Thursday 27 November 2014

Will Black Live at the Mansion


Live Show Review





Will Black brought his Canadian Tour 2014 to Kingston, Ontario on the 26 Nov 14. It is the first step toward a full year of touring starting in January 2015.

For you who missed it Will engaged a crowd of hard core fans, known as Will Black OPS, to a intimate and interactive three hours of great music.

I have been to shows both big and small all over Canada, and many of them have been exceptionally good. The best of which have been small gigs such as the legendary Phil Keaggy live and acoustic.




Last night Will Black firmly etched his name on that list of exceptional performances.

Everyone was impressed by his talent to effortlessly belt out rock anthems and ballads.
Armed only with his trusty acoustic guitars he entertained us with songs from both of his albums along with fan favorite covers of Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, and even The Tragically Hip.






There is no denying that Will has the look and talent to go far in the music industry. His voice and flawless guitar work made everyone believe that we were witnessing a truly
international talent. In fact, his UK leg of his 
2015 tour is quickly selling out.
To enhance the evening Will invited local musician David Currie to accompany him on the harmonica for several tunes. The two of them rocked the house, getting the whole audience up and dancing.






All of those who witnessed last nights show commented on not only how good he sounded live but also how down to earth and genuine he was with all of his fans.

I highly recommend that if you have the chance to see Will Black do it, you will not be disappointed. Oh, and he has got some really cool merch!

Thanks for reading and check out the videos I linked below from his performance last night.








Wednesday 12 November 2014

Our Favorite Axemen and Woman

Alek Darson is one hell of a guitarist! He has been busy uploading live videos of his work on twitter, along with advertising his excellent cd Panopicon. If you like progressive metal you should check Alek's album out.                                                                                                                             I have to say that from the videos I have seen of this guy he is no one trick pony; meaning he can play any damn style you want to hear. Not too long ago I watched a YouTube release of him playing blues and it was sweet. Most recently he posted on twitter a video of him playing Steve Vai's Building The Church, and it is nothing less than majestic.                                                                                                                                                                   On his facebook Alek mentioned he is working on his next release, which will have some "truly amazing guests" on it. I am very much looking forward to this cd. See, I originally got a free copy of Panopicon from Alek. He only asked that I give it a listen and tell me what I thought of it. Well, after I listened to it not only was I hooked but I went right on itunes and bought it. Why, you might ask; because it was so good that I felt I wanted to give back to the artist that made this piece of art.  

Well, while we are all waiting for Alek Darson's next masterpiece check out the videos of his playing below. I am sure you will agree with me that he is definitely a guitarist who is worth watching for, and listening to...

                                                                                                  
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Not only is Silvia Cernicchairo one of the hottest women to swing an axe, with one hell of a great rock voice, we love her because she plays the bass. Lately her band Supervega has been playing gigs all around the beautiful French city of Cannes. 

Supervega is one hard rocking and hard partying band. Silvia and her crew have been gathering acclaim and fans since their first Xxmiglia (Italy) band contest in 2011. Ever since then they have been getting better and better at what they do; and that is rock!

They have built a repertoire of their own music and covers that have made them quite popular in their home of Nice, France. 

Recently they have been seen painted up at the Morrison's Irish Pub in Cannes for the Halloween Bash there, as well as the Palais Nikaia in Nice. 

You can find several of their songs on soundcloud, and they regularly update their facebook page with photos and videos. So check out Supervega's sites, and if you are lucky enough to be in Cannes this time of year go and see them at Morrison's Irish Pub on the 29th of November. 



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Next up is our favorite Finn Elmo Karjalainen. He has been busy with his new album The Free Guitar Album and the new Seagrave cd. Both releases are now being mastered and will be out soon; crossing fingers. 

On the 10th of this month he shared on twitter a video of the song "Instrumental" from his new album. It is a great look at Elmo in his studio working out some of the kinks of a solo, complete with ad lib. He is great for videos like this, and always gives you a good look at the techniques and equipment he uses to build his songs. If you got the time check out his youtube channel and see just how good he really is.


If you want to know more about Elmo Karjalainen you should check out his web site and the two links below:
 Elmo was the featured guitarist on the Two Handed Player international showcase; and  highlighted on  Fretboard Fury for a lesson on bends. 

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That is it for now. Thank you again for reading and keep on rocking.

Kevin Sweeney

Wednesday 5 November 2014

More Great Acts!


Rock



Mark "Pawnman" Bradac, known from the Pawnathon TV series, is releasing a CD. If you have watched the show you would know he has a love for guitars and rock and roll music. What might surprise many people who only know him from the show is that he is a good singer and even better guitarist. If you have any doubt about these claims just watch the music video for his single "Good Times" below. 

His sound is an excellent complement to the whole idea of remembering good times. There is a wonderful sense of memorabilia in the cords and his smooth singing voice, not to mention his outgoing and friendly demeanor.
His musical story actually began in Windsor, Ontario. Bradac, a long haired guitarist joined up with three other lads and created the Hair Metal band Teaze

In 1978 after their second album the group toured Japan and found immense success with the Japanese youth. They found themselves selling out stadiums and being mobbed at airports. The tour resulted in the release of a live album titled "Japan Tour." Unfortunately the quartet did not achieve the sales and overwhelming numbers of fans that they found overseas. Despite the talent and hard work of the band their later releases never gained the amount of radio play needed for cracking the North American market. The story brings to mind another great band that seemed destined for more than they were ultimately given; ever heard of the Canadian Metal pioneers Anvil? 
As much as I love to bitch about the unfairness in the music industry in Canada and the States that has left incredible bands out to dry due to poor coverage, I must refrain. Still, if you are a fan of the old Hair Metal age look up Teaze. You can find some of their music videos on YouTube.                                                                                                                                                                               So this all brings us around to the one time young rocker who is now known as Mark "Pawnman" Bradac. His album is due to be released this coming December. Maybe this time us fans can make enough noise and requests to the radio stations that his rightful due will not be lost at the airport with the luggage. In the meantime check out both the Teaze and Pawnman videos linked below.                                                                                     

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Are you a true believer? Well, Saint Jezebel gives you some damn good reasons to become one. They hail from Music City Nashville, and are proving that there is more than country resonating from Tennessee. With a combination of good songwriting and a hard rocking band our dear Saint is living proof that Rock is not Dead! With several tracks heavier than many of the metal bands out there, these guys definitely kick ass. They even have their logo on #66 Whitney Clifton “Black Betty” NASCAR race car. 

These guys would be great touring with Ozzy, or Zakk Wylde. If you are looking to pick up some good Hard Rock than you can not go wrong with getting Saint Jezebel's True Believer; hell it might just make you a believer too.





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Metal


If you like good old Heavy Metal you got to hear Huntress, they are a great metal band from out of Highland Park California. Huntress combines smoking hot guitar riffs with  amazingly strong female lead vocals. Their music is both heavy and melodic, combining influences of Classic Heavy Metal, Thrash, and Black Metal. 

Since their debut in 2012 they have been hell bent on delivering a compendium worthwhile of the annals of The Book Of Heavy Metal. As Jill Janus, lead vocals, states their present journey and process of creating albums is a “spiritual journey for myself and band mates, representing the three phases of the Goddess: Maiden, Mother and Crone.” 

As part of the "War Eternal American Tour" they have been rocking the hell out of Canada recently, with their most recent show in Winnipeg Manitoba. With tour dates across much of North America they are joined by such metal goliaths as Arch Enemy and Kreator in spreading their message of metal. If anything can be said of reactions from fans, Huntress is well on their way to not only establishing their place in Metal history but also rising like a rocket to those honored heights.

So Check em out, Eh.


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That is it for now. Thank you for reading and keep on rocking.
Kevin Sweeney