The Sgt. Joe Friday Version ("just the facts ma'am")

Formed in Calgary in the fall of 2005.

Third Gear is a three piece group comprised of Lou Fiorito on guitar /vocals, JC Macdonald on bass/vocals, and Tony Wilson on drums/vocals.

The band plays a great mix of high-energy, danceable rock and roll.

Suitable for nightclubs, pubs, and private functions.

A self contained act that provides its own quality PA/Sound System and lighting.
Seasoned musicians who conduct themselves with professionalism, class, and integrity.


The "Give this guy enough time and he'll tell you how it was HIM that invented the wheel" version....


Third Gear was formed by Lou Fiorito in the autumn of 2005. Since moving to Calgary in 1998, Lou had been working steady with several bands in Southern Alberta, most notably, Full Frontal Nerdity, a group that he founded. "The Nerds" eventually folded in the summer of 2003. In the interim, Lou began doing sound for several local bands, and eventually joined one of these groups. He found it frustrating to be in a group where he was not at the helm, and where the other members were sometimes more concerned with the superficialities of the music biz. Lou exited this situation in the summer of 2005. After shedding himself of 600 pounds of flaky musicians with poser stage names, he once again found himself in search of a gig.
At this point in time, Lou was still skeptical what the "new NHL" would look like, so he was not prepared to start staying home on Saturday nights to watch CBC. Figuring that the best gig was the gig that you start yourself, he earnestly began searching for the musicians that would form his next group. After seven years in Calgary, and never one to shy away from networking, Lou consulted his Rolodex (Rolodex?....is this guy old school, or what?!) to see who was out there.
One day, while playing fish hooky from work, Lou popped in on his good pal Kelly Cowan, who is the manager at Mother's Music in Calgary, and guitarist in local band Special Ed. Kelly recommended a fellow by the name of Tony Wilson to occupy the drum throne. To quote Kelly....."yeah...call Tony, here's his number....he sings well, good chops, solid meter, and he's big, so he can carry lotsa stuff." Lou and Tony got together to jam and discovered they were looking for the same thing from a musical project: a tight three piece, where everyone sings, and the group plays high-energy, familiar, danceable, rock and roll cover tunes. They subsequently agreed to work together, and started to scour the city for a rare breed: the singing bass player.
Enter one of the most colorful characters in the Calgary music scene - Doug Charters of Pistol Noon fame. Lou's first encounters with Doug left him with an unsatiable desire to punch Doug in the head. Oddly enough, in the unpredictable world of rock 'n roll, Lou and Doug became good friends, and have been, for several years and counting now. Doug, who practically knows everyone who has played an instrument at one time or another ,suggested JC Macdonald, to hold down the bottom end. JC was a seasoned musician who had been playing with Session 9. The downside to this conversation was that neither Doug, nor Lou knew how to contact JC. Not to be deterred, Lou informed everyone he knew, letting them know that he was looking for JC.
Fast forward to a week and half later, and Lou finds himself in a hotel lobby in Toronto, slightly tipsy after a business dinner, and watching The Blue Man Group. His cell phone rings, he answers it, and the voice at the other end says...."hey...I hear you've been looking for me." Probably not the wisest thing to say to an Italian guy who likes money. As you have probably already figured out, it was JC. A discussion was had, a jam time was set, and Lou, Tony, and JC met collectively for the first time on October 11, 2005. JC was so impressed that Lou had a beer fridge in his basement, he decided to join the group.
After a few rehearsals, the boys decided they needed a name. The monicker "Blah,Blah, Blah" was originally chosen, and lasted for all of two rehearsals. One evening, Tony, who is a race car enthusiast suggested changing the handle to Third Gear....this seemed more palatable to all the members, ergo, Third Gear was born.
Since that time, the fellas have been working hard at rehearsing their set list, and doing everything else involved in getting a new band up and running.....promo shots, attending jam nights, securing gigs, etc.
So, now that the story of the band has been told, feel free to navigate the website to learn a little more about each member.....and thanks for visiting our web site....even though that doesn't do us much good....if you really want to help us out, come to one of our gigs and spend a lot of money on booze!