The Windsor Scene with Lauren Hedges

Lauren Hedges

The playlist for Wednesday, April 27, 2011;

Trish Wales – Holding You (Single – 2010)

Shared Arms – Zavits (Unreleased Jams – 2009)

Wayfarer – Arts and Warcrafts (Our Fathers – 2010)

The Decay – That Street (This Month’s Rent – 2009)

Devilz By Defintion – A Gram Short 20 (Windsor Zene February Sampler – 2011)

The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles – Hidin’ in the Bushes (Windsor Zene December Sampler – 2010)

Gypsy Chief Goliath – Elephant in the Room (Windsor Zene December Sampler – 2010)

Pitch Union – Yeah (Windsor Zene January Sampler – 2011)

Surdaster – The Truth (Acoustic) (Surdaster Live – 2006)

Anonymous Bosch – Offspring Back in the Race (Anonymous Bosch – 2010)

The Vaudevillanaires – Your Filthy Swagger (Race Hell) (From The Tank – 2011)

Weirdonia – 1960’s Antique Clock (Jarritolum – 2010)

Awake to a Dream – Tainted (EP – 2011)

High Mother – Not For Another Day (Gotta Get Love – 2011)

Dave Russell – Rocking Chair (Unnatural Disaster – 2010)

Hammerdown – Burn it Down (EP – 2011)

Desertion – Love, Hate, Homicide (Welcome to Nothing – 2009)

The song that opened today’s show, “Holding You” by Trish Wales is a cover of a song originally written by Tim McDonald, who was last week’s guest on the show. A big thanks to both Tim and Trish for providing that some for me to spin today. Here’s another of  Trish’s songs for you to check out;

Last Friday’s The Creepshow concert at The Blind Dog was everything that I could have hoped for. EVL, The Fourjury, and The Locusts Have No King all did a fabulous job opening the show and showing our guests just what Windsor has to offer musically. Punk, alt-country, and roots-rock bands that got the crowd warmed up for some wild psychobilly. To get all the details, and see some pretty rad shots, read the article.

On Saturday Inferno Fest went down on both stages of The Blind Dog. I hungout for a little while, liked some of what I saw, didn’t like some of it. Things were running behind, as would be expected – but by about an hour and a half? (I personally found this to be a bit excessive). There were also perhaps some organizational matters I might have handled differently, but I host a radio show, not concerts, so what do I know? All of those in attendance seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the bands as well, and that’s really what matters.

Coming up this Friday at FM Lounge is the High Mother CD release show with Curbside Sofa. These guys released a demo last year, which I was definitely impressed by, and the quick listen that I gave to their full-length leaves me with the same impression. This show is probably one to check out, and the band one to follow.

In another massive event of Windsor talent, this Saturday sees downtown taken over by the Songs for Sangha event, where bands are donating their performances to help raise money for Sangha Human Services Inc, a charity looking to help battle poverty in Windsor-Essex. There will be performances from fourteen local groups at three venues, starting around 10pm. There is a $5 suggested donation at the door, and raffles at each venue with tickets going for $5 each or 3 for $10. There will be a more in depth look at the event posted soon, so keep an eye out for that.

Tune in next week to The Windsor Scene on CJAM 99.1 FM between 5 and 6:30 for more on the city’s musical culture.

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?

Fri. April 22: The Creepshow brings psychobilly back to Windsor

Burlington’s The Creepshow haven’t played Windsor since a stop at the University of Windsor in 2008, but they’ve hardly slowed down. In fact they spent much of 2010 touring North America and all across Europe in support of their latest album, 2010’s They All Fall Down. They’ve toured 25 countries, played with such bands as Rancid, Anti-Flag, Tiger Army, Agnostic Front and Mad Sin, were named Best Live Band by Toronto’s Edge 102 radio station, are signed to Hellcat Records (owned by Rancid’s Tim Armstrong and Bad Religion’s Brett Gurewitz) and in 2009 were named “one of the top bands you need to know about” by Alternative Press. These guys (and gal) are the real deal when it comes to straight ahead punk infused rockabilly.

Fronted by Sarah “Sin” Blackwood (who replaced her sister Jen “Hellcat” Blackwood during her pregancy in 2007 on a temporary stint that has since turned permanent) on vocals and guitar, and backed capably by Sean “Sickboy” McNab (formerly of the legendary Jersey) on bass, The Reverend McGinty on keys, and drummer Matt “Pomade” Gee (who also drums in Rehab For Quitters), The Creepshow has exploded over the past few years, routinely attracting huge crowds on their European quests and hitting major festivals in North America like Vans Warped Tour.

The Creepshow make their downtown Windsor debut this Friday night at The Blind Dog (671 Ouellette Ave.) in what is sure to be a high octane show of rockabilly, psychobilly and local roots rock.

Opening the show are two of Windsor’s local roots rock outfits, The Locusts Have No King and The FourJury. The Locusts Have No King have been somewhat quiet of late, working feverishly on their next record, the follow up to 2010’s Come On, Come All EP. They’ve been one of Windsor’s most beloved and respected acts since David Dubois built this project from the demise of his prior band, Theory of Everything several years ago. Adding bassist Paul Loncke (The Scarecrows, Years of Ernest) and guitarist Leigh Wallace (The Butterfield Gateway, Caught in the Moss, Years of Ernest) strengthened his already mighty chops and final pieces Tara Watts on guitar and vocals and drummer Joey DesRoches (ASK, Rose City, Years of Ernest) completed the line-up prior to the last offering. Bringing a Drive-By Truckers feel to his Windsor alt. country rock, Dubois and the rest of the Locusts have been one of Windsor’s finest musical exports as well, touring as far as Montreal and back, to great acclaim.

The FourJury is the new name for the amalgamated project featuring the reuniting of original Hung Jury vocalist Jamie Greer (The Vaudevillianaires, The Golden Hands Before God, Magic Hall of Mirrors) with his former Hung Jury bandmates Kelly Nicholls, Eryk Myskow (Eric Welton Band, ASK), and Bradford Helner (who had some notoriety in the national rockabilly circuit as the drummer in Michigan’s Twistin’ Tarantulas), who originally carried on post-Greer as FourLetterWord, with bassist/guitarist Gary Van Lare (Surdaster). Now called The FourJury, they’ve already played with bands such as Grady, The Benito Band and New Country Rehab, and it was The Hung Jury who played with The Creepshow their prior two stops in Windsor.

Sickboy (Creepshow), Greer (FourJury), Nicholls (FourJury), Sarah Sin (Creepshow), Myskow (FourJury) and Pomade (Creepshow) at St. Clair College post-gig, 2007

At press time, another local opener, Motorcity Headrush had to pull out of the show and another local is being added before showtime.

Advance tickets are $12 (although members of The Locusts Have No King and The FourJury are selling them for $10) and it’s $15 at the door, for what is sure to be a freewheel burning night of raucous and roll downtown.

The Creepshow with special guests The Locusts Have No King, The FourJury and TBA, The Blind Dog (671 Ouellette Ave.), Friday April 22, 8pm, 19+