The Decades Band

Martin Bullen recommends The Decades Band.
August 14 at 4:33 PM ·
There a brilliant band who knows how 2 get the audience dancing 10/10

Bev Wellman recommends The Decades Band.
February 1, 2019 ·
Love the music, they get people up on the dance floor. Can't wait for them to play at my wedding.

Kristen Miles Duivenvoorden recommends The Decades Band.
September 29, 2017 ·
The Decades Band rocked our wedding!! Everyone had a great time, and thought the mix of music was awesome! The guys are all very personable and even picked up on a running joke from the speeches, pulling the mother of the bride on stage. Thanks for coming all the way to Quebec...Kristen and Brendan!

A high energy band providing you with great music, and a dance filled night.
Playing music we grew up loving, and wanting to provide that "something a little different", we decided to take the route less travelled when it comes to our musical set lists.
You know when your not sure if you know a song by the title, but when it starts you find yourself tapping your feet and singing along...well thats exactly what we wanted to create when we started our band.
Playing memories from the past while inserting some current material keeps the entire audience enthralled.
Also, due to the fact that we are 50 - 50 and 45...we believe that provides us the edge when it comes to what people want to hear, and thus lends us that "experience" factor in performing the music of the generations.
With 3 members with varying musical influences, we come to choose our material based upon the "thats awesome" factor.
This is what we believe sets us aside from most other acts.
Making sure to keep the songs energetic, we add our own "spin" without taking away the integrity of the music.
The Decades Band will keep you moving, singing and wanting more at your venue and/or event.
Contact us today to see what we can provide for you.

Jim Brennen
Age: 50
Bass Guitar & Vocals

Jim started in the music scene at the ripe age of 15 – as a Drummer.

After many a “garage band”, Jim was introduced to Mark Vieau through a mutual friend, and something clicked. That click led to Jim joining with Mark, Mick Scott & Danny Reeves, who formed one of the area’s best cover bands with Mick as the front man.

Jim performed with a few additional bands before deciding to “hang it up” for a couple of years. So much so, that he sold his kit!

After a 2 year absence from the music, Jim received a call from Mark, asking to start another band.
“YES” was quickly followed by Mark picking Jim up, and heading to the practice location.
After explaining to Mark that he had no drum kit, Mark assured him it was not required as there was a set at the location.

Upon walking into the practice area, Jim met Dan Barsi…the Drummer for Marks new band!
Upon turning to Mark – Jim was met with a Bass Guitar.

“It’s all rhythm” Mark said, and thus the start of Jim's Bass playing.
Many great years followed as “The LAW” performing all over the Quinte and surrounding area.
With many bands – the great run had an end and once again members went their separate ways, and once again Jim decided to let go of music, sell all of his gear – and started a family.

Now this is the unusual section of this Bio.

Fast forward 24 years…yes, 24 years.
Yet another random event changed Jim’s musical aspirations once again.
Alan VanDebogart, an old friend from “The LAW” days, called and asked Jim to start a band.
After 25 years of non-playing & no involvement in music whatsoever – Jim took the opportunity to sit with Alan, and jam.

Borrowing Alan’s Bass, the first jam was awesome, yet it all came flooding back on the second session, and Jim was hooked once again.
The pair planned to advertise for a drummer, and see where this venture would lead, and then it happened.

While at work doing Home Renovations (Jim owns his own company) a terrible misjudgement almost severed the thumb and index finger of his left hand.

Music was ended before it started – with no hope of ever playing again…he thought.
Yet hope and desire are not connected at times…specially with the love and compassion of a special woman.
A year passed – which puts us to July of 2013.

Jim was asked by Alan once again to “try” to play, as he had a band with no Bass player.
Try he did – yet Alan’s Bass was painful to play, and the index finger, which has no feeling and cannot bend past the 45 angle, was presenting a problem.

Answer – Jane, Jims Fianc, decided a new, lighter Bass would be the remedy, and she was right.
Due to “musical direction” differences – Jim decided once again to part with music…but perhaps a phone call to an old friend would be in order first?

Glad you have made it to this point!

Mark decided to give it one more go as well, and after an almost 24 year separation, Jim and Mark were reunited in Marmora Ontario.
The first couple of sessions showed that each of them still had the “potential” to do something, so why not try once again?

Songs started to come back from years past (when they were current) & adding more material meant that a Drummer would be required.

...and as for the Jim's finger?
Glad you asked – its doing better and better, as playing is the BEST therapy, and honestly – it’s amazing what determination, desire, support & the love of music can do.

Dale Campbell
Age - 42
Guitar & Vocals

Raised in Kingston, Ontario, Dale was bitten by the rock music bug at a young age.

As with many youngsters, it seemed to him that drummers always had “the best seat in the house”, as the great Levon Helm once put it. Dale explains…
“The arms and legs, feet and hands, doing all these different things, making the coolest sounds. It was like a magic trick and I had to know the secret behind it.”

Dale’s first drum set was nothing more than a few cookie tins, a wicker basket full of pennies for a ‘high-hat’, and knitting needles for sticks. He soon upgraded when his mother spied some drums at a yard sale.
“It was only a floor tom, snare drum and high-hat. Everything dusty and rusty but I felt like a pro with real drums. It made do for a while.”

At 13, Dale worked enough bingo halls and cut enough lawns to buy a second-hand, canary yellow drum kit and not long after his first band, the Garden Weasels, were formed.
“These were great times. The guys bringing all their gear to my house, seeing these different amps and guitars, finding the music together, sharing influences. I couldn’t get enough of it.”

Eventually, as gear was left at jam central, the next phase of Dale’s musical journey began. When alone, he would plug the guitars in and learn the riffs to Zep’s ‘Black Dog’ or the Cult’s ‘Lil Devil’.
“I played drums in bands for years after, but there was definitely a guitar seed planted here. In grade 10 art class one day, I asked our guitar player, Dave, to draw up a chord chart. I was so hungry to learn.”

In time, the guitar, bass, mandolin, piano and vocals all became as much a presence in Dale’s life as the drums. This allowed him to be a ‘utility’ type of musician, able to assume a wide variety of roles in many bands over the years, moving from Kingston to Brighton in 2003.

Now, after having played mostly solo acoustic and small combo gigs for three years, Dale is thrilled to be revving things up

Chris Brennen
Age - 44
Drums - Various Noises - Hair

Chris has been in the music scene for most of his life.

Originally starting as a Bass player many a moon ago, Chris took to the drum kit that his then drummer left at his home, and never looked back.

Providing the back beat for many bands over the years, Chris has had the opportunity to open for some pretty cool names in the music industry - most of which were Country artist, yes...Country.

While with numerous bands over the years, Chris has enjoyed playing in some of the finest venues Ontario has to offer.

Chris started as a "Country Drummer" and made his way back to the music he finds most satisfying to him on a personal level - Rock.

As the back-bone of Decades, Chris provides his solid timing - and inventive style to every song they perform.

An ad on Kijiji not only brought Chris to join with Mark and Jim, it has also introduced him to a cousin that he had never met…thus the same last name as Jim.
Call it fate or just shit house luck, something must have been lined up correctly at that time, and the beneficiaries of the situation will be the people who will enjoy the fine music that this new band offers.

Very involved with the other members of the band, Chris lends his expertise on song choice, style and structure to make every song a Decades song.

Chris is also the member of the band with the most hair...good or bad.

"Keep it fun and let’s get the Ladies dancing" ​

The Decades Band always brings the very best.
Amazing sound system and lighting for any event size.

As a band - we require a sufficient area "Stage" to perform from.
This area may be designated (stage provided at location) or be set at time of arrival.

This area Must have at least 3 electrical outlets at our availability.

The Decades Band is self sufficient - owning all of our gear.

We will always be on time - set up by the pre-determined time and ready to perform at the designated time.