#ThunderBayWeird: The Quirkiness of the Apollo

I love going to the Apollo. I have written a blog entry about it before, but in many cases I haven’t captured the essence of its quirkiness. In Austin there’s a thing called “Austin Weird.” Being #AustinWeird is being different. It’s going against the grain and paving your own unique path. When it comes to The Apollo, this is the place to go to tap into this weirdness. Now this is Thunder Bay, so you have to call it #ThunderBayWeird. Sheila, the owner, is always there and warmly welcomes me every time I visit. She has a pension for finding unique acts to book. Bill Durst is an amazing blues singer. This time it was The Faps from Saskatoon. Now here comes the weird part. They were performing in their underwear and it amounted to rhythmic noise and I couldn’t understand the lyrics. Somehow it worked and actually sounded pretty cool.






Additionally, the drummer decided to “make everything a drum” and walked around with his drum sticks beating on everything. When it comes to musical expression where the artist is given free reign, the Apollo is the place to go. Sometimes this free reign leads to some weird stuff, but I could see where something bigger can get their start here. I mean look at Marc Bolan and T-Rex. His stuff is weird, but it’s pretty awesome overall. Maybe the next T-Rex will bloom from the Apollo. Besides Sheila just making it a super welcoming place to chill out, the weirdness that embodies the Apollo makes it a very unique place in Thunder Bay. It keeps me coming back and I love hanging out there! If you want to get a pulse for unique things happening in Thunder Bay, you have to stop by The Apollo. Long live #ThunderBayWeird!