Sound and sight: Jimmy Joy’s Music Room

“All my life I’ve wanted to open and operate a music venue”, beams Jimmy Brendish, “and now I will”.  With an irresistible smile spread across his face, Jimmy brims with enthusiastic confidence as he outlines how dreams do come true. Jimmy Joy’s Music Room will open with an inaugural concert on Sunday, October 01, 2023, at 3 p.m. with the Mighty Lopez Band. Tickets are available at the door.

Last Spring, Brendish and his partner Joy McEntee started telling friends about an idea they had of opening a local venue dedicated to intimate music presentations. They envisioned a setting which would attract musical acts both locally and nationally. It all began with a sell-out success with the Stephen Stanley Band the summer before. The music was so good and the audience so engaged, that Brendish and McEntee started thinking about how they could host such events on a regular basis. 

Initially, they offered monthly intimate recitals in their basement with locals James Gray, Charlie McKittrick and Myrle, but soon realized they wanted to establish a formal setting with a modern stage, sound and lighting systems that would exhibit acts in the best favourable and exciting format.  

In June, Brendish and McEntee purchased a property at 2400 Lone Pine Drive, Port Sydney, fifteen minutes south of Huntsville, with a large outbuilding where they planned to build the venue they had talked about for the past year. 

While both juggled busy entrepreneurial careers, they dedicated themselves to refurbishing the site to accommodate bands. Over the summer they have transformed the space into a welcoming, beautiful concert venue.  Jimmy Joy’s Music Room is a state-of-the-art music location, with stage and lighting suitable for both intimate folk acts to full-out, ten-piece bands. 

Gorgeously panelled walls surround the seating area, easily capable of holding a hundred seats. The 14×23 foot centre stage is fully enveloped in lush curtains and lighting banks, served by a 32-channel Allen & Heath Qu digital soundboard. The stage area boasts some of the best sound and lighting experiences in the region. Performing bands will find a fully equipped backline and microphones available for ample room to set up their own equipment. Jimmy Brendish will do the sound mixing or bands can bring their own front-of-stage engineer. 

Jimmy Joy’s Music Room will present two concerts in October, the aforementioned Mighty Lopez Band on October 01, 2023, from 3- 6 pm, and on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at 6 pm, UTC, Acoustic Tina – the songs of Tina Turner stripped of the showbiz flash to reveal the raw emotion behind the songs. Performed by the company that produced the critically successful shows of Acoustic Floyd, Acoustic Zeppelin, Acoustic Fleetwood Mac, and The Acoustic Canada Show, this is a must-see event.

In 2024, Brendish and McEntee plan to launch a series of concerts including local theatrical events and a broad range of services such as recording and rehearsal space. They are also planning a summer musical festival within the large natural amphitheatre located on their fifty-acre property. More information is available by email: [email protected].

Brendish is a well-known Huntsville business person, founder, manager and owner-operator of Brendish Computers, which originated in 1998. He is an avid cyclist and for fifteen years, Jimmy ran an annual fundraiser, “Spin the Lakes”, which raised money for kids’ cancer assistance and research. Later he raised money for the Canadian Mental Health Association (Muskoka Parry Sound Branch). Brendish also sat as a board member of Huntsville Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce for 15 years.

Beyond his business interests, Brendish is a devoted and accomplished drummer, who has graced the stage numerous times backing up local and regional acts, as a full kit drummer and an exquisite percussionist. He is a passionate music fan, especially for the great Canadian band Rush—whom he considers the very best in the world. His music tastes range from folk to big band and he has already begun to reach out to diverse Canadian bands to play at the new venue.  

Joy McEntee is an astute businesswoman whose multi-faceted career includes management roles at Lake of Bays Brewing Company and Deerhurst Resort. A specialist in Hospitality Management which she studied at University College of Cape Breton, McEntee is an expert in how to make people feel welcome and at home. Demure, slender with a soft gracious smile, McEntee’s love of music certainly springs from her Cape Breton heritage but she has found particular delight sharing in Brendish’s musical enterprises and is deeply excited by the possibilities Jimmy Joy’s Music Room offers music lovers in the region.

“I could never have entered into this phase without her. We knew we would do something amazing together, and here we are with Jimmy Joy’s!”, states Brendish.  

Ideally situated between Huntsville and Bracebridge, an easy drive from Gravenhurst, Jimmy Joy’s Music Room promises to be an electrifying addition to the Huntsville music scene for listeners and theatregoers of all ages.    

Visit their Facebook page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089502438794

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