Sadies guitarist 'magical' influence on Sudbury musicians

As Canadian musicians pour out their love on social media for guitarist Dallas Good, a northern Ontario artist says the death of the Sadies' frontman leaves a gaping hole in the local music scene.

Good, who formed the Sadies with his brother Travis in 1994, died on Friday at the age of 48. 

"Not having Dallas around is a lot for us to take in," Sudbury-based musician Matt Foy said. "It's a big deal… they were really inspirational."

The Sadies, known for their eclectic mix of surf-rock, alternative country-style instrumentals, were a fixture on the Sudbury music scene, often playing Sudbury venue the Townehouse Tavern to packed audiences.

Management at the Townehouse estimated the Sadies had played there at least 20 times.

"Seeing the two of them [Dallas and brother Travis] playing guitar together was magical," Foy said.

"They showed just just how good you could be as a band, and how good you could be as artists."

"And as people, they were perfect gentlemen," Foy said.

Foy said he saw the Sadies on stage several times, often penning his own music in the hours and days following their concerts.

"They were unapologetically themselves," Foy said. "They were always the Sadies, even when they were playing with other people."

"If they had a different singer or were backing up someone up on a record, it was unmistakable, like you knew that it was them right away."

Foy also shared the stage with the Sadies, performing a tribute to 50s guitarist Link Wray at a Northern Lights outdoor concert. 

"We had like four guitars, two bass players, two drummers just going for it," Foy said, " At that time, the Sadies were doing a record with Gord Downie and he was playing at that festival."

"So we're up there playing music and there's Gord beside the stage, you know, grooving along, dancing and stuff like that. It was just so cool."