Big Wreck brought their But For The Sun tour to the packed Music Hall Concert Theatre in Oshawa.
Dan Aykroyd and Friends Celebrate 50 Years of Blues
Founded in 1969 in Toronto, Downchild, formerly known as the Downchild Blues Band, is said to have paved the way for Canadian Blues musicians. The band was co-founded by brothers Donnie and Richard Walsh and most notably served as inspiration for the famous Saturday Night Live Belushi/Aykroyd duo The Blues Brothers. In fact, two Downchild songs, “Shotgun Blues” and “(I Got Everything I Need) Almost” were even covered on The Blues Brothers’ 1978 multi-platinum album Briefcase Full of Blues.
Photo Review: Five Finger Death Punch Fires Up Nationwide Arena
Five Finger Death Punch continued their Fall 2019 U.S. Arena Tour with a stop in Columbus, Ohio Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena. When the white curtain fell, all hell broke loose as the crowd roared their appreciation!
City And Colour Dazzled Enthusiastic Kingston Crowd
City And Colour brought his A Pill For Loneliness tour to Kingston’s Leon’s Centre and he was welcomed by fans young and old.
The night was started off with a set by Ben Rogers who is signed to Dallas Green’s label, Still Records. Ben’s music is rooted in folk but has elements of country and rock. He looks at his new album as a new beginning so to speak, a re-invention. Jacob Banks came out next with his mixture of soul, R&B and hip hop. Originally from Nigeria and growing up in Alabama, Jacob has been influenced by a little of everything. His music is really not a genre you can put your finger on. One minute you hear hip hop, the next you may be listening something completely different.
For City And Colour, I was set to go, not knowing exactly what to expect. Dallas Green is known for his sad, melancholy music so I really had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised! True, many of the songs were about lost love, relationships breaking up and other less than happy events, but at the same time it is music that we can all identify with. I went to the show with an open mind, after all, ten Juno nominations with three wins speaks for itself, right? Dallas explains it saying that he is just more motivated to write when experiencing unhappy events.
I did find the subjects a little sad and lonely but at the same time very melodic. The writing and presentation of the music keeps you interested. “Northern Blues” in particular had an addictive groove that actually reminded me of Pink Floyd. One thing I did notice is that the crowd was not up dancing for most of the show like so many shows I go to. They sat in their seats and politely listened to the music.
In October, Dallas added a new rhythm section to the family, Anna Ruddick on bass and Leon Power on drums. They fit in nicely with long time guitar player, Dante Schwebel and keyboard player Matt Kelly to make an amazing band! Dallas’ own guitar playing along with some of the smoothest and most relaxing vocals I’ve ever heard made this show a pleasure to experience.
The overall production was another thing of note. The lighting included five round assemblies of lights over the stage. These units were mobile in that they moved up and down independently of one another and helped to create very different looks for different portions of the show.
Along with some hits like “Fragile Bird” and “Lover Come Back”, they showcased several of the songs from the new album A Pill for Loneliness like “Astronaut”, “Strangers”, “Mountain Of Madness and “Difficult Love”. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was the five song encore that began with a very good cover of The Tragically Hip’s “Bobcaygeon” to pay homage to the hometown band.
I came away from this show such a fan of City and Colour, I went home and downloaded the If I Should Go Before You album (I love “Northern Blues”) and I think I’ve listened to at least a portion of it every day since.
for more information, check out their websites!
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City and Colour Untethers Heavy Mellow Soundscapes
Sometimes you need squealing solos, mosh pits and eyebrow scorching pyro. I mean, hey, who doesn’t a bit of that stirred into their Monday night, amiright? But sometimes, yeah sometimes, your chainsaw mangled, steamroller backed over heart just needs the mellow mood vibes provided by Dallas Green’s usual melancholy City and Colour. Tunes with names like “Difficult Love”, “Lover Come Back” and “We found Each Other in the Dark”…oh yeah, that’s the sentimental sombre saccharine my stung sorrow-filled soul yearned for. (It also, apparently, requires a shitload of alliteration!)
Stitched Up Heart Plays The Brass Monkey
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Arkells Rally Cry Tour Finale Thrills Kingston Fans
The Arkells finished off their Rally Cry Tour in Kingston and made it a giant Rock ‘n’Roll party!
Photo Review: Static-X Wisconsin Death Trip Tour Hits Columbus, Ohio
Express Live! was teeming with metalheads ready to rev-up the mosh pit on a rainy Thursday night. It was a stacked line-up of 5 bands with industrial metal band Static-X as headliner.
Photo Review: The Hu and Crown Lands Rock The Newport Music Hall
Mongolian Hunnu rock band The Hu, originally slated to perform at The Basement, were upgraded to The Newport and quickly sold out the venue for last night’s show.
Photo Review: Grooving With Vintage Trouble At Skully’s Music Diner
Vintage Trouble had no problem drawing a crowd to their concert on Monday night. Fans from Cleveland and Cincinnati drove hours to Columbus, Ohio to check out the show at Skully’s Music Diner.