Ashley Cooke’s Sure Shot

August 10, 2023August 10, 2023 Roman Mitz

Ashley Cooke’s debut album is “Shot In The Dark”, and she’s pumped about putting out her body of work for all to hear. A native of Florida, Ashley called 18 different places “home” before settling in Nashville. The singer became somewhat of a TikTok sensation during the pandemic and she was able to build up a fan base and create... Read More

Sean Kelly’s Ode To Heavy Metal Music

July 24, 2023July 25, 2023 Keith Sharp

Only a professional musician, published author and part-time schoolteacher could tackle such a book titled “Don’t Call It Hair Metal”; Art In The Excess of ‘80’s Rock – but North Bay Ontario native, Sean Kelly is just such a person. Read More

Charley Crockett – King Of The Wild Frontier

July 7, 2023July 8, 2023 Roman Mitz

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

Want To Perform The Right Show? – Book It Yourself.

June 9, 2023June 9, 2023 Keith Sharp

When Drew Arnott decided to relaunch Strange Advance (minus is vocal partner Darryl Kromm), he could have gone the usual route, hit a few clubs, rebuild the following by expanding to soft-seater theatres and then land a few prior festival spots – but that’s not what kind of presentation he had in mind. Read More

Cathedral Performances A New Acoustic Twist For Billy Raffoul

June 7, 2023June 7, 2023 Keith Sharp

When Leamington Ontario native Billy Raffoul toured Europe two years ago, he found himself booked to play in Hamburg Germany’s St Michael’s Cathedral as part of that city’s Reeperbahn Festival, the only time that venue is allowed to be used as a concert venue. That date was so successful and the acoustics in the venue so spectacular that Raffoul’s European... Read More

Ian Anderson’s Tull Tales

May 26, 2023May 26, 2023 Roman Mitz

With more than 30 albums to their credit and sales totaling more than 50 million, Jethro Tull are one of the most successful rock bands of all time with a catalog that contains classics that still resonate today. Led by Ian Anderson, Tull continues to tour worldwide, entertaining audiences of all ages. Read More

Injustice Corrected – Trooper is Inducted into Canada’s Music Hall of Fame

May 6, 2023May 7, 2023 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp Outrageous negligence will finally be corrected Thursday, May 18th, when Vancouver’s Trooper is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Calgary’s Studio Bell Centre. They, along with Country Artist Terri Clark, Francophone star Diane Dufresne and noted jazz pianist Oliver Jones will join Nickelback, who have already been inducted into the hall during this year’s... Read More

The Big Top returns to the banks of Quidi Vidi from June 14th-24th! St John’s NL and the Iceberg Alley Performance Tent – Music Festival 2023

May 2, 2023May 2, 2023 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp The region of Newfoundland/Labrador is known for its scenic beauty and its friendly people (see Come From Away)…but music events are not so much. But then Steeles Hotel chain President John Steele had this revelation when seeing a huge entertainment tent resurrected in London, England and felt the same concept would work back in his native St... Read More

Amanda Marshall Survives Prolonged Legal Battle, Releases New Single, and a New Tour.

May 1, 2023May 2, 2023 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp For those music fans who wondered whatever happened to Amanda Marshall, do not worry; Amanda is back with a bang, and a national tour Amanda Marshall – 25 & Counting: The Heavy Lifting Tour and presented by Live Nation. With a début single, “I Hope She Cheats,” already hitting the social media airwaves, Marshall is obviously thrilled... Read More

Bluewater Bridge No Barrier to The Bluewater BorderFest

April 17, 2023April 17, 2023 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp The Bluewater Bridge spanning between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan, as well as the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor with Detroit, represents the lifeblood of commerce to this South Western Ontario outpost. So when the COVID pandemic practically closed off access between the two cities, any major social events planned for Sarnia in 2020 and 2021... Read More

Lunchbox Promotion Draws Attention To Rare Americans launch.

March 22, 2023March 22, 2023 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp Launching yourself as a new band in the current social media environment is always a tricky business but Vancouver’s Rare Americans came up with a novel approach to debuting the self-titled album debut in August 2018. Original members James Priestner and guitarist Lubo Ivan designed about 300 lunch boxes emblazoned with their distinctive artwork style with contents... Read More

A Buzz Of Sweet New Country Releases For Spring 2023

March 20, 2023April 1, 2023 Roman Mitz

by Roman Mitz As people are buzzing with excitement as the NCAA tournament gets Stateside underway, there’s also a beehive of activity north of the border as our finest Canadian country acts race for the number one sweet spot on the country charts. Here are some of the hottest new entries to consider when filling in your bracket. With powerhouse... Read More

Colourful Junos Had Everything, Including Hockey Superstars And Topless Protesters

March 14, 2023March 24, 2023 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp It’s virtually a standard practice for live broadcasts to feature the disclaimer, ”this show may contain scenes of nudity and coarse language.” But I am certain organizers of the 52nd Juno Awards staged at Edmonton’s Rogers Centre could not have possibly predicted such a warning would have come into play so early in Monday’s telecast. Yet as... Read More

The Many Faces Of Michelle Truman

March 14, 2023March 20, 2023 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp Michelle Truman is a musical schizophrenic. Some nights she exhibits an aura of Stevie Nicks, other nights, she stars as one-quarter of her own ABBA tribute team or captures the spirit of Shania Twain, Joan Jett or Lita Ford. And more recently, she has assumed lead vocal in the band Toronto as a replacement for Holly (Annie) Woods,... Read More

McBowl Concert Series Has North American Appeal

January 30, 2023February 1, 2023 Keith Sharp

Photo by Andrew Clowater By Keith Sharp The 6th Annual McBowl Concert, in support of Ronald McDonald House promoter Ed Sousa can usually tell how well his annual concert festival is doing by how many tickets are sold nationally and throughout the United States. “Last year, we sold tickets to 20 U.S. states and every province in Canada. So far... Read More

Lee Aaron Elevates Her Game

January 13, 2023January 15, 2023 Roman Mitz

By Roman Mitz Lee Aaron has a new album called “Elevate,” and the Merriam-Webster dictionary says that verb means “To raise in rank or status” or “To raise the spirits of.” Well, her new album certainly succeeds on both counts. The award-winning songwriter, producer and Canadian vocalist blazed back onto the rock scene in 2016 (after a ten-year hiatus to... Read More

Coney Hatch’s UK Tour 40 Years In The Making

December 5, 2022December 25, 2022 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp The invitation came right out of the blue. When Coney Hatch bassist Andy Curran touched base with Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris during his band’s Toronto and Hamilton dates (as part of Maiden’s global Legacy Of The Beast tour), Harris mentioned he would be taking his British Lions’ side project on a brief but intense 11 dates... Read More

Blakk Turns Traumatic Childhood Experience Into Moving Emotional Vignettes

November 26, 2022November 27, 2022 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp Considering Forest Blakk’s traumatic childhood upbringing, it would have come as no surprise if his musical influences had been Thrash Metal or Gangsta Rap. Yet his third EP, ‘Every Little Detail’ contains eight emotional introspective compositions which rank highly on wedding musical theme lists, an image which belies his gruff, tattooed physique. Blakk grew up in Montreal,... Read More

Workaholic Hugh Dillon Balances New Album And Tour With High Profile TV Roles

November 23, 2022November 23, 2022 Music Express

Sound Of Music 2019 – Photo by Corey Kelly By Keith Sharp The big question is where the Headstones’ Hugh Dillon finds the time to record a new album,`Flight Risk,’ and plan a 17-date Canadian tour (with two dates in Buffalo) while at the same time completing the second season of The Mayor Of Kingstown TV series with season five... Read More

Steve Norman Keeping Spandau Ballet’s Legacy Alive

November 17, 2022November 22, 2022 Keith Sharp

By Keith Sharp When you are the co-founder of a supergroup, it’s hard to let the project go, especially when there have been serious reformation attempts throughout the years. So, Spandau Ballet tenor saxophonist Steve Norman continues the band’s legacy, performing band classics like “True,” “Gold,” and “Through The Barricades” which were staple hits during the band’s peak popularity in... Read More

Tag: Interview