The Windsor Scene with Lauren Hedges

Lauren Hedges

First things first, the playlist from this week’s installment of The Windsor Scene, also available as a download.

Dave Russell – Toys (Unnatural Disaster – 2010)

Fresh Breath – Speed of Sound (The Speed of Sound – 2010)

Jordan Dollar – Flight (Move Forward II – 2010)

Acousticfire – Sorry Old Man (The Windsor Zene Sampler February – 2011)

Goliath – Facebreaker (Funweiser EP – 2011)

Assassinate the Following… – Sinful Beginnings (Assasinate the Following…)

Fuck The Facts – Fingers with Candy Tips (Collection of Splits 2000-2004 – 2005)

Tony Coates – Beautiful (2010)

Anonymous Bosch – Death, Metal, and Blues (Anonymous Bosch)

Awake to a Dream – Tainted (2011)

ATM – Crusty Barnacle (ATM/Gnarlie Murphy Split – 2010)

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?

Awake to a Dream, Tony Coates, and Shortcut to Last are rad for supplying their music after I asked for it. Thanks for helping to build the show, and CJAM’s local library!

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 Night in 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 Cellos in 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 25^th 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?

Fri. Feb. 11: Tony Coates, Mary Allan and Den-Igan at Milk

Tony Coates has sure come a long way in the past year. I remember seeing him a year or so back playing at Open Mic at Phog, wondering who this new voice was. He had a deft soulful storyteller tone in his performance, like a deeper Bright Eyes, and people in the room were just captivated.  I knew it was only a matter of time before his voice caught on around the scene. He’s now playing regular gigs around town – he opened for Austin, Texas via Winnipeg roots outfit Twilight Hotel last month at Phog – as well as shows at Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West), where Tony will be performing. His latest song posting”So High” shows a far more Jacksoul side of Coates than the usual Ben Harper/Jack Johnson fare he started out as – it will be nice when he finally gets a full band together and some of his songs are finally fully realized.

Also on the bill is newcomer Mary Allan, whose voice and talent have landed her the hosting duties of Milk’s Tuesday night Open Mic. Drawing on inspirations like Bon Iver and Broken Social Scene, she’s only going to get stronger with the right shows and crowds. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that Coates and Allan will be performing together as well.

Opening the show is another face of the future for Windsor’s singer/songwriter circuit (and beyond) Den-Igan Haslip – and I must say, if you haven’t heard her yet, you’re in for a treat. She’s the latest in a line of Windsorite roots troubadours like Ron Leary, Tara Watts and David Dubois. She has an organic feel like Sarah Harmer or Kathleen Edwards, but somehow with a little more edge despite almost sounding more fragile. Check out the song “Pancakes, No Heart Aches” to get a sample of her story.

If you’re looking for a quiet night of stories and laughs and a moments to reflect, this just might be the best place in Windsor to be on Friday night. If nothing else, it’s an intimate showcase featuring three of the brightest young talents in the next generation of local musicians and songwriters.

Tony Coates & Mary Allan, with special guest Den-Igan Haslip, Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West), 9pm, $3 cover

Thurs. Jan. 27: Twilight Hotel (Austin, TX) with Tony Coates (Windsor, ON) at Phog Lounge

This Thursday marks the return of Twilight Hotel to Phog Lounge. Although billed as being from Austin, Texas (where the couple does indeed now live), they originally hail from Winnipeg, Manitoba. These rootsy Americana sounding folks have made it a point to continually return to Windsor on every tour (and specifically Phog Lounge) due to the warm reception they’ve always received playing our fair city. They’re currently on tour in support of their latest album, When The Wolves Go Blind. Here’s the video for the same titled first single:

Opening the show is a real up and comer from Windsor’s singer/songwriter circuit, Tony Coates. A superbly talented musician with a powerful voice, Tony is gearing up a full band for this show, which will be exciting to see. If this new single is any indication, he could be evolving into the new Jacksoul…

Twilight Hotel with special guests The Tony Coates Band, Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West) $5 cover at the door, 19+ show, Thursday January 27th.