Hall Of Fame Inception Links Diverse Music Directions

October 23, 2019October 24, 2019 Keith Sharp

The late Bobby Curtola, Andy Kim, Chilliwack and The Cowboy Junkies may have had little in common musically but on Sunday, October 27th, they will be linked together by a common bond, induction into Canada’s Music Hall Of Fame. The induction ceremonies to be staged at the Hall Of Fame Studio Bell location in Calgary will honour both the musical... Read More

A Revamped Voting Process Ramps Up Music Hall Of Fame Inductees

October 21, 2019October 28, 2019 Keith Sharp

Allan Reid – CARAS President Scanning over the honour roll which constitutes artists inducted into Canada’s Music Hall Of Fame, Allan Reid, President CEO, CARAS/The Juno Awards & MusiCounts claims he is full of pride at the vast array of talent who have previously been selected for this prestigious award. “I am proud of being a Canadian when I look at who has been... Read More

Danny Marks: Keeping The Blues Flag Flying

October 15, 2019October 19, 2019 Keith Sharp

As host of one of the few remaining national blues radio programs, Danny Marks is well-positioned to discuss the current state of blues music in Canada. As his Bluz FM Saturday broadcast on Jazz FM 91 launches into its 18th year, Marks is aware that this genre has become a niche category and that as far as the blues music scene is... Read More

Sousa’s Charity Efforts A Virtual Sell-Out

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Keith Sharp

Dan Cooper (Left), Ed Sousa (Right) – Photo by Andrew M Clowater Ed Sousa is in the enviable position of knowing that virtually the moment he puts his Rock N Roll Bowl Session Intimate And Interactive Charity Concert Series on sale, they sell out. Expanded to six events with an additional `surprise show’, this series of shows put members of popular... Read More

Legendary Cream Drummer Ginger Baker Loses Battle Against Heart Disease

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 Keith Sharp

Peter, Edward “Ginger” Baker, co-founder of British supergroup, Cream passed away Sunday in London England at the age of 80. He had been suffering from progressive heart disease for some time and had endured open-heart surgery in 2016. Along with guitarist Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce, Baker launched Cream in 1966, with their debut album ‘Fresh Cream’ and they... Read More

Cooper Group Sparks Back To The 80’s Charity Sell Out

September 27, 2019October 7, 2019 Keith Sharp

Around the Burlington/Oakville region of Southern Ontario, Dan Cooper and his Dan Cooper Group, Royal Lepage real estate team are easily recognizable figures. His `We Are Dan Cooper’ motif adorns real estate signs, the side of his fleet of automobiles and even television commercials. But it was Dan Cooper, Entertainment Philanthropist, who took the spotlight September 22nd at Oakville’s Centre... Read More

Rankin’s Songs From Route 19 Tour Recaptures His Musical Roots

September 23, 2019September 23, 2019 Keith Sharp

Jimmy Rankin has packed up his gear, hit the road down Route 19 and crossed the Canso Causeway out of his beloved Cape Breton to execute an extensive 29-date tour taking Rankin and his band right across Canada through late September and October before returning home for a five-date Christmas tour of the Maritimes. Purpose of this tour is to... Read More

The Evolution Of A Classic Rock Band

September 16, 2019 Keith Sharp

On Saturday, September 21st, Kingston’s The Glorious Sons will unveil their latest studio release, `A War On Everything’ with a sell-out headline concert at that city’s Jack Richardson Stadium before 14,000 rabid fans. To band members Brett Emmons (lead vocals), brother Jay Emmons (guitar), Chris Koster (guitar), Andy Paquette (drums), Chris Huot (bass) and Josh Hewson (keyboards), the concert not... Read More

Money And Ocasek Become Rock’s Latest Casualties

September 16, 2019September 17, 2019 Keith Sharp

Rock Music lost two of its iconic figures over the weekend with the deaths of Cars’ vocalist/guitarist Rick Ocasek and solo artist Eddie Money. Ocasek was found deceased (cause of death, natural causes) Sunday morning September 16th in his New York apartment by ex-wife and former supermodel, Paulina Poritzkova, while Money passed away Thursday, September 13th from esophageal cancer, Ocasek... Read More

Correcting A CARAS Travesty

September 12, 2019September 18, 2019 Keith Sharp

Saturday, August 17th,2019 and more than 3,000 spectators are crammed into Little Current, Manitoulin Island’s Flatrock Event Centre to witness Vancouver’s Trooper bring the two-day Rockin The Rock music festival to a frenzied conclusion. Not a bad turnout for a community which boasts a resident population of fewer than 1,800 souls. And although the likes of Platinum Blonde, Glass Tiger,... Read More

Grande Prairie Native Steals CCMA Awards Spotlight

September 9, 2019September 10, 2019 Keith Sharp

On a night when the 2019 Canadian Country Music Awards returned to Calgary after a 14-year absence, it was fitting that Alberta performer Tenille Townes stole the spotlight. Langley B.C’s Dallas Smith, who co-hosted the show with Billy Ray Cyrus, claimed two major awards as Top Male Vocalist and Top Entertainer plaudits but it was 25-year old Grande Prairie native,... Read More

Ice Queen Still Thriving As A Blues Guitar Icon

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019 Keith Sharp

Scroll down any online list of the world’s greatest rock guitar players and you’ll find the usual suspects; Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Brian May, Eddie Van Halen et al, but you won’t find any prominent female players. Sue Foley just shrugs when this information is brought to her attention. A nominee for this year’s Guitar Magazine’s... Read More

De Keyzer Defies Shrinking Toronto Club Scene

September 5, 2019September 8, 2019 Keith Sharp

Toronto used to be the centre of a vibrant blues community with the likes of the Brunswick House, Silver Dollar, Jeff Healey’s and the Cadillac Lounge all playing host to major blues artists like Downchild Blues Band, Jeff Healey, King Biscuit Boy, Jack de Keyzer, Colin James, Sue Foley, Matt Minglewood, Dutch Mason et al performing regularly at these downtown... Read More

London’s Block Party Is Now A Park Jam

August 24, 2019August 24, 2019 Keith Sharp

London’s Park Jam Festival By Keith Sharp The city of London Ontario is currently enjoying a boom as a hotspot for Canadian music with the recent staging of The Juno Awards and Canadian Country Music Awards and entertainment promoter Demetri Manuel is helping to stimulate this growth by expanding his annual two-day Block Party to a seven-day Park Jam Festival... Read More

Raising Hell In Rainbow Country

August 21, 2019August 24, 2019 Keith Sharp

Rockin’ The Rock Manitoulin Island August 17th, 2019 By Keith Sharp The tee shirt said it all. “Arrive. Raise A Little Hell. Leave.” This was the profound effect Vancouver’s Trooper had on the 3,000 plus audience who packed into The Flatrock Event Centre in Little Current, Manitoulin Island, Saturday, August 17th to attend what was the second annual Rockin’ The... Read More

Iron Maiden’s Concerts Are A Religious Experience

August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 Keith Sharp

Over two nights at Toronto’s Budweiser Ampitheatre, over 30,000 disciples assembled to worship at the Temple of Iron Maiden. You can only describe these concerts as a religious experience as the bond between the five-member British band and their devoted fans are much more complex than your average rock crowd extravaganza. Iron Maiden is so much more than just a... Read More

Hall Of Fame Honours Give Gilder Fresh Motivation

August 7, 2019August 13, 2019 Keith Sharp

On Tuesday, June 18th of this year, Nick Gilder was inducted into the Canadian Song Writer’s Hall Of Fame in recognition of his song “Hot Child In The City” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1979. With his current wife, his mother and both his son and daughter present during the ceremony, staged by SOCAN at the BMO... Read More

Iron Maiden Brings Video Game To Life With Legacy Tour

August 3, 2019August 14, 2019 Keith Sharp

To paraphrase a certain saying, “there are only three certainties in life; death, taxes and Iron Maiden playing Toronto.” Friday, August 9th and 10th, Iron Maiden hits the Budweiser Amphitheatre stage as part of their 44-date North American leg of their current Legacy Of The Beast Tour (which also features dates in Montreal, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver).... Read More

Maritime Music Festivals Cater To All Tastes

July 30, 2019August 20, 2019 Keith Sharp

Maritime music festivals may be defined by the crowd-pulling Cavendish Beach Music Festival staged every July at this scenic Prince Edward Island venue (this year July 5-7 featuring the likes of Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Russell Dickenson and Co) but even as Cavendish takes aim at 2020, there’s still a number of key festivals to be staged in the coming... Read More

Former Sheepdog Lends Credibility To League Of Wolves

July 29, 2019August 12, 2019 Keith Sharp

During his many sorties into Saskatoon, Dillon Currie and his musical pals often bumped into former Sheepdogs’ guitarist Leot Hanson. Whether it was hanging around Lydia’s Pub or later The Capitol Music Club (which Hanson co-owned), Currie’s band, soon to be known as League Of Wolves, made a connection with Hanson. Initially, it was just informal jam sessions where they’d... Read More

Author: Keith Sharp