There is something for everyone at a HellTown show

Don’t let the name dissuade you, HellTown is simply a great local rock and roll band, who is paying homage to the town where they grew up.

Ever since he was a kid, Rob “Bobby Brimstone” Pratt was interested in music. He wanted to be a drummer, and although the instrument was deemed too loud in his house, he was able to get his hands on a set when he went to visit his uncle.

“My uncle was always in local bands,” says Rob. “I’d go over to his place and he’d have the full setup.” Eventually, Rob would get his own kit and start playing with different bands.

When we asked him how he got together with the other members of HellTown, he said, “It’s a bit of a funny story.”

Rob was in one band with HellTown guitarist Richard “Rockin Ritchie” Aube, and in another band with the band’s other guitarist, Jason “Bad Cat” Russell. The three of them wanted a change in musical style and decided that they’d all get together to start another project.

Now they needed a bass player and a singer. They found a bass player in professional musician Marc “Mighty Mac” Comeau, and then a singer at a local talent show called TumbleWeed’s Got Talent.

“Jason was the judge for the talent show. He discovered this young fella who moved here from PEI. He was doing these acoustic shows with a loop pedal,” says Rob.

Jason sent Rob a video of the singer, and Rob was instantly sold.

They invited Mitch “Miami Mitch” Rayner to jam with the band and threw stuff at him that was completely out of his wheelhouse, and he nailed it.

From there, the lineup was set in stone.

HellTown played their first and only gig so far back in August, but they have another one lined up for October 26th from 09:30PM to 1:30AM.

HellTown aims to be the band that they never got to see live in the Bathurst area. They play disco songs like Hot Chocolate, and have a heavy repertoire of rock and roll covers from KISS, Ted Nugent, and Alice Cooper, to Chicago.

There is something for everyone to get up to dance and sing along to. The band takes from the playbook of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS. They’re here to put on a show and make sure that the crowd is entertained.

We want to thank Rob “Bobby Brimstone” Pratt for coming down to the shop to speak with us about a great new local band. The more local rock and roll bands we can get, the more vibrant the music scene in Bathurst will become.

Make sure to follow the HellTown Facebook page for band updates here

Well, that’s it for another edition of The Northern Heat Report. The place you come to listen to the stories that have not yet been discovered.