The Scene With Lauren Hedges

Matthew James Rideout – Do Not Change, Please!! (Single – 2011)

Big Daddy ‘A’ & The Merves – I’m The Rug (We Stole Your Wallet – 1997)

Buckcherry – Broken Glass (15 – 2006)

Explode When They Bloom – Smoke Across the Dawn (The Ugly – 2010)

Tony Coates – The Truth (Demo Tracks – 2011)

I Am 3^rd – Where Are You Now? (Live – 2010)

Orphan Choir – Broken Strings (Everything in Past Tense – 2011)

The Nefidovs – Mind of the Mob (Set Faces to Stunned – 2011)

The Vaudevillianaires – Rock’N’Roll Bitch (MagBasts Demo – 2011)

The Locusts Have No King – Anna’s Smoke (The Locusts Have No King – 2007)

Richy Nix – Moving On (Light Years – 2011)

D12 – How Come (D12 World – 2004)

The Expansion Family – E’ry Body Knows (Abstract Expansion – 2011)

Academy – Perfection (Loyalty is Limited – 2007)

Faithful Unto Death – Calling the Nations to Account (Coming Home – 2011)

Betrayer – Partaker of Evil (Shadowed Force EP – 2005)

TON – The Rest (Going Places – 2011)

Shortcut to Last – Bubbles Galore (Two Minutes in Heaven – 2011)

Algernon Blackwood Sabbath – Vespers (Forest Hall – 2011)

This week is an insane one for last minute shows.

First, Big Daddy ‘A’ & The Merves decide on a rather impromptu reunion at Phog on Tuesday, and then on Friday,  fate gets The Brains stuck in town while waiting for some bureaucracy to finish up. But hey, that’s cool! The last psychobilly show in Windsor was The Creepshow at The Blind Dog back in April, which was pretty awesome. This time Villains gets to host, and as it happens to coincide with a costume party, even better!

A two-day stag and doe for Nicole and Jarrod, the Coach’s bartender and sound guy, respectively, happens over Friday and Saturday, and includes some wicked sweet bands like Fiftywatthead, Poughboy, and Gypsy Chief Goliath.  All monies go towards Nicole and Jarrod’s wedding, so it’s nice to be able to help out with that while enjoying some fine tunage.

It’s also a great weekend for the more hip hop inclined, with shows by Richy Nix (at Untouchables on Saturday) and D12 with The Expansion Family and Academy at The Blind Dog that night as well.

For more shows, or more details on shows, there’s always TWZ’s Live Calendar and Weekly Roundup.

I am very excited for next week’s show, as the boys from Weirdonia will be joining me in the studio to hangout, play tunes,  and just be generally strange. Tuning in is strongly advised.

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.

The Rock Is On at FM Lounge

Lauren Hedges

Amidst the plethora of shows going on for your viewing and listening pleasure this Friday, there will be some rock at FM Lounge (156 Chatham St. W.) that promises to be a grand ol’ time.

Brothers Randy and Bob Samrah (formerly of Focal Point) and bassist Jeff Meloche (formerly of Ictus) together are known as the alternative rock group SixtyFirstSecond. On their debut EP, released in 2009 and titled “An Introduction to Insight” you’ll find well-polished tracks that make you nod your head and hum along, and they’ll be stuck in your head for hours after.

Joining them are the equally memorable Awake to a Dream, who are experimentally and progressively another alternative rock group. Their sound is a bit more rough around the edges, the kind of grit that popularized a lot of the music you listened to in the 90’s. It’s blended with blues and rock in a way to create songs that manage to be catchy without being annoying. And sometimes the bassist plays ukulele, which is pretty awesome.

One of the most eclectic bands happening in the city right now, Weirdonia will also be making an appearance. Can and Cam, previously of acts such as Slitback and The Sagas of Why Guy have been playing shows under the current moniker since 2009. Their songs range from bluesy to funky to dancy, always with a punk flavour, the kind you’ll find in a suburban garage.

To round out the evening we have the relatively new group, Silver Glory. They played a few weeks back alongside Anonymous Bosch and Jonas & The Massive Attraction, and their set was a definite hit. A sound rich with layers, very Rush-esque at times, and backed by some strong vocals, these boys won’t make you want to mosh, but it’s guaranteed you’ll be paying attention to their entire set.

This show is happening Friday, April 8, 2011 at FM Lounge (156 Chatham St. W, next to Pogo’s) it starts at 9 pm, is 19+, and there is no cover.

January 2011 Windsor Zene FREE Music Sampler

Continuing with our December Music Sampler (dedicated to December’s FunnelFest), we are proud to unveil our second monthly music sampler for you download, FREE of charge (compliments of the Windsor Zene and, more importantly, the bands and musicians involved).

We are looking to release a 12-14 song FREE music sampler every month, showcasing some of the best this area has to offer in original music. There are no genre guidelines and we encourage any local musicians to submit a track to windsorzene@gmail.com – please include production credits (producer, studio used, etc.) as well as writing credits, etc. All genres welcomed, from folk to death metal, from hip hop to rock.

January’s sampler features a preview of Poughboy‘s upcoming opus, The End of Men, the title track from Dave Russell‘s new EP Unnatural Disaster, a rare unreleased track from Vultures!, a glimpse at a new supergroup in Windsor called NeanderTHRALL (featuring members of The Heat Seeking Moisture Missiles and Gypsy Chief Goliath), as well as some entries from some great new talent such as Beijing Bike Club, Awake To A Dream, Weirdonia and Falling With Glory. Singer/songwriters Crissi Cochrane (who relocated here from Halifax, Nova Scotia last year) and Daniyal Malik (who previously fronted the band Allusion) lead off the sampler, which also features songs from veteran metal outfits Pitch Union and Tyburn Tree. Rounding out the rest of the sampler are a new track from Britpop inspired Bombs (lead by Ryan Yoker) and a gorgeous track from Luna Borealis, a side project featuring Jason Testawich from Surdaster.

Download your FREE January music sampler today (and spread the gospel!). December’s sampler is also still available!

Windsor/Essex musicians and bands who wish to be featured on upcoming sampler releases: Send one high quality .mp3 or .wav file to windsorzene@gmail.com. We can’t guarantee the month your track will appear, as they are taken first come first serve, but they will eventually be released. All genres welcomed and encouraged. The Windsor Zene is releasing these samplers FREE of charge and are not collecting any residuals from the release of these samplers. They are designed to encourage people to try out new music from their hometown.