Mercury’s Timeless Gem Released After 4 Decade Search

June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 Keith Sharp

The global success of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody (which generated more than $903 million in ticket sales) has revitalized interest in Queen lead vocalist Freddie Mercury who died from AIDS November 24th, 1991. Rami Malek won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Mercury and even though the movie received mixed critical reviews, Queen faithful and a generation of new... Read More

Budding Toronto Rap Star Malachi Draws NBA Comparison

June 20, 2019June 20, 2019 Keith Sharp

When Toronto rapper Malachi arrived in Los Angeles Thursday, June 13th his first priority was to make it to a local bar to watch his beloved Toronto Raptors clinch the NBA championship against the Golden State Warriors. “It was all last minute, we were surrounded by hordes of Golden State fans, but it was great that we won,” reflected the... Read More

Corey Hart’s Never Surrender Tour A Family Affair

June 18, 2019June 19, 2019 Keith Sharp

Corey Hart cut a visibly emotional figure as he stood on the Toronto Budweiser Stage, June 14th, a single spotlight detecting tears welling in his eyes. He and his proficient eight-piece band had just completed their final encore, “Never Surrender”, leaving him alone to receive thunderous plaudits from a near sell-out (14,000) audience. “You know there was a time not... Read More

Peterborough Musicfest Targets Younger Demographic

June 13, 2019June 17, 2019 Keith Sharp

At the end of each successful season, Peterborough Musicfest general manager, Tracey Randall analyses crowd attendance and assesses whether the talent she books for the Wednesday/Saturday, twice weekly free concerts at the picturesque Del Crary Park actually matches the people attending those events. “In the past, our average age attendance has been around 60 but more recently we are getting... Read More

Construction Funding Fuels Monster Roxodus Concert

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 Keith Sharp

When construction industry veteran and avid motorcyclist Mike Dunphy last attended the legendary Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, he witnessed Kid Rock perform before a crowd of some 75,000 fans. It was an experience that left him with a positive impression. Returning home to Wasaga Beach Ontario, Dunphy met with fellow construction vet Fab Loranger, head of Fort Saskatchewan... Read More

Kevin Kane Provides Northern Pikes’ Energy Boost

June 6, 2019June 7, 2019 Keith Sharp

It seemed inevitable really. When Bryan Potvin took a bus man’s holiday from The Northern Pikes to tour and record with Kevin Kane from Grapes Of Wrath, the partnership seemed to fit like a well-worn glove. And when the then three-piece Northern Pikes were looking for a fourth member to tour in support of their 30th anniversary re-recording of their... Read More

Blushing Brides Provides Best Stones’ Experience

June 4, 2019June 7, 2019 Keith Sharp

On Saturday, June 29th, the Rolling Stones will take the stage before an estimated crowd of some 60,000 fans at the Burls Creek Event Centre, Oro-Medonte Ontario to perform their only Canadian date of their 17-concert No Filter tour. Twenty-Four hours earlier, The Blushing Brides, a tribute to the Stones will hit the stage about 80 kilometres to the south,... Read More

Austin Jenckes – The Voice That Roared by Roman Mitz for Open Spaces

June 2, 2019June 2, 2019 Roman Mitz

When Austin Jenckes wrapped his gravelly pipes around covers of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Simple Man’ and The Bee Gees’ ‘To Love Somebody’ during season five of the television series ‘The Voice’, you simply knew you were hearing someone special who would soon be on the radio with original material. The only thing you did not expect was that it would take... Read More

Country Thunder Format Provides Boost For Canadian Talent

May 22, 2019May 23, 2019 Keith Sharp

Gerry Krochak and his CEO partner Troy Vollhoffer maybe good ole Saskatchewan boys but even though they have created a series Country Thunder music festivals which feature some of Country Music’s biggest names, they still get a big kick out of presenting Canadian talent to U.S audiences. With a network of festivals which spans Twin Lakes Wisconsin, Florence Arizona, Craven... Read More

Cloutier Aims To Keep Kitchener Blues Festival Lineup Fresh

May 21, 2019May 21, 2020 Keith Sharp

For the past 18 years, Claude Cloutier has culminated a year-long search to present the best-established performers and new artists to the Kitchener Blues Festival, in Kitchener, Ontario, which hits year 19th this year from August 8-11 at four major downtown locations. It doesn’t get any easier as old guard blues performers pass away but Cloutier is diligent enough in his on-going... Read More

Delhi 2 Dublin Hits A Multi-Cultural Groove

May 15, 2019May 16, 2019 Keith Sharp

Sanjay Seran sounds a little frustrated as he reports on the Canadian Music Week showcase performance of Vancouver’s Delhi 2 Dublin Wednesday, May 8th at Toronto’s Rivoli Nightclub. Apparently, sound glitches had disrupted the quartet’s debut of their latest `We Got This’ CD release and their unique blend of Bhangra, reggae, dub, electropop influences. “It’s a bit frustrating, you want to... Read More

Facing Alan Frew’s Mortality Put Glass Tiger Back In The Game

May 11, 2019May 14, 2019 Keith Sharp

Ask Glass Tiger lead vocalist Alan Frew if his recovery from a near-fatal stroke, suffered August 20th,2015, has played any role in the band’s accelerated level of activity over the past couple of years (two album releases, two major national tours) and he will shrug off the mishap as just a major inconvenience. But probe a little deeper and the... Read More

Open Spaces: Dean Brody – A Fresh Dose of Country

April 27, 2019May 3, 2019 Roman Mitz

“I don’t try to stand out. I just do because I’m a little weird or unorthodox in the way I approach music.” Dean Brody is explaining why his music is not like most of the stuff you hear on country radio as his numbers seem to come from a very different place. The singer definitely marches to the beat of... Read More

Country Music Fest Is Part Of CCMA’s Farm System

April 22, 2019April 25, 2019 Keith Sharp

Kelly Timmermans looks at the calendar and prepares to host the 13th annual Manitoulin County Music Fest. This three-day festival staged this year August 8-10 in Little Current has continued to grow and thrive even in the face of other major music festivals staged at the same time around Ontario. “When I started this festival back in 2007, my goal was... Read More

Integrity Is The Key To Aldo Nova’s Comeback

April 8, 2019April 9, 2019 Keith Sharp

Aldo Nova may appear to have a chip on his shoulder but from listening to his new single, “I’m A Survivor”, it’s easy to understand why he endured a prolonged absence from the global music industry before returning with `Aldo 2.0’, a six-song reworked of the top tracks off of his 1981 multi-platinum selling self-titled debut along with the new... Read More

Maestro Fresh Wes’s Champagne Campaign Is A Three Decade Celebration

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 Keith Sharp

As Maestro Fresh Wes plans to celebrate his 30th anniversary by releasing a new album `Champagne Campaign’ the Toronto native is humbled by how much progress Canadian Rap/Hip-Hop artists have achieved over the past three decades. Known as `The Godfather of Canadian Rap’, it was Maestro Fresh Wes who got the domestic scene rolling back in 1989, when “Let Your... Read More

Revival Nights Schedule Provides A Venue For Heritage Bands (And A Charity Tie In With Ronald McDonald House)

April 1, 2019May 7, 2019 Keith Sharp

Joe Saturnino isn’t one to name drop, but… Positioned above his head in his cramped office atop The Revival Concert Venue located at the heart of Toronto’s Little Italy district is a collection of framed photographs of major celebrities who have graced his College Street venue. “Mick Jagger celebrated his birthday here a few years back,“ boasted Saturnino. “He even danced... Read More

Cavendish Beach, A Gem In Canada’s Country Music Festival Circuit

March 28, 2019March 29, 2019 Keith Sharp

Think about Prince Edward Island and you may envision, pristine sandy beaches, panoramic Atlantic Ocean views, amazing food, some of the world’s most scenic and challenging golf links, the Confederation Bridge link to New Brunswick and the romance of Anne of Green Gables. But for the past 10 years, a new tourist attraction has played a stellar role in the... Read More

The Kings Double Up Once Again

March 26, 2019March 27, 2019 Keith Sharp

In early 1980, famed record producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Kiss, Alice Cooper) dropped by Toronto’s Nimbus 9 studio and stumbled across a group of four musicians (Dave Diamond, Mr Zero, Sonny Keyes and Max Styles – collectively known as The Kings, in the process of recording their debut album. At Ezrin’s suggestion the band combined two songs; “This Beat... Read More

Al Harlow’s Prism Is Still Flyin

March 5, 2019March 26, 2019 Keith Sharp

Backstage at Oshawa’s Regent Theatre, Prism guitarist/vocalist Al Harlow is fawning over his new love, an exquisite turquoise-coloured teardrop-designed, twin pick-up version of a Vox Mk 111 guitar, the same model originally played by former Rolling Stones’ guitarist Brian Jones. “I spent decades searching for a guitar like this and then I found one online at a South Los Angeles... Read More

Category: Interviews