Blind Rust

RICHIE SORDET- vocals, guitar, BLAINE DOBSON- vocals, guitar, VICTORIA DOBSON- vocals, MARK VALOIS- drums, CHRIS GUZZO- keyboards, VIC LYN- bassist, vocals

RICHIE SORDET'S passion for music began while growing up in Jamaica & listening to reggae & calypso music. His early influences were Bob Marley & the Wailers, Byron Lee & the Dragonaires & Keith Lyn, to name a few.  Years later, he joined The Blaze Brothers.  As an all-firefighter cover band, they performed locally around the greater Toronto area.  Another passion, songwriting, led Richie to co-found the band Frunkenducks. This partnership sculpted a unique sound, with Latin-layered percussion providing the beat and pulse of the band. A single called Back to Love was soon recorded. This was followed by the release of the debut  Frunkenducks album, A Place Called Soul.
In 2016, Richie formed BLIND RUST in order to blend a varied mix of original songwriting, and cover songs with the performance of live rock music.

BLAINE DOBSON ("the Dude"), has a secret recipe for his musical tastes. Throw in some bluegrass, add a dash of country, mix generously with classic rock and some down home East Coast music.   These are the influences that drive the “Dude” to pick and play.   
After playing at campfire jams for years, a musician friend from the bar circuit,  got him playing  live venues in Pickering ON.  
Yet another musician, a fiddle player from Markham ON,  asked the Dude to sing and play guitar in his band.  The stage was now set, and this lead to many years of gigging locally.
Blaine also travelled to bluegrass festivals in Ontario, Eastern USA and East Tennessee.  There he met, spoke and jammed with an assortment of well-rounded players.  
He feels fortunate now to be in a band with the boys from BLIND RUST, and to be able to play some really cool gigs. 

VICTORIA DOBSON is pursuing her career as a singer/songwriter, while attending Durham College in the Music Business Management Program. 

Growing up, Victoria was a competitive gymnast and broke her neck in 2011.  While recovering from her injury, she started to pursue her singing career. Passionate and driven, Victoria  began to enter singing competitions. She won the Pickering Stars vocal competition, which allowed for many opportunities to perform at various events for the mayor and the city. 

Victoria has also had the opportunity to be the lead singer for the School of Rock House Band for about 3 years. She went on several tours throughout the US and performed at many high-profile venues such as, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, the Legendary Dobbs in Philadelphia, and the Wildwood Boardwalk in New Jersey. Victoria also participated in a School of Rock battle of the bands, at Summerfest Music Festival in Milwaukee. During that time, she performed on the same stage as REO Speedwagon and Walk Off the Earth. 

Currently, Victoria is one of the lead singers with The Blind Rust Band playing at different bars, festivals, and events. FUN FACT: Victoria is also an Aerial Acrobatic Performer and performs all around the GTA.

MARK VALOIS, the son of a music teacher, has been playing the drums since he was about 9 years old. Mesmerized by the drum solo of Ron Bushy from the song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, he listened to it almost every morning...surely driving his parents crazy. He was amazed by the great drummers Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Neil Peart and Dave Weckl. Mark also held in high regard two drum teachers, Mr. Stevens and Mr. Tully, with whom he studied under for many years. 
Mark has played in many bands, specifically concert, orchestra and symphonies. When he wasn't beating the drums, or other percussion instruments, Mark played guitar and piano. He has performed all over Canada and Internationally, being involved with various music ensembles. One of his most memorable accomplishments, was to play for her Majesty the Queen. 
Mark is also a successful drum teacher. He works with young aspiring drummers, who seek to hone their skills. His focus is not only to teach rudiments and sticking patterns, but to educate kids on how to perform as well-rounded  musicians.

CHRIS GUZZO, has played keys for rock, pop and country bands throughout Ontario... building his chops in clubs, wedding venues and public events. Working with the Sault Musical Comedy Guild, he was the musical director for amateur productions of “Chicago”, “Bye Bye Birdie”, “Hello Dolly” and the off Broadway hits “I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road”.   He briefly worked as a jingle composer with local radio airplay and shared a piano bar gig with his greatest mentor, and father, Frank Guzzo Sr. (Frank Guzzo and the Premiers). 
In the 90’s he picked up local Toronto gigs with the bands “Instrumentals” and “Roll Another Number”.  With more than 30 years experience behind keyboard rigs, Chris tries to keep it simple while filling the stage with sound and energy.   He is now a proud member of Brian Hawkin’s “Turning Point” and Richie Sordet's "BLIND RUST".

VIC LYN,  grew up in Jamaica where he was weaned on Reggae, Ska, Calypso and RnB. Started out as a teenager playing clarinet and tenor sax and did a stint as a 3rdclarinetist in the Jamaica Philharmonic Orchestra. He soon became proficient in the bass and electric guitar, played with a couple reggae bands and played on a few studio recordings. With his brother Keith who is a well-known vocalist/recording-artist in the Caribbean (Think Jamaica Ska), he had lots of fun and experience as a teenager accompanying him at the tourist resorts. Moving to Canada he took advanced guitar lessons in jazz, blues and flamenco to enhance his skills.  

Over the years he has performed as a guitarist, keyboardist, lead and backup vocalist with The Passion Band and Fossil Fuel. His interest in all aspects of music led him to create a home studio in the early 2000’s where he created backup music and recorded demo cd’s for budding singer/songwriters.  

His taste in music spans all genres. Nowadays he can be found playing solo fingerstyle guitar at functions or sitting in with other bands. He keeps a busy schedule as he also teaches private lessons in guitar, beginner to advanced.  

With Blind Rust he has found a renewed interest in the bass guitar and always enjoys performing.