The Muffins’ Martha Johnson Sets The Pace For World Parkinson’s Month With ‘Slow Emotion’
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Dancing with the Jesters – Harlequin

Music Express
Dancing with the Jesters – Harlequin
Harlequin has been a rock radio mainstay with a string of hits that play in near continual rotation since they arrived on the scene in 1979. And so, tonight’s show brought out those hits, including “Thinking of You”, “I Did it for Love”, and “Superstitious Feeling”. The crowd responded with great gusto to the hits, but were lukewarm to new... Read More

The Spoons Reunite for 30th Anniversary of Arias & Symphonies

Music Express
The Spoons Reunite for 30th Anniversary of Arias & Symphonies
Canadian New Wave synth pop group The Spoons performed at Toronto’s intimate Revival Bar on Friday. Hosted by Maie Pauts and radio broadcasted through Boom 97.3, the concert was a celebration of the release of the band’s Arias & Symphonies 30th Anniversary album. 80’s New-Wave band Images In Vogue opened, and their stage presence captured the attention of the entire... Read More

Metal Queen Comes of Age – Lee Aaron

Keith Sharp
Metal Queen Comes of Age – Lee Aaron
Lee Aaron downloads the Music Express E magazine and enters a time warp. Enclosed on the site are clips of Lee performing her signature` Metal Queen’ track at the 1984 Music Express Awards in Vancouver as well as her joining in a spirited finale of ‘Dance to the Music‘ with Bill Henderson, Shari Ulrich and Kathi McDonald. “Wow, big hair”... Read More

The Big Stage – Journey & Loverboy

Music Express
The Big Stage – Journey & Loverboy
Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary | November 25, 2012 Photography by: Charles Hope Journey While the road crew prepared the stage for the band, it was curious to consider how Journey would fill such a large expanse of black. Were there going to be additional musicians? Would there be some kind of theatrical performance? When the lights went down and the band... Read More

Only The Strong Survive – Michelle Wright

Roman Mitz
Only The Strong Survive – Michelle Wright
Michelle Wright is a survivor. Just look back 25 years or so to the time of her first album Do Right By Me, and count how many other Canadian country artists from that time are still delivering the goods. There really aren’t many who have held on for that long. “Held on is probably the right phrase because there have... Read More

Burton Cummings kicks off the Grey Cup

Keith Sharp
Burton Cummings kicks off the Grey Cup
On a day when the Toronto Argonauts emphatically won the 100th Grey Cup final by beating the Calgary Stampeders 35-22, Burton Cummings set the tone for the festivities with a dynamic pre-game concert that was stunning in its simplicity. Cummings may not be accustomed to delivering matinee performances but in reality he can do no wrong. Supported by his faithful... Read More

The Spoons – Nova Heart Transplant

Keith Sharp
The Spoons – Nova Heart Transplant
Moving into my new apartment on Asquith Road (just behind the Bay Centre at Yonge and Bloor) I noticed a major crack in the dining room wall. Not particularly of the Mike Holmes, Mr. Fixit  breed, I decided to cover this offending crack with a large poster – but it needed to be a big poster as it was a... Read More

Trooper dominate SOCAN awards

Music Express
Trooper dominate SOCAN awards
Trooper, Bruce Cockburn and Joel Zimmerman (a/k/a Deadmau5) were the big winners at the 23rd annual SOCAN Music Awards staged Tuesday November 19th at Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall. Trooper’s Ra McGuire and Brian Smith were on hand to receive a National Achievement award from The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. Three of their songs; `Janine’, `General... Read More

Helix – Rockin’ The Way

Music Express
Helix – Rockin’ The Way
Deerfoot Casino, Calgary | November 3, 2012 Entering the stage beneath a synthesized orchestral overture, Helix didn’t waste time building momentum. Setting the dial to 11 with “Wild in the Streets” singer Brian Vollmer took control with gusto using every limb to command the audience and fuel his band mates to push hard to the finish line. Helix is tight,... Read More

Ian Thomas – Little Dreams

Keith Sharp
Ian Thomas – Little Dreams
(Alma/Universal) It’s a good job Ian Thomas’s marriage to wife Catherine is going smoothly; otherwise he would have had a bitch of a time writing this album. No Adele, Taylor Swift or even Alanis Morissette flare-ups here! All is well in the Thomas household with five of the album’s 10 songs reflecting positively on their long-term relationship. Ian, himself is... Read More

Luring A Lobster Into A Boxed Set! – Great Big Sea

Keith Sharp
Luring A Lobster Into A Boxed Set! – Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle, Bob Hallett and yours truly are deep in discussion on the cuisine values of seaweed. This heated debate triggered by my observation that the only items left out of the band’s mega 20th anniversary XX boxed set comprising of two CD’s of their greatest pop hits and traditional folk songs, a CD of outtakes and... Read More

Scotty Newlands – Starting Over

Keith Sharp
Scotty Newlands – Starting Over
(Blue Sapphire/Universal) The armed forces dude at the major Toronto sports event, singing the Canadian national anthem was probably Scotty Newlands. An active member of the Canadian Armed Forces, Newlands has been a regular fixture at the Rogers Centre and Air Canada Centre, belting out both `Oh Canada’ and `The Stars And Stripes’ while moonlighting as a singer/songwriter, recording artist.... Read More