Introduction to the famous rock opera band

The Southern Time Band is a troupe of admirable singers from Canada whose Rock Opera Music is flourishing in Toronto. Have a look at how Southern Time Band was formed and formulated. Enlighten yourselves with an insightful journey of its members. Know more about what all Southern Time Band is consisted of! It successfully stands as an impeccable Music Band that combines ‘Rock Music‘ with ‘Opera‘. It has a real-life story that the world needs to hear.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!

United by one love of music, STB successfully stands as the most dedicated cadre of Popular Rock Opera musicians and singers from Canada. Our team wants to change the current paradigm and set an impressive example of music, film, and theatre companies in Toronto & across.

Joining the ranks of many Rock Opera musicians and singers from Canada, STB brings out the best of Rock Opera Music!

Listen to our latest Music Album. Click Here!

History

The Southern Time Band Began in 2005 with the production of openly Living with HIV musician. His performance in Vancouver, BC. It has been working to produce Southern Time into cinematic form.

In 2018, STP found the core instrumentalists, singers & Rock Opera musicians from Canada. ‘T’ (aka Tim Bartsch, the STB’s lead singer) was preparing to perform at AIDS 2018. In 2019, we found the band’s first Living with HIV backup singer, Justin Anantawan. In 2020, the Southern Time Band recorded its first studio album, ‘Lost In Love No More,’. Shessi Sandu joined the ranks as a second backup singer.

T | Lead Singer (Rock Opera Singer)

T, a soul-stirring Rock Opera singer, and musician founded the band for his rock opera. Formed through classical music training and being challenged through an HIV positive diagnosis in 1996.  T (aka ‘Timothy Bartsch’) has shared his story through multiple iterations of song, drama, and spoken word.

T had only known classical music and its workings up to his compositional style. His classic rock songs turned out to be more in a rock opera style. He likes to describe it — ‘Psychedelic Jazzy-Classical Musical-Theateresque Art-Rock.‘

T has performed one-person versions of his rock opera in Toronto, Vancouver, Perth (Australia), AIDS 2010, AIDS 2016, AIDS 2018. He recently presented a virtual concert at AIDS 2020 with STB.

Listen to the Rock Opera Hits by T. Click Here!

Bryant Didier | Bassist

Bryant Didier is an active live performer and a skilled and experienced producer and studio / live sound engineer. Over the years, he has performed with such well-known artists as tom Cochrane, bruce Cockburn, Billy Bragg, jane Siberry, Carole pope, molly johnson, Shakura S’aida, Jackie Richardson and many more.

He is a bassist (electric and upright), a guitarist, a singer, a producer, a multi-instrumentalist, a studio engineer, a music arranger, a composer, a live performer/improviser, recording studio owner, a live mixing engineer, a computer programmer, a beat-maker, a songwriter, and much more.

Richard Sacks | Percussionist

Richard Sacks is a Percussionist /composer/Multimedia Artist. He has been performing as a child actor in NY Summer Stock Theatre. Rick Sacks then went to high school & received the Best Thespian Award. He moved into the role of a musician in the Summer Stock Theatre. In 1976 he received his Masters in Music from S.U.N.Y. At Stony Brook.

He continues to merge Theatrical Elements and video with his musical compositions. Rick has performed as a percussionist at Carnegie Recital Hall, the NY Shakespeare Theatre (Papp), and Alice Tully Hall. After Teaching at Bennington College in Vermont, he began traveling to Toronto. He played in the Art Rock Band Klo & became a permanent resident in 1982.

His work as a composer and sound designer in Theatre for Young People Has Resulted in Continuous Performances Throughout Europe, the US, and Canada. He Currently Uses the Malletkat and V-drums on Tour With Red Sky Performance (Vancouver and Beijing Olympics, Shanghai Expo). He is in Development as Composer/performer on a New Work With This Group (the Great Lakes Project).

Donne Roberts | Electric Guitar

Donné Roberts is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Toronto ON Canada. He is a passionate and exceptional performer. He hits the stage with an energy that exhilarates the crowd.

Donné performs mainly in Malagasy, his mother tongue, from his birthplace of Madagascar. This never proves to be a barrier for him. It provides living proof that music truly does transcend language. Donné came to wider recognition after he released his albums “Rhythm Was Born” and “Internation”. Along with that, for his contribution as one of the members of the African Guitar Summit project. The project won a JUNO & nominated for another one in 2005. As a member of Okavango ‘The African Orchestra’ won a JUNO Award in 2017.

His new album is full of language combinations melting with his musical compositions. The songs he creates have a way of sounding familiar and innovative.

Justin Anantawan | Backup Singer

After training for four years at UofT Opera, Justin decided that classical music was no longer for him. He went back to school and completed his Bachelor of Education. He completed his diploma in Deaf and Hard of Hearing education. Justin taught at a school for the deaf in the Gambia for two years. In 2018, he decided to return to school and completed a social work diploma. Along with that, completed his internship at Asian Community AIDS Services.

As a person living with HIV, Justin participates as an HIV activist, working as an HIV outreach worker and counselor in Kenya and volunteering at the PWA (People With AIDS) foundation in Toronto. He is active in the community, bringing awareness to issues affecting PHAs like HIV stigma and criminalization. He is an ambassador for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research and appeared in the 2019 MUCH studio documentary, “Positive,” which illuminates the lives of queer and trans Millenials living with HIV.

Shessi Sandu | Backup Singer

Yessica Rostan, stage name Shessi Sandu, is a popular country singer-songwriter, pianist/keyboardist, and percussionist. She composes and writes lyrics in Spanish & English. Shessi migrated to Toronto as a child from Paysandu, Uruguay. Her sound reflects her diverse biocultural experiences.

She believes, we can tap into the organic & energetic power of music. It can be used to move, soothe, inspire, and transform us. Shessi is inspired to be part of the Rock Opera band. She identifies with the challenges of living and thriving with chronic illness. She believes in Tim’s mission to end AIDS by 2030.

In February 2020, Shessi performed with RAW Artists Canada’s Toronto showcase Premiere at the MOD Club Theatre. She played her songs, Musical Beings, Ride With You, Catch A Vibration, and Hold It Together, with a live band.

The Motive of Coming Together

The Southern Time Band envisages breaking the shackles of People Living with HIV. Its band members (aka popular country singers) have joined hands to undertake the responsibility of achieving the motive of the Band. STB’s music aims to change the industry and add a new flavor of Rock Opera with a definite purpose.

Just like Beethoven rightly said, “Music can change the world“. The Southern Time Band believes the same.

Check out our official website and listen to the best of Rock Opera musicians and singers from Canada. Click Here!

The team members deeply connect and understand the essential core elements revolving around STB’s story.

STB’s mission is to encourage HIV prevention and decrease HIV stigma.

Part of the proceeds from our albums will go to the Southern Time Foundation. It will eventually fund crucial AIDS initiatives worldwide. Know more. Click Here!