It’s late in the year 2000, you’re at the Dark Side of Jason’s Pub in Owen Sound at 1am on a Friday night. The regular musical residents, Rob Elder, Pete Devlin and Joel Morelli are tearing up the stage with a jam like no other. They are after all, ‘The original Owen Sound jam band,’ made up of three of the most talented musicians this area has produced.
Individually, they excel in their own musical rights, but together they are Hungry Life, and if you didn’t see them in the early days at The Pub in Owen Sound, you can catch them these days on a bigger, more brightly lit, stage at Heartwood Hall.
They perform under the name Hungry Life, but their first band names were humorously questionable. Initially beginning as Play, before the name was found to have been claimed already, then renamed as Replay…super original and lasted about five minutes. Someone saw them carrying heavy boxes and well, you can imagine that Heavy Boxes also made the roster of random band names. It wasn’t until the trio decided to enter the Last Chance Saloon for a shot to play at Summerfolk that the guys decided they would need a better name. Given these gents came together as a trio of ‘starving artists’ with their first practice tucked away in Morelli’s attic, they sought a more fitting name.
Musicians are just built differently; twenty years ago, playing music locally earned a bare minimum in wages, yet somehow these folks were the most potent in their spirit and their craving for life. So Hungry Life was formed, founded on a few young guys who just couldn’t get full on life, always hungry for more of feeling alive.
Although they’ve played together for the last 25 years, each member brings a completely disparate personality and musical style to the table. Pete is the deep ocean of musical knowledge, Rob is the spirited and vigorous one, and Joel has the “weird” and uncanny, never-know-what-he’s-going-to-say-next vibe.
Despite their vast differences in style, this gang has always prioritized fun; how much can they feed on the life of the music. When asking the guys how they describe their music, Rob puts it best, “it’s usually loud and it’s usually bluesy”.
At the time they started, all three guys played guitars. Joel had some experience with bass in high school when he subbed in for the bass player of Jive on Rye, a blues band with Tyler Wagler. Rob was the best drummer of the lot while also playing in several other bands, and then there was Pete, who many of us know today as The Grey/Bruce guitar shredding legend. Joel still plays the same bass he had since grade ten, a Fender Squire PJ Bass which has a precision body and jazz neck. Pete plays an old Black and White American Stratocaster. Rob continues to rock out on the same four piece drum kit he started with, because back then there was no room for a floor tom when travelling; now it just seems symbolic of the old days.
Pete tells me that “In the beginning when we went to gigs, we would have to pack my huge amp, Rob’s drum kit, the PA system, and all our other gear into Rob’s little ’95 Pontiac Grand Am and then piled the three of us on top. Some fun times all packed in that car together”. Rob remembers it was usually Joel who was wedged between Pete’s mega amp and the bass drum.
Joel shared his memories of playing at Mar, an annual gathering hosted by local Colleen Johnston and family on their property north of Wiarton. Any local musicians could play for free and its cause was really just for great time. Joel says: “They had sold the property and were closing down, so they booked us for ‘The Last Mar’ I think we only played three or four songs over an hour because we were just lost in another world jamming out to the music.”
Several of Hungry Life’s renditions went on sometimes for ten minutes or longer and the guys can just look at one another to know when it was the right time to end. Hungry Life used to just “wing it” on stage playing whichever songs felt appropriate at the time, but y’know these days they’re a little older and usually come prepared with a setlist. When it comes to choosing favourite tunes to play together, Pete says he has really honed his cover of LA Woman by the Doors and it is nearly perfect with the gang. Joel says he is torn between Space Odessey by David Bowieand Gin & Juice by Snoop Dogg, and Rob’s pick is “Soul Sacrifice” by Santana because DRUM SOLO!!!
All three Hungry Life members Rob, Pete and Joel do agree on one thing in their musical journey together: their friendship has become more like a brotherhood. They have a minimum of two shows per year just to relive the nostalgia they have perpetuated for the last quarter century.
Since the Dark Side has since been retired, you’ll find Hungry Life performing at Heartwood these days, their favourite local venue that “can’t be beat”. They usually bring along a special guest here and there, I even caught Larry Jensen at their show in November ’24. They play for the music, not for the money. I suppose you could say they’re just looking to satisfy their cravings, that is until they get hungry once again.
Written by Ashley Winters
