Classic Canadian artists get the digital treatment

June 18, 2013June 19, 2013 Music Express

Warner Music Canada opens its vaults today with the first of a series of digital releases from classic Canadian artists ranging from Honeymoon Suite to Streetheart to Messenjah and the Rheostatics. The label has gone back to the original master tapes of albums that have not been in circulation in over a decade in order to make them available through... Read More

Nick Sinopoli – The Human Jukebox

June 18, 2013June 21, 2013 Keith Sharp

Nick Sinopoli is one proud dad. Returning from his daughter Nikki (Lemonbeat)’s convocation at York University where she graduated with an environmental studies degree, Sinopoli is beaming about his daughter’s achievements. “Nikki is going to save the world,” announced Sinopoli. “Even as a kid Nikki would decorate our fridge with “Cows Are People Too” stickers. She even pestered her high... Read More

Chatting Up The Bands!

June 13, 2013June 17, 2013 Keith Sharp

At this juncture dear reader, I would like to digress from the chronological roll out on Music Express to discuss the fine art of interviewing rock stars. Superficially, you would think it’s the dream job of any journalist to interrogate his/her favourite rock star, probing for that juicy tidbit of gossip or helping to discover the next Justin Bieber. I... Read More

The Contrast Between Darkness And Light – City And Colour

June 7, 2013June 13, 2013 Music Express

Of all the lyrics on City And Colour’s fourth full-length, The Hurry And The Harm, the only line that was selected to be printed on the artwork is “I’ve always been dark with light somewhere in the distance.” It’s from the mercurial “Two Coins,” one of the album’s best tracks, and Dallas Green’s favourite this round. It sums him up.... Read More

Still Grinning After All These Years – Barenaked Ladies

May 31, 2013June 1, 2013 Keith Sharp

“What us go corporate”?, gasps Barenaked Ladies’ frontman Ed Robertson in mock horror, reacting to the band’s cover shot on their new `Grinning Streak release in which all four members poise in Bay Street suits. “Those aren’t Bay Street suits, they’re hipster suits, and you can even see my beard growing in”. “Actually,” continues Robertson, “If you look at the... Read More

Keeping The Flame Alive – Prism

May 30, 2013June 2, 2013 Keith Sharp

Al Harlow admits to getting quite emotional when he read a glowing recent concert review of his Prism band penned by Music Express scribe Keith McTaggart who enthused about the band’s recent gig at Calgary’s Deerfoot Casino. “The old Prism band never got reviews that positive,” noted Harlow on the phone from Vancouver. “We were never taken seriously by the... Read More

Grinning Streak – Barenaked Ladies

May 24, 2013May 25, 2013 Keith Sharp

(Warner Music Canada) First off, who are these guys pictured on the cd jacket wearing Bay Street suits? Okay, relax people Barenaked Ladies have not sold their souls to corporate Canada – but they do look quite dashing! No, the Ladies launch their 25th anniversary with a finely-tuned collection of 12 tracks that literally glow with self-confidence. Unlike their 2010... Read More

Working Men… and Women

May 23, 2013May 23, 2013 Roman Mitz

On his Twitter page, Bryce Pallister calls himself the ‘Singing Farmer’ which is a pretty good fit considering he obtained his degree in agriculture from the University of Manitoba and works his farm by day, and takes to the stage to croon his traditional country tunes at night. Pallister’s new record is called Down Dusty Roads and it comes four... Read More

Freed From A Legacy – David Clayton-Thomas

May 22, 2013May 23, 2013 Keith Sharp

David Clayton-Thomas wasn’t feeling well. Three years ago, he woke up in preparation for a concert that night at the Toronto Convention Centre but felt weak and short of breath. “So I went to my doctor in the morning, I thought I had Bronchitis or something and figured he would give me something to tide me over and get me... Read More

How to make a rock ‘n roll record! – Headstones

May 17, 2013November 3, 2013 Keith Sharp

My first reaction on listening to The Headstones’ new recording “Love + Fury” was “What the hell! Nobody makes records like this anymore?” A record that contains 13 incendiary rockers in the two-to-three minute time range, all punk energy, snarling lyrics, raw, in your face arrangements with the allowance of one more melodic tune (Midnight Of This Life) tacked on... Read More

That Flamenco Guy Demands Respect – Jesse Cook

May 16, 2013May 16, 2013 Keith Sharp

“For 18 years I have undergone the ritual of walking the red carpet at the Juno Awards and endured the same experience,” reported guitar impresario Jesse Cook, on the phone from Oregon prior to flying into Toronto to perform at two concerts at the Rudolph Theatre which are being televised as PBS specials. “As I walk down the carpet, the... Read More

Ticketfly Canada: Success Points North

May 15, 2013May 15, 2013 Music Express

Ticketfly is gearing up for a major product release this Wednesday, unveiling a new analytics feature that will be the first of its kind in the live events industry. Read More

Canada’s Surviving Troubadour

May 14, 2013May 15, 2013 Keith Sharp

Paul Valdemar Horsdal a/k/a Valdy is enjoying a massage in his tiny dressing room on the second floor of Hugh’s Room. No Mrs Horsdal, not that kind of massage! He is the subject of Christine Sutherland who specializes in massage for performing artists. As a video camera records the event, Sutherland demonstrates special techniques of working the jaw and neck... Read More

Headstones – Love + Fury

May 9, 2013November 3, 2013 Keith Sharp

(Universal/FrostByte) From the incendiary opening chords of `Change My Ways` it`s easy to remember that before Hugh Dillon established himself as a major TV and movie star, he fronted a powerful punk-rock band called The Headstones who exploded onto the Canadian music scene in 1993 and subsequently released five albums in the next seven years (One going platinum and two... Read More

Shaken But Not Stirred – The Rebirth Of Coney Hatch

April 26, 2013April 30, 2013 Keith Sharp

By all accounts, the person sitting across from me, chowing down on a mid-day brunch at Chew Chew’s restaurant in mid-town Toronto should not be on this planet today. On April 15th 2008 , Coney Hatch lead singer Carl Dixon was involved in a horrific head-on car crash near Melbourne Australia. It took rescue crews over 100 minutes to extract... Read More

Mr. Customer Service – Kim Mitchell

April 25, 2013April 26, 2013 Music Express

“I’m a customer service performer,” declares Kim Mitchell, the master of the electric guitar who has tantalized concert audiences since the mid-70s initially with Max Webster and then as a solo artist. Though many people didn’t understand Max, the few that did always got what they asked for: complex music with curiously surreal lyrics and a stage performance that balanced... Read More

Vinyl Sparks Indie Store Recovery

April 18, 2013April 24, 2013 Keith Sharp

Are independent record stores dying out? This is the question posed to 27 British independent record store owners in “Last Shop Standing” a 50-minute documentary which charts the rise, fall and potential rebirth of the independent record shop. Set to be released in Canada on April 20th, independent record day, this is a special day that has been designated to... Read More

The Stampeders Stay Connected

April 1, 2013April 4, 2013 Keith Sharp

As the snow recedes into the tundra, Messers Rich Dodson, Ronnie King and Kim Berly scrape the rust off of their collective instruments and prepare to take The Stampeders on tour for another year of dates across the dominion. Give or take the 15 year hiatus they took from each other between 1977 and 1992, The Stampeders have been on... Read More

No Rest For The Wicked – Sum 41

March 22, 2013April 2, 2013 Music Express

It’s been a whirlwind couple of years for Deryck Whibley and his bandmates in the Canadian alternative rock band Sum 41. The quartet has been on tour for more than two years, following the release of their 2011 studio album, Screaming Bloody Murder. It’s a trek that has seen them criss-cross the globe many times and which wraps up with... Read More

Stompin’ Board Laid To Rest

March 7, 2013March 7, 2013 Keith Sharp

Stompin Tom Connors, 1936-2013 Canada lost one of its greatest cultural icons March 6th when Stompin Tom Connors passed away peacefully of natural causes at his Peterborough Ontario residence. Connors’ who was 77 years old, knew he was in poor health and posted the following memo on his website in the days prior to his death. I... Read More

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