Beach party: Psych-rock band had its beginnings in McMaster University basement

Hamilton Spectator

16-05-2025

The year is 2011.
Tuesday nights were the best times for Tony Doni and his school friend Gabriel Bitti to go into the basement of McMaster University's Togo Salmon Hall to make music.
'The next room over would be someone actually practising something and we'd be playing as loud as possible, essentially like drum-and-bass, hard-style electronic music,' said Doni.
'It makes for an interesting environment.'
More than a decade later, the two play in the three-person band, The Beach Bats.
When Doni and Bitti met, they had a mutual connection — both were in the university's music program, with Doni in classical music and Bitti in percussion.
With Doni on the bass and Bitti on the drums, the two would spend hours in the empty school's practice area, showing up in the late hours of the night.
'We'd emerge from the basement having just played for hours and it's like, 'Oh, now it's four in the morning' without realizing that that much time had gone by,' he said.
The jam sessions were defined by their playful and experimental nature, the two bouncing ideas off each other.
Despite their long-standing friendship and musical alignment, the pair didn't join forces in The Beach Bats until 2018, when Bitti joined the duet.
The same goes for Doni and Chelsea White, who played together for about six years before forming the band after meeting through White's brother.
Doni went to St. John Henry Newman Catholic Secondary School in Stoney Creek and White went to Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in the east end.
'I brought a lot of musicians that I knew from high school into a band and (White) into that group of friends as well,' said Doni.
'These are still the people I play with.'
While the band's music can be described as alternative psychedelic rock, the experimental essence of making music in university remains.
You can hear their most recent project, 'Limbo,' at The Bright Room in The Staircase Theatre and Lounge on Saturday, May 17, starting at 8 p.m.
Here are some other events happening in Hamilton in the next week:
On Saturday, May 17, The Bright Room will host a show with a variety of musical acts, from the prog, surf psych The Beach Bats, rock band The Rooster, jazz, alternative psychedelic rock Junestone and indie punk Evening Stock.
It's on the second floor of The Staircase Theatre (
27 Dundurn St. N., Hamilton
), with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. and the show starting at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $15 or pay what you can. Enter The Bright Room through the back of the building.
For more details, go to
staircasehamilton.com/event/bright-room-the-beach-bats-the-rooster-junestone
.
The Kevin Breit Trio will perform its jazz and funk at The Capitol Bar (
973 King St. E.
) for the first time on Friday, May 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. Doors open at noon. Tickets are $22.63 on
eventbrite.ca
.
The Resignators will play Vertagogo (
1385 Main St. E, Hamilton
), alongside other bands from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. Tickets are $15 or pay what you can. For more information, go to
theresignators.com
.
Later in the day, The Braindead Tour will hit the stage with several bands at the venue, starting at 8 p.m.
The Jackson Square bar will host its next karaoke night on Wednesday, May 21 from 6 to 10 p.m., covering their 5-8 p.m. happy hour. Enjoy half-priced appetizers while singing your heart out.
The
120 King St. W.
venue hosts karaoke nights every Wednesday.
Jamaican dance hall artist Armanii will be at the Zen Lounge on Sunday, May 18 from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Tickets are $40 on
eventbrite.ca
.
The lounge is located at
69 John St. S., Hamilton
.
Music bingo will run on Wednesday, May 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. The event happens every Wednesday and admission is free.
Cheyenne Bholla is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator.
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