Ottawa Where's the Blues Bluesfest

Each year the capital city of Canada has a Blues-fest. It is a massive international music event that brings attention to the city and hopes to bring in music lovers from all four corners of the globe. It is an excellent way to bring in tourists and entertain the local populace. The only problem I have with it is, I wonder if it is time to change the name of the festival.

Iggy Azalea - Rapper

Seeing the advertisements for this shindig does not bring blues to mind. They are touting that Australian Rapper Iggy Azalea is headlining the event.  Even when you look at the other big names that are mentioned it makes you wonder where is the blues in this event? Keith Urban, De La Soul, and Marianas Trench do not come to mind when I think of blues.

Myers Brothers Band - Blues

There are a few actual Blues bands on the list such as Bella Cat, Blues and Company, Joe Gaspar Band, and the Myers Brothers Band. They even have several rock groups that could be said to have a bluesy sound, but what is missing is the acts that would make this a world class Blues event.

Where is Joe Bonamassa, Jimmie Vaughan, Keb' Mo', The Robert Cray band or Blues Traveler? Where are our still classic living blues-masters such as Buddy Guy, and Pat Thomas? What about our up and coming Canadian blues bands like The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, or Double Fuzz? I am thinking that they did not even try to make this an actual Blues-fest.

Keith Urban - Country

Now, according to the RBC Blues-fest Facebook page they are saying that the show will be "one of the  most well-rounded music experiences of the summer." It looks like that is exactly what they have put together. There are many different styles to choose from: indie; pop; Funk; Rock; hip hop; Space age Rock and Roll; singer/songwriter; country; Punk; Rap; electronic; psychedelic; comedy; and more.

By no means would I tell anyone not to go check out the vast amount of quality acts that they have brought together. If you would like to go out and have a night of good music check out the festival, but if you are looking for a night of Blues double check the band online to see if you are getting what you want; Otherwise you may end up wanting Buddy Guy and seeing a hip hop artist instead.

______________________________________________________

As I made mention to above, there are some excellent artists that will be at this years bash in Ottawa. Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Tragically Hip, Deep Purple, and The Glorious Sons to mention a few.

The one act that is a must see if you are thinking of attending is the one and only Weird Al Yankovic. Yes that king of parodies is going to grace the Canadian capital with his Mandatory World Tour.



Is it ironic that, out of all the acts at the whole Blues-fest that I just chewed out because it is not really a Blues-fest, I really want to see a musical comedian?

I can not help it, Weird Al has been a favorite of mine since I was young and heard Another One Rides The Bus. He has single handedly kept polka in the popular music era, and managed to make a lucrative career out of making fun of other peoples music.

Today it is a great honor for an artist to have Weird Al do a parody of their work. He has become an icon in both the music and comedy worlds, and has outlasted many of the artists that he has parodied.

As much as I would love to see The Hip, Deep Purple, or the Dropkick Murphys if I have a chance Weird Al Yankovic will be my choice.

_______________________________________________________

Speaking of great bands to check out at the festival, here is The Glorious Sons. They are a blue collar straight forward Rock and Roll band out of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. If you have not heard these local boys you are missing out. 

I love their song Heavy it is a great song with a rocking groove that just proves how good these canucks are. They are not a one trick pony destined to be a one hit wonder, and they have proved it with follow up rockers such as Lightning, and Mama. 

These Glorious Sons have a perfect southern rock sound. So if you like your Rock and Roll with a cold beer out on the back deck by a bonfire, than you will want to get their self titled album.

Hell, they are even taking to the high seas. ShipRocked Cruise has added the boys onto an already incredible lineup that includes the amazing Five Finger Death Punch, the iconic Nonpoint, and the kick ass Halestorm.

__________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading and keep the Blues pure.

Kevin Sweeney

THRASH! Must I Say Anymore?

So You Wanna Sing Thrash?

 Are you pissed off at the world? Got some pent up rage and like rhyming words? Can you read at a grade five level or higher? Have you got an ego that makes you stand above the rest? Can you scream like a sex crazed hyena for at least two hours non stop? Oh, and do you like to Thrash, well then Lich King may just have the job for you.

These greasy bastards have been Thrashin' since 2004 and are signed to that demented Evil Eye Records label. Their last release was a seven song EP meant to hold over their hoards of manic fans until they can produce the next album.

Now, Tom is stepping away from the microphone and is leaving a gaping hole where the Lich King heart used to be. In other lesser bands this could mean utter defeat and humiliation, but not for Lich King.

Not content to cry in their beers and become a Country and Western Instrumental group, the boys are on the hunt for the next Thrash front-man/front-woman/front-gender non-specific/ front-trans-gender/front-trans-species.... Damn this is confusing these days! Awww, just watch the video!

__________________________________________________

Still Kicking The Krap Out Of Lame Music

OK Kraptor obviously did not graduate from Gene Simmons self promotion class 101 - They still wear other bands shirts, but they are still kicking some major ass on the South American Thrash circuit. 

These randy boys from Venezuela are Thrashing away south of the Equator. That is when they are not stuck in a single bed hotel room waiting for their next gig surviving only on stale chips and warm beer. Please send them money!

They are working on their new album, and there is a strong contingent of North American fans that want to see them North of the Equator.

Until then only the lucky few that can make it south of the Panama Canal can attend the Violent Mosh.

For now we will make due with what we can find on You Tube. So here are some videos...

___________________________________________________________

BogoThrash Open Air Festival

On 14 June 2015 the BogoThrash Open Air Festival just out of Bogota, Columbia brought ten South American Thrash bands together for a hell of a party. One of our favorite Modern Thrash bands Kraptor was featured at the event. 

Bogo is a yearly bash that brings Thrashers from all over South America to a lush paradise to engage in a huge mosh pit. This year bands such as Brazil's Violator, The Female-fronted Colombia's Lucifera, and of course Venezuela's Kraptor came to rock the stage.

If you check out the videos online you can see the epic mosh pit for yourselves. There are quite a few shots of Violator just ripping it up.

Even that upstart Metal focused company Blackstar joined in the fray sending a contingent of Thrashers under the name of Blackstar Guitar Show. They riled up the eager masses with covers of Sepultura, Metallica, Pantera, and more. 

You can find a link to the Festival on Facebook. It contains feeds from both Instagram and YouTube, including a video of Kraptor at the event. There is an abundance of photos and videos from not only this years fest, but also from previous BogoThrash Open Air dates.

So anyone who loves Thrash and can still get a passport may want to check out the BogoThrash Open Air 2016. If I can get a new passport that will allow me through without security patting me down like last time, than I will go and bring you back videos, interviews, and pictures galore.

Until then you must be satiated with the videos from this and previous years Open Air Festivals.

_______________________________________________

The Big Four

I would be remiss in putting out a blog about Thrash without any mention to The Big Four.  Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax are the boys who stared it all, so here is what they have been up to...

Anthrax, the New York City band that are the originators of the Thrash Metal moniker, after 34 years are still going strong. 

Earlier this month Scott and the boys played a hometown show at the Hammerstein Ballroom. In an interview with Erik Holland Scott let it be known that Anthrax is well underway of developing a new release full of "Great, great Thrash Metal."

You can find links to a full review and photos from the June 2nd show on Anthrax's official website. 

I was introduced to the icon that is Anthrax back in 1985 when a friend of mine handed me a copy of Spreading the Disease on cassette and said I had to check it out. Later on in 1988 I fell in love with their album State of Euphoria and it became one of my favorite Metal albums of all time.

Next up on my list is the immortal Dave Mustaine and his Megadeth. Out of the these four I am a Megadeth fan first and foremost. 

You have to give it to the man who none less than Scott Ian calls "The man who invented Thrash Metal!" Dave Mustaine is this years Metal Hammer Golden God award recipient, the only truly Metal awards show in the fucking world!

You have until the 28th of this month to check out the Megadeth Backstage Auctions. If there is a piece of Megadeth gear or memorabilia that you just have to have, this is the site for you to go. They have flying V's, Marshall stacks, t-shirts, and tour stage backdrops. 

And, here is the best news of all... Megadeth is working on a new album! Check out the video below.

Slayer will be releasing it's first new album in six years, Repentless, on September 11. The Metal Eagle edition has an amazing cover that is a 3D representation of their eagle logo.

You can hear some of the songs off of the new demonic manifestation on their Facebook page. Implode, and When the Stillness Comes are great additions to their already vast Thrash catalog. I really like how they state in Implode that "I still think that God hates us all!" bringing reference back to one of my favorite songs by this Californian Thrash Metal band.

Their last CD, World Painted Blood, was Grammy-nominated, which is normally an organization that shuns any heavy music.

Slayer will be headlining the summer Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival that begins this July in San Diego. They will be sharing the stage with the one and only King Diamond, Those Heavy Metal Hillbillies HELLYEAH, and the Knoxville Whitechapel among others.

I still remember the first time I heard the 1986 Reign in Blood album, it was back in high school shortly after it had come out and I thought they were the heaviest group that I had ever heard. They also began my search for bands that had the pentagram in their logo.

Finally we come to Metallica, the band you love to hate. Sorry, I have had a grudge against them ever since they kicked out Mustaine. Still, I can not help but admit that they have put out some excellent Metal over the years.

Recently these guys have performed the US National Anthem at game 5 of the NBA Finals, and have joined forces with the ESPN's X Games in order to raise money for the victims of the central Texas floods.

On the 14th of September they will be in Quebec
City, Canada in order to be the final event to ever take place in the Colisee Pepsi arena. Then two days later they will be the first act to open the brand new Qubec Centre Vidéotron.

Metallica has always been a band constantly on the go and with all of their touring and special events, such as appearing for the puck drop for the San Jose Sharks, they will likely always find themselves in the limelight.

____________________________________________________

Unfortunately on the 21st of February of this year Bruce Sinofsky passed away. He was the "Architect" of the Metallica film Some Kind Of Monster. It is an excellent film that clearly showed the inner workings of the band during The Black Album and the struggles moving toward the St. Anger release. Whether or not you are a fan of Metallica this is a film you should check out.

Bruce was a talented filmmaker and from the praise and loving words that are written on the Metallica website about him, he will be very much missed. Rest in Peace Bruce Sinofsky, we are all better from experiencing the realities that you have revealed to us.

___________________________________________________________ 

Thank you for reading, and thank you all for Thrashing!

Kevin Sweeney

_____________________________________________

Impolitely Canadian and More

Prologue

This is a follow up supplement from a previous one titled And Now For Something Completely Different. It is also a review of what several of my favorite Canadian artists that I have written about earlier have been up to. I hope you enjoy it and check out these talented people.

Armed And Hammered

Tyler Morrison is a comedian from Canada that has been featured at the Ron Jeremy Roast, The Winnipeg Comedy Festival, the Dark Comedy Festival, The Boston Comedy Festival, and CBC's The Debaters. I was fortunate enough to catch him last year with the Forces Comedy Tour here in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

The reason I am revisiting this funnyman is to give you a review of his 2014 comedy CD Armed And Hammered, as well as give you a heads up on his new comedy special titled Impolitely Canadian. 

If you like your comedy with a bit of bite than you should check out Tyler Morrison, but there is more to this comedian than just shock. He is genuinely funny and informative, and it all comes shining through on his CD. 

On the album he discusses the pros and cons of French Immersion language training for your child, The Middle East, Burglars, and of course Drinking: Drinking while driving; drinking while hunting; and drinking while drinking. Believe me you will learn something even if it was something you really did not want to know in the first place.

If you like laughing at those videos of the people who shop at Walmart, wonder why country folk never spill there beer, and would rather laugh at the state of civilization today instead of cry then pick up Armed and Hammered. It is available on iTunes.

There are several upcoming events that you can catch him live at this summer. He will be featured at the Sirius XM Top Comic in Toronto on June 23, The Cottage Country Comedy Festival in Gravenhurst, and several dates in Montreal. To see more go to his web site and find out all the facts on this fabulous funnyman.

_________________________________________________________

The Worshyp

The Worshyp is a great sounding Heavy Metal group out of Toronto that have been in our blog before. How much more Canadian can you get than for the band to have a link to Molson Canadian's Hockey Heaven video on their twitter feed? Well that is what you are dealing with when you follow these Canucks. 

Hell, during the Stanley Cup Playoffs there were more tweets about the games than the band on their twitter page. 

Another reason why I love this group is that they delve into concept work. Their album Kingdom Earth includes a four song tetra-logy called Kingdom Earth. The four tracks represent the revelation of an extraterrestrial threat that leads to mankind's eventual enslavement.

I am really looking forward to seeing what else these Headbangers come up with in the future.  

Until they release a new album I highly suggest you to check out their video for their song War Torn, which I have linked below. As a Veteran of the Afghanistan Conflict I find that I have become very fond of music videos about the struggles of "the Troops." 

____________________________________________________________

Return For Refund

Return for Refund is another band out of The Big Smoke/Toronto. I unfortunately missed them when they played here in Kingston on their last pass through, and I am still kicking myself about it!

Drew and the boys have been busy playing all around and getting radio play both on the college stations and the local rock stations. Everyone seems to be really embracing their straight forward grunge based rock and roll.

 For a band that is touring off of the strength of one EP they seem to be only gaining steam. Their self-titled EP has been getting great reviews and recommendations. (WPGM)

So if you get the chance don't do what I did and get your ass out of the house and check them out!

________________________________________________

Thanks for reading and check out these great musicians! Support your local Artists!

Kevin Sweeney

More Kick Ass Metal!

Forever Still

This excellent female fronted Metal group caught my attention by tweeting me. They have a great sound and I really like how Maja Schønning can effortlessly change her singing style from a gorgeous siren song to a raging growl.

There has been a wonderful upsurge in female Metal front-women and Forever Still should be seen as a front-runner in the ever increasing market.

Hailing from Denmark the band has gained fans and critical acclaim ever since they released their first EP, Breaking Free. Their EP's are definitely worth picking up. Breaking Free, Scars, and Save Me are all beautifully crafted.

They enjoy taking full control of their creative endeavors including making their own music videos. It allows them to present a completely honest representation of their music and the ideals behind it.

So If you like your Kick Ass Metal sung by a Kick Ass Woman than you will definitely want to check out this Danish powerhouse.

_______________________________________________________________

One of my favorite guitarists that we have featured on an earlier blog, Elmo Karjalainen, brought this group to my attention. Elmo stood in for one of their guitarists recently and mentioned them on his guitar blog so it got me interested in checking them out. 

The band he mentioned is called Kilpi and they are well known in the Finish Rock and Metal community. They have an excellent sound and the lead singer Taage Laiho has a voice made for classic metal. 

In 2009 Kipi released their seventh studio album, not bad for a band that began in 2003. I really urge you to go to their website and read the English introduction to the band, it gives a great overview of the spirit behind the Rock. 

If you are unsure about listening to a group that does not sing in English I would encourage you to check them out anyway, because not too long ago there was a German group called Rammstein that managed to catch the worlds attention singing in their home tongue.

In the meantime check out their video from their hit Juggernautti.

_____________________________________________________

If your taste in Metal edges toward Shock Rock then you will want to check out Demon Boy. Their live shows are "A Heavy Metal Fun-House ride through a Comic Book Hell." 

With song titles like I Kissed A Dead Girl, and This Halloween you can guess that Demon Boy follows in the steps of the likes of Alice Cooper.

With the belief that fans demand a great show to Rock out to Demon Boy delivers in spades. 

So If a party is what you are after grab your honey and let Demon Boy entertain you.

                               _____________________________________________________

I can't say enough about the Metalcore force that is BLESSTHEFALL. These Arizona Metalheads are producing top notch Metal with just a hint of Industrial mayhem. 

Their 2013 release Hollow Bodies is just superb. It is just like a great whiskey; smooth to the taste with a hell of a punch. Check it out if you have not heard it!

Oh and they have a new album coming out in Sept 2015.

You can catch them on the Vans Warped Tour. 

                                 _____________________________________________________

Thank you for reading and keep that Metal flowing. 

Kevin Sweeney

 

 

Starr Blazerz Free Album and Some Bad Ass Bands!

Starr Blazerz

Starr Blazerz is record producer Justin Marlowe out of Fredericksburg going by the name of SoundControl and singer songwriter Glen 'Grey' Reynolds from the great state of Texas. What these two have been able to produce is a excellent album that is both creative and extremely listenable. It manages to mix a variety of  music styles into a great listening experience. It is perfect for those nights where you just want to relax with some good music and shut out the outside world.

In July they will be shooting a video for the song Hunted from the album, as well as developing the official album artwork. Until then, the full album is currently streaming on soundcloud, and I encourage you to check it out. 

_______________________________________________________

Double Fuzz

Here is a great Canadian Blues duo. Double Fuzz is Jon Whitehead and Harvey Warren from Calgary, Alberta. They began cranking out their down and dirty version of full volume blues in 2012, and have not looked back since. 

You have to love a group that suggests that you turn the volume all the way up when you listen to them. They say Louder the better is their motto, and it shows in their fantastically fuzz filled sound.

It is great stuff to rock out to! They do amazing things with just a guitar, drums, and some 12 bar blues.

Their most recent endeavors have been following up their Double Fuzz album with attempting to use Storyhive to produce a professional music video for their single Sugar Mamma. Storyhive is a community powered funding program designed to support artists through $10k production grants and distribution on TELUS Optik TV.

________________________________________________

SYKA

SYKA is a rock band out of NY city, USA. They are known for their "elaborate live performances, stage makeup, and shocking wardrobe." Those are not the reasons I like this group - The reason I wanted to write about them was their sound. 

Their songs like Beautiful Nightmare and Dirty Secrets are wonderful. From the raw lyrics to Jesyka's rebel scream, they make you just want to rock out.

Along with their own modern version of down and dirty rock and roll they have some excellent covers of other great groups such as Heaven Knows by Pretty Reckless, and Trip The Darkness by Lacuna Coil. 

____________________________________________________

Thank you for reading and keep listening to good music.

Kevin Sweeney

Breathing Machines In Rome and Old Friends

Stage of Reality Live In Rome

On May 29th 2015 Hard Rock / Metal band Stage of Reality played a huge concert in Rome. It was a "innovative" multimedia show according to Outsiders Music Rome . 

Actor Alessandro Porcu joined the band onstage reading passages from the Writings Corsairs. The intent was much more than a simple rock show. It was a visual and musical journey through the mind of Pier Paolo Pasolini, an important and controversial Italian poet, writer, and intellectual.  

Pasolini was in many ways well ahead of His Time. He perceived the chaos that economic globalization and consumerism has wrought on Italy and the world. Angered by the loss of historic regional dialects, he even wrote many of his poems in Friulian. 

 The works of this iconic Italian Intellectual were the spark that ignited the flame of Stage of Reality and fueled their entire concept album Breathing Machines. Now the band has fused those over forty year old warnings against an Orwellian conformist  future  into a modern stage-show that "is a cry of rebellion," according to Tuttorock . 

The combination of dystopian imagery, critical writing, and Progressive Metal sheds a bright spotlight on our modern world. It Rages against our present day practice of "creating a false global democracy that instead of providing everyone the same opportunities and merits merely unify political thought and eliminate dissent."

Talk about Metal with a Message, Stage of Reality Seems to be on the right path.

_________________________________________________________

Greg Ball

Last month one of our favorite musical artists just finished the  Rocket Ball Road Show - Rocket Surgery (w / Rueben deGroot) & The Greg Ball Band . The tour took them across Western Canada. 

Thanks to Facebook the wild ride was well documented, and according to the pictures and comments it looks like it was a great time.

As much as it is great to see Greg getting out there and showing the rest of Canada what a good front man he is, it will be good to have him home in Kingston again. His hometown fans are sure to agree with me on that point, not to mention that I still have not been able to nail down a time to go see him live this year yet!

________________________________________________________

Keith Muracz

Keith Muracz is an old friend of mine from Manitoba, Canada and he has to be the best musician I have ever met in my life, period. A consummate professional, he has worked tirelessly playing in many different groups such as Terry Spencer Trials , Falling Down, and other Winnipeg based groups.

Both with a smooth blues based voice and an expert talent with a guitar he has created some of my favorite songs of all time (Cocaine Angel and I'll Have Another One for example.) Unfortunately I was only able to work with him for a short time on music, but I have to say that he has been the greatest inspiration for my interest in making music.  

At present he resides in the prairies of Manitoba enjoying a peaceful and wonder filled life among-st the ducks, goats, cats, chickens, dogs, and all sorts of other wildlife country. Do not get me wrong, he still plays. Just sometimes his concerts are for a whole different kind of crowd than a packed stadium or bar. 

Recently he has been putting together a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe "White Lightning" clone he refers to affectionately as "Lightningstein."  

You can find a lot of his music on Youtube. I am listening to his uploads as I am typing this. There is an emotional power that just flows from his playing and singing that is missing from most of the music produced today for mass production.

It is for artists like him that I have started this blog. Hopefully I can bring some light and to these amazing artists that the fame machine have overlooked and enable them to sparkle with all the quality and strength that they exude.

____________________________________________________

Well that is it for now. Thank you for reading and keep on making and listening to music.

Kevin Sweeney