No Guitars Senior! or Who the Heck is Gringo Starr?

Atouk is an outcast living thousands of years ago in the age of cavemen. He is exiled from the tribe of Tonda. He yearns for Lana, a female in Tonda's tribe, but Tonda seems to have her for himself.....

Wait a minute...that is Ringo Star in the classic cheese cinema Caveman (pictured above). Sorry about that.

So who is this Gringo Starr and why does his name sound so familiar?

Gringo Starr is one of the city's newest combos and will be playing the Downbeat Lounge this Friday and Saturday, November 19th and 20th beginning at 10:30 pm.

The band is made up some of the Sault's best musicians, including Lindsay Pugh (bass), Jeff Holmes (piano), Ed Young (drums and percussion), and Steve Ryan (trumpet). On some nights, the band will mix it up with other fabulous players like supreme percussionist Cliff Alloy.

They debuted earlier this year to great success at the Taste of the Sault extravaganza. "The crowd was really responsive at the Taste of the Sault," notes Lindsay Pugh. "There has been a lot of buzz and word of mouth since that gig. So we are looking forward to the gig at the Downbeat this weekend."

Considering that they perform latin-tinged versions of standards by great artists like Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey, Joe Pass, Ira Gerswin, and Cole Porter, it is no wonder there is a buzz about the band.

"This band plays that Latin rhythm, so audiences can't help but tap their feet to it," says drummer Ed Young. "Especially now that we are moving into cold season, the audience can pretend that it is warm outside with our music."

As well as the Latin vibe, Gringo Starr will throw in a few jazz and swing cuts to keep the evening diverse. "We are also doing some funk...latin-inspired funk," laughs Pugh. "There is a hole in that scene. So we are cornering the market in the Sault."

The Downbeat Lounge is located at 740 Queen Street East (across from the PUC Building). For more information, visit www.downbeatlounge.com."