The Digs
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2014
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Press
You know the music is good when Bill Murray tells his driver to stop the car immediately so that he and his Hollywood buddies can get out and dance the night away.
That is exactly what happened to Wakefield native Shawn Rompre and his band The Digs at a gig in Toronto earlier this month. Seriously.
Yes, that Bill Murray – the same guy who played Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters I and II and Frank Cross in Scrooged. Bill fu*&ing Murray.
“I found out from him afterward that he was at the Toronto International Film Festival and wanted to get away from the paparazzi stuff,” said Rompre, drummer for the funk band The Digs from his Toronto home.
“He heard the band out the limo window and told the driver to stop. Then he came in and partied with us. He was having a good time; he was definitely intoxicated by our music amongst other things"
As soon as they spotted the heavyweight actor, the eight-piece band quickly switched gears and played an impromptu Ghostbusters intro – just for Murray. He seemed to dig it.
“He was jumping up and down, yelling and just dancing up a storm,” said Rompre.
Murray stuck around for the rest of the gig and partied a bit with the band afterwards. When Rompre asked for a photo, he refused and said, “I’ll give you a kiss instead.”
Rompre hasn’t washed his face since the incident and isn’t planning to do so anytime soon.
The Wakefield-born drummer said that Murray is pretty much like he is on screen – emotionless, darkly hilarious – and he had a “dead-pan” look on his face throughout the night.
Rompre admitted on Facebook the day after that his “personal and artistic life goals have pretty much been taken care of.”
- The LowDown
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Dedicated to creating a new groove-based music, The Digs embody the unique perspective of diversity that could only come from Canada's multicultural melting pot, Toronto. To dig is to extract from the ground by breaking up earth, and The Digs are a band reaching down into the roots of American pop music and pulling up a vibrant sound that is organically rich.
Bringing the musical richness of their geographical and cultural backgrounds and fusing them in after-school jam sessions in Humber College's prestigious music program, The Digs quickly realized that people loved hearing their take on soul, funk and R&B classics as much as they loved playing them. In no time, The Digs earned a reputation for creative high-energy party music, and widespread demand for their concerts grew exponentially.
A weekly residency at Torontos Cherry Colas club elevated their performances to the next level as they began to develop and perform their own music. Even in the company of such greats as Stevie Wonder, Michael jackson and Lauryn Hill, the originals held their own and were embraced by fans eager to see where the band would go next.
The Digs notable concert appearances have included the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Luminato Festival and an opening slot for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Ottawa Bluesfest, as well as an ongoing New Years Eve residency at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec, not to mention, the honour of backing up Canadian luminary Sarah Harmer.
As consummate professional musicians, the members of The Digs have also been heard backing up superstars Nikki Yanofsky, Snarky Puppy, as well as the contestants on the popular television show Canadian Idol. A newly launched residency at the highly regarded Drake Hotel will continue to build upon the mountain of prestige associated with The Digs.
Ultimately, The Digs consist of close friendships built upon the love of music, and the love for one another, and it is this dedication which gives The Digs a consistently renewed energy with each jam-packed gig, each infectious groove, each funky beat. Catch The Digs while you can!
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