodd said everyone in the group is highly skilled. Pierre Diotte also teaches guitar lessons.
Like many musicians, the members of Madhouse all have regular jobs. They are taxi and delivery drivers, and appliance repairmen. Being part of a classic rock band is extra fun for them.
Other bands in the musician line-up include Norm Campeau, the Lefties, Gary Carpenter, Celtic Flare, 50 Proof and the Alleykatts. The emcee is Gord Nixon.
You can view the schedule on the Facebook event page or on The Review’s online event calendar. The gates open at 1 p.m. and the music starts at 2 p.m. and continues outdoors, under the white tent, until 11 p.m., when the music continues indoors at the Windsor Tavern.
The Vankleek Hill Food Bank Jamboree takes place on Saturday, July 6 from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Windsor Tavern. Madhouse is one of seven acts playing at the event. Advance tickets are $12 and are on sale in Vankleek Hill at Scotiabank, the Windsor Tavern, The Review, and in Hawkesbury at Bobby Lalonde Music. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Proceeds go to the Vankleek Hill Food Bank and milk and breakfast programs in local schools. The event is presented by the Windsor Tavern and The Review, with support from these major sponsors: Beau’s, Vankleek Hill Foodland, Hawkesbury Toyota, Exit Realty (Sarah Bigelow), Troy Carkner, Champlain councillor, MacCormick Veterinary Services, Molson, Asselin Independent Grocer and the Vankleek Hill Volunteer Fire Department.
