I was super excited when I got to the studio today and was handed a CD of Windsor-based dubstep as well as a flyer advertising a dubstep show happening Thursday night. A few weeks back I mentioned on-air how I wanted to see some local dubstep, my Program Director heard, and tipped me off when the news came his way. Yay Vern! The quick browse I put into Dstruct.O’s “Drumstep EP02” makes me very excited to go to Panache Ultra Lounge (53 Pitt St. E) tonight (Thursday), where he will be performing alongside DJ Josh Bryant. That show starts at 10 pm, is 19+ and has $3 cover.
A song that I thought a lot about before playing this week was Jarrett Sorko’s “Yo, I’m From Windsor Dude”. Not that I hate the song, it just annoys me slightly. But it’s been a huge thing this week, and I figured since I’m showcasing Windsor music, it should be included. Also, he has aspirations of mainstream radio airplay, and we might not be 89x, but that’s only because we at CJAM are better. And I liked his dig at Harrow, especially as I myself rep the 738. (That’s Harrow phone numbers, for those who don’t know)
I spent last Friday night at The Blind Dog in the company of some pretty good bands, and some that had me less than impressed. Anonymous Boschand Awake to a Dream are a couple that I was already fond of, and not disappointed by. Nuclear Sunrisewas a new one for me, and I’ve got to say I liked what they did. Bleachand Silver Glory were not bad by any means, I just wasn’t blown away. And then there wasJonas & The Massive Attraction. Great musicians, but their sound was something I just couldn’t get into. Jonas’ Theory of a Massive Nickel Creed. For further explanation, try the WindsoriteDOTca article I wrote on it.
This weekend is set to host some serious shows. Starting off on Friday at The Blind Dog, you can catch Baptized in Blood, Betrayer, Desertion, and Perpetuate, who are releasing their first CD. Metal heads of the city rejoice, this is not one to miss. Baptized in Blood have recently been revealed to be on the lineup for the 2011 “Heavy T.O.” festival alongside Megadeth, Children of Bodom, and Rob Zombie. Tickets for that show run at about $135, and here you can see BIB for only $10. Steal! Betrayer has only recently returned to gigging, and after the major success of their show at The Coach last month, things can only get better. Desertion will be making their comeback that night, so I’m quite sure they’ll be tearing things up as well. And being as Perpetuate is releasing their album, it goes without saying that they’ll be great, and they usually are anyhow, so there ya go. This show is $10 ADV/$12 Door, all ages, and doors open at 6 pm.
Saturday at The Coach The Heat Seeking Moisture Missilesare playing their first show of the year, Hammerdownare playing their first show of the month, and Repetitionsare playing their first show ever! Check out our feature from earlier this week to get the full rundown on this new crustpunk supergroup that is sure to make noise in Windsor’s music scene. Hammerdown’s brand of fast and heavy metal is sure to get your hair whipping and keep the beer flowing (you’ll have plenty of cash for that too, as there’s no cover), and THSMM will be their typical selves, bringing in the sounds of oldschool punk and 80’s metal. This show is free, 19+, and the first band is set to start at 11ish sharp.
And congratulations to Tim Kennedy of Harrow who called in to the show today to win himself tickets to Friday’s show at The Blind Dog. There will be more ticket giveaways soon, so be ready.
Local garage rockers The Blue Stonesreleased their debut video yesterday, shot by local film maker/video producer Gavin Michael Booth. Booth has been on a bit of a hot streak of late, with recent videos by The Afters, Inoke Errati and many others finding viral success on the internet. Well this latest one may have created the most amount of buzz to date. Because apart from the band themselves, the star of the video are two iPhone 4′s in what is believed to be the first video to use FaceTime technology (for those who don’t have iPhones or are unfamiliar, FaceTime is video conferencing/calling).
It’s already been picked up by many internet technology blogs like The Next Web,Jailbreak Movies, and The Unoffical Apple Weblog, as well as entertainment websites like The Rock 100.7 FM’s official site, OurWindsor.ca and EntertainmentWindsor.
Gavin Michael Booth also uploaded the latest webisode of his internet series “How Many Days?” – a project where he’s chronicling how many days in takes to meet his film making inspirations – that shows a behind the scenes look at how the video was built.
With the recent viral runaway hit “You, I’m From Windsor Dude” recently trending all over, this is sure to be the next Windsor internet hit. With the recent success of their EP release party, the Blue Stones could be on their way to being the next must-see act from the Rose City.
You can catch The Blue Stones playing live this Saturday at Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West) as the local support for Toronto’s Decade of Sleep.
One thing about having such a close knit community of musicians who experience a widespread spectrum of genres, is that over the years, members from several successful local acts will start to jam out of mutual respect and create something that sounds huge. Bands like The Locusts Have No King, Vultures!, James OL & The Villains, The Magic Hall of Mirrors and Orphan Choir are (or were) all bands comprised of members who were previously (or still are) in other solid local acts.
You can add the new hardcore punk band Repetitions to that list.
Roughly a year in the making, the band was built around some home jamming between legendary punk drummer Sean Boone (The Posers, The Hard Liquors, PFOD) and guitarist Stef Paulton. At the beginning of the year, the rhythm section was completed when Ash Richtig (The Heat Seeking Moisture Missiles, NeanderTHRALL) on bass. After a lengthy search for a female vocalist, the band unexpectedly found a voice from Jay Buston, a vocalist best known as the throat behind PFOD and Clusterfuxx and a member of The Posers.
They’ve been using social networking to create a buzz, as punk veterans salivated at the thought of two formers members of The Posers and PFOD would be bringing back the legendary 90′s Windsor hardcore vibe to a new audience, with other musicians who bring experience in newer scenes. They released demos of songs without vocals (prior to Buston joining) and then demos with full vocals once Jay laid some down.
They recently U-Streamed one of their rehearsals, enticing fans to watch their creative process and to see the magical wonder of watching an early session in a band’s career when all the members are still full of the virginal spark of anticipation.
They make their long awaited debut this Saturday April 2 at the legendary Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level) opening for local heavyweights Hammerdown and The Heat Seeking Moisture Missiles.
A great weekend of live music in the city continues tonight with some wide variety genres for your musical palette. Here’s the score on the night’s performances with some samples for you previewing convenience.
“What if They Might Be Giants grew up listening to Nomeansno and Fugazi?
What if comedian Andy Kaufman was the wizard behind The Arcade Fire’s curtain?
What if Cardiacs and At The Drive-In overhauled Jimmy Eat World’s back catalogue?
You might get beekeeper.
That’s how the bio from Vancouver’sbeekeeperstarts out. And listening to their stuff, that’s somewhat accurate. They draw a lot of influences and I’m sure the Arcade Fire reference is due to them having a violinist as well. But I also hear similarities to Rah Rahor, closer, to Guillemots.Accessible pop music textured and arranged with a deeper hue, beekeeper are coming off a strong showcase at Canadian Music Week in the midst of a cross Canada tour that brings them toThe Dugout (formerly The Whiskey, 300 Ouellette Ave.) on Saturday March 26.” Also on the bill are Dave Russell and Leighton Bain which should make for a great evening of music through and through.
Over at Phog Lounge check out a couple of visiting bands from Chatham, Ontario. The first of the two acts is The Long Lots which actually draws members from Windsor, Chatham and London to form an indie rock four piece that draws influence from the likes of Silkworm, Band of Horses, Wintersleep and North of America. Playing in support of their debut EP ‘In The Valleys of Our Hearts’ look for this band to make an impression with their first Windsor performance. Next up is the experimental acoustic punk of solo performer Prophet Limbo. Also known as Rob Johnston, the act often plays with a backing band, no word on if that will be the case tonight, but either way Prophet Limbo brings a diverse array of songwriting efforts to the table.
In the basement of the Loop Building at the Coach & Horses more heaviness for your ears as Peterborough’s hardcore and metal aficionados As It Stands makes their way to the city. Joining the bill are Devilz By Definition (recently signed to the Yeti Agency), Shortcut To Last (who continue to play in support of their recently released full-length) and progressive thrash band Blackthorn City from Essex (who have posted a brand new Ep to their Myspace page). If your ears have mad it past or missed out on Ken Mode and Fuck The Facts they will surely appreciate this evening’s performances.
Finally we have the second night of live acoustics at The Mill’s 1st Annual Windsor Songwriters Festival. Tonight will see performances from Cotton Rayne, Brett Service, Marty Lowman and Alec Lauziere for the 8pm showcase & Ron Beer, BJ Laub, Deni-gan and Jeremy Coulter (StereoGoesStellar) starting at 10pm. Both showcase should be a lot of fun so get out there and support this burgeoning young festival. Donations at the door.
No shortage on live music in the city this weekend! Here’s a quick rundown of Friday’s events with some video sample to help you navigate your way to the best show for you!
Arguably the biggest show of the evening, check out Ottawa grind-core heavyweights Fuck The Facts at the legendary Coach & Horses. With solid opening acts like Assassinate The Following, Shinje and Goliath and the recently added Our Own Demise this show promises to bring the walls down and the Coach is the only place it could, nay, SHOULD happen. This is quite a week for the coach following the epic Ken Mode/Cellos show this past Tuesday. Check out our interview with Fuck The Fact’s Topon Das about tonight’s show.
Lots going tonight for fans of acoustic singer-song writers. First there is the massive 1st Annual Songwriters Festival happening at The Mill. Tons of great talent involved in this event which also runs on Saturday, March 26th. Tonight see performances from: Peter Boyer (Same Latitude As Rome), Glen MacNeil (ReGael, Celtic Cross), Linda Girard and Adam Gilchrist (Cloverjoy, Caught In The Moss, The Butterfield Gateway) among others. For more info see our related article on the event HERE. Catch Tony Coates plays as he plays a solo gig at the Taloola Cafe this evening continuing his push to become one of the best known acts in the city. Over at The Phog Lounge see and hear acoustic performances from Sophist, Acousticfire and Daniyal Malik. Finally at Milk Coffee Bar check out another showcase featuring the songwriter stylings of Monique Belanger with special guest Silly Karli’s.
Finally, at The FM Lounge, Windsor gets treated by a visit from the always enjoyable Ron Leary. Tonight Ron will be performing with a 5 piece band behind him featuring Mr.Chill and Scotty Hughes. He’s also brought along the fantastic Pilgrims Of Brock from Toronto for their Windsor Scene debut. Make sure you catch this performance because Leary has been making mention on his Facebook page about trying to book some upcoming shows in non-traditional venues and he may be a little harder to find the next time he comes through town.
By now many of you have seen this video – it got a whopping 4000 hits on its first day on YouTube. It’s by a local Windsorite named Jarrett Sorko and it’s for a hip-pop song called “Yo, I’m From Windsor (Dude)”, a tongue-in-cheek rap seemingly directed to our American neighbours about what it’s like being from Windsor.
It’s not as annoying as Rebecca Black’s days of the week atrocity, but I do think his dreams of getting this song on a major radio station may be a bit grandiose. The production is unfortunately lacking the proper “smoothness” for major radio play (although I think CJAM could play it). And I must say, considering that it’s the Windsor Zene’s mandate to promote all the great musical happenings throughout the city, we have to take some offence to the lines regarding “nothing to do” if you under or over 19.
But in all fairness, it’s fun to see people having fun with music and not taking it – or themselves – too seriously and simply making something to entertain. And if you’ve been on Facebook at all the past few days, you’ve probably seen one of your friends post this (perhaps even yourself), making this one of Windsor’s first viral YouTube stars. And while the future of his musical career is certainly not guaranteed, I’m sure he’s already got enough notoriety to get a gig at one of the venues in town.
In case you haven’t seen it, here it is, in all its glory.
What if They Might Be Giants grew up listening to Nomeansno and Fugazi?
What if comedian Andy Kaufman was the wizard behind The Arcade Fire’s curtain?
What if Cardiacs and At The Drive-In overhauled Jimmy Eat World’s back catalogue?
You might get beekeeper.
That’s how the bio from Vancouver’sbeekeeper starts out. And listening to their stuff, that’s somewhat accurate. They draw a lot of influences and I’m sure the Arcade Fire reference is due to them having a violinist as well. But I also hear similarities to Rah Rah or, closer, to Guillemots. Accessible pop music textured and arranged with a deeper hue, beekeeper are coming off a strong showcase at Canadian Music Week in the midst of a cross Canada tour that brings them to The Dugout (formerly The Whiskey, 300 Ouellette Ave.) on Saturday March 26.
Also on the bill is Dave Russell (although the only Precious Stone joining him this outing is bassist Vin Vicious), who continues to showcase his recent EP, Unnatural Disaster.
Opening the show is Leighton Bain, who’s also playing in support of a new album, Oh Alaska (which he is giving away for free on-line).
beekeeper with special guests Dave Russell and Leighton Bain, The Dugout (300 Ouellette Ave.), 19+, 9pm
The anticipation for the big announcement of the line-up for the inaugural BeaverFest, a celebratory three day music festival featuring an all Canadian line-up at the brand new Riverfront Amphitheatre on June 3-5, was immense. Let’s get that out of the way first. Everyone had their dream list of who they’d hoped would be there (and I’m sure an equal list of who they didn’t). Everyone from Rush to Nickelback was mentioned but in the end, the line-up proved to be a diverse cross section of what’s happening in Canadian music right now, and a fairly solid line-up considering it’s the BeaverFest crew’s first concert – BayFest certainly wasn’t this strong out of the gates, and look where that festival has gone.
When analyzing the line-up, people are going to judge based on their preferences. That’s just human nature. You know what you like (and what you don’t) and you’re probably looking at the list going “like them” or “don’t like them” to each of the names. But keep in mind, this is a festival that is looking to be a mainstay in Windsor for years to come. This is something that the organizers – David Hunter, Ian France and Chris Mickle - have spent the better part of a year organizing and financing (with help from some sponsors of course, most notably Molson Coors) and it’s something they truly believe in – as music fans themselves and as people looking to bring something big and fresh to Windsor as a community. That alone is worth commending.
Now, on to the line-up. While none of the rumoured “big names” made it (although another main headliner is yet to be announced on account that the contract wasn’t confirmed last night), there really is a little bit of everything here. Indie pop to alternative rock, some local flavour mixed with some national superstars. This will be a festival. Drink, dance and rock away for three days. And the best part is, you didn’t have to drive to Toronto, Chicago or even Sarnia to take part. It’s happening right here in Windsor.
Crash Karma
This is one of the bands I’d predicted would be on the bill (the only prediction I got right actually) and it’s not a bad call. This Canadian alt. rock supergroup, featuring members of I Mother Earth, Our Lady Peace, Zygote and The Tea Party, have been tearing up Canadian radio and highways the past year. There’s a strong Windsor connection here as well, as drummer Jeff Burrows is a proud Windsorite.
Danko Jones
This announcement shocked me. Not that I didn’t think the guys involved would be fans of Mr. Jones, but that the more independent bands would even be considered. Danko Jones has a huge cult following, primarily based off his rambunctious live performances and frantic guitar attack – he could be the show stealer this summer.
Finger Eleven
A lot of people had these guys penciled on their prediction list and while I’ve never personally been a fan of them, it’s hard to argue the impact they’ve had on the Canadian rock scene over the past decade. One of the things that’s both a blessing and a curse (depending on how you look at it) of being so close to Detroit, is that we’ve really lost touch with what is relevant in Canada – things like the CFL, Canadian radio, saying “aboot” – are all myths to most of us. But you get out into Canada and all of these things are real.
Keisha Chante
A Juno-award winning R&B singer, Keisha brings some industry cred to the festival. Her latest album, Night & Day, is again nominated for a Juno.
Shawn Desman
I’ll admit, I had to look this guy up, but apparently he’s a big deal in the pop & R&B world. His first two singles from his latest album have both hit Top 10 on Canadian radio. The young girls in the audience will probably pop big for this dude.
Default
You knew this one was coming. While many feared Theory of a Deadman would take this spot (seriously, do they play anywhere else besides Windsor? I swear they play every festival Windsor-Essex has), Default was…well…the default prediction for the “Nickelback slot”. But again, love them or hate them, they’ve done huge numbers in Canada and have done something that not a lot of Canadian bands can brag about – made an impact in the U.S. market.
Fefe Dobson
Fefe Dobson, another Juno nominee, has quietly had a pretty remarkable career so far. Her debut album in 2003 debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Heatseeker Charts and she’s had songs of hers covered by Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez to name a few. She’s also performed on MTV’s Music Video Awards show. Once again, another Canadian musician recognized internationally, but probably overlooked in border towns like Windsor.
Whale Tooth
This was another shocker. Not that they don’t belong on a festival stage, but the indie pop of Whale Tooth is about as far from mainstream rock as Finger Eleven is from Radiohead. These guys (and gal) cut their proverbial Windsor orca molars on Phog’s little stage a few years back (like much of Canada’s finest indie pop bands), so it’s nice to see some of the bands return to Windsor on a grander scale.
Dean Lickyer
This band seemed to be the one that got the most “Who the fuck is that?” looks last night at the announcement, and I think perhaps it’s just another case of being socially detached from mainstream Canadian rock music in this area. This Hamilton band have been rocking across the country for the past few years, even being courted by KISS’ Gene Simmons at Canadian Music Week a few years back. They have a classic 70′s rock sound similar to The Black Crowes and a similar stage presence. They’ve also been through Windsor before, with shows at The Chubby Pickle and The Coach & Horses. Bands like this thrive on large stages – these guys could challenge Danko Jones for sleeper hit of the festival.
Tim Chaisson & The Morning Fold
Drawing from East Coast Canadiana, PEI’s Tim Chaisson and The Morning Fold will be adding a little New Country flair to the festival.
MicLordz & Sauce Funky
One of three locals already announced (and surprisingly the closest thing to hip-hop on the bill – I was hoping Shad might have made this festival), MicLordz & Sauce Funky genuinely deserve to be on this line-up. They’ve just completed a second U.S. tour (the first with Twiztid), this time around with Cypress Hill MC Sen Dog. These guys are a live spectacle and playing a festival in their hometown is just fuel for the fire.
Ashes of Soma
To be honest, I thought AoS had broken up. These guys were everywhere a few years back and seemed poised to explode nationally and then…they seemed to disappear. Regardless, they’ve done well in the U.S. and Canada on the radio and have always packed the house, so they’ll be a definite crowd pleaser for a festival like this. I’m assuming they’re sitting on a new album that may be launched around this time as well.
Seven Year Riot
The third local announced, these guys just got back from a showcase at Canadian Music Week. Formally known as Citizen Erased, with a new moniker comes a new start.
The organizers have also planned a full local showcase for the Saturday, prior to the main event stage starting. This showcase will be FREE to the public, in efforts to get the crowds coming in for the Beaverfest main stages to catch some of the local talent this city has to offer.
With that being said, and basing it around the format they’ve booked so far (apologies to the metal, punk and hip-hop scenes), here’s my two cents of 10 local acts that deserve to be a part of BeaverFest.
Windsor’s crown princes of pop were crowned XM Radio’s Verge Artist of the Year a month ago, beating out Arcade-freaking-Fire. They’ve toured the country, shared stages with the likes of Dashboard Confessional, Death Cab For Cutie and Sloan, as well as playing on this year’s Edgefest in Toronto. Pure and simple, they are Windsor’s fast rising music stars in years.
With a sound that bridges real roots country with rock and roll, The Locusts Have No King have become one of Windsor’s most respected musical acts. They’ve played from Windsor to Montreal and have left a lasting impression on every stage they’ve played on. They’ve played festivals before (last year’s Phog Phest notably) and have shown they can command an audience.
Probably about as heavy as the festival would like with such an array of listening ears, but Orphan Choir has probably logged more road miles than most of the bands on the line-up already. They’ve toured Canada relentlessly, playing major festivals (NXNE, CMW) and building a massive following across North America.
The release of their long overdue EP, Make-Outs and Movie Stars, cemented them as Windsor’s power pop kings and this band feeds off an audience like no other. A festival setting would be ideal for these guys.
Another band that effortlessly seams together alt. country with rock and roll, James OL & The Villains are one of those bands that simply captivate, from the subtle stage presence to the atmosphere the music itself creates, these guys would be the perfect fit for an early afternoon show.
A relatively new act in comparison to the others, Cloverjoy’s frontman Adam Gilchrist is a born entertainer, having fronted two prior local acts – Caught In The Moss and The Butterfield Gateway (both also featuring The Locusts Have No King’s Leigh Wallace – to local acclaim. This sound is a little smoother than past projects, but the sound is huge and anthemic. Perfect for a festival.
A perfect hybrid combination of Southern rock and prog rock, these guys sound like what King Crimson may have sounded like if they’d grown up in Alabama. As tight a unit as you’ll find anywhere, they never lose sight of the song’s melody even while trapped in a prog pattern. Their recent opening slot for Juno nominees Elliott Brood showed everyone just what Surdaster had to offer.
With the demographic covering the young and old, The Classix Sum 41-meets-Crazytown style is a natural fit for a festival like this. They have a huge local following and the younger crowd will surely eat them up.
These guys nearly stole the show at Inoke Errati’s EP release party with their spirited pop-punk sound. They’re young but experienced beyond their years. The way they work an audience is commendable – I’ve seen bands with more years on the belt that have still to learn how to steer an audience the way these guys do already.
They’ve been playing a lot lately, but it’s only helped tighten a ship that includes a horn section. These guys bring a dancing, party vibe like few others can, especially on people who are experiencing them for the first time. Their ska influence is noticeable, but original enough that they wouldn’t necessarily be considered a ska band.
There are plenty of heavy bands that I think deserve to be on a festival stage, don’t get me wrong. But in trying to offer the most logical choices for the line-up already announced, these are just my own personal suggestions. There are also some similar acts that would also be worthwhile (StereoGoesStellar or Dave Russell & The Precious Stones for example), but I was trying to have a bit more diversity of sound.
Now that the line-up has been announced, all the water cooler and bar room predictions for the past few months have probably been disproven or led to some kind of disappointment, but think about it this way. The three gentlemen who have put together BeaverFest have just spent eight months assembling this and probably contacted most of the names you’d hoped would be here but didn’t (Arcade Fire was in fact approached but their fees were just too high for a first year festival to take on). So before you criticize the names that aren’t here, let’s put this all in perspective. This is the festival’s inaugural year. It’s only going to grow. And the bigger it grows, the more they’ll be able to bring in bigger acts. And while I’m not a huge fan of many of the bands on the line-up due to my own personal music tastes, I am a huge fan of promoting Windsor as a viable musical community and this is a monumental step in the right direction. And it took a lot of balls and risks for these three men to pull this off, no matter what the line-up.
So every once in a while you hear something that has very little in terms of adequate comparisons. Or, on the other hand there’s a whole lot of points of comparison, but none really hit the proverbial nail on the head. So then in order to really describe what you’re hearing you end up grasping at straws. You want to point at bands that have tread similar paths or use certain conventional adjectives, but using bands would do no justice and the adjectives all sound tired and used up.
This is where I’m at with Ton.
It’s rock and roll. And I suppose that’s the most bare-bones, ‘easy-way-out’ description of what I’m hearing right now. I had two songs sent to my inbox by the band, and then checked out a third from their Myspace page and I’m still just at “Rock and Roll”. I could call it ‘alternative’, but that’s a fairly stupid and meaningless way to refer to something like this. So hold on and let’s try this instead:
From about 1992 to the early ‘00s there was a guy operating largely out of New York that went by the name of Wharton Tiers. Mr. Tiers developed a modest rep for having a sound; never as popular as the “Albini” sound, or the Rick Rubin sound, but distinctive nonetheless. Doing a lot of work for the East Coast-ish noise bands around that time, and having a particular way of doing that work meant the kind of consistency that could be described as ‘genre defining’. The short list of great bands who benefited from Tiers’ less-than-gentle touch would include folks like Sonic Youth (before they got old and tired), Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop and Helmet.
Before I go any further, I should note that Ton doesn’t sound a whole lot like any of those bands. No overtly anyways. Granted, I never really took the time to ask who they listened to for inspiration, but that’s an ultimately meaningless question anyways when it comes to actually listening to something. That is to say, for the purposes of pushing this band on you, who really cares what they listened to?
So why am I bringing up Wharton Tiers, Helmet and the early 90s New York noise scene? Because that’s all I’ve got. It’s all part of a no-bullshit approach to making and producing music. If you listen to Helmet’s early output, or Quicksand’s 1995 album “Manic Compression”, you get a good idea what I’m talking about. It’s not some ridiculously technical, prog wash-out, but it’s not AC/DC either. Little in the way of bells and whistles, but it will grab you and keep you. These guys clearly know their way around their instruments, but aren’t so arrogant as to push a bunch of wankery down our throats either.
I suppose I’ve inadvertently done exactly what I said I wasn’t going to do, which is compare Ton to other bands and use tired, rock-cliched adjectives. Whatever the case may be, I’ll leave you with this much: if you like loud rock and roll then you are going to want to GO to their shows and BUY their new disc, “Going Places”. Oddly enough, you can do both of these things on April 1st, when they release said new album at the Coach And Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level).
If you are of the sort that needs more pointless biographical information, black and white “rock shots” of the band in action, or have a masochistic desire to try to navigate the unholy mess that Myspace has become, you can find them online at www.myspace.com/windsorton or by searching for their page on the Facebook.
Enjoy. I did.
Ton (CD release) with special guests Voodoo Mafia, The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level), 9pm, 19+
Since the 1970′s, Progressive Rock has seemed to be that of a staple within the Heavy Metal Genre. Long, drawn-out songs containing extended, glittery guitar solos, heart pounding bass lines and rhythmic percussion sequences that can range from earthy timpani beats to machine gun speed in a matter of seconds. And whether your first inclination of Prog-rock was with the power trio Rush, the over-the-top art rock of Dream Theater, or the local Anonymous Bosch, King Misfit should fit easily into your genre-specific music library.
I first heard of the band via word of mouth; a few co-workers mentioned a contest run by Road Runner records where bands can win a chance to get signed to the label. So I thought I’d check out the website. What was offered was 3 crisply produced songs and 2 behind-the-scenes videos during their recording sessions. As of 23 March, they currently held the top stop in the daily metal category.
King Misfit is comprised of 6 seasoned musicians all residing locally to Windsor. In some hard rocks circuits through the city, the word is that the guitar playing of Todd Kidd and Richard Miles is nothing short of ‘virtuoso’. When ‘Under Ancient Ground’ blasted threw my speakers I was shocked. Pulled right in by Charles Arsenault’s keyboard riff, and held tight by the Geoff Tate-esque wails of singer William Hawksworth. The 7 and 1/2 minute song doesn’t bore or stale, instead intrigues .. leaving the listener wanting to explore through the mysteries and puzzlement that classic progressive acts bleed as a muse.
‘Under Ancient Ground’ was the ‘shortest’ of the 3 tracks available. Both ‘Anguish’ and ‘Five Dollar Soldier’ clock in at 8+ minutes, the latter closer to the 9 minute mark. Both tunes follow the same progressive suit in that they devise a linchpin method of shredding guitars over a symphonic rhythm section. And singer, Hawksworth doesn’t disappoint as he thoroughly delivers the goods as a Queensrÿche crooner. As ‘Five Dollar Soldier’ concludes, we hear an isolated mariachi-style guitar play a fitting finale. Like watching a spaghetti western on the big screen, the hero here is the listener. Maybe not for everyone, but for fans of muscled prog-rock and symphonic metal, King Misfit are an accomplished fit and a great local talent.
So I’ve seen a lot of bands in this 1/3 of a year past. I’ve seen a lot of tragic landslides and I’ve seen some great ski jumps. The problem is that nothing really has fallen in between. The quintessential ‘gray’ area. Usually this is where all bands hover through. A large part of our lives swim in this. So on Friday when I took part of a concert of 5 bands I wasn’t sure which of these artists would ride a late winter ski slope and which would slumber behind the parks and rec. hill.
Walking into The Blind Dog, Intra Meridian (IM), were the 2nd band to take the stage out of 5 bands. Most would find this to be a surprise, seeing how they have been playing the Windsor circuit for longer than most; yet a prolonged hiatus seeing a lead singer move on to other artistic activities left them to soldier on. And soldier on they did. Guitarist Brian Jacques mustered up the bustling courage and skills to take on the added duties of front man while the rhythm section lead by drummer, Nate Gignac bolstered a louder, more prompt launch attack on the ears.
IM came out with a blistering first two songs that got the full venue rocking. Not surprisingly, they kept the momentum up by playing a lot of crowd pleasers followed by new songs. This is, after all, a band starting a new road for themselves. A new singer has the double-shift of gaining old fans respect while at the same time garnering out new ones. Sounding crisp, clean, fresh, Jacques looked confident in taking the lead role .. looking out at a full crowd and smiling. Nerves were steering about, I’m sure. After the set more than half of the crowd left, seemingly happy and jolted by what they just took part in; a band in a reformation, ready to take the front line. They stood tall, and they conquered the top of the slopes that night
Shortcut to Last – It’s Not Enough (I Know You’re Not One For Serious Situations – 2010)
Riverside – The Best is Yet To Come (Newspeak)
Time Giant – Lobotomy (Grow – 2011)
Sewing with Nancie – Naïve (The Same Three Chords – 2000)
The Rural Alberta Advantage – Muscle Relaxants (Departing – 2011)
Lonesome Lefty & The Cryin’ Shames – Back to the Sugar Camp (Souvenir Album – 2011)
Yellow Wood – Be A Little Braver (Son of the Oppressor – 2009)
Yellow Wood – Picture (Son of the Oppressor – 2009)
And a few notes on the show;
Thanks to Dave Russell for the nudge towards his tunes! Anonymous Bosch did a similar thing this week as well, informing me of their newly-submitted album. There are a lot of CDs in our library, and I have yet to find the time to become familiar with all of them. Requests for music, whether they’re coming from artists or fans, are always welcome and appreciated. So what do you want to hear?
Anyone else interested in having their albums added to our selection of local artists can feel free to drop CD’s (or vinyl!) off at the station in the basement of the CAW Student Centre at The University of Windsor.
This past week I was in attendance at a number of sweet shows.
Last Thursday, which also happened to be St. Patty’s Day, I spent my evening at The Coach, and as my alcohol consumption went up, I remembered more. Yes, I know this makes no sense, but there it is. What this translates into is this; of The Kettle Black I remember a dude with a guitar, some black curtains, and weirdness. So, that is to say, not very much. On to Devilz by Definition, then. Metal. Lots of mids, high-pitched screaming. We’re getting better. So next came Awake to a Dream. A ukulele cover of The “Last Saskatchewan Pirate” by The Arrogant Worms, and I geeked out. Music from Sonic 2. I geeked more. It was awesome!
Sunday night was Shared Arms, Everyone Everywhere, and The All Nightin an all-ages show at Phog. Pop-punk at it’s finest. The moshing had to be continually squashed, and the crowd sang as loud as the bands, even when they weren’t hijacking microphones. It made me really appreciate and wonder at the dedication of music fans in Windsor, that they learn the words to every single song of the local bands they love. It’s great to see, you won’t find it quite the same anywhere else.
Tuesday night was the debut of Cellosin the opening slot for KEN Mode. I unfortunately had to miss the first band thanks to work, but folks tell me it was quite the experience. My first encounter with KEN Mode was pretty damn awesome, but I don’t know how to describe it. They can’t be defined by a single (or even 3) genre. It was for sure heavy, and the mixing of an Orange stack with a Mesa head almost made me cry I loved it so much. Instead of trying and failing to describe this music, how about you just listen to it.
Friday the 25th is a very busy night in the Windsor music scene, but I’ll give you the rundown on my show of choice (and believe me; it wasn’t an easy one). At The Blind Dog you can see Silver Glory, Awake to a Dream, Nuclear Sunrise, Bleach, Jonas & the Massive Attraction, and Anonymous Bosch for only $10 (with the purchase of an advance ticket). A night of rock’n’roll at it’s finest. Pretty stoked for this one.
But any show you choose in Windsor this weekend, whether it’s Tony Coates at Taloola, Fuck the Facts at The Coach, or Freedom Within at Trees, it’s gonna be great, because Windsor fans are half the fun of these shows, and they’re sure to be packing each one of them.
And as an extra special tip, if you tune in to the show next Wednesday between 5 and 630 you’ll have a chance to win a pair of tickets to the upcoming Perpetuate CD Release Show with Baptized in Blood and Betrayer. That’s right, free tickets to a sweet metal show. What more can you ask for?
Al ‘Yeti’ Bones and his skeleton crew in Gypsy Chief Goliath got the brews flowin’ and the eyes glowin’ down at the dingy dungeon we all have come to know and love as the Coach & Horses. These electric gypsies’ brand of stoner rock/metal is a little more eclectic than the standard fare of those within that genre. Kicking things in with the monster-groove of ‘Black Samurai,’ the band got their faithful followers and friends bobbing heads to the doomy rhythms. The guys continued to churn out swamp and sludge through the night as their harmonica player Brodie brought the demonic blues aspect to the fold with his Sabbath ‘wizardry.’ Yeah, if you like the real early heavy blues rock of Black Sabbath coated with an added crispy and metallic crunch, you’ll dig the sounds of Gypsy Chief Goliath. Sidenote: A surprise and unlikely rendition of Alice Cooper’s “Go To Hell” was a highlight mid-set.
Last night, Cellos made its live debut on a Windsor stage. It was their first performance as a band and despite a few stage jitters, they pulled it off magnificently.
Despite it being their live debut, the members of Cellos are far from being novices. In fact, the trio may be three of the best representations of their respective instruments in the city. Guitarist (and vocalist) Kyle Marchand is better known as the driving chunk behind Orphan Choir as well as the experimental soundscape engineer in What Seas, What Shores (he also had a short stint in the melodically golden Yellow Wood). Bassist Joe Rabie’s thundering grooves have build the skeleton for many projects, including the prog rock dirge of Surdaster, the instrumental frantics of Red Rows and the experimental blind field trips of Star Trek: The Band. And the sheer muppetry genius of David Allan on drums has all been evident to anyone who has seen the octopus-on-cocaine tentacles fly in other projects like Explode When They Bloom, Poughboy and Which Witch. It only makes sense that these three play together – they’ve been in such diverse projects individually, that it would take a project of this nature for each of them to truly shine and show what they are ultimately capable of pulling off.
Their set last night – opening the highly anticipated return of KEN mode to Windsor – was brief but succinct. The second song, tentatively titled “Notes from Underground”, was a clincher – when the power riff groove locked in, the crowd was hooked. For a band playing their debut, they had a crowd in their hands, attentive and hungry, eyes agape and ears thirsting. Their set was like a rock opera conveying how an underwater minefield going off must sound to the fishes around it – as heart racingly exciting as it is terrifying.
Marchand’s voice is reminiscent of Gibby Haynes via early Butthole Surfers records (a la Locust Abortion Technician) with a tinge of Bleach-era Nirvana (the band actually closed their set with a Nirvana cover, “I Hate Myself and I Want To Die”). If I was to play Pitchfork and mash analogies, I’d say it was like Gibby Haynes singing in a band with Paul D’Amour (Tool) on bass, a pre-Badmotorfinger Kim Thayill (Soundgarden) on guitar and Keith Moon on drums, with a set arranged by Mr. Bungle or Mars Volta, but even that isn’t entirely accurate. In fact, if I was a psychologist, I’d say they sound like the soundtrack for the exact moment when the voices in someone’s head suddenly instructs them to kill for the first time. It’s a rush of anticipation, anxiety, excitement and lunacy all at once.
But perhaps the real majesty of witnessing Cellos’ debut performance last night was something another witness said to me: “It’s so exciting to see a band’s first performance. I mean, I’ve seen them play in other bands before, but them together, is something new. Seeing something brand new is just so exciting.” These guys have done this before. In different bands, a hundred if not a thousand times before. But seeing them play something new and something fresh for the first time, is something magical. The material is fresh in the audiences ears, not tainted by the memories of shows past by, not blurred by the fact that they’re there to “watch a friend’s band play”, they were there to experience something new by musicians they’d grown to trust.
And judging by the response, Cellos has a bright future ahead of them.
You can catch Cellos next performance opening the show at Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West) when Calgary’s This City Defects comes to town on Monday April 11th (Red Rows is also opening).
The Great Canadian Beaverfest, June 3-5, 2011, Riverfront Amphitheatre, Windsor, Ontario
A few months back, many people were checking their Facebook events invites (those who have discovered where to find them again after the last shuffling of FB guidances) and saw an interesting invite: “The Great Canadian BeaverFest“.
While at first many people where in shock over the name (I’m sure more than one person thought they were being invited to a porn shoot), the event’s true nature soon overshadowed anything that the name itself may have conjured.
It promised to offer Windsor’s first National music festival, showcasing a rich offering of some of Canada’s top national touring musical acts, to be on par with such events as Edgefest, Wolf Island or Lollapalooza, but with one difference – the line-up will be entirely made up of Canadian acts. In a time where Canadian music from all walks are being internationally recognized (from Justin Beiber to Arcade Fire, from Nickelback to Rush, from Anvil to Shad), the time was ripe for a truly all-Canadian showcase to happen.
Enter three determined individuals who hope to put Canadian music – by way of Windsor, Ontario – on the rock and roll road map. BeaverFest is the brainchild of Dave Hunter (founder, The Drive Magazine), Chris Mickle (founder, ProTenders Bartending School) and Ian France (The Rock 100.7 FM), three music fans who hope to showcase to the city and beyond, just how much talent this Great White North has to offer.
The event itself, sponsored by Molson Coors, happens over three days (Friday June 3, Saturday June 4 and Sunday June 5) and will feature various national touring headliners on each of these days. Local vendors will be selling their wares and food samples and local musical acts will be warming up the stages, bringing a taste of Windsor’s music to this great Canadian offering.
The secrecy over the headliners (names such as Sloan, Arcade Fire, Theory of a Deadman, Big Sugar, Nickelback and Crash Karma have been rumoured via various Facebook threads, but nothing has been confirmed by any of those involved) has been on lockdown for months, but this Wednesday night at LOFT Nightclub (20 Chatham St. East), all of the national acts will be announced via the Media Release Party. The event begins at 7pm and will be an interactive party for the rest of Windsor’s community to get actively involved in the inaugural festival.
Vendors – be it food, product or otherwise – will be able to get Vendor packages that will outline what needs to be finalized in order to be a part of it.
And local bands, here’s your chance. Bring your Press Kit to the event for your chance to be chosen as one of the local bands to help warm up this party. Make sure you include everything necessary – a CD, a bio, video (if possible), press clippings, the works. This is going to be a big stage (the first show to happen on the new multi-million dollar Riverfront Amphitheatre) with potentially cross country press coverage. Only those who have the desire and the goods will be selected!
The time has arrived for Windsor’s first national music festival. Are you ready?
The Great Canadian BeaverFest Media Release Party, LOFT Nightclub (20 Chatham St. East), Wednesday March 23rd, 7pm
Last month we told you about MicLordz & Sauce Funky‘s DVD filming show that was going to be a launching pad for them going on tour with a hip hop legend. Well, the filming party was a huge success and they’re now on the road with Sen Dog, one of the MC’s for the legendary hip hop outfit, Cypress Hill.
Sen Dog himself has recently released a video showing that MLSF are doing more than just opening up the shows, they’re now joining Sen Dog as part of it. This clip shows Sen Dog introducing the clip from a recent show in Sandusky, Ohio, where he performed “How I Could Just Kill A Man” with the entire MLSF crew. The song was Cypress Hill’s debut single from 1991 and was also covered by Rage Against The Machine on their covers album, Renegades, and performed live alongside Cypress Hill.
This weekend, The MiLL Tavern (3199 Sandwich St.) will host the 1st Annual Windsor Songwriter’s Festival, a two day event featuring local singer/songwriters sharing their voice and their words, in an intimate setting. From the press release:
The 1st Annual Windsor Songwriter’s Festival is hosted by the Windsor Regional Writers Group of the Songwriters Association of Canada, and in partnership with the Songwriters Association of Canada and with the The Mill Tavern in Old Sandwich Town. The event will feature local songwriters, performing Nashville style, in the round for two shows/night, Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26. A total of seventeen songwriters will perform over both nights. Several of the songwriters in the Windsor Regional Writers Group have received local, national and international awards for their songwriting and several of the songwriters’ record and play their songs with local bands that they are part of. The songs that will be presented encompass many genres, and some cross genres of music from rock, folk, country, jazz and blues.
The Festival itself is free, but donations will be accepted at the door. There are two showcases per evening and, as the press release mentions, it is being done “Nashville-style”. This means that the performers will all be on-stage together in a round, taking turns singing their songs (several of them will be showcasing songs for an upcoming collaborative piece Songs of 1812, a project of the Windsor Regional Writers Group to produce original songs to commemorate the upcoming bicentennial of the War of 1812.
Here’s a list of performers for each group.
FRIDAY MARCH 25
8PM Performers: Phil Poli, Karen Morand, David & Sharon Light and Sue Ferguson
10PM Performers: Peter Boyer (Same Latitude As Rome), Glen MacNeil (ReGael, Celtic Cross), Linda Girard and Adam Gilchrist (Cloverjoy, Caught In The Moss, The Butterfield Gateway).
10PM Performers: Ron Beer, BJ Laub, Deni-gan and Jeremy Coulter (StereoGoesStellar).
Here are some video samples from some of the composers:
Peter Boyer leads one of Windsor’s premiere folk bands, Same Latitude As Rome. His musical blood also resulted in his three daughters – Anneke, Christine and Heather – forming one of Windsor’s most popular bands at the turn of the 2000′s, Anneke’s Star. Here’s Peter performing one of his award winning songs, “The Faerie Queen”. Peter is one of the performers playing during the Friday night 10pm round.
BJ Laub is another voice who tackles various formats. Here’s a video of him covering the Ween song, “Buenos Tardes Amigos” (with guest guitar from another Festival performer, Glen MacNeil). BJ is performing during the 10pm round on Saturday.
Speaking of Glen MacNeil, this transplanted Cape Bretoner has made Windsor his home and songwriting his mission. He leads the Windsor Regional Writer’s Group each month, helping and assisting local songwriters (some veterans, some there for the first time) in honing their words and their dreams. He currently plays in ReGael and previously played in one of Windsor’s most celebrated Celtic bands, Celtic Cross. Here’s a video of Glen performing “Chase Your Dreams”, a song he co-wrote (and co-performs here) with former Celtic Cross bandmate Brian VanderPryt, that was chosen as the official theme song for the Canadian Summer Special Olympics. Glen is performing as part of the Friday night 10pm round.
Adam Gilchrist has been a member of some of Windsor’s most popular indie pop bands over the last decade, stemming back to bands like The Butterfield Gateway, Caught In The Moss and The Golden Hands Before God… before taking a sabbatical from the local music scene. He took some time away to hone his own songwriting and has now returned with a new outfit, Cloverjoy. Adam will be taking part in Friday night’s 10pm round. Here’s a clip showcasing his new sound.
Marty Lowman is a late bloomer on the scene, but he’s making up for lost time, producing his own CDs and playing around on a multitude of stages. His sound ranges from Tom Petty to Leonard Cohen (with a hint of Bruce Cockburn thrown in) for an enjoyable listening experience. Marty is playing in Saturday 8pm round.
Alec Lauziere (known in some circles simply as Alec L) is another rising voice on the singer/songwriter circuit, and he’s part of the Saturday 8pm round. His original tune “Old Man Wyandotte” will be available as a free download on next month’s Free March Windsor Music Sampler right here on the Windsor Zene. In the meantime, here’s a video of Alec covering “Meditation” by the band Ours.
Deni-gan needs no introduction to Windsor Zene readers. She’s been one of our favourite new voices on the scene of late, discussing her shows at Taloola and Milk in recent months, as well as being on the FREE March Windsor Music Sampler (coming soon, right here on the Windsor Zene). Deni-gan (also known as Danielle Haslip) will ber performing as part of Saturday’s 10pm round. Here’s another video, just to give you a taste of what to expect.
Jeremy Coulter has had a monumental amount of success with his indie pop band StereoGoesStellar, playing on stages across Canada, to fans everywhere. Probably the only songwriter listed who plays on the keyboard rather than the guitar, this will be a real treat to see Jeremy stripped down to such an intimate level. He’ll be performing as part of the Saturday 10pm round.
Regardless of what you enjoy, this is a one of a kind festival for Windsor. A chance to watch a diverse array of singer/songwriters of varying levels of notoriety and expertise, mingling together and celebrating in the simple joy of song. It doesn’t get much more intimate than that.
1st Annual Songwriters Festival, The MiLL Tavern (3199 Sandwich St.), Friday March 25 (8pm show, 10pm show) and Saturday March 26 (8pm show, 10pm show), no cover, but donations accepted
It’s been ten years since the release of Ottawa’s Fuck The Facts debut album, Discoing The Dead, was self-released and to celebrate their 10 year anniversary, one of Canada’s premiere grindcore outfits is doing a special club tour of select Canadian cities that have been vital during Fuck The Facts’ musical evolution. Windsor is lucky enough to be one of the cities and they’re returning to the one of the only Windsor stages they’ve ever known in their decade of decimation, the legendary Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level), on Friday March 25.
The release of 2008′s Disgorge Mexico, their second release since signing with respected metal label Relapse Records (Mastodon, Unsane, Death), propelled them to a more mainstream audience, garnering them the cover story in the August 2008 issue of Exclaim! Magazine, Canada’s largest read independent music magazine. Relentless touring have earned Fuck The Facts an entire music media’s respect and attention, to compliment a constantly growing underground legion of metal fans.
Discontent to sit on their laurels, Fuck The Facts released a follow-up untitled EP (since nicknamed the Unnamed EP) last year as well as a live DVD to act as a visual companion for Disgorge Mexico. With their follow-up, entitled Die Miserable, almost upon is, Fuck The Facts is doing a quick tour to pay their own musical homage to their first 10 years as a band and retouch on some sound clips of history that they may never play on stage again.
Fuck The Fact’s founder Topon Das talked to The Windsor Zene’s Jamie Greer about the progress of Die Miserable, what it means to be hitting Windsor on this tour, and a whole lot more, in anticipation of Fuck The Facts return to the Coach & Horses.
Jamie Greer: I suppose first questions first – how’s the progress on Die Miserable and how close are we to having it out?
Topon Das: Definitely won’t be available in Windsor. We’re still in the mixing process now and I’m realistically thinking it’ll be out in the summer. Once the mix is done, we still need to get it mastered and then there’s just a long wait from when it’s completed to when it gets released, so that it can fit into the labels release schedule and they can promote it properly.
Topon Das, Fuck The Facts
Disgorge Mexico really seemed to have vaulted you guys (and gal) to a new level of public awareness. What do you think you can attribute to your loyal (and growing) following?
Maybe because it was our 2nd album out on Relapse or something, but the press, especially in Canada, really gave us a good push when the album was coming out and the response that we got from it also seemed very positive for the most part. We work pretty hard on everything we do in the band and everything from booking to any sort of management is done within the band, so it’s nice to see that people are paying attention. But that being said, we’ve been around for 10 years and when we can get 50 people out to a show, that’s still considered a good night. We probably look more successful in the media than we actually are.
You’ve come a long way from your early “noise” records like Vagina Dancer and Discoing the Dead. Was this musical journey a planned route or did it just kind of dictate itself?
It was planned in the way that I wanted it to dictate itself. The main idea of Fuck The Facts was that it would keep evolving and changing over time. With new musicians adding new ideas and as we all change over the years. I never want us to feel like we have to limit ourselves. We just write music that we like and that we’re stoked on. Obviously, it’s not a receipt for success, but it’s the only way I could keep playing music without getting bored.
Now that a heavier underground band like Fucked Up as won a major award like the Polaris, do you think this gives heavier music more mainstream credit? Does it really matter?
Fuck The Facts on the August 2008 Cover for Exclaim!
It’s nice when people say they like your music and it’s probably nice when you get an award for something, but I wouldn’t know. I’m not really concerned with mainstream credit, so I don’t really pay attention to those things.
Speaking of Fucked Up, only a few bands, such as you two and Holy Fuck, have gotten considerable mainstream press despite having one of the “Seven Words” in your name. Was the expletive intended to create controversy or was it something else entirely?
I wasn’t trying to create controversy or anything like that, I just saw it on a Naked City album and I liked it. Back when we started, it seemed like a lot bigger deal to have ‘fuck’ in your name, but like you said, recently there’s been a few ‘fuck’ bands that have come up and been successful despite that obstacle.
How did the writing for Die Miserable differ from Disgorge Mexico?
Most of Disgorge Mexico was written with just our drummer Vil and I jamming out ideas and putting songs together that way. I wrote most of the music on that album, and he would put the drums to it and help arrange it all. This time around our new bassist really got involved in the writing and Vil (who actually first joined the band as a guitarist) also stepped up his writing. So the writing on Die Miserable is really split evenly between the three of us this time around. As usual, Mel handles almost all the lyrics with a little bit of help from me.
You recently released your first full on DVD for Disgorge Mexico. Why the decision to put out a DVD now?
I had the idea for the DVD when we were recording the album, it just took a really long time to get it all together. Two years after the album release to be exact. There’s a movie part created by David Hall of Handshake inc., which is basically just a visual for the entire album and there’s a live part where we played the whole album from start to finish at our hometown CD release show, which was shot and edited by Nictophobia films. Both guys did an amazing job, so I think it was worth the wait.
Disgorge Mexico (2008), Fuck The Facts
If someone reading this right now hasn’t heard Fuck the Facts yet, what album would you suggest be the perfect kick off point?
They should probably check out the first side of our Unnamed EP, our split with Leng Tch’e or our album Disgorge Mexico.
You guys have played far bigger venues in other cities. what keeps bringing you back to Windsor?
Windsor has always been good to us. That’s one of the reasons we wanted to play there for our 10-year anniversary shows. We’ve been coming playing Windsor since the early days of the band and the people have always been awesome and made us feel at home. I can’t remember the last time we played anywhere besides the Coach. It must be at least five years or something, but honestly, we’ll take a small venue like the Coach over playing a huge stage like the Opera House any day. It’s just how we’re more comfortable and how we can put on the best show.
I know you’re good friends with Scott Funnel from the Coach. What where your feelings when you found out about the injuries he sustained last year?
We were shocked. It’s really horrible that it happened, but I’m glad to hear that he’s been getting better. From what I read, it could have been much worse. I was actually just writing him to book this upcoming show, when I heard about it. It’s gonna be weird playing the Coach and it not being Scott that booked it.
How has the new material played live so far?
Pretty good I think. We’ve been doing 2 new songs, one that’s on the new album, and one that’ll be on the bonus EP that will come with the vinyl version of the new album. The bonus EP song is a bit more straightforward so I can see that it’s easier for people to grab onto without ever hearing it before. The album song has a bit more going on in the dynamics, but it’s been really fun to play live and obviously it’s a better example of what to expect from the new album.
What’s the rest of the plans for 2011?
Mainly, finish this fucking Die Miserable album and get it out. We’re gonna do a tour with KEN Mode in April/May that’ll take us through the Northern US and Western Canada. I’m sure there will be more shows, and maybe another tour or 2 before the end of the year. We’re starting to work on a bunch of new material as well and might do some more recording sessions in our home studio, but nothing solidly planned yet.
So what can Windsor expect this friday?
This show is going to be a part of our 10-year anniversary run of shows. We’re doing a bit of everything from the past 10 years and all in chronological order, from oldest to newest. A lot of these songs we haven’t played in years and won’t be playing again after this weekend.
Fuck The Facts with special guests Mortify, Assassinate The Following, Shinje and Goliath, The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level), 9pm, 19+, $5 at the door.
No shortage of live music in the city tonight! A cavalcade of independent original music is unleashed on the city of Windsor tonight; here’s a quick run down of the evening’s events.
First off we have an early start/all ages show at the Blind Dog as the ‘Turn That Shit Up Tour‘ comes to the city. Featuring Assassinate The Following with opening performances from The Jettison Commitment, Goliath, Hellraiser and We Remain. This show promises to be on of the loudest of the evening with each act bringing a distinct brand of heaviness to the table. Whether it’s the technical precision of Assassinate, the chugging riffs of Goliath or the hardcore punk sound of Hellraiser, this is not one to be missed. Doors open up at 5:30pm.
Later on in the evening get even more technically based metal and punk at The Blind Dog when local outfits Aeron’s Wake, Found Unconscious and Pomegranate Tiger take the stage starting at 11:00pm. Go out and congratulate Pomegranate Tiger for their recent win in the University of Windsor’s ‘Expose Yourself‘ music contest!
Even more heaviness to be had! Down at the Coach & Horses se the likes of Gypsy Chief Goliath, Hammerdown and Reasons Lost. Gypsy Chief Goliath frontman Al ‘Yeti’ Bones has been making some really great moves in the Canadian music scene with the recent formation of the Yeti Agency (See our past article HERE) and playing in one the best bands to pound your fist to doesn’t hurt either. For a fan of the heavy tonight can’t get much better.
On the softer side of things, head to the Milk Coffee Bar and see acoustic performances from to of the city’s brightest young talents: Tony Coates and Zarasutra. Both of these musicians write great emotionally driven songs and have fantastic voices to match! Read our Emerging Artist profile on Zarasutra that we published earlier today by clicking HERE.
Phinally at the Phog Lounge (See what I did there?) see one of Windsor’s longest running veteran acts in The Ten Indians. It’s hard to write anything that hasn’t been said about this fantastic group of musicians, they are easily one the the city’s best honed acts. Tonight the band will be doing something though, live broadcasting their entire performance via the internet, so even if you decide to stay in you can still enjoy some of the Windsor Music Scene’s most revered talent. Opening up the evening is the soulful solo piano stylings of the one and only George Bozanich. Be sure to visit Phog Lounge’s Ustream Channel if you can’t make it out in the flesh.
Tonight the Blind Dog (671 Ouellette Ave) will be struck by the Turn That S#!t Up Tour, where the metal will flow and hair will fly.
Windsor’s own Assassinate The Following…headlines, bringing their enthusiasm for performing and playing, with a sound that takes the heavy brutality of Impending Doom, tosses in some of the infectiousness found in For The Fallen Dreams, and a bit of the guitars from Necrophagist to create a show that will have everyone screaming along as they body slam each other to the relentless grind of heavy metal.
These guys are still touring in support of 2009’s “Massacre of the North” that was recorded right here in Windsor at Spectre Sound Studios and is currently seeing worldwide distribution through CDN Records.
In December 2010 a fifth member, full-time vocalist Brandon Kellam was added to the lineup, and their new recording of “I Once Was” proves what a useful addition he has been. With his emphasis on screaming added to what was already coming from Brandon White and Drew Torok, there is an added dimension and depth that helps to push this band to an even higher level than where they already were.
Having in the past toured with Protest The Hero and Abandon All Ships, on their current jaunt through Quebec and Ontario they are joined by a sound like Big Wig on Cephalic Carnage steroids, known as The Jettison Commitment, out of London, Goliath, and We Remain, another Windsor act that leaves me with the distinct aftertase of End, only a bit more synthy. As an addition to the Windsor Date, Hellraiser joins the bill, bringing in their brand of DIY-flavoured metal to the mix.
The Turn That S#!t Up Tour featuring Assassinate the Following…, The Hettison Commitment, Goliath, Hellraiser, and We Remain, at The Blind Dog (671 Ouellette Ave), March 19, 2011, doors at 5:30, all ages, $6 ADV/$10 Door.
Zara Dureno – who performs under the moniker Zarasutra- is a burgeoning new voice in the city’s singer/songwriter circuit. She’s more frequent at open mics than her own showcases right now, but she has had a few shows under her belt. She’s playing with another popular young talent, Tony Coates, this Saturday night at Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West).
She cites Feist and Cat Power as influences and it’s easy to hear their impact on her delivery; her voice has the strength of Nico and the fragility of Bon Iver. It can be as powerful as it can frail. But her real feel comes from her bloodline. She’s the daughter of Windsor music veteran Colleen “Tex Sin” Dureno, who powered such Windsor outfits as Dead Heat, Tulaine Blacktop and The Hard Liquors, as well as her solo work asHaint Flannery of a See-Saw (written and recorded during a stint in the Appalachians). Anyone that knows Colleen knows her passion for music is nearly unparalleled. She’s a collector of songs, ideas and her drive has taken her across North America. That passion has rubbed off on Zara.
Although she’s barely able to play in the venues themselves, Zara demonstrates a voice that sounds older and more hardened than her age would dictate possible. But she sings like she’s lived, loved and lost for a thousand years.
If you’re a Facebook user (and in this day and age, who isn’t?), I’d recommend checking out some of the songs on her Facebook page music player. I’d recommend a couple of her own – “All I Ever Want” and “Lullaby for a Lover”. And her cover of the Misfits‘ classic “Die, Die My Darling” is perhaps more hauntingly disturbing than Danzig and the boys’ original.
Zarasutra, opening for Tony Coates, Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West), Saturday March 19th, 9:30pm
A long time ago, in a skate park far far away, there was a band named Blurt. They were fun, energetic punk rock that had soundtracked more house parties than Pearl Jam “Ten” did in the early 90′s. The undisputed kings of the all-ages shows, they brought a more mature craftsmanship to a genre known more for its menace and lack of musicality. The Blurt song “Kingston Forever” is still a classic Windsor punk song.
Photo courtesy band's Facebook Page
But for whatever reason – be it timing, or perhaps a desire for something slightly different – Blurt never fully exploded in Windsor’s larger musical spectrum, despite countless out of town shows and a legion of underage die-hard fans. Finally, the band – consisting of Jesse Fellows on vocals and guitar, Joey Acott on bass and Anthony Maniscalco on drums – dissolved.
Fellows and Acott remained musically active together and the itch to write and perform shone through again and they recruited drummer Mat Stewart and create a new beast. The magnificent Shared Arms.
With a new name, their direction and attitude grew. No longer the skate punk of their youth, the songwriting matured closer to Mike Ness of Social Distortion in melody, but still retaining the piss and vinegar that dripped from their brows from their gestation years in Blurt. Like a punk Phoenix from its own ashes, they rose with a punk rock wrecking ball that is as polished as it is dangerous. If Orphan Choir was the punk scene’s Beatles, Shared Arms would have to be its Rolling Stones (Shared Arms are actually share the same label as Orphan Choir, Tragicomedy Records, run by Orphan Choir’s Jim Meloche and Shared Arms’ Acott).
Still playing in support of last year’s Ill Sessions, Shared Arms has been gaining the praise of the national music media as well, with a glowing review for their latest record by Exclaim! Magazine, Canada’s premiere independent music magazine. Reviewer Aaron Zorgel called the release “a collection of extremely impressive, diverse, interesting and inventive punk songs” and that the band “are one of the best active punk bands in Canada”. Zorgel went on to conclude that Shared Arms “are skate punk revival that will show even the most jaded ’90s punk fans that this music still has a place in the Canadian punk scene.”
Here’s a fan video taken from the last time they played Phog. A packed house.
Well, Shared Arms returns to Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West) this Sunday night for what seems to be yet another great Sunday showcase at Phog Lounge (with recent success with Rah Rah and the upcoming Rural Alberta Advantage). For those of us who have Mondays off, it’s nice to have a great option for live music on a Sunday night.
As you can see by the video, their shows get full. And this Sunday’s special early show (it’s all-ages, so it has to be over by 11pm) will be starting at 9pm (doors are around 8pm) with a $5 cover.
They’re being joined by a couple of touring bands, Everyone Everywhere – a pop-punk band from Vancouver – and Winnipeg’s The All Night.
Shared Arms with special guests Everyone Everywhere and The All Night, Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West), Sunday March 20th, all-ages, 8pm (show starts at 9pm sharp, over at 11pm), $5 at the door
Gypsy Chief Goliath – Elephant in the Room (The Windsor Zene Sampler – December 2010)
Assassinate the Following – The Sweet Taste of Nothing (Massacre of the North – 2009)
The Jetttison Commitment – Bloodsport (Demo – 2010)
Ten Indians – Angelique (The Severed Head of Something Beautiful – 2000)
Shared Arms – Zavits (Unreleased Jams – 2009)
The Polkadelics – Quit Your Bitchin’ (One Step Over the Line – 2002)
Contradance – Trouble In The Darkness (Black Preppies – 1981)
Kildare Trio – Words Tell Me Why (Seraphim – 1996)
If you missed the show, you can still always download it.
Last Friday I found out last minute about a show that I geeked out for – The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. I couldn’t believe these guys were coming to Windsor and I hadn’t heard about it, but late is better than after. The show was put on by the Canada South Blues Society, and took place at The Oasis Lounge at The Place Concorde on Forest Glade Drive. The show was opened by Big B and the Magic Bullets, who were great traditional blues. The Rev and his band consisting of steel guitar, a wasboard, and an eight-gallon bucket floor tom were as entertaining as I remember from previous shows, where they opened for Flogging Molly, and then Reel Big Fish on The Vans Warped Tour last year. These guys are a riot, and will be back in town for The International Blues Fest 2011. Be sure to check them out. And the show’s review.
Saturday I visited The Blind Dog for The Classix EP release show. The Greatest Invention and We Can be Heroes played as well, and it was quite a party. After the pop and pop-punk openers, The Classix took the stage and things really got going. A great stage presence and tunes with a heavy party-vibe made for one hell of a good time. I like the direction these guys are headed in. If you’re curious about the full EP, try the review that was posted earlier this week, and maybe the show wrap-up.
The upcoming show that I’m most psyched for is the “Turn That Shit Up Tour” featuring Assassinate the Following,The Jettison Commitment, Goliath, Hellraiser, and We Remain. The show is happening Saturday, March 19th at The Blind Dog. It’s all ages, $10 advance/$12 at the door, doors open at 5:30, show at 6:30. The night will be thrashy, heavy, and I anticipate hair and horns everywhere. In other words – magical.
If you’re of the sort who likes The Vans Warped Tour, or just to support local musicians, there’s an opportunity to indulge your fancies. The 15th annual Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands competition is in full swing, and a number of Windsor bands are looking to play shows in Detroit, Montreal, and Mississauga. All the information and necessary links to start you on your quest have been compiled here, so get steppin’.
Here’s hoping you’re not too hungover from last night (Yes. You did drink that much.) to hit up a great Friday night in the Windsor music scene.
At the Phog Lounge check out Burlington’s Sandman Viper Command. This indie rock four piece has been getting all sorts of attention since the release of their debut album Everybody See This. To record the album, the band holed up in a barn outside of Hamilton, Ontario for six months obsessively writing and compulsively jamming. The end product is album that captures the band’s raw sound and garnered them critical praise, comparisons to Sloan and opening slots for great Canadian acts like Holy Fuck, The Arkells and Rural Alberta Advantage. This summer sees the band touring heavily in support of the release and a slot on this year’s Edgefest.
Some Windsor based musician out and about around town this evening to! At the Coach & Horses hear music from a slew of local talent which includes Acousticfire, The Nefidovs, Paul Adams, Monequai Moon. This diverse bill has a little something for everyone; and with the night being dubbed the ‘St.Patrick’s Day Hangover Party’ ecpect these acts to keep the party going from last night well into tomorrow. For a quieter but fun filled night you can head down to Walkerville for the Semi-Spontaneous Accordion Show at the Taloola Cafe. “Have a shot or three of espresso, and use the burst of energy that gives you to dance around, stomp your feet and clap your hands to the beats and squeals being squeezed out of the pearly accordion by Taloola’s own Kate Romain.” Definitely something a little different for your ears and the only show in Windsor tonight that doesn’t have a guitar player front and centre. This show has an earlier start at 8:00pm.
