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Year: 2013

Quartette – Four Strong Winds

Roman Mitz
Quartette – Four Strong Winds
The roots-based group Quartette has been a true phenomenon on the Canadian musical landscape over the last 20 years. First, the four females that comprise the group are exceptional vocalists, the most recognizable of which is Sylvia Tyson who, during the 1960’s, carved a solid folk career as part of the renowned husband and wife duo Ian and Sylvia. Cindy... Read More

CONEY HATCH – The Rockpile East Toronto, December 13th 2013

Keith Sharp
CONEY HATCH – The Rockpile East Toronto, December 13th 2013
The comeback continued for Coney Hatch who celebrated the launch of their “Four” recording with a rare Toronto appearance at Rockpile East Friday night (followed by a Saturday appearance at the club’s Rockpile West venue). Friday’s turnout was disappointingly small for such an established Canadian group but the 250 or so fans who did brave the elements were treated to... Read More

Nick Gilder – Keeping Sweeney Todd Rolling

Keith Sharp
Nick Gilder – Keeping Sweeney Todd Rolling
The mystery band on the “Come Rock And Roar” concert festival lineup August 16/17th at Spanish Ontario was Vancouver’s Nick Gilder & Sweeney Todd. Yes I was acutely aware of the original Sweeney Todd and how they had vaulted to No. 1 on the Canadian charts in 1975 with their Juno-award winning hit Roxy Roller from their self-titled debut album.... Read More

NEIL YOUNG – Live At The Cellar Door

Keith Sharp
NEIL YOUNG – Live At The Cellar Door
(Warner Music Canada) It’s a given that Neil Young has a studio full of outtakes and unreleased tracks and that he’s committed to launching this material at staggered intervals. As part of his Archive Performance Series, Live At The Cellar Door reflects a six-show appearance at Washington D.C’s Cellar Door venue from November 30th to December 2nd 1970. Contained on... Read More

Monster Truck – The Republik – Calgary, Dec 8, 2013

Music Express
Monster Truck – The Republik – Calgary, Dec 8, 2013
Hamilton’s Monster Truck have wrought themselves in the great fires of early 1970’s stadium rock. In that grand tradition, they blew the doors off The Republik on a snowy Sunday night in Calgary. Consisting of  members Jon Harvey (vocals bass) Jeremy Widerman (guitar vocals) Brandon Bliss (organ vocals) and Steve Kiely (drums vocals) the band are a hard working and... Read More

Coney Hatch: In a State of Flux

Keith Sharp
Coney Hatch: In a State of Flux
Coney Hatch’s Friday night at Toronto’s Rockpile East venue, presents a rare opportunity to catch this band live. Lead vocalist/guitarist Carl Dixon, lead vocalist/bassist Andy Curran, lead guitarist Steve Shelski and drummer Dave (Thumper) Ketchum will be hard at work rehearsing today and even have a charity performance in Thorold tonight performing a benefit for HTZ- FM deejay Iron Mike... Read More

GODDO: The Pretty Bad Boys Return

Keith Sharp
GODDO: The Pretty Bad Boys Return
35th Anniversary Reunion Concert – DVD/CD Recorded March 28th 2010 at Toronto’s Sound Academy as a segment of a forthcoming Goddo Documentary, “In Goddo We Trust”, this concert DVD/CD demonstrates what all music concert DVD’s should look like. Thanks to John Power and his All ACCESS Productions team, he has captured a superb performance delivered by one of Canada’s classic... Read More

Brighton Rock – The Buzz Is Back

Keith Sharp
Brighton Rock – The Buzz Is Back
Hard rock band Brighton Rock used to love playing the clubs. Don’t believe me? Just log on to the bands extremely well designed website. Click on to the Backstage tab to where it reads `Touring History’ and there before you, in chronological order is every gig the band has ever played. From their opening date at Zollies in Oshawa, Ontario... Read More

ALEXISONFIRE: Box Set Christmas Release

Music Express
ALEXISONFIRE: Box Set Christmas Release
Dine Alone Records / New Damage and Alexisonfire are set to release the official AOF vinyl box set. Limited to 1,000 copies, the very special discography will be available for purchase at 12:01AM EST on December 25 at Alexisonfire’s official website theonlybandever.com. Over a year in the making, the custom-designed box set includes audiophile re-pressings of each AOF studio release,... Read More

RUSH: Clockwork Angels Live

Keith Sharp
RUSH: Clockwork Angels Live
This iconic Canadian band, noted for re-releasing live versions of new studio records, have really outdone themselves this time. Just in time for Christmas (go figure!), Rush top off an amazing year in which they were inducted into The Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland, by releasing a Clockwork Angels Live package in four separate configurations. Recorded in Phoenix, Arizona... Read More

HEDLEY: They Can Do Anything!

Music Express
HEDLEY: They Can Do Anything!
There’s a funky R&B dance song, a stompin’ electro-Celtic song and a middle eastern-sparked electric dirgy blues-rock song on Hedley’s fifth studio album, Wild Life, the follow-up to 2011’s Storms. The Vancouver-based band, which has sold close to a million album since its 2005 self-titled debut and will be headlining arenas on its 35-date national tour in February and March,... Read More

SIMPLE PLAN – Get Your Heart On – The Second Coming

Keith Sharp
SIMPLE PLAN – Get Your Heart On – The Second Coming
(Warner Music Canada) I assume that this seven-track EP is meant to be an extension of their 2011 Get Your Heart On recording although it’s not clear whether the seven songs here are outtakes from the original record of whether they are new songs, either way, the Simple Plan sound is quickly becoming dated. The punk-pop tracks that mark this... Read More

BLUE RODEO: Striving for Perfection

Keith Sharp
BLUE RODEO: Striving for Perfection
Blue Rodeo vocalist/guitarist Greg Keelor caused a stir recently when he declared that the band’s latest studio release, “In Our Nature” was their swan song. “No it’s not our last record, but it may be our last good record,” said Keelor on the phone, backtracking from his original statement but may be adding even more confusion to the mix.” Every... Read More

DOWNCHILD: Can You Hear The Music?

Keith Sharp
DOWNCHILD: Can You Hear The Music?
Yes that is the unmistakable Sam The Record Man `spinning wheels’ logo depicted on the CD cover of Downchild’s new record release titled “Can You Hear The Music” (Linus Entertainment). Yet rather than just serving as an attention-getting design, there is a specific synergy between Sam `The Record Man’ Sniderman and the then formative Downchild Blues Band (now officially shortened... Read More

THE HEADPINS: Keeping Their Drive Alive!

Keith Sharp
THE HEADPINS: Keeping Their Drive Alive!
Headpins’ lead vocalist Darby Mills got a glimpse of her own mortality early this summer, when Dan McCafferty, lead vocalist of Scotland’s Nazareth, a band the Headpins had frequently toured with over the past 10 years, was stricken by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease which has forced him to pull the plug on the band after 45 years.. “Bands are getting to... Read More

Solo Record Triggers Band Revival

Keith Sharp
Solo Record Triggers Band Revival
Kenny Shields & Streetheart – Lead vocalist Kenny Shields had almost forgotten what it was like to enter a recording studio. Having finally emerged with his first, ever solo recording, “Letting Go”, the Saskatchewan native acknowledged it had been exactly 30 years since his band recorded their final studio album for Capitol Records, the 1983 “Dancing With Danger” A major... Read More