Search
Home > Interviews

Category: Interviews

Billy Idol Reunion Sparks Platinum Blonde Comeback

Keith Sharp
Billy Idol Reunion Sparks Platinum Blonde Comeback
When Live Nation decided to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Billy Idol’s breakout ‘Rebel Yell’ album with a national tour of Canadian hockey arenas, the promoters had only one band in mind as the ideal supporting act…Toronto’s Platinum Blonde As Idol released that definitive second album 40 years ago which included mega hits like the title track, “Eyes Without A... Read More

Boomstock Sheds New Light on Sobeys Stadium

Keith Sharp
Boomstock Sheds New Light on Sobeys Stadium
Boomstock Rock Festival set for Saturday August 24th is the fourth major event, promoted by the Feldman Agency which has negotiated production rights with York University to stage events at the Keele Street campus. Bachman-Turner Overdrive, England’s UB40, The Box, Chilliwack and Sweet are all set to perform in this gem of a location which comfortably holds between 11,000 and... Read More

Economics The Key For 2024 CNE Talent Selection

Keith Sharp
Economics The Key For 2024 CNE Talent Selection
When you consider that the CNE Bandshell is located less than a couple of hundred metres North East of Live Nation’s Budweiser Stage, you can understand the monumental task that Emily Kempe and her team are faced with when they try to book the entertainment talent for this year’s Canadian National Exhibition August 16th to September 2nd. In that golden... Read More

Maple Music A Distinct Theme For 2024 Kitchener Blues Fest

Keith Sharp
Maple Music A Distinct Theme For 2024 Kitchener Blues Fest
A yearly challenge for Kitchener Blues Festival promoter Claude Cloutier is to create a fresh musical theme yet still retain a focus on authentic blues. This year in particular, Canadian fans will be thrilled by the domestic content Cloutier has assembled. The annual four-day festival which takes over downtown Kitchener August 8th-August 11th will feature a diverse lineup of talent... Read More

New Producer Injects Life Into Honeymoon Suite Release

Keith Sharp
New Producer Injects Life Into Honeymoon Suite Release
For a Canadian band who have virtually remained intact for the past 46 years, Honeymoon Suite’s latest album release, ‘Alive’ sounds remarkably fresh and current. Still active on the concert circuit and receiving strong airplay for their new single, “Tell Me What You Want”. Original members, guitarist Derry Grehan, lead vocalist Johnnie Dee, bassist Gary Lalonde, drummer Dave Betts and the... Read More

Jim Cuddy – The World According to Jim  

Roman Mitz
Jim Cuddy – The World According to Jim  
Jim Cuddy is a national treasure. For 40 years he’s been crafting memorable vignettes with his songwriting partner Greg Keelor in Canada’s much-loved band Blue Rodeo, and they were recently recognized with the prestigious Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame Award. Jim has also carved out quite a niche for himself with a stellar solo career marked by his brand new... Read More

When Ed Calls You Go

Keith Sharp
When Ed Calls You Go
When Ed Sousa planned a one-night charity concert for Ronald McDonald House at the Classic Bowl facility in Mississauga in May 2016, little did he realize that nine years later, McBowl would expand to three nights and would serve as the largest indoor music festival in North America.  His seventh annual event (two years were lost to the COVID virus)... 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

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

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

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