By Design Band- My Niagara Falls Souvenir.

On a mini vacation with my two favorite gal pals, my mother and grandmother, I didn't expect to literally walk right into some raw music talent.

First night of our trip, my mom and I venture to the lobby of the Niagara Falls Hilton in Ontario, where we were staying to grab a few drinks at Spyce Lounge and unwind. On the outside patio we hear a familiar tune, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." We know it from Pearl Jam's cover but the original tune was by soul singer Otis Redding who actually recorded the song just days before he died in a plane crash in 1967.

The two guys Sittin' On The Edge of the Stage covering such a beautiful song with their guitars in front of them drew us inside to hear more. Immediately they realized we were Pearl Jam fans since we recognized the song and came right to the front to hear more. They then played "Black" and "Better Man" and the longer haired one, who'd soon introduce himself as Marty, admitted he was an avid Pearl Jam fan too.

After they covered some more great 90's songs such as "Hey Jealousy" by the Gin Blossoms and "Crush" by Dave Matthews Band, the two guys came over to chat with us.

(Brett and Marty of By Design band)

By Design is their band name and they go by Marty and Brett. Their individual style is as unique as their drink of choice.

Long hair and a personality as big as his smile, Marty was full of surprises just like his long island ice teas he drank all night. Then there was Brett with his short styled hair, shyness and a voice as surprisingly strong as the craft beers he enjoyed during their performance.

I asked how long they have been playing music for and Marty said, "I started playing at the age of 7. I played whatever I could get my hands on including piano."

Being from Canada they admitted to being huge hockey fans. Their rockin' cover of Imagine Dragon's "Radioactive" had me throw out a quick "Let's Go Pens!" chant under my breath since that song was in a Pittsburgh Penguins commercial. That would get me dirty looks at the very least in most hockey cities but in Canada, everyone is friendly.

"We even say 'sorry' during hockey fights," Marty joked.


They reign from St. Catharines, in Ontario Canada and you can hear them play anything from 90's acoustic, country, classic rock and today's hits.

Canadians, be sure to look out for them playing at the Niagara Ice Dogs new hockey arena in October when they sing the national anthem.

"If you hear (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay in a Northern Canadian real estate commercial anytime soon, know that it is us covering it," Brett told me.

Big things are on the horizon for these guys but it's always humbling to know that they are just ordinary people making beautiful music. Marty and Brett are family men and hard working. They are both married with small children near the same age. Marty admitted to having to wake up the next morning at 7 after their show that ended at almost 2 am to get to his other job as a carpenter.

It's amazing how much good music came out of two normal guys and what amazing and diverse vocals they both had. As it says in the Foo Fighters song "Hero" that they covered that night, "There goes my hero, he's ordinary."

They ended the night with the very popular, "Closing Time" by Semisonic and reminded us all to "go back to the places you're from" as the song suggests. All good things must come to an end, but I know I will continue to check in on their music.

I asked where fans could find them on social media for updates and Marty laughed, "We're men. We don't have Facebook." 

Check them out on their website and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. If you plan on being near Niagara Falls in the future, check out their gigs page where they always have shows booked.