Musical reunion for father and son at Toystock (3 photos)

It isn’t often that a child gets to take part in a musical performance onstage with his father, but that’s what happened for 10-year-old Gavin Gaetano of Sault Ste. Marie at Toystock, an annual local charity event for Christmas Cheer held Nov. 27 at The Grand Gardens.

For Mike Gaetano, Gavin’s father and longtime local musician, it was a sense of sweet deja vu.

“It all began at the second Toystock. I was volunteering as an elf, dancing with the kids and having a fun time. Gavin was 20 days old. His dad had his band and they were volunteering as one of the bands and at the end of the set Gavin’s mom brought him up to the stage and we got a picture of him,” said Tasha Zore, Mike’s girlfriend and Gavin’s stepmother.

Fast forward to this year’s Toystock held Nov. 27.

Mike had formed a new band - Ravencore - shortly before it joined the lineup of bands at this year’s musical charity event.

“His dad had this idea for Gavin to get up and play a song on the drums. He returned to the stage 10 years later to play the drums. It was one of those sentimental moments,” Zore said.

“It was fantastic to see how he’s grown and to see him get up on stage to actually play the music with his dad. That was quite the moment,” Zore said.

Gavin played the drums with his father and Ravencore, performing the song Beverly Hills by Weezer.

“He almost didn’t do it. We called him up to the stage and he had a little stage fright. So we kept playing and then about two songs later he came back up and wanted to do it. There were about 200 people there so it’s a little scary,” Mike said.

“It was really exciting,” Gavin told SooToday.

“I’ve been playing drums for six months. I like the beat,” said Gavin, who practices his drumming often and has recently taken to the piano.

“It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I thought it would be special for him. It was something that doesn’t happen normally,” Mike said.

“He can keep time as a drummer. It’s unreal. Just instantly he kept time, from the first time he sat down and played drums. He just sat down, I put on the radio and he kept time.”

“It was unreal. It was super exciting,” Mike said of the father and son performance.

“It makes you feel good. Not a lot of people get the opportunity to do that with their sons or daughters.”

“It was really great seeing it. Gavin told me he wanted to be a rock star like daddy one day,” said Amy Ellis, Gavin’s mother.

Mike, a Jobst Brothers Construction interior finisher by day, plays several instruments and when onstage he is lead vocalist and plays rhythm guitar.

“It was the first time in a long time. The last show I played before this was Rotaryfest four years ago. After COVID, we’ve started playing instruments again.”

The annual Toystock event typically consists of several bands playing over the course of several hours, each band taking the stage for one hour.

Admission is by donation of a new or gently used toy, a non-perishable food item or monetary donation, all going to Christmas Cheer.

This year’s ninth annual Toystock - officially billed as ‘Rock the Cause’ - featured 11 bands in 11 hours starting at 12 p.m.

Pasta dinners were provided for the audience of adults and children by The Grand Gardens, along with pizza from Deluca's Pizza.

Gavin’s first performance with Mike might not be the last.

Ravencore has written original songs and the group plans to record its first album in spring 2023.

“We’re going to put Gavin on one of the tracks,” Mike said.

“Music opens so many doors. I’ve met so many people through the music scene. You create these bonds with people that last a lifetime. You can connect with people through music. It breaks down language barriers and race barriers. It breaks down those walls and I want Gavin to have that opportunity,” Mike said.