As an Eskimos offensive lineman, Simeon Rottier has always been considered protecting the quarterback a great honour.
He also has a well-rounded diet on life, moonlighting in a part-time rock band comprised of four fathers from the Spruce Grove area called “Fifteen Pounds of Beets.”
“It’s just a little hobby I’ve been doing for probably five or six years now,” said Rottier, 34, who plays electric guitar and adds some vocals. “It’s a pretty good time.”
Rottier grew up playing the guitar with his two older brothers, Enoch and Jeremy.
“We just used to jam in the garage,” he said. “We had a little music shop, so I’ve been playing since I was a kid, probably since junior high. I was never, like, really good, but I could get around. We had a lot of fun playing.
“Both of my brothers went to Grant MacEwan (now MacEwan University) for music – one for singing and one for drums and percussion.”
Enoch’s band, White Lightning, was actually the first group to play at the new downtown arena. They tested out the sound system in front of staff prior to Keith Urban christening the new building’s concert schedule in September 2016.
“They are a pretty legitimate band,” Rottier said about White Lightning, “whereas we don’t really take ourselves too seriously, but we do enjoy playing at these fun places to play.”
OK, you’ve waited long enough to learn the story behind Rottier’s band’s unique name.
“Before I joined the band, it was a three-piece,” said Rottier. “It was mostly about just jamming on a Sunday night, having a couple of beers and taking it easy.
“I think they wanted to learn new instruments, so they were all trying different things. Our lead singer, Nik Gauthier, is a teacher at a Christian school in Spruce. But he’s also a chef. At one point, he was making a fancy meal for some people with one of the other guys in the band. They had 15 pounds of beets that they processed and condensed and it ended up being three dots on a plate like a garnish.
“At the time, there were three of them in the band and they were like, ‘Well, we’re three dots on a plate; we’re Fifteen Pounds of Beets.’ ”
The quirkiness of the band doesn’t end there.
“Recently, we played at the Mercury Room (near Oliver Square),” Rottier said. “It was a great spot. Just a space they rent out for music. One of the bartenders said, ‘You guys are really great, but I think you need a new band name.’ That was the first time we ever heard any opposition to it, but we kind of like it.
“We’re not looking for a classy place to play,” he continued. “There was a place in Edson called Fat Greasy’s Metal Lounge. We packed up and drove an hour and a half to play a nine o’clock show. It was kind of right up our alley. We get there and maybe the town drunk was there to meet us and maybe, at one point, the town dog showed up and just came in for a rip.
“I think we were supposed to play two sets, but then we blew the speakers and the sound system and it was pretty much everything you could ask for in what we were trying to get out of playing in front of people. It was pretty fun and some great people. It was so small, at one point they just moved the pool table over and put a sofa on top of it. People were just sitting on the pool table watching the show. It was something I would never have got to experience otherwise, so you get some good stories out of it.”
Rottier said the band plays mostly original songs, but they have covered songs by American rock band Weezer, English pop star David Bowie and acclaimed soul singer Charles Bradley.
“We’re a little bit all over the place, but mostly we just like to rock,” said Rottier, who was invited to join the band by his former Huskies junior football teammate Kevin Fritz, the drummer.
Rottier’s rock star attire is “a sweet jean vest that used to be a white-wash jean jacket from my dad from probably 30 years ago that I turned into a vest.”
“At one of the first shows we played, our lead singer dressed up like Mel Gibson in Braveheart. He had the (blue) face paint, but he started sweating it was going into his eyes, so he never did that again.
“He’s got the school teacher look,” Rottier added. “If you ever get a chance to come to a show, you’ve got to watch him because he’s got some stage presence. There’s a few surprises in the show. It can be interactive a little bit at times. It’s a good time.”
Rounding out the band is bass player Carson Mills. All of the band members assist with the vocals.
“Obviously, during the football season, we’re a little less busy,” said Rottier. “Maybe we’ll try to get one (gig) during the season if there’s a good time on a bye week. Otherwise, we played three or four shows since the (2017) season ended and we’ve got another one right before training camp. That’ll be our last one for a while. Once training camp hits, we’re kind of locked in.”
Rottier played in four games with the Esks last season before sustaining a knee injury.
“You can do surgery, but the more meniscus you take out, the more arthritis you get later and they had already taken some out when I tore my ACL,” he said. “I wanted to see if I could fix it through rehab. It’s probably a little longer process, but it’s going to be better in the long run.”
During the off-season, Rottier was able to wean himself off the anti-inflammatory drugs “so you’re more aware of what you need to work on and keep strengthening. I’m excited just with the way things have progressed since the season ended. It’s come a long way.”
In the process, Rottier has adjusted his training to include more yoga classes and incorporated a little physical therapy type of work.
“It’s responded well, so I’m excited to see what happens this year,” said the six-foot-six, 295-pound left guard, who played all 18 regular-season games in 2016 and was named a CFL All-Star and the Eskimos Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in 2014.
“I’m getting ramped up for mini-camp (at Las Vegas in April),” he added. “That’ll be my first one. There’s always talk that we should get everyone to mini-camp so now they’re doing it. I think that’s a good step. That’s what I’m getting ready for first and then (training) camp is right around the corner.”
Training camp begins May 20 at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.