A rock ’n roll survivor, living the life for over six decades, there is very little Greg Godovitz has not done.

He constantly returns to a moment in 1964. “I was a weird kid. I was top of my school in grade eight. I’d skipped grade four. I spent more time in museums and astronomical societies. I was that kid, you know? And then, all of a sudden, the Beatles hit, and that was the end of my scholastic ability and interest.”

From then on, it was rock ’n roll. Taking up the electric bass and forming a band in high school is hardly unusual, but this one was going places.

In fact, one of the places it went was Picton’s Castle Inn. Mr. Godovitz is a bit fuzzy on the details. “The first time I came here was in the fabulous ’60s, and there was a castle down here. All I remember is it blew my f***ing mind when I saw the place. We all dropped acid, which was a bad mistake. It got a little haunted on us. You know, I’ve got goosebumps on my knees right now! I can’t remember how many of the guys slept together that night, but I wasn’t staying on my own. It was in a valley, wasn’t it? And it was surrounded …” The memory is obviously still vivid, even if the specifics are gone.

“This was a highschool, throw-together band. I don’t think we had a name.”

But before long he had joined a band with a name, and some successful recordings. Fludd emerged from the late ’60s Toronto scene with the psychedelic blues sound popular in the day. 

“We were just totally dedicated to wanting to be musicians. And it never entered our heads that we would make it. I mean, everywhere you looked, there was another guy with the Beatle haircut. But then all of a sudden, we got to a point where we’re in England recording at Richard Branson’s place. Then we’re in San Francisco with Fred Cataro, who did all the San Francisco bands, and we’re making our first Fludd album. So I thought, you know, maybe we’ve got a little bit of a shot at doing something. And then the records came out and they started charting in Canada. I mean, I still hear Fludd singles on the radio all the time.”

However, not being the leader of the band, it became apparent that there was no room for Mr. Godovitz’s own songwriting—or for making a record that sounded the way he wanted it—“way louder,” as he puts it. “When I got the first Fludd album back from San Francisco, it didn’t sound anything like our band. We were like The Who: you know those Marshall Stacks?”

Enter Goddo in 1975, Mr. Godovitz’s own power trio. It earned a staunch following for its high-volume sound and in-your-face ethos of forthright lyrics and chords so strong the guitarist and bass player stand legs akimbo — as if the kickback will throw them across the stage. “Saving us from disco,” one nostalgic YouTube commentator declared.

Life on the road, and all else that attends a rock ’n roll career, took its toll, though. They disbanded for most of the 1980s, and then re-formed until 2018. Unlike many a rock star, Mr. Godovitz has the will to survive. “What was I supposed to do? You know, I just said, no, I want to play music. I stopped all the nonsense with the drugs and the alcohol.”

And in 2026, a new Goddo is here. Now a six-piece band, both venue-rocking classics and more textured studio pieces are in play. “I’m in heaven because this is my ‘Springsteen band,’ because I just love going to see Springsteen’s band. I mean, it’s an orchestra. It’s not just a group.”

One feature of their coming show is a complete performance of their best-known album, “Who Cares” (1978). “It’s the one that really put us on the map,” he says. 

“I guess we would fall under the title of a ‘heritage band’.” That means the privilege of choosing to do something for himself as much as the audience. “Everybody should be happy at the end of the night, and smiling.”

A special guest at The Regent will be an old friend, renowned producer and sound engineer Eddie Kramer, a Picton resident. Famous for his work recording Woodstock-era bands, Mr. Kramer was the sound designer at Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios, which produced tracks by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and Kiss. 

“If somebody had told me when I was listening to all those albums in the ’60s, that Eddie Kramer would be one of my best friends, I would have said, ‘yeah, pull the other one.’ But as it turns out, he is.”

And it seems to be Mr. Godovitz who introduced Mr. Kramer to the County. On a writing retreat for his second book, he lived on Elizabeth Street, where he hosted the Kramers so well that they decided to stay.

And who can resist the County? Even the most seasoned of rock stars—certainly any of a philosophical bent—must find the natural beauty and thriving arts scene here of great value. “I have to be someplace where I know that when I need a break, I can walk out into something marvellous. And that’s what the County is. You may quote me! If I weren’t the most famous poor guy in Canada I would move here in a heartbeat.”

Goddo plays The Regent Theatre on Saturday 14 November. See The Regent website for details.