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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
