Sunday, March 29, 2009

WEEK IN PREVIEW: March 30 - April 5, 2009


A somewhat quieter week for live music in Windsor (after last week's monumental amount of great shows, it's nice to have a breather), but some great shows none the less! Here's a quick look at what's to come...

Monday March 30


The Milkmen
Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West)
Another night of chillaxin' at Milk with the sultry improv jazz sessions of the Monday Milkmen.

Open Mic Surgery with Tara Watts
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
The always delightful Tara Watts hosts an eclectic open mic session on Phog's stage. For the first-timer to the stage veteran, you never know who will show up and sing a song.

Open Mic with Clinton Hammond
The Kildare House (1880 Wyandotte St. East)
Windsor's longest running Open Mic continues along without any signs of showing down! The charismatic Clinton Hammon runs the gauntlet of the Open Mic - sing a song, tell a joke, the stage is open!

Tuesday March 31

ALL-AGES: Rockin' Off The Grid featuring
The Tree Streets, Inoke Errati, Trevor Cox and Justin Alexander
The Basement Pub, University of Windsor (in basement of CAW Student Centre)
This free All-Ages event is a one of a kind event here in Windsor and perhaps something other festivals or showcases should look at as a model. From the press release: "The bands will play with 1,000 amps of power, which will be delivered by pedaling cyclists on stationary bikes and a green energy trailer donated by http://windsorpowerhouse.com . The trailer is equipped with wind-turbines and solar panels. This will be the first Canadian concert that is completely off the grid; a demonstration of alternative energy and its many applications." Chalk up another first for the Windsor music scene! Doors are at 8pm and this is an all-ages event.

Ron Leary & "Mr. Chill" Kelly Hoppe
Aardvark's Blues Cafe (89 University Ave. West)
Ron Leary and Mr. Chill play a smattering of songs, with some choice covers mixed in with songs from Leary's brilliant debut CD, theroadinbetween, and Mr. Chill's fantastic Cold Testament.

The Last Trio
The FM Lounge (156 Chatham St. West)
Alan Penner leads a rotating cast of some of the city's finest players through jazz interpretations and beyond.

Clare Renaud's Session
The Kildare House (1880 Wyandotte St. East)
A real traditional Celtic feel to this impromptu jam session that has all the flair of a Cape Breton house party. You never know who's going to stop by with what instrument and play what song. And the beer ain't half band neither.

Open Mic with Stefanie Sarafianos
The Mill Tavern (3199 Sandwich St.)
One half of the sisterly duo Twisted Sisters, Stephanie leads a cast of musicians of all types of experience each week on the West end.

Open Mic with Andrew MacLeod
The Dominion House (3140 Sandwich St.)
Andrew MacLeod leads another Open Mic on the West end, showcasing many of the city's finest songwriters and drinkers.

Tuesday Night Music Club with Jamie Reaume

Twig N' Berries (2135 Wyandotte St. East)
The Golden Eagles' Jamie Reaume leads an all-star cast of local musicians through one of the city's wildest Open Mac jam sessions.

Wednesday April 1

Daren Dobsky & Josh Zalev

Aardvark's Blues Cafe (89 University Ave. West)
Dobsky and Zalev lead an occassional all-star ensemble through a series of covers, from Led Zeppelin to Jeff Buckley, rock and roll to the blues.

Kenneth MacLeod & The Windsor Salt Band
The Dominion House Tavern (3140 Sandwich St.)
Kenneth MacLeod is a one-man musical wrecking crew. His talent is overwhelming and his intensity equally so. A variety of music, from East Coast to contemporary, with a supporting cast featuring Max Marshall on bass and Sally Zori on drums.

Thursday April 2

The Windsor Scene on CJAM 91.5 FM
Randi Irving continues to host the on-air version and multi-JAMMY Award winning companion to "The Windsor Scene", each and every Thursday evening from 6pm to 7pm, on CJAM 91.5 FM, Windsor's Campus and Community Radio Station. Hear tracks from some of Windsor's current musical stars as well as nuggets from the vault, not to mention live interviews and peformances!

The Peace Leeches, Death or Comber and The Mindframes
The Whiskey (300 Ouellette Ave., below A-Channel)
A great local indie showcase of three great up and coming bands from the local scene. The Peace Leeches (who are actually from Blenheim) have been building quite a local following with a series of inspired electro-pop live spectaculars the past year, while Death or Comber has been building quite a following after only a short time together. The Mindframes are another local supergroup, featuring local singer/songwriter Andrew MacLeod as well as Paul Loncke (The Locusts Have No King, ex-The Scarecrows), Aaron McKinley, Brent Reaume and Mike Dube. This is also a co-party to celebrate the one year anniversary of WAMM Magazine.

WAMM Magazine One Year Anniversary Party
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
WAMM Magazine has been covering Windsor's local arts, music and film community for one whole year now and the staff is throwing a party at Phog Lounge to thank everyone for making the magazine such a success. There will be musical guests (TBA) plus screenings of all the entries for the WAMM Video Contest, plus the winner announced!

Huladog
The FM Lounge (156 Chatham St. West)
Always a great night of live jazz and funk jams by a group of Windsor's premiere players. Huladog have been at it for years now and they play the perfect blend of great jazz and booty shakin' funk.

"Mr. Chill" Kelly Hoppe, Tom Hogarth and Chris Borshuk
Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge (804 Erie St. East)
Mr. Chill teams up with the incomparable voice of Tom Hogarth as well as Chris Borshuk for this intimate showcase. A great night for dinner and some music.

Friday April 3

Mr. Chill & The Witnesses
Aardvark's Blues Cafe (89 University Ave. West)
Always a good time when "Mr. Chill" Kelly Hoppe rounds up his posse and brings the full band to the stage. A tireless scene veteran, Hoppe, along with his Witnesses (Greg Cox, Josh Zalev and Bradford Helner) are never a bad idea. If you've never seen this foot-stompin' blues & roots combo, now would be a great time (and venue) to experience them for the first time.

Ron Leary

The FM Lounge (156 Chatham St. West, beside Pogo's)
I don't know how Ron does it, but this man plays and plays and never slows down. He has a weekly gig in Toronto on Thursdays (at The Local, 396 Roncesvalles Ave., for any Toronto readers) but he's racing back on Friday for an intimate solo performance at the FM Lounge (formerly the Old Fish Market). Still playing in support of his stunning debut Theroadinbetween, rumours have it that he's in the early writing stages for songs for his next album. If you haven't seen Ron in a while, now's a great chance to possibly preview some songs from his next CD.

The Junction
(Brampton, ON) wsg The Tragedy of Mariam and My Son My Son
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
Touring in support of their new album, Another Link In The Chain, The Junction has been kind to Windsor the past few years, always stopping by with their great indie rock (perhaps because of their kinship with The Reason, featuring several ex-Windsorites). They're joined by Windsor pop-punksters The Tragedy of Mariam and indie rockers My Son My Son.

The New Kings
(Toronto, ON) wsg High Mother
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Remember when punk rock was political? Well it doesn't get more political than Toronto's The New Kings. Lead by activist/musician Michael Louis Johnson, these guys are like a mix between The Clash and Rancid (whom they've opened for). A horn section always gets a crowd going, and mixed with politically charge punk rock, makes for a wonderful combination. Johnson, who previously worked with Big Rude Jake, also happens to be the brother of ex-Big Sugar/Grady guitarist/singer Gordie Johnson. Opening the show will be the high octane rock and roll of Windsor's own High Mother.

Blind Leads Nakid
(Macomb, MI), Demon Street (Sterling Heights, MI) and Sinnocence
The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo's)
Michigan's Blind Leads Nakid are no stranger to Windsor or the Coach. These metal progsters have been playing over here for years (in fact, it was only recently I discovered they were from the U.S.). There sound is reminiscent of early Soundgarden (pre-Badmotorfinger) with traces of early Monster Magnet. They're bringing another Michigan act over with them, alt. rockers Demon Street. Local metallers Sinnocence open up the show.

(GrounD)
Empire Lounge (128 University Ave. West, above California Sushi)
DJ's Mach-X and J_Wild continue their weekly electronic collective and live collaboration night at the Empire, spinning the best in "epicness of EDM with techno, dubstep, house, scenster nu-rave, breakz and everything else you've come to expect from this dynamic team." This week they have true live collaboration, with DJ Tone Deft (Nich Finlayson) spinning to a live drummer, Tom Gaspar.

Saturday April 4

Aquila, Odium (Walkerton, ON), Punish Them (London, ON) and Ball Harness
The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo's)
Aquila
is fast becoming the new face of Windsor heavy metal, with a rabid following and great word-of-mouth buzz. This will be a special show (as it's vocalist Mark Arruda's birthday) so expect them to turn it all up just a little for this one. Joining them on the bill will be a smattering of offerings from the Ontario metal gods, with Walkerton's Odium and London's Punish Them. Couldn't find much info on Ball Harness...

Mr. Chill & The Witnesses
Aardvark's Blues Cafe (89 University Ave. West)
Mr. Chill and his Witnesses return for a second round of honky tonkin' roots and blues with night two of their weekend double header at the 'Vark.

Slow Down, Molasses (Saskatoon, SK) wsg Valery Gore (Toronto, ON) and Wax Mannequin (Hamilton, ON)
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Exclaim! Magazine has called Saskatoon's Slow Down, Molasses "the Broken Social Scene of the prairies" and for good reason. This multi-member collective channel indie lo-fi pop with Canadiana roots with surprising effectiveness. Toronto's Valery Gore adds her quirky piano pop to the line-up, as well as the folk-rock stylings of Hamilton's Wax Mannequin, who has always tore the house down when he visits Windsor.

Harvesting The FAM presents
Through Women's Eyes & Voices with Monique Belanger and Corrina Keeling
Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West)
The Harvesting The FAM Festival continues to promote local arts and music with a special month long presentation celebrating women's artistic input to the local arts community. This is a combination of a month long photographer exhibit (featuring works by such local photographers as Roxi D-Lite, Alicia Fox, Bree Gaudette, Cristina Naccarato and more) combined with select live music showcases, with this first one featuring singer/songwriters Monique Belanger and Corrina Keeling.

Jamology and Anonymous Bosch
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
I must admit, these are two bands I'm not very familiar with (or of). Not that that means they aren't worth checking out! Jamology sounds like a heavy alternative jam bands (of sorts), while Anonymous Bosch (I love that name...) seem to be a prog metal band in the vein of bands like Dream Theater.

CD Release Party:
Solid State wsg PurpleOrange, Inforlife (Calgary, AB) and Twisted Alliance (Tilbury, ON)
The Blind Dog (671 Ouellette Ave., formerly The Roxy)
Solid State's throwing a big bash at The Blind Dog to celebrate the release of their new disc, Broken Homes. Cover is $10 but the first 150 people in the door get a free copy of the new release. These veterans play old school metal and play it tight. They've enlisted a few openers, including Belle River's PurpleOrange, former Windsorites Inforlife (now residing in Calgary) and Tilbury's Twisted Alliance.

Sunday April 5

The Whitsundays (Edmonton, AB) and Brasstronaut (Vancouver, BC) wsg The Original Lady Eyes
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Pick of the Week: The Whitsundays are a supergroup from Edmonton who have been making waves the past year with their stunning self-titled debut, which sounds like it could have been written in 1966. A real 60's throwback sound, reminiscent of bands like The Zombies, these guys are made up of members of such noted Canadian indie bands as Shout Out Out Out Out and Faunts and last year Rolling Stone magazine commented that they were "the next big Canadian indie supergroup", warning The New Pornographers to "watch out". Brasstronaut's experimental indie sounds have also been making waves, especially on CBC Radio 3, where their creative use of a brass section has created some truly remarkable music. Opening up the show will be Windsor's own Original Lady Eyes.

Dusty
Aardvark's Blues Cafe (89 University Ave. West)
One of the city's premiere entertainers, hand down, he plays an impressive mix of songs, from outlaw country to rock and roll to a little dab of hair metal. Genuinely super dude with a great sense of humour.

Open Mic with Dan Marshall
The FM Lounge (156 Chatham St. West)
Meters To Miles' frontman Dan Marshall leads an impromptu Open Mic at the Old Fish Market each and every Sunday.

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