The Forces Comedy Tour was created by Canadian funny man and soldier Shawn Lawrence. Its motto is "giving back to those who serve," and what better way than raising awareness and funds for PTSD affected troops than through comedy. Last night, 18th Oct, JAKK Tuesdays in Kingston Ontario opened it's doors to four Canadian comedians as part of the Forces Comedy Tour. It was a night of good food and great laughs. Hell, my wife had to take off her glasses during the last bit that Shawn Lawrence did due to how hard she was laughing.
It has been several years since I have sat in a bar and had nachos and a drink, let alone for a show. I have to say that I enjoyed the night. Shawn played the part of the master of ceremonies for the event with his usual hilarious flair. He even told his famously funny story of learning how to fire a Carl Gustav. In realizing that the whole night was set up and developed by this local Kingston soldier, you really have to give Shawn a lot of praise for his effort in taking his dream of making people laugh and grabbing it by the horns.
Montreal comedian Hunter Collins was a surprise addition to the night, and a very pleasant one at that. His act was so perfectly Canadian that you had no choice but to not only laugh but nod your head to the priceless examples of laughable eccentricities we call culture. Collins' delivery was excellent and on stage personality was charismatic which really set the crowd at ease. Not to mention his approach-ability to any fans that desired to talk to him after the gig.
Award winning Canadian comedian Tyler Morrison, who I started to follow on twitter just because of his humorous posts was even funnier in person. His condescending style is great live: mixing his witty bits on hunting in Walmart; being armed and hammered; and dysfunctional family dynamics. It was great to finally meet him in person last night as well as see his show. You can catch several of his best bits from Cottage Comedy on youtube.
The final act of the night was Rob Pue, seen on MTV's Punked and Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. His brand of shock comedy could have you laughing at situations that you would not normally even consider. My favorite stuff of the night from him was his self depreciating and often completely bizarre reflections about his own life; especially how he ended the night with an excellent bit about his car accident and intensive recovery. In conclusion if you are in need of a good laugh keep your eyes open for the next Forces Comedy Tour heading your way.
Ty Tabor is one third of one of my favorite rock bands of all time, King's X. I had the pleasure of seeing them live several years ago in Winnipeg Manitoba. They were great live.
Recently Premier Guitar released an article on the guitarist which touched on his history. Electric Etudes - Ty Tabor; it is a really good article and worth reading especially if you are a guitarist.
Ty Tabor is still going strong with a new solo CD, Nobody Wins When Nobody Plays. He is an amazing guitarist with a great singing voice; just listen to any of his music if you think I am just bull shitting you. I highly encourage anyone reading this to go out and find anything by Tabor and King's X to improve their musical and listening education. Just last month Jerry Gaskill the drummer for King's X underwent a double bypass. Fortunately it was successful and Ty Tabor has tweeted that he is well on the recovery path. It is great to see that their fans have been very generous with their support for Gaskill over this time of trouble. If you would like to help out go to Giveforward to find out how. Again, thank you for reading and get out there and listen to some good music! Kevin Sweeney
To start off, yes I said album. I guess this does nothing but show my age. It is just that when I was young music was on a vinyl disk, and album art was a big selling point. Cassettes became popular due to portability, and yes I still have quite a few of them also, but LP's were the purists choice in music. At present I have over a hundred LP's and that collection is ever growing, because there is just something incredibly authentic and satisfying to listening to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Violent Femmes, and Iggy Pop on vinyl. As clear and flawless digital becomes it still leaves something to be desired by the old style album.
Well, enough about how old I am, on to some album reviews:
METAL
Relapse Records has put out a free sampler of 26 tracks from their current roster of artists. Metal legends such as Obituary, Death, and Tombs lend new tracks to this sampler. If you like your metal heavy and loud then you should check out this collection.
Obituary's "Violence" starts off the metal onslaught with an excellent rush. Death is as every bit heavy as they have ever been; delivering each note with the delicacy of a jackhammer during "Pull the Plug." If speed and thrash is your desire Ringworm's "Psychic Vampire" will get you head banging for sure! One definite gem on this offering is "Reeling" by Nux Vomica if for nothing but the vast atmosphere it creates. They even have some straight out rock and roll worth listening to from Publicist UK, Ecstatic Vision, and Nothing.
It doesn't mater if your into Doom, Black, Thrash, Grindcore or experimental metal this cd has something for you.
You can find out more information on Relapse Records acts Here!
The boys from Boston known as Theatre Nocturne are delivering more Black Metal to the masses. Depictions of Life and Death is another well executed onslaught of death and destruction.
Even before the growls and screams begin on the track "Sordid Reflections" the classical intro, "Dreams of Scarlet Paradise (Ave Chaos)" eases you into the morbid world you are about to witness. Like a roller coaster once the pulsating guitars and aggressive attack of the drums initiate there is no turning back. Hell, it even ends well with a beautifully crafted deathly call titled "Above the Mists of Sorrow."
If your addiction to metal reaches into the dark shadows that is Black Metal then make sure to get this little gem of an album. You can find it on their Facebook account. Once you do get it crank it loud enough to welcome all the denizens of Hell.
Moving away from metal, Return for Refund is a rock group out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I was fortunate enough to see some video of these guys from a gig at the famous Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto before I got my hands on the cd.
This is the first album from this self described New Grunge band. Their self-titled album is full of really good guitar based tracks. From the first track "The Fields" the EP just starts rocking and does not stop. The third track, "Between My Sheets," is my favorite live numbers from them - it reminds me a bit of old Black Sabbath. "Yolo" is a great number that has a cool and fast chorus that makes you want to rock out.
This is definitely a group that you should check out. They have produced an excellent first foray into rock recordings, and I look forward to what will follow this project. In the meantime keep your ears peeled to CFOU 89.1FM, and 101.9FM in Kingston to hear their single "Some Is Better Than None."
Not content to sit on his laurels and just enjoy life, the guitarist for the legendary Canadian rock group The Tragically Hip released the album Not Guilty last year. He followed this extra curricular activity up by loading a bunch of his musician friends into a bus and touring Canada to promote it. Both the tour and the album were welcomed with great enthusiasm and reviews.
One of the things I very much enjoy about this cd is that it does not sound like The Hip, for as much as I love the groups music the last thing I was wanting from hearing this was a Gordon Downieless Hip album. Instead, Langlois, offers a truly Canadian bonfire rock compilation of great stories.
The title track is a perfect example of his talent for crafting a catchy and smooth rock song. Songs like "Waiting on my Train" and "Watching You" perfectly display his expertise drawing the listener in with guitar and words.
You can find this CD for sale on iTunes, and if you enjoy it you may want to check out more stuff from his music label Ching Music. Oh, and check out the music video below for "Not Guilty."
Since we are on the subject of Paul Langlois, The Tragically Hip are reissuing their third album Fully Completely, and announcing a 2015 tour based on the reissue.
Fully Completely is chock full of great Hip songs; "Courage," "At the Hundredth Meridian," "Locked in the Trunk of a Car,"and "Fifty Mission Cap" just to name a few. It almost reads as a greatest hits collection for the internationally famous Canadian group. There really are no weak spots on this Goliath of an album. Lesser known songs like "Pigeon Camera" and "We'll Go Too" are every bit as infectious as the monumental hits on this offering. In every aspect this is a classic Hip album worthy of listening over and over again.
If you are a fan of this great Canadian rock outfit than check out the live shows listing here! You really have to see one of their live shows, they are amazing and you may even get to hear them play Killer Whale Tank.
Hey all you punks out there, have you heard of RAT NECK? No, then what the hell have you been listening to?
I realize that everyone thought that Punk died after Green Day started to become known for ballads, but there are some honest to goodness Punk bands still rocking. Rat Neck is a no holds barred let those guitars rumble old style Punk group.
Hailing out of Dublin Ireland they have the perfect ancestral pedigree for carrying the Punk torch. Hell, they have a better ancestry for it than those stuffy Brits! These guys know it and don't hold back any punches. Raw, and loudmouthed just like good Punk music should be!
Not wanting to be undone the Swede's are hammering out some damn good Punk tracks as well as our Irish Brothers.
Bronco is a trio of Punks from Gothenburg Sweden, that like to play amps cranked to 11. These west coast boys are doing their best to make sure that the spirit of the 70's Punk never dies.
So if you are sick of listening to the bland present day pop and longing for the old days of raw Punk rock, check out these two bands. Hey, and if you are a promoter for Punk music here in Canada get in touch with them and get them to play over here! What do you say, KPP Concerts?
Kingston Punk Productions is the company that brings Punk and alternative groups here to Kingston, Ontario, Canada. We are talking acts like Henry Rollins, Alexisonfie, and Propaghandi.
They have the connections to link any band to the best venues here in the city and make their stay worth while. Along with access to local venues KPP has the Fun House Concerts annual series/festival supporting underground genres of music and is supported by the Kingston Arts Council.
For any more information on this group see the following:
Maybe it is just my addiction to heavier music but I find that radio does not fully satisfy my thirst for alternative forms of musical findings. Strangely enough through my adventures in searching for new sounds I have found more than one group that deserves to be on the radio but never seem to have managed to get their tracks noticed. Due to the products of my search I have found myself listening more and more to great artists that normally I would never have noticed.
The reason for this particular article is to highlight sources for you to begin your own search for good music not played on the airwaves. Expand your audio horizons and check out these digital worlds of sound. As I said before I have a penchant for heavy music: gridcore; prog; death; white; black; thrash; industrial and a lot of other metal based sounds. Due to this fixation we will begin this with some excellent stores of molten metal:
I subscribe to Relapse Records electronic email. Why, because I find out about what brutal metal bands like Abysmal Dawn, Pig Destroyer, and Black Tusk are up to. Everything from what they are working on in the studio to where they are touring.
Relapse informs me on new and interesting projects that give unique perspectives on the metal genre; such as the one woman black metal enterprise MYRKUR. It also offers some damn cool merch from bands such as Death, EXHUMED, and Mastodon.
If you are as much as a fan of metal as I am you need to check out Decibel! It is incredible! They give great reviews on everything from the most popular metal to those new outfits that are attempting to claw their name into The Book Of Heavy Metal.
Not only do they enlighten their readers on the lay of the metal landscape but in each magazine they give away a Flexi Series mini LP! Yes, there is a mini record in each and every magazine... OOOOh, excuse me, I love vinyl.
Decibel has quickly become my favorite printed resource for finding info on metal acts.
Exclaim claims to be Canada's music authority, and they just might be. I adore this paper. I always search for it whenever I am in Toronto.
Apart from it being free, they cover everything! Pretty much every style of music playing out they have reviews on and opinion articles on. They cover metal, punk, electronica, pop, and etc.
Within one issue of this paper they have more album reviews than on any web site that I have ever seen on music! Some of my favorite memories of times in Toronto have been relaxing in a quirky coffee shop reading an exclaim.
If like me you can not get to the city of Toronto that often you can check 'em out on the web.
Next of the list is Loudwire, it is what I use for a digital outlet for my rock and roll news. They give me the latest information on everything from Slipknots new masks to how AC/DC is doing due to the revelation of Malcolm Young's condition.
Along with news Loudwire has a good stock of videos, reviews, and contests to check out. So if you like to keep up with your rock and roll drop by Loudwire.com
Revolver is the home of the Golden Gods Awards. A real music awards show for those of us who know that Soundgarden is a great rock band and not metal, Grammy's take note! If you like your music heavy the Golden Gods is the awards to watch. This years show so far has acts such as the classic Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the immortal Zakk Wylde, and new comers The Pretty Reckless.
Just like the before mentioned Loudwire, Revolver is a great place to get news on the state of rock 'n' roll and metal today.
To end this list I have left the one source that requires some work on your part to root through but has an almost un-exhaustible storage of free music. Check out the audio section on this bad boy and you can find downloadable live concerts by well known bands such as the Smashing Pumpkins and the Grateful Dead just to mention some.
There are studio, demo, and other tracks from styles of music that you may not even knew that exist. As of late I have been exploring Irish metal groups, and Finnish death metal groups on the site.
If you have some hours to get lost exploring go to the Internet Archive.
I have many more sources that I browse through to see what I can find to enlighten myself on the sounds that are out there including just using twitter but I am sure that these will keep you busy enough for now.
I have reviewed our most read blogs to see who seems to be the most popular blogged artists that I have had the pleasure to write about and below are the artists that have gathered the most readers so far... This is in no particular order and no musicians were harmed in this assessment. Partially due to the high numbers of readers and also due to being a home town Kingston up and coming Rock Star I figured I would begin with...
Greg Ball has been busy with live shows, The Campfire Liars Club, and his upcoming third studio release. He has said that this new album, Alter Ego, has more... how did he say it again? Yes, balls, that is what he said. Expect this new CD to have more balls.
The Bathouse Recording Studio
We are crossing our fingers that we can get the new offering in our greasy little hands by Christmas. Hopefully it will be an even bigger hit for Ching Music than his last album "Mr. Rightplace."
If you can not wait to have a taste of the new stuff, you can hear a new song of his titled "Pavement" on Soundcloud or on his Facebook page. If audio is not enough for you he has also temped us with a video teaser on YouTube that gives a humorous look at him and the band at the Bathouse Studio.
For those of you who are in the Kingston area Greg will be performing live in Kingston this Wednesday 24th of Sept at the Mansion and the tickets are just $10. A not bad price for a chance at seeing and hearing a damn good singer.
Next up in our little love fest here is the Finnish Guitar Virtuoso Elmo Karjalainen...
Even if you do not take into consideration his great personality and excellent choice in guitars - he will actually email you back, not kidding - it is impossible to overlook the accolades and praise he gets for his skill with the six string axe. All you have to do is take a listen to "Raging on a Sunday Afternoon" to be hear what I am talking about. Raging on a Sunday Afternoon Part of what I really like about this Finnish guitarist is that he is willing to let his fans know all the ins and outs of his process; from detailing what gear he uses, to his origins for songs. It also does not hurt that he regularly produces videos on YouTube covering what he is working on. As of late he has began mastering his newest album which he has stated "promises to be a cracker." It is going to be an eight track CD, but it may take a little extra time to produce due to an arrival of a new member to the Karjalainen family expected soon. In the meantime he is offering two free songs to anyone who wants them on his website.
There is one hell of a great video of a bit of his Guitar Mania concert at the new Berklee Caf that I have linked below, click on it and let Alek's magic fingers boogie your blues away.
His album "Panopiticon" has been gaining great reviews. If you enjoy an effortless delivery of quality prog/metal I highly advise you to check out his CD. While you are at that you can also check out his YouTube videos that give you a glimpse into his process of making music. Aside from checking out his skill on the guitar you have to go to his website to see his gorgeous custom made guitars he calls his girls. They are immaculate works of art that look every bit as beautiful as they sound. If you are in the Dunellen, NJ area on Oct 11 you can see Alek in all his glory live during the NJ Proghouse Concert, at Roxy and Dukes.
Well that leaves me with just one group left... Well, it is a little misleading to say group, because it is not just one group but rather the music of a city. Yes, I said city. The city of...
Detroit is damn determined to hold on to its Rock and Roll legacy. Artists such as Fifth Way, and Ty Stone are proving that music is not dead in the motor city. In fact it seems as if the entire arts community in Detroit is enjoying a Renaissance. Everything from the graffiti artists to the Detroit School of Arts has been enjoying a renewed enthusiasm that may lead the metropolis into being the next artistic mecca for the US. Fifth Way has been winning over new fans with their hard rock sound and hard working attitude. You can see by the comments and pictures on their twitter page that they take to heart the blue collar roots of their home. In their music you can hear the rage and anger inherent in a community sick and tired of being beaten down in order to make others rich.
Where Fifth Way is embodying the angst and anger of the Rock City, Ty Stone is taking more of a John Cougar Mellencamp stance by engaging in local Detroit charities and producing a more classic rock sound. Both of them have been active in the fight to keep the city of Detroit relevant in the incredibly difficult times that the community is facing. Their efforts truly remind us that Rock and Roll was and is the music of the people.
So, these have been the stories and people who have garnered the most attention so far within this small blog. Here is to their further success, Cheers one and all.
I find it quite interesting that at this time in our world history that the Canadian Rock band Nickleback has released a single such as "Edge of a Revolution." Why, you ask; because they are correct. We are standing on the edge of a revolution, and one that if any of us want change needs to have it's day in the sunlight. There are far too many examples of how North American society has left the paths of a democracy. The American dream is dead, it is now a Vegas Casino reality, rigged to eliminate the chances of the middle class or poor from having any chance to attain escape from debt slavery.
But enough preaching from me... Is this the next path for Rock and Roll /Metal today? It is not a new foray for Rock and Roll, in fact it already has a great linage of bands that have railed against the status quo of society. Bands such as Rage Against The Machine have been calling for a change in governance and social acceptance for a long time. If you know there music you can attest that while other heavy bands were boasting about how cool or tough they were and pop groups kept singing about how sex equals love, these guys were attacking injustices of our society in their lyrics.
Other amazing bands such as Megadeth and Disturbed have also endeavored to urge their listeners to reach beyond the music and embrace notions of change. Songs such as Disturbed's "Another Way To Die" rage against the way we ignore the state of the very world we live in, while Megadeth's whole album "The System Has Failed" was a treatise on the fall of the American Empire.
The problem that we deal with here in North America with Revolutionary ideas is apathy: we hear the song; buy it on iTunes; and rock along to it until the next new hit comes along. The intent of these songs is lost. They were not intended to be chart toppers they were meant to be anthems, and torches to ignite real change. Their popularity shows that there is a thirst for a better way of life but many times it does not go any further than bringing fans to a show and selling records. A Rock and Roll revolution becomes a consumerism trend, just like the fashion designer Jeremy Scott took the idea of the Arab Spring and changed it from a peoples call for change to a haute couture clothing line.
So, is the popularity of "Edge of a Revolution" glimpses of a North American Spring, or just another advertising masterpiece that will make some people who are already rich richer? The answer to that question ultimately lies with us listeners. In the meantime I have to say that even if this becomes no more than a passing fad. I whole heartedly embrace the idea of Rock and Roll returning to it's revolutionary roots. It has always been and should always be the music of the people.
If you want to hear more examples of Rock and Roll revolutionaries research the following:
