In the history of Canadian rock music there is one club that stands out above the rest, the good old Gasworks. Even if you'd never been there (or Canada for that matter) Mike Meyer’s line, “This is The Gasworks, an excellent heavy metal bar! And always a babe fest.”, from the motion picture Wayne’s World, made sure you had heard of it. The Gasworks was a real club that Mike/Wayne would sometimes show up at to pour back a couple of quarts of beer while being entertained by some of the best up and coming acts the era had to offer. For almost a quarter of a century it was home and host to Canada’s best hard rock acts, a number of who would go on to reach national and international stardom.
Sadly on January 9 1993 it all came to an end with a final day of metal mayhem. The place was packed to the rafters, the bands were hot, beer flowed like ... well I guess beer! One last blast to the era of big hair and screaming guitars.
The Gasworks Documentary, "Don’t Call Last Call", is in the works and is set to be the definitive story of Canada’s hardest rockin’ club. The times, the players, the people, and all the stuff that got swept under the rug.
The videos below are pre-trailers for the upcoming documentary film “Don’t Call Last Call” which takes a look back at the big hair, heavy metal era of clubs and bars and what it took for a working musician to survive and succeed. Its about the times, the people, and of course the players ... a number of who went on to achieve international stardom.
Clips from the closing day January 9 1993 of The Gasworks hard rock club in Toronto, Canada. Celebrating a quarter century of presenting some of the premier up and coming hard rock and heavy metal acts the final day at The Gasworks saw performances by members of Goddo, Skid Row (Sebastian Bach), Triumph (Gil Moore, Phil X), Helix (Brian Volmer), Platinum Blonde (Mark Holmes), Saga (Ian Crichton), Slik Toxic and many more.
Clips from interviews with musicians talking about The Gasworks, Toronto Canada’s premier hard rock heavy metal bar and for musicians the place you absolutely had to play at if you wanted to have any sort of "cred".
If you're wondering what happened to all the old friends you used to hang out with at the Gasworks then you should check out the Gasworks Tavern FaceBook Group that Karen Dzupina put together. Lots of cool pix and a discussion board.