This page is a spot for people to contribute any stories about the Shadowy Men (or any of the various related bands) that they'd like to share with a wider audience. If you'd like to share something, drop me a note.


Liz Bent

I was attending a Shadowy Men show at the Albion in Guelph, and was dancing up front to the music, by myself. I figured it was safe enough, there was a crowd, and a woman dancing alone should be able to enjoy herself.

A pushy guy started brushing himself up against me, and wouldn't leave me alone. I kept trying to avoid him, and he kept following me around and harassing me. Finally I pushed him away, and he got angry and was about to hit me. I thought a brawl was going to start, when one of the Shadowy Men (I am not sure who it was) jumped down off the stage, stopping the show, and basically got between us and made the pushy guy leave. I really appreciated it - I mean, I don't know how to fight, and all I wanted to do was dance to the music - and I've always had a soft spot for the Shadowy Men ever since.

Dave O'Halloran (from What Wave)

My 1st memories of Reid was when he was in Crash Kills 5, this little short guy on bass that was constantly charging across the stage, bass down low ready to knock anything and everything out of his way. He was a source of constant amusement every time we saw the band, one of the few things I can remember about the band actually.

Owen Gwilliam (your Shadowy Webmaster)

I saw Shadowy Men twice in concert. The first time was in February '92 (their first US show), opening for The Fleshtones at Stache's in Columbus. I'd only heard Dim The Lights, Chill The Ham at that point, but I was already addicted. They only got a short set, but blasted through it, winning over the crowd completely.

The second time, in June of '92, they returned to Stache's as a headliner. I showed up ridiculously early wearing the "Ham" T-shirt I bought at the first show. Because Stache's was a bar, they were open for business well before the show. I went in, grabbed one of the few tables and a beer, and managed to catch the S Men's soundcheck, which was pretty wonderful. After the soundcheck, Don came over to me with an astonished look on his face. I think he was floored that there was a fan there, with a Shadowy Men T-shirt on. The headlining set was amazing. They ripped through a ton of great stuff, including cool non-album songs like "The Allouette …" and "16 Encores", plus a bash at "Cracklin' Rosie". Wonderful, wonderful show. I introduced myself to each of the Men after the show, and they all seemed like genuinely nice folks. The crowd was really into the show as well, which probably surprised the band a bit. How on Earth did a little band from Toronto get fans 400+ miles away in Columbus? Simple … good music always finds fans.