Voted "Entertainer of the Year" at the 2010 Niagara Music Awards Voted "#1 Blues Band" 2 years in a row at the 2008 and 2009 Niagara Music Awards
"There are tons of gigs like this going on across the country - seasoned musicians, holding court as invited guests make each week's show a special event ...
Some, of course, do it better than others. Together since 2003, The Niagara Rhythm Section play like the dream band every guest longs for -
tight yet supple, responding to the musical needs of the moment with assurance and aplomb, accomplished enough to get along quite well on their own,
yet selfless enough to concentrate on making the star shine.
- Canadian Blues.ca
They call their show "Niagara's best kept secret."
The Niagara Rhythm Section was formed in 2003 when the Anchorage Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake was looking for a band every Saturday night for a six-month gig.
Six years later when the Anchorage finally closed its doors, they were still there. Without missing a beat they continued their Saturday unrehearsed musical adventures just down the road at Corks for about a year. Moving on from Corks in Oct 2010 the boys continue rockin' out every Saturday night in their new home, the beautiful Old Winery Restaurant.
The core of the band consists of Steve Goldberger on bass and vocals,
Steve Grisbrook on guitar and vocals,
Dave Norris on drums, Penner MacKay on Percussion,
Sandra Marynissen on percussion.
While the band is pretty fantastic and put on a great show of their own, each week they invite a different guest recording artist to front the show. They come from far and wide (all over Ontario and Canada, the US and even England) and cross over all styles of music including blues, R&B, country, folk, pop, jazz and even Brazilian; all performing with the NRS without any rehearsal. It�s a true jam session every week.
�They accompany the guest performers by reinterpreting the appropriate music, and they do it on the fly.
There�s a 10-15 second window for band members to get accustomed to the songs as they are called out by the guest.
Then they find a way to get the job done, often by offering inspiring new variations on music their guests may well
consider old-hand.� - Niagara Advance, April, 2008
�As usual, a great evening with the NRS at the Old Winery. Always great guests, and fun times. The sound was perfect. Not too loud, and I could hear everybody. Dave Norris did some wonderfully melodic drumming reminiscent of Mr. Gadd on Randy N's Sail Away.
If you are in the area don't miss out on these wonderful evenings of music." - Lance Anderson, December 2012
�I was playing last night at the Old Winery with my friends from the Niagara Rhythm Section with special guest Mark LaForme. I had played with Mark once before with the NRS about a year ago and thought Mark sounded great. But that was his first time playing with NRS. He played it a bit safe. Now, after doing a buch of gigs with Steve Goldberger and the band I saw an incredible depth to Marks musicianship. Always in the moment, letting each tune take shape. Using all his assets(his and our talents)very thoughtfully with great humility. What a treat to work with Mark and the generous and talented members of NRS! Any time I've been at the Old Winery on a Saturday Night to play or just to listen the music has always been top shelf. Great music can only be created live when every musician on stage is there to give. Selfish musician are very small and are unable to create anything that goes beyond a few great 'look-at-me' moments. NRS and their guests create big, beautiful music,
with a killer pocket, week in and week out. I'm so thrilled to be a part of this musical brother and sisterhood!" Jim Gay, December 2013
Some of the wonderful musicians that have played with the NRS over the years include:
