Our Story
Barry Johnson –Guitar & Vocals
Barry’s love for music started with the trumpet and then switched to playing keyboard and guitar with his high school rock band. Barry also worked with local bands both performing in and as an audio technician for Stardust and Hurricane Hannah touring throughout Manitoba and Ontario and later added another dimension to his musical portfolio by completing a recording engineering course at the REC Recording Workshop in Ohio. After graduating from college and then spending years in the mining industry working as a metallurgical technician, Barry moved from the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia to Milton, Ontario where Barry formed the classic rock group called the Undercover Band, performing at Burlington and Oakville venues. In early 2014 Barry relocated to the Cobourg area where he built a new home near Rice Lake and in early 2015 met Chris Towells and formed a new “rockin classic "R&B” band along with Douglas Collier called The OFFBEATS and now enjoys performing at local concerts and events across S. Ontario.
Chris Towells – Drums & Lead Vocal
Seeing The Beatles live at the age of 10 was the kick-start of Chris’s music career. He did guest appearances singing in his older brothers band doing various venues. He performed in 1964 on the Tiny Talent Time show on CHCH TV singing a Beatles song. At the age of 11 he started playing the drums and moved to Port Credit where he joined a Rock n Roll band , playing with them for many years. In 1988 the same band was re-established and The Marauders was formed . After a few years the band became a 3 piece where Chris took over as the lead singer as well as playing drums. They continued to perform for another 20 years, playing night clubs , private functions and special events . Over the years Chris has enjoyed the opportunity to perform on stage with some great guests such as Virgil Scott, Jeff Healey and Chuck Jackson to mention a few. In 2015 he rejoined with former Marauder and lifelong friend Doug Stone (Collier) along with guitarist Barry Johnson and Richard Uglow and formed “The OFFBEATS” . Music has been a very important part of his life and he looks forward to many more years of playing.
Lee Batchelor - Keyboards
Lee started playing keyboard at age seven in Montreal (1960), where he was raised. After moving to Peterborough for high school (1969), he played first trumpet in the concert and dance band for the next five years. After a long break from music, he picked up the keyboard again in 1988 to create MIDI background scores for theatre and eventually joined the live music scene in 1991. Since then, he's had the priviledge of playing in approximately 25 bands encompassing musical styles such as Blues, Country, Light Jazz and Swing. Over the years, he has worked with some great artists such as David Henman (April Wine), Gary Kendall (The Downchild Blues Band), Tony "Wild T" Springer, and Kim Doolittle. His longest musical relationship, which is still running today, is with Bob Trennum of Peterborough. For the past 29 years, Lee and Bob have performed in a duet called Unrehearsed.
Douglas Collier – Bass & Vocals
Douglas's life and interests both in and outside of music have been, to say the least, eclectic. Classically trained on tuba, Douglas started playing bass at age 13 and embarked on a professional career at 19. He toured with the legendary Bo Diddley and has been a sideman with the likes of Terry Sylvester of The Hollies, Earl Johnson of Moxy, Greg Godovitz of Goddo, Canadian blues legend Frank Cosentino, and Chuck Jackson of The Downchild Blues Band. Douglas has also worked as a teacher, commercial pilot, ski instructor, and sound editor. He stays active by playing tennis, golfing and skiing—all of which helps add "muscle" to his playing style.