Rock Icon Billy Idol Announces Rebel Yell Canada 2024 Tour
Legendary Rapper Snoop Dogg Announces Cali to Canada Tour
Andy Kim Steps in for Goodwyn for Planned Acoustic Tour
Daryl Hall and Elvis Costello Announce Co-headlining Summer Tour

DANIEL LANOIS – AN AMBIENT JOURNEY AT OTTAWA’S NAC

Music Express
DANIEL LANOIS – AN AMBIENT JOURNEY AT OTTAWA’S NAC
Ottawa’s NAC Presents, featuring an all-Canadian series of shows, has set out to highlight a genre-hopping array of some our nation’s finest talent from coast to coast this year. On this particular night, two such performers took to the grand stage of Southam Hall, whose acts perfectly complimented each other — Basia Bulat, and Daniel Lanois. Ottawa’s world class NAC... Read More

MUSIC EXPRESS CMW SHOWCASE

Keith Sharp
MUSIC EXPRESS CMW SHOWCASE
Wednesday May 6th 2015 @ THE RIVOLI It is our pleasure to present to you a total of eight hot new artists who will be performing at this year’s Music Express CMW Showcase. You are invited to check out the amazing talent provided by the bands listed below: THE RATHBURNS (8:00 – 8:40) Fresh off appearing on Rock 94.9’s Gen... Read More

COWBOY JUNKIES – Being Understated Is The Key To Longevity

Keith Sharp
COWBOY JUNKIES – Being Understated Is The Key To Longevity
It is March 1988 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles and members of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers have gathered together for their annual convention. This high-profile event allows all the major U.S record companies to hook up with key U.S record retailers to promote and hype that year’s new releases. It’s a given that if... Read More

Born To Be Wild!

Keith Sharp
Born To Be Wild!
Think of Kelowna and you think of an idyllic central British Columbia vacation hotspot blessed with stunning Okanagan lakes, vineyards, fruit trees and that dodgy Ogopogo monster – but classic blues rock! – Not so much. But here’s a warning!, hide your daughters people because Kelowna rock band, The Wild! are about to invade your neighbourhood. Don’t believe me! Ask... Read More

The Cocksure Lads – Bringing The British Invasion Back To Life

Keith Sharp
The Cocksure Lads – Bringing The British Invasion Back To Life
One of the running jokes between Murray Foster and Mike Ford as they rode in a van with their group, Moxy Fruvous, in the 1990’s was to write songs in the genre of the 1960’s British Invasion. Throughout the 90’s and into the 2000’s they amassed about twenty-five of these British Invasion-style songs, yet did little with this material as... Read More

SHAWN MENDES

Keith Sharp
SHAWN MENDES
  Handwritten (Universal/Island) With the release of Mendes’ first full-length CD, there are going to be the inevitable comparisons between Mendes and Justin Bieber. Both are from Ontario (Mendes from Toronto suburb Pickering and Bieber from Stratford), both made an initial impact posting videos that went viral, both signed with Island Records, where they earned chart success with debut EP’s... Read More

ROCK & ROLL LIFE – THE MOHRS

Music Express
ROCK & ROLL LIFE – THE MOHRS
The Gateway, Calgary – April 2, 2015 The rock and roll life: hauling gear from the farthest depths of a strange building to the concrete bunker of a campus bar; getting little assistance from anyone save the one techie who may or may not be all that interested in life that day; assessing a stage that may fit aforementioned gear... Read More

Steve Kane: In Search Of The 10 Foot Record

Keith Sharp
Steve Kane: In Search Of The 10 Foot Record
Steve Kane with Neil Young “It’s absolutely clear to me that they’ve ran out of people to induct.” That was the bemused reaction of Warner Music Canada’s President, Steve Kane on learning he had been inducted into this year’s Canadian Music Industry’s Hall of Fame – an induction that take’s place at Toronto’s Sheraton Centre, Thursday May 7th during Canadian... Read More

Trapper: It Helps To Have Contacts

Keith Sharp
Trapper: It Helps To Have Contacts
Think of famous rock music duets from the 1980’s and both Britain’s Eurythmics and Sweden’s Roxette come quickly to mind…but Trapper! Never heard of them? Well you wouldn’t have because Trapper consists of a Canadian duo; Emm Gryner and Sean Kelly who are about to celebrate the launch of their new project by opening for 80’s rock icons Def Leppard... Read More

Twin Kennedy: Double Barrel Country

Roman Mitz
Twin Kennedy: Double Barrel Country
Things can become a little confusing when you’re interviewing country singing twins over the telephone. In this case it’s Carli and Julie Kennedy, the siblings that front Twin Kennedy who are calling to talk about their hot new country platter “It’s A Love Thing”. Because of the similarity of their voices we devise a method to ensure that quotes are... Read More

Calling Gen Next: Discovering Canada’s New Rock Talent

Keith Sharp
Calling Gen Next: Discovering Canada’s New Rock Talent
Doug Elliott and Brett Emmons of the Glorious Sons When CKGE-FM radio’s program director Doug Elliott checks out his station’s play list, he notes the usual suspects you’d expect to find being programmed on the Oshawa Ontario-based rock station, known regionally as 94.9 The Rock. But as equally prominent as the Foo Fighters, AC/DC, Pink Floyd and yes, Led Zeppelin... Read More

The Glorious Sons: With A Little Help From Their Friends

Keith Sharp
The Glorious Sons: With A Little Help From Their Friends
There’s nothing like a bit of quality assistance from seasoned professionals when you’re a young band, practising in a non-descriptive garage located in an obscure, industrial area of Kingston Ontario, harbouring aspirations of being the next big thing in Canadian music. Five youngsters from the Limestone City; vocalist Brett Emmons, his guitarist brother Jay Emmons, guitarist Andrew Young, bassist Chris... Read More

Music Doc is Crowdfunding Some Hometown Pride

Music Express
Music Doc is Crowdfunding Some Hometown Pride
Arkells Live at the Red Dog Peterborough-based Photographer & Director Michael Hurcomb was on a trip to Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, near Nashville a few years ago when he was asked by a travel buddy from Toronto, “So who has come from Peterborough that I would have heard of?” “I began naming musicians, actors, writers, athletes that had... Read More

THREE DAYS GRACE

Keith Sharp
THREE DAYS GRACE
THREE DAYS GRACE HUMAN Jive/Sony True to form, Norwood Ontario’s Three Days Grace have maintained their one record every three years schedule with the release of `Human’, the big difference here is that this is the first record featuring former My Darkest Days vocalist Matt Waist who replace the previous frontman Adam Gontier in early 2014. Having previously released two singles;... Read More

Cancer Bats: Flying Under The Radar

Keith Sharp
Cancer Bats: Flying Under The Radar
Cancer Bats is a great handle for a hardcore punk band. The four-member, Southern Ontario unit comprised of lead vocalist Liam Cormier, guitarist Scott Middleton,bassist Jaye R Schwarzer and drummer Mike Peters have just released their fifth record, `Searching For Zero’ on New Damage Records and make no apologies if you’ve never heard of them. At the time of writing... Read More

RON SEXSMITH

Keith Sharp
RON SEXSMITH
Carousel One (Compass/Warner Music Canada) At a time when new music is computerized, digitized and streamed to numerous electronic sources, Ron Sexsmith is definitely old school. The veteran St Catherines Ontario native still believes in writing and recording large amounts of new music as this 14-track effort on Carousel One would attest (16 tracks if you also count the two... Read More

THE BOX Phoenix Concert Theatre

Keith Sharp
THE BOX Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto Friday March 13th 2015 For Montreal’s The Box it was a time to re-connect. Almost 10 years after last playing in Toronto, lead vocalist Jean Marc Pisapia brought the current version of has band, bassist Dan Volj, guitarist Francois Bruneau, keyboardist Guillame Jodoin, drummer Martin Lapierre and support vocalist Isabelle Lemay back to headline at the Phoenix Concert Theatre.... Read More

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY CAMP IS COMING TO TORONTO JUNE 4-7 FEATURING AEROSMITH’S JOE PERRY

Music Express
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY CAMP IS COMING TO TORONTO JUNE 4-7 FEATURING AEROSMITH’S JOE PERRY
MUSIC LOVERS GET A CHANCE TO COLLABORATE WITH THEIR ROCK IDOLS “I  have a great time interacting with everyone who attends the camp. They are so stoked to get up and jam, it’s worth it to be there to experience the thrill they feel from the many accomplishments they’ve learned during their time spent at the Camp. Sharing in the... Read More

July Talk: Operating Their Own Time Table

Keith Sharp
July Talk: Operating Their Own Time Table
July Talk co-lead vocalist/guitarist  Peter Dreimanis can’t relate to a music industry dependant on mega record sales and heavy radio airplay, to him, that’s past tense, a different era. He, along with fellow band mates Leah Fay, guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton and drummer Danny Miles have just won the 2015 Juno Award for  Best Alternative Album for their... Read More

PHILIP SAYCE – “INFLUENCE” COMES TO THE RAINBOW

Music Express
PHILIP SAYCE – “INFLUENCE” COMES TO THE RAINBOW
Canadian musician, Philip Sayce, known for his brand of powerhouse blues, has been busy touring across Canada this month, commemorating the launch of his fourth upcoming solo album, Influence, which will be released in Canada April 7, 2015 through Warner Music Canada. His powerful performance at Ottawa’s Rainbow Bistro, left the crowd awestruck. Sayce played a selection of songs from... Read More