The Windsor Scene with Lauren Hedges

Lauren Hedges

This week’s playlist, excluding live performances;

Brenda Eyler – Dream with Me (Dream with Me – 2008)

Crissi Cochrane – Coming Home (Darling, Darling – 2010)

Luna Borealis – Bed Bugs Inn (The Windsor Zene January Sampler – 2011)

Goliath – What Happened Last Night (Funweiser EP – 2011)

Assassinate the Following… – Death Row (Massacre of the North – 2009)

Desertion – From here to Oblivion ( Welcome to Nothing – 2009)

Tyburn Tree – Arch Stanron (Parliament of Trees – 2008)

Tim McDonald – Stand Tall (Somehow, Somewhere – 2007)

The Creepshow – Demon Lover (Run For Your Life – 2008)

The Locusts Have No King – Last Night In My Favourite Bar and The Repurcussions Thereof (Come One, Come All – 2010)

EVL – Out of Reach (I’ll Keep Mine EP – 2009)

Monique Belanger – Through Yellow Fields (The W Music Compilation – 2008)

This week I was joined in the studio by local songwriter, performer, and paramedic, Timmy McDonald. Tim’s songs have been covered by other artists, and the song that opened the show, “Dream with Me” performed by Brenda Eyler, is a cover of one of Tim’s songs from his 2007 release, “Somehow, Somewhere”. Tim also is set to play at numerous Relay for Life Cancer Fundraising events across Ontario, and is recording a song just for others that he cannot make it out to. He will shortly be travelling to Nashville where he will play various songwriter shows at popular venues including The Commodore Lounge. A name that you might not have heard before, Tim McDonald is nonetheless a figure in our local music scene, and someone I am happy to have had on my show. Keep an eye out for a new release from Tim in the coming months.

Here is a video of Tim playing at Rymer Hall in Nashville. For the anecdote behind the video, listen to today’s archive.

Last Thursday I attended a punkrock show at The Coach and Horses, featuring local and out of town bands. It was certainly something. After hearing and enjoying Suppressulant recordings, it was great to finally hear them play. There’s just something about oldschool, dirty, DIY punk that gets me every time. The Rowley Estate performed as well as always, with great stage antics and catchy songs that stray near to the realm of pop-punk. Playing their second show ever, Repetitions are only getting better. All the way from Boston, Pious Dogs had a bumpy start, dealing with a damaged snare stand, but they overcame that and got things moving with some rough and traditional punk that was nothing overly remarkable, but with guitars that were far too loud. I don’t even want to talk about The Swabs! If you’re looking for further explanation on any of this, there’s always the WindsoriteDOTca article.

I’m so excited for Friday that I can hardly contain myself. Psychobilly/Horrorpunk quartet The Creepshow return to Windsor for the first time since I was in like, grade ten. So it’s been a while. This is going to kick copious amounts of ass. Joining them will be new collaborative act The Fourjury, local indie-roots outfit The Locusts Have No King, and EVL, who need no further introduction. The best place to pick up tickets for this one is from Mr. Jamie Greer over at The Manchester Pub, who will supply them to you for only ten dollars. No joke. Go get one.

Saturday is an intense day for metal, with both Inferno Fest at The Blind Dog and The Heavy Diversity Show at  The Coach and Horses. Inferno boasts 19 bands on two stages, raging for eleven and a half hours, all for only $10 if you go out and get yourself an advance ticket. The Heavy Diversity show features local favourites Weapon of Choice, blues-metallers Tyburn Tree, prog-rockers Perpetuate (coming from their gig at Inferno) and a band you should know, After Ashes. This one starts at 9, is 19+, and costs $5 at the door.

A great big thanks for Timmy McDonald for coming in today, he was a pleasure to have and I can’t wait to have him back.

Which local band or artist would you like to hear next on The Windsor Scene?

The Windsor Scene With Lauren Hedges

Let’s kick it off with the setlist from this week’s edition of The Windsor Scene;

Shortcut to Last – This Isn’t Over (I Know You’re Not One for Serious Situations – 2010)

Stereos – Attitude (Uncontrollable – 2010)

The Classix – Nothin’ to Lose (Live What You Love EP – 2011)

The Tragedy of Mariam – C;imb Up On The Kiosk (The W Music Compliation – 2008)

Suppressulant – People Like You (Powercore – 2010)

The Snips – Tired Tires (Do You Remember When Punk Rock Was For Fun? – 2010)
Orphan Choir – Burning Ash Again (Everything in Past Tense – 2010)

Odium – It Gets Cold (At The Bottom – 2009)

Dreams Destruction – Blighted (Dream Destruction EP)

Dismata – March of the Ignorant/Deadhorse (Understand – 2008)

Allison Brown – Magpie (Everything That Shined – 2005)

Erin Gignac – Not Tonight (Erin Gignac – 2002)

Julie Kryk – Fate’s Hands (Beyond the Moon, Beyond the Rain – 1999)

George Manury – MilesDavidKindaBlueSundayMorningRain (From The Tank – 2010)

Leighton Bain – Saint Vincent (Oh Alaska – 2010)

Ron Leary – Miles (Dependent Arising – 2010)

Gobble Gobble – Skin of Prohpets (Neon Graveyard – 2009)

Dstruct.O – Death Machine (Drumstep EP02 – 2011)

I certainly had fun with this week’s playlist, as might have been evidenced by my inane chattering. (Some people apparently were wondering what I was on when doing this show. I assure you, it was nothing but sunshine) The set list was also apparently helpful to Maggie, a listener who hadn’t been enjoying her day too much until she tuned in. Glad to have been able to help her out there.

I’d also like to say “Thanks!” to the guys from Odium. At their show on the weekend, (which was stellar by the way, you should be sad if you missed it) they provided me with a  copy of their album, which I played a song off of today and have been jamming to all week. It’s great stuff, if you like metal, check these guys out for sure, and if you don’t like metal, check them out anyhow. You’ll still probably like it.

The rest of that show, Goliath, Reasons Lost, Deathpoint, and Weapon of Choice, was all awesome as well, my favourite show at The Coach, recently. Good vibes and good times all around.

Upstairs that night, FM Lounge hosted Weirdonia, Silver Glory, SixtyFirstSecond, and Awake to a Dream. Everyone there did a great job as well, things were a bit more laid back but just as fun. I had a blast listening to Weirdonia, (and they were just cool guys) Silver Glory was impressive yet again, Awake to a Dream sounded the best I’ve heard them, and SixtyFirstSecond were better live than even their recordings had me prepared for. An all around good time.

Although trying to bounce back and forth between the two shows was too much like work; I might not try that again soon.

This week, go to The Coach on Thursday night for punk rock in the form of Suppressulant, The Rowley Estate, Repetitions, Pious Dogs, and The Swabs! It’ll get rowdy, I’m sure, but what better things do you have to do on a Thursday night?

Be sure to tune in next week between 5 and 6:30, I’ll have local musician Tim McDonald in the studio with me answering questions and playing live. Who is this guy, do you ask? Someone you should be familiar with. A paramedic for Windsor and Essex County, Tim also plays at multiple Relay for Life events all over the place, travels to Tennessee to perform and help with song writing panels and workshops, and has his music covered by numerous artists, some of whom you’ve probably even heard of. So listen in next week to learn more about Tim, and hear some live performances.

Sat. Feb. 12: London Calling! Disleksick & co. invade the Coach

One thing that’s always made me curious is why Windsor and London’s music scenes haven’t cross pollinated more. I know if you were to go by the OHL you’d think there was a terrible dislike with the two nearby cities, but I can’t see that carrying into something like a music scene. In fact, apart from the odd singer/songwriter exchange, the scene that seems to cross over the most are the most extreme.

This time around, it’s London’s turn to send the goods and they’re being delivered to the legendary Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo’s) and it’s in the form of grindcore/noise band Disleksick. They may not be the noisiest group I’ve ever heard, but they may be the most ambitious. Between split 7″ records, split CD singles and split cassettes (??), Disleksick released a staggering 51 (yes, fifty one) recordings in the last year. From what you can listen to online, the recordings are pretty rudimentary, but I think this may have been done intentionally. I’m sure if they had more money they may be a tad crisper, but I think the DIY quality adds an element of horror to it – like recording in black and white (and with a shakey Blair Witch camera). It’s effect in what it adds.

Although after listening to the recordings online of another of the London bands coming down, The Syndrome, I’m inclined to think there’s a shortage of either a) studios or b) friends who have GarageBand. The recordings are still totally DIY here and it’s starting to make me feel nostalgic. It’s the kind of thrash that in the ’80s made you question your genruality – was it punk or metal? I always thought that about DRI. These guys would do well with Windsor’s own The Heat Seeking Moisture Missiles. That kind of musical brutality. That “neck sore for days later” kind.

The third London act is the instrumental power metal of Cadmium. These guys are definitely more melodic driven than the other two, but they’re still metal. Think Iron Maiden without any vocals and you’re in the ball park. They’ll be a great middle set act to catch to your metal chops fill before the chaos erupts with the last two bands.

Opening the bill is Windsor’s Suppressulant, one of the last remaining hardcore bands in the city. By hardcore, I mean like in Minor Threat or searchingforchin, not Alexisonfire. These guys spit aggression like broken teeth after a curby.

Disleksick, The Syndrome, Cadmium and Suppressulant, The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo’s), Saturday February 12, 9pm