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"A Song For Louie"

Written by: Katie McDougall

Email: info@northofhollywood.ca
Band: North of Hollywood
Album: Scrap Metal
Upcoming Club Appearances:
Lee’s Palace and Rocking Horse, Toronto, CANADA,

Story: A Song For Louie

“Louie lived off Sunset Blvd; Louie, his sister, Sophie, and I, became friends and started hangin together,” says Chad Campbell, lead singer of NORTH OF HOLLYWOOD. Everybody loved Louie, he had a way of making you feel good about yourself. If there was a party, when Louie got there, people laughed, harder, longer. He truly could put a smile on everybody’s face.

“Louie was the most insane Cubs fan I ever met. He wore at least one piece of Cubs paraphernalia every single day of his life. I don’t know when it started, but by the time I knew him, it was his signature. One day you would see him in a Cubs T-shirt, the next a cap, sometimes you had to search a little, Cubs socks or even a Cubs hankie. I always thought Louie was a little weird that way; he was obsessive about the Cubs. That team meant everything to him.

“I was moving into my own place and my roommate threw a surprise farewell party for me. Louie was the last guest to leave. Louie didn’t come from much and had a lot of hardship in his life, but he always looked at situations in a positive light. The situation we were discussing that night was Johnny Bravo; yeah, that is his real name. He was Sophie’s boyfriend at the time. I think I had a lot to drink and I just blurted out what we all thought of Johnny, that he was a criminal and that we (Sophie’s friends) were kind of pissed at her for bringing Johnny into our circle.”

“’Chad, man, don’t get down on people just cause they are having a bad time,’ he told me. ‘We all go through bad times and things get better. I know Sophie is going through hard times, but she’ll smarten up and good times will follow.’ Then he said to me, ‘it’s kind of like being a Cubs fan, you gotta stick by them cause then when they win, it’s so great. I’m not a fair-weather fan – I’m not going to dis my sis cause she’s dating an idiot. I’m just waiting for her to come around.’ That was the last time I ever saw Louie. Two days later I learned he had been murdered by Johnny Bravo while trying to rescue Sophie from a dispute with Bravo that had turned physical.

“After I heard the news, I sat down and just started writing a song for Louie, which I named, ‘Cubs Fan.’ I played the song for Sophie and Louie’s parents. Everyone cried, they told me, ‘wow you just did a really nice thing for Louie.” We were in a state of shock. Rather than be another a guy to take a gun and shoot somebody - which didn’t make any sense to me - I decided that writing a positive song about Louie’s message and what I learned from him is a better way to go about honoring him. He stood for the Cubs –they were the life metaphor for Louie. I remember going into Rite Aid with Louie a week before he died. We were standing in line to pay for beer, and saw Dave Grohl, of Nirvana, standing behind us in the checkout line. Louie just looks over, smiles and says, ‘Dave, how are you doing?’ Grohl nods and says, ‘pretty good man,’ like they are old friends. Louie, standing there in his Cubs T-shirt, just smiled back at him. Afterwards Louie told me how cool it was that Dave was coming in to buy beer like regular guys like us. He was sure Grohl was going to drink the beer while watching a ballgame. That captures the essence of what I am trying to say; the Cubs, literally, were Louie’s hope and it filtered into every part of his life. It didn’t matter if they were winning– just the hope that it was going to happen was enough for Louie. That means so much to me, his ideal of sticking by people. And that is what Louie left for me to write about; we are so quick to judge our friends and family, but we stick by our team. Your family is your team.”


Author’s Note: Louie Martinez, born July 6, 1969, was murdered in LA on February 2, 1999.






- Written by: Katie McDougall


Discography

Live at The Horseshoe 2004 EP
Scrap Metal 6 song 2005 EP
How Quickly Things Change 2008

Photos

Bio

Chad Campbell – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Chad Campbell was born in Calgary, Alberta. His father was a popular rock DJ so music was a part of his life from day one. At the age of 12 Chad got his first guitar and by the end of high school he had written an armful of original music. After completing high school Chad moved to Los Angeles to pursue a life in music. While playing solo shows in and around the LA area Chad attended the Musicians Institute and studied vocals and recording for four years. After another year of working in the A&R department of Capitol Records as an intern Chad moved home to Toronto.

Matt Horvath – Lead Guitar, Vocals

Matt Horvath's love of music was established very early in his life. He came by it honestly, as his father was also a musician who grew up in the Toronto music scene. Being exposed to music at an early age gave Matt an appreciation for all genres of music. This diversity has influenced Horvath’s song writing, and made him a more versatile guitar player. After high school, Matt’s love of music guided him to O.I.A.R.T.(Ontario Institute for Audio Recording Technology) a renowned school for audio engineering and a year later he graduated with honors. Once Chad returned to Toronto, the two childhood friends began to perform as an acoustic duo at venues across southern Ontario. After a couple of months of playing acoustic gigs they decided it was time to plug in and North Of Hollywood
was born.
Tom Oliver – Bass, Vocals
Tom has been playing bass guitar for most of his life. Growing up in Victoria BC Tom cut his teeth in the West Coast music scene. He toured and played with acts such as Big Sugar, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Vaughan, Matthew Good Band………….too damn many to list. With influences like John Paul Jones, Geezer Butler, Steve Harris and Noel Redding it is easy to see and hear why Tom is the backbone of NOH. Tom adds a passion for the music that has lifted the entire groups’ energy both in the recording studio and in front of a crowd.
Donn Dixon – Drums, Vocals
Welcome the Donn. Donn's been a professional drummer for the past 15 years, playing everything from Ska, Jazz, Blue Grass, to Rock, Pop, Punk & Classical. Through touring and recording he has worked with engineers & producers all over Ontario and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the band’s dynamic.
Donn is a driving force; it is with his beats and rhythms that North Of Hollywood will be propelled into the future.