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Stampeders’s Ronnie King Succumbs To Heart Attack

Keith Sharp
Stampeders’s Ronnie King Succumbs To Heart Attack
And so we lose another key figure of Canada’s music legacy.  Bass guitarist/vocalist Ronnie King passed away at Peter Lougheed Hospital in Calgary on Monday. As part of the enduring trio of King, Rich Dodson and Kim Berly. King was a present figure in a band which has toured constantly since their breakout single “Carry Me” became a hit in... Read More

Helix Drummer Loses Brave Battle with Cancer

Music Express
Helix Drummer Loses Brave Battle with Cancer
Greg “Fritz” Hinz: January 23rd, 1956 – February 16th, 2024. R.I.P. By Brian Vollmer (Lead Vocalist, Helix) It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the passing of Greg “Fritz” Hinz, drummer for HELIX since 1983, after 10 months fighting Cancer. At a future date there will be a Memorial Service.  Traci (Fritz’s common law wife) hasn’t slept... Read More

Frew Salutes The Eighties With Rewind Opera House Concert

Keith Sharp
Frew Salutes The Eighties With Rewind Opera House Concert
When Glass Tiger’s Alan Frew released his ‘Rewind’ album in November 2015, it served as his salute to the 80’s and 90’s bands that he shared stages and the charts with.  The 12 tracks on that release covered classics by the likes of Tears For Fears, Human League, Paul Young, Peter Gabriel, and even some eclectic covers by Sinead O’Connor... Read More

54-40 – West Coast Warriors 

Roman Mitz
54-40 – West Coast Warriors 
The band 54-40 has been churning out great rock records for 43 years, crafting reflective and socially conscious songs that address personal struggles, love, and political issues. Formed by core members Neil Osborne (vocals, guitar) and Brad Merritt (bass), the band has become a Canadian music icon. For their new album “West Coast Band”, they turned their songwriting focus on... Read More

Memories Of Myles

Keith Sharp
Memories Of Myles
Music Express Publisher Keith Sharp reflects on a 46-year relationship with April Wine lead vocalist/chief songwriter Myles Goodwyn who died Sunday December 3rd from cancer. I first connected with Myles Goodwyn in late 1976. Alberta Music Express Magazine (as it was titled then) had just launched in Calgary in October of that year and one of my initial contributing writers,... Read More

Original Lightfoot Band Continues Legacy

Keith Sharp
Original Lightfoot Band Continues Legacy
So what do you do when the iconic singer your band has supported for the past 55 years, succumbs to health issues and dies? Well, if you are the long-serving backing band for Gordon Lightfoot, you make a commitment to continue his legacy, draft in a new vocalist and prepare to re-launch as The Lightfoot Band. Bassist Rick Haynes, who... Read More

One Ugly Cowboy – The Little Band That Could

Roman Mitz
One Ugly Cowboy – The Little Band That Could
(Photo: Jim Ziegler) Toronto-based country rockers One Ugly Cowboy (OUC) have been honing their craft for some time now, and it’s beginning to pay off as 2023 has turned out to be a stellar year. The group is fronted by dynamic vocalist ‘Hurricane’ Jane Sowerby and her axe-wielding soul mate/producer Richard Zwic.  Bass player Rick Ottenbrite and drummer Mike Mann... Read More

Triumph’s Rik Emmett Lays His Legacy On The Line With Autobiography

Keith Sharp
Triumph’s Rik Emmett Lays His Legacy On The Line With Autobiography
Photo: Jeanine Leech Triumph fans will recognize Rik Emmett as the spandex-wearing guitar virtuoso who wrote and sang some of the Toronto-based trio’s biggest hits, “Lay It On The Line, “Magic Power” and “Hold On”. Yet, as detailed in is autobiography titled ‘Lay It On The Line (ECW Press), Emmett’s career in Triumph represents only part of his illustrious career... Read More

Andre Pettipas And The Giants Push Their Grease Coast Rock Brand

Keith Sharp
Andre Pettipas And The Giants Push Their Grease Coast Rock Brand
By Keith Sharp Grease Coast Rock is a term coined by Antigonish area quartet Andre Pettipas & The Giants who have just released their third studio album, ‘Under Control’ before hitting local Maritime venues to promote the release. Vocalist/Guitarist Andre Pettipas, bassist (and brother) Travis Pettipas, drummer Mark Cosh and guitarist John MacDonald are currently touring in support of the... Read More

Jess Moskaluke – Holiday Heartbreaker   

Roman Mitz
Jess Moskaluke – Holiday Heartbreaker   
‘Tis the season. While it’s a little early, Jess Moskaluke already has visions of sugar plums dancing in her head as the dates for her “Winter Wonderland” tour have been scheduled, and she’s dropped an early Christmas present in the form of her new record “Heartbreaker”.  The album contains her latest three singles and is rounded out by a handful... Read More

The Glorious Sons – Glory Days  

Roman Mitz
The Glorious Sons – Glory Days  
“Glory” is the 4th studio album from Kingston’s The Glorious Sons, co-produced by long-time collaborator Frederik Thaae. The album, which was recorded over a two-year period, is the band’s most intimate effort to date, yet it still blazes with outsized melodies that their fan base has come to love since their inception in 2011. Founded by guitarist Jay Emmons and... Read More

Urban’s Fan Interaction Highlight of Calgary Country Thunder

Sam Hope
Urban’s Fan Interaction Highlight of Calgary Country Thunder
Country Thunder Alberta 2023 was a huge success this year, the line ups for all three days on the main stage were absolutely incredible. Even when there was no artist on stage, they had music playing through the speakers to keep the crowd entertained and there was non-stop cheering and dancing especially when they played “Sweet Caroline”. Read More

New Guitar Style Highlights Wide Mouth Mason’s New Album Release

Keith Sharp
New Guitar Style Highlights Wide Mouth Mason’s New Album Release
In 2019, Shaun Verreault and Safwan Javed, the two surviving members of Wide Mouth Mason entered the recording studio to release their seventh studio album, `I Wanna Go With You’, a blues-based album recorded live off the floor and geared towards a live performance.  This album also introduced Verreault’s new guitar-playing technique, a tri-style lap steel technique in which he... Read More

The Kings Are Out To Prove There Is More To Their Legacy Than Just One Monster Hit

Keith Sharp
The Kings Are Out To Prove There Is More To Their Legacy Than Just One Monster Hit
Classic rock music fans will wonder out loud if they have blundered into some kind of `Back To The Future’ time warp when they notice a double bill of The Kings co-featured in a series of Ontario-based concerts in late September alongside stalwarts Honeymoon Suite. The Kings have just released their first new studio album, `The Longest Story Ever Told’... Read More

Music’s Irresistible Odd Couple

Keith Sharp
Music’s Irresistible Odd Couple
(Box photos by Ted Van Boort) Your average concert goer would initially be confused by how you can successfully twin a classic rock band like Montreal’s The Box with a Country Rock group like ONE UGLY COWBOY. But as attendees at Hamilton Ontario’s “It’s Your Festival” discovered, their collective ability to entertain a family audience makes such a blend of... Read More

Charley Crockett – King Of The Wild Frontier

Roman Mitz
Charley Crockett – King Of The Wild Frontier
Photo: Bobby Cochran The accolades have been coming a mile a minute for Americana singer/songwriter Charley Crockett for his 2022 breakthrough album “The Man From Waco”. He is among the most nominated for the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards with nominations for “Artist Of The Year”, “Album of The Year” and “Song Of The Year”. “The Man From Waco” was... Read More