WEEK IN PREVIEW: April 27 - May 3, 2009

Monday April 27

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 April 28

Shiv & The Shams wsg Guitar Eddie
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
For a large part of the 1990’s and early part of the 2000’s, Ten Indians was a mainstay in Windsor’s live rock and roll circuit. Several great albums, tons of great shows, these guys were one of the city’s most entertaining live acts. But line-up changes a couple of years ago seemed to splinter Ten Indians. Guitarist and vocalist Dennis Cantagallo formed The Jim Greedies (along with the last Ten Indians bassist John Ashley) as his new vessel, while drummer and vocalist George Manuray moved away to Alberta to form Roy Mahal. Now that George is back in town (and playing alongside Two For The Cascade), he's hooked back up with Cantagallo and original Ten Indians bassist Matt Weingarden for this special Tuesday night show under the banner "Shiv & The Shams". As for the opener - if you've never heard Guitar Eddie play his guitar and sing his blues, you ain't seen nothin'. He doesn't get out and play very often, but when he does, he makes grown men cry. The show is starting early, so get down there for 9pm. There. You've been warned.

Ron Leary & Kelly "Mr. Chill" 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. A great chance to see some great live jazz and it's early too! It runs from 7pm to 10pm for those who don't want to make a late night of it on a Tuesday.

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 29

Immaculate Machine (Victoria, BC) wsg TBA
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Victoria's Immaculate Machine has been quietly bubbling over on the indie music scene, thanks to the success of 2007's album Fables, that lead to collaborations with members of The New Pornographers, Franz Ferdinand and The Cribs. The fact that one of Immaculate Machines' members - Kathryn Calder - is also a member of The New Pornographers (and head Pornographer A.C. Newman's neice) has also helped. Their currently touring to promote their latest offering, High on Jackson Hill.

Immaculate Machines, "Dear Confessor" (Official Video)





The Afterbeat (Winnipeg, MB) wsg Lot 9 Brawl, Rose City Disaster, Brass Knuckles and Zebra Mussels
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
Is it just me or does ska seem to be making a comeback? I know it's never really gone away, but it definitely took a bit of a shiner when bands like Mighty Mighty Bosstones became New Rock darlings and watered the sound down a bit. It seemed than the original vibe of early punk ska (The Specials, The English Beat, Madness) had been replaced with O.C. punk playing horns (which was fine until Modern Rock radio overproduced it to make it easier for mainstream ears to absorb, which just means rob it of its identity). Well, Winnipeg's The Afterbeat is definitely a step in the right direction. Alternative Press magazine labelled them one of the best Ska bands in North America and they've toured with many of the legends. A whole cavalcade of Windsor's young punk elite open up the show. This is an all-ages event, with doors at 5pm. Tickets are $5 in advance or $6 at the door.

The Afterbeat, "You and Me" (Live Video)


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, Mark Calcott on keys and Sally Zori on drums.

Thursday April 30

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! This week Randi interviews Elliott Brood (and Windsor)'s Casey Laforet.

Elliott Brood (Toronto, ON) wsg The Locusts Have No King
The Blind Dog (761 Ouellette Ave.)
Elliott Brood is huge. These guys have toured North America and Europe. They've been nominated for Junos and appeared in just about every Canadian magazine or newspaper and several others around the world. And even though their home base is Toronto, the founding two members - Mark Sasso and Casey Laforet - are both proud Windsorites. This will be a magical homecoming for them as they hit The Blind Dog, with local roots rockers The Locusts Have No King warming up the stage.

Elliott Brood, "Oh Alberta" (Official Video)


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.

Kelly "Mr, Chill" 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 May 1

ALL-AGES: Madball (New York, NY) wsg Wisdom in Chains (Stroudsburg, PA), Cruel Hand (Maine) and Days Fade
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
New York's Madball are early influences on much of today's Hardcore scene so this show is huge! Formed in 1989 as a side project of the legendary Agnostic Front, Madball has definitely cultivated their own career (some would argue bigger than AF) and style, one that is emulated to this day. Pennsylvania's Wisdom in Chains continues the tradition started by Madball (and to a degree Suicidal Tendencies and Motorhead), as does Maine's Cruel Hand. It's only fitting that our own Kings of Hardcore, Days Fade, round out this enormous bill. This is an all-ages event, with doors at 5pm. Tickets are $16 in advance.

Madball, "HeavenHell" (Official Video)


Square Root of Margaret (Chatham, ON) wsg The Dirty Love Band (London, ON)
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
It's been some time since we've seen Chatham's psychedelic rockers in Windsor, but they're back with new tunes and a new line-up (Eric Welton has recently joined the cast, although he won't be present this time around due to his own solo tour). These guys always pack the house when they play - when they're supporting an album, they play Windsor more than many local bands do - so they've been adopted by Windsor's music scene as "honourary Windsorites". They're bringing London's The Dirty Love Band to join the rock and roll party.

Square Root of Margaret, "Memories of Things to Come" (Official Video)


River of Ghosts
The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo's)
Willy Skullz (ex-Mister Bones, Pitch Union) returns with his Danzig meets Alice in Chains solo project. Special guests TBA.

Mr. Chill & The Witnesses
Big Tony's (911 Walker Rd.)
Before Mr. Chill joins The Perpetrators down at the P-Hog later in the evening, you catch Kelly Hoppe and his roots and blues outlaws at Big Tony's for some great music and dinner.

(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, scenester nu-rave, breakz and everything else you've come to expect from this dynamic team." This Friday, DJ Mach-X and J_Wild celebrate their one-year anniversary spinning together - I'll bet there are special guests galore going to be showing up unannounced.

Saturday May 2

ALL-AGES: Futures Past (Toronto, ON), Radio Adelaide, The Balance (Brampton, ON), Flaming Yawn, What We Know, and Fresheart
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
Toronto's indie pop-punk darlings Futures Past have become TV stars thanks in part to MuchMusic's DISBand show and are touring heavily to take advantage of the exposure. They're hitting the Pickle for a special all-ages showcase Saturday afternoon with a smattering of alternative/pop goodness: from the radio-ready sounds of Windsor's Radio Adelaide to alternative sounds of Brampton's The Balance. Also lined up are the sweet indie stylings of Flaming Yawn, What We Know and Fresheart (who are making their debut), this should be a alternapop riot. Doors are at 4pm, tickets are $5 at the door.

The Dead's Elite wsg Kill List, Monolith and Waking Without Remorse
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
For the past few years, The Dead's Elite have been leading a resurgence in solid guitar based metal shreddery and taking no prisoners. Unfortunately, this show marks the end of The Dead's Elite era as the band is calling it quits after this show. Hopefully the other members have something in the works to carry on. They've brought in some A-list help for this send off show, with Kill List (featuring former members of ShotDownStars), Monolith (members of Grand Marais, Closed Casket Funeral and more) and Waking Without Remorse warming up the show. Doors are at 9pm for this 19+ show, with tickets at the door for only $5.

The Dead's Elite (Live Video from CD Release Party at The Avalon Front, 2007)


Megan Hamilton & The Volunteer Canola (Toronto, ON) wsg Eric Welton and Kenneth MacLeod & The Windsor Salt Band
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
The lovely Megan Hamilton is always a great draw when she brings her musical endeavours to Phog Lounge, whether it be solo or with full band. Currently touring for her critically acclaimed new album, See Your Midnight Breath in the Shipyard, she's had Eric Welton and band in tow for a couple dates on tour so far. Kenneth MacLeod and his majestic ensemble, The Windsor Salt Band, are opening the show.

An Introductory video from Megan Hamilton re: the new album


Jeff Burrows' 24-Hour Drum Marathon For Transition 2 Betterness
The Blind Dog (761 Ouellette Ave.)
A champion cause by a champion of local music, drummer Jeff Burrows (formerly of The Tea Party) hosts his annual 24-hour drum marathon to raise awareness and money for Transition to Betterness, a great local organization helping cancer patients in Windsor-Essex county. Jeff will be joined by guests from many local bands as he jams his way through 24-hours of rock and roll madness (starting at 2am on Friday night, all-day Saturday) and ending with the unveiling of his new supergroup, Crash Karma (featuring I Mother Earth vocalist Edwin, Our Lady Peace guitarist Mike Turner and Zygote bassist Amir Epstein). A great night for a great cause.

Sunday May 3

C'Mon (Toronto, ON) and Pride Tiger (Vancouver, BC) wsg Fiftywatthead
The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo's)
This will be one monster of a rock and roll show, hands down. C'Mon has been tearing up stages across North America for years now and frontman Ian Blurton is a Canadian indie music icon. They're teaming up with the bombast of Vancouver's Pride Tiger for a great tour that has recently (on Toronto, London and now this Windsor date) featured our own Fiftywatthead opening the stage. Rock and roll killer, indeed.

Pride Tiger "The White Witch Woman Blues" (Official Video)


oldseed (Winnipeg, MB), Octoberman (Toronto, ON) and The Original Hung Jury (featuring Kelly Nicholls, Erik Myskow and Jamie Greer)
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Winnipeg’s oldseed (the solo name for Craig Bjerring) has always stopped through Windsor on his national tours, either solo or as part of the legendary punk band The Vagiants. His Neil Youngian Canadiana will melt your soul. The bill also features a rare solo acoustic show by Octoberman, another rootsy-singer/songwriter project that’s been getting some national acclaim of late. Rounding out the bill will be a reunited acoustic show featuring the original line-up of Windsor’s The Hung Jury, when Kelly Nicholls, Erik Myskow (now in Eric Welton’s live band) and myself, Jamie Greer, play together for the first time since The Hung Jury disbanded last August.

oldseed, "You've Got Nothing But Light, Let It Shine" (Live Video)


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 Travis Reitsma
The FM Lounge (156 Chatham St. West, beside Pogo's)
"The Heartbreak Kid" will woo you with his own songs and share the stage for you to showcase your own at the venue formerly known as the Old Fish Market.

EVENT PREVIEW: Show Some Heart by Helping Isaac's

Benefit for Isaac Dauphin featuring
Vultures!, My October and Voodoo Mafia
Friday April 24
The Coach & Horses, 156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo's
Doors at 9pm, 19+, $5 minimum donation at the door

Over the past few weeks, there's been all kinds of calls to arms by the local music community to raise awareness, and more importantly funds, for some very special causes in our Windsor community.

I mentioned last week about two very special cancer benefits going on - tonight's Cancer Foundation Pasta Dinner at The Mill (3199 Sandwich St.) with Client 9 handling the music and next week's 24 Hour Drum Marathon by Jeff Burrows at The Blind Dog (762 Ouellette Ave.) for Transition 2 Betterness.

This Friday, we have another special benefit show and this is one that has a story that has captivated the city.

As reported last week in The Windsor Star, Isaac Dauphin was born March 27th here in Windsor. But tragedy struck almost immediately, as new parents Chad and Stephanie Dauphin were stricken with horror as young Isaac started turning blue and had trouble breathing. Four days later and he was airlifted to Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital for tests.

In turns out that baby Isaac has hypoplastic left heart syndrome. HLHS is a rare, congenital heart defect where the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped and it usually requires three stages of operations to correct this - with success still not avoiding the very real possibilities of chronic health problems, coupled with the fact that HLHS can only be stabilized, not cured. There is a very real chance that Isaac will need a heart transplant later on during an early part of his life.

What this amounts to, especially in these tough economic times, is a long running series of medical expenses to keep Isaac Dauphin alive. Bills that these young parents - or anyone right now - are capable of handling alone.

With that in mind, with the assistance of Sarah Jacobs, local rockers Vultures! have turned their Friday night show at The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo's) into a special benefit show for the Dauphins and their medical expenses. The minimum donation is $5 (but please feel free to donate more!) at the door, with ALL monies collected going to this great cause.

Joining Vultures! on this special bill are Windsor's grunge rock champions Voodoo Mafia and Toronto pop-punk band (and former Windsorites) My October.

Even if you can only stop by for a quick beer or to make a donation, I encourage everyone to make it out to the Coach & Horses this Friday night. It will make a lasting impression, on us as a musical community within a larger community, but more importantly on a young family's future and a young boy's life.

TAKE 5: Steve Brough of Lodown

Take 5 is a new feature on "Musically Speaking", where I'll ask five quick questions to various movers and shakers from Windsor's local arts and entertainment world about their thoughts on Windsor's independent music scene, past and present.

Take 5 with...Steve Brough

Steve Brough is one of the men in this city who bring the thunder. And by that, I mean he's one of the hardest hitting drummers in town. He's the skinsman behind the bombastic rhythm section of Lodown, one of Windsor's veteran hard rock bands. After toiling for years with highly successful demos honed by years on the road across Canada and the U.S., Lodown released their highly anticipated debut CD, Black Horse, on Fontana/Universal Records back in 2006. The boys in Lodown have been road testing some new material over the past year and look poised to return to the studio - and the road - for the follow-up this year.

The local band I am most excited about right now is...
Fiftywatthead.

The best local album I've heard in some time is...
Fiftywatthead Fogcutter (2008)

If there's one thing I wish the local music scene would do more of is...
Mixed genre shows. Sometimes sitting through five bands from the same genre is painful.

Sometimes I wish this local band was still together...
Village Idiot.

My favourite place to see a band in town is...
The Coach and Horses.

WEEK IN PREVIEW: April 20 - 26, 2009

Sorry I'm a day late with this, but I was unavailable due to illness for a couple days there. But here's a look at the rest of the week and what's out there for you to check out!

Tuesday April 21

After The Thaw Tour featuring Brzowski (Portland, ME) and Pour Man's Vision (Jason Blakeman and H.W., MA) with special guests Lyrical Bliss, Academy, Perilelle, Lordru (ex-The Misinformants, Detroit, MI) and DJ Fahrenheit 2040 (Detroit, MI)
Presented by Emily Copeland (from CJAM's Minced Meat show), this show is going to be packed. Some great underground hip-hop from New England teams up with some of the best from Windsor and Detroit for a beat party that will be one of the year's highlights, hands down. The whole show is being sponsored by Pete's Pipes in Windsor, so there will be giveaways all night long. Doors are at 9pm, 19+.

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. A great chance to see some great live jazz and it's early too! It runs from 7pm to 10pm for those who don't want to make a late night of it on a Tuesday.

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 22

The Peace Leeches, Vultures! and (wh)y.m.e.(??)
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
A special Earth Day show at the P-Hog. I reported last week in the Scene section of the Windsor Star that this night was supposed to be headlined by Montreal's Beast. But I've learned in the past few days that a booking error (definitely not in our favour) meant they had to cancel this show. Beast had a great time last time through here (playing some b-ball in the back alley with some regulars, as well as tour mates You Say Party! We Say Die!) so rest assured, they'll be back. In the meantime, the scheduled openers, Blenheim's simply magical The Peace Leeches and the inspired beats of (wh)y.m.e.(??) (who is rumoured to be unveiling his debut recording this night), are still going on with the show and are being joined by the new rock thunder of Vultures! Doors are at 9pm, 19+.

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 23

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 performances!

Ron Leary wsg Ray Whimsey (Toronto, ON) and Gianna Lauren (Halifax, NS)
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Ron returns to one of his old stomping grounds with a great night of music at Phog. Now in the stages of writing and previewing possible song inclusions for his follow-up to 2006's masterful debut, theroadinbetween, Ron is joined by a couple of stand outs for this show. Toronto's Ray Whimsey used to be a resident of Windsor and aside from his outfit Ray's Right Fender, hosted Monday night's Open Mic Surgery for years (before handing it over to Leary, who in turn, handed it over to Tara Watts). They're also being joined by Ottawa-based, Halifax-bred songstress Gianna Lauren, for what should be a great triple header. Doors are at 9pm, 19+.

ALL-AGES: Sound Haven, Release The Sounds and Sam & Steph
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
Couldn't really find out a whole lot about this show. Sound Haven appears to be a local electronic outfit - check out their MySpace for a sample of what they sound like. Release The Sounds - I have no idea. Couldn't find any evidence of their existence. And Sam & Steph - come on. Really? That was the best name you could come up with? I don't mean this as a put down on anyone's talent - for all I know Sam & Steph could be the best thing since sliced bread. But duo names like that just sound like its too people who aren't really doing this for anything more than to get in front of people and play a few covers. Now I know there have been some duos with names like this who have had successful careers (Bonnie & Delaney and Chris & Cosey to name a few), but I have to admit, seeing names like this turns me right off. But hey, maybe you know them, and maybe they are amazing live. I hope so. Doors are 7pm and this event is All-Ages, with tickets $5 at Door

Cancer Centre Foundation Charity Pasta Dinner with Client 9
The Mill (3199 Sandwich St.)
A special benefit pasta dinner with proceeds going to the Cancer Centre Foundation. The buffet begins at 6pm for this event, with entertainment starting at 8pm. Client 9 is an acoustic duo that features Robert Desmarais (The Wannadies) and Dale D'Amore (Guitar Army, The Spy's). Again, I don't usually promote cover acts, but this is very special event for a good cause in our community, so I'm mentioning it. It's $20 in advance or at the door (tickets are going fast!).

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.

Kelly "Mr, Chill" 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 24

The After Party wsg New Stage Loop, The Treehouse Kids, and The Pounds
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
The After Party are pure punk power pop, with MTV hooks and looks to boot. These guys have been picking up some great gigs and are building a loyal local following. Their joined by the hip-hop stylings of New Stage Loop, the emo electropop sounds of The Treehouse Kids and indie rock of The Pounds. Doors are at 9pm for this 19+ show, with tickets $5 at the door.

Alun Piggins (Toronto, ON) wsg The Heels
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
The former leader of early 90's Canadian band The Morganfields has made a life of constant touring to support his string of Replacements style rock and roll and with critical acclaim. Piggins always blows the doors off his shows at Phog, so this should be a good one.

Alun Pigguns: "Not Happening" (Live Video, March 2009)


Vultures! wsg My October (Toronto, ON) and Voodoo Mafia
The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo's)
If you read the Windsor Star last Friday, you saw the article about baby Isaac Dauphin and the battle he's currently fighting to live with a heart defect. Isaac is barely a month old and he's already in for a life of surgery after surgery to keep his heart beating. This means medical fees sky high for his parents, Chad and Stephanie. The local music community is helping the couple out this Friday night with this special show. Cover is a minimum donation of $5 (feel free to donate more!) with all the proceeds going to the new parents to help with medical costs. This is truly a great event with some great music going to help a special little man get the medical attention he deserves.

(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, scenester nu-rave, breakz and everything else you've come to expect from this dynamic team." Tonight, DJ Cameron Power shows up to mix it up with the (GrounD) crew.

Saturday April 25

Barzin (Toronto, ON) wsg Nick Zubeck (Toronto, ON) and Music Minus You
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Barzin was a monster hit the last time he came through Windsor. With his intimate storytelling, he's been garnering comparisons to everyone from Bon Iver to Great Lake Swimmers (which is somewhat valid - Great Lake Swimmers' Tony Dekker plays on the records). Highly respected UK music mag MOJO recently picked his latest album, My Life In Rooms, as its Americana pick of the month, giving it 4/5 stars. He's joined by bandmate Nick Zubeck playing his own solo set as well as the sonic stylings of our own Ryan Fields under the banner of Music Minus You.

Barzin: "Leaving Time" (Official Video)


Harvesting The FAM presents
Perilelle and Tara Watts
Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West)
In conjunction with the Harvesting The FAM Festival's showcase Through Women's Eyes & Voices (a month long celebration of local women in song and photography), two of Windsor's emerging stars are showcased at Milk. Steph Copeland's trip-hop dream sounds under the banner of Perilelle have been enthralling local music goers for years and Tara Watts has released one of the finest Windsor albums in years recently, About Love. Should be a great intimate performance from two of Windsor's best musicians.

ALL-AGES: Call To Preserve (Rockledge, FL) wsg The Fitzpatrick Incident (Toronto, ON), The Advocate (Hamilton, ON), Waking Without Remorse and Tough Luck
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
Florida's Call To Preserve play more NYC-style hardcore than the kind of metal that Florida's known for - hard, fast, tight yet melodic. Throw in some of the creme-de-la-creme of hardcore from Toronto and Hamilton, plus a couple from right here in Windsor, and you've got yet another stellar show put on by Rose City Promotions. Doors are at 5pm for this All-Ages show. Tickets are $5 at the door.

Call To Preserve: "Unsinkable" (Official Video)


Radio Adelaide wsg Far From Right, Far From Focus, Pulp City Inn, and Playing For Keeps
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
Radio Adelaide has been leading the charge of late for Windsor's pop-punk crowd, taking their high energy shows on the road as far as Toronto. These guys definitely have the drive to take this act further than local, that's for sure. They're joined by more of Windsor's punk up-and-comers for what will sure to be a packed house. Doors are at 9pm, 19+, tickets are $5 at the door.

Radio Adelaide: "Bas Rutten" (Official Video)


Cowboy Dan, Lot 9 Brawl, The Gutter Hearts and The Rowley Estate
The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo's)
Good to see the DIY punk ethic is still alive and well in Windsor. Cowboy Dan may be an odd moniker, but musically they're pretty exciting, well structured punk melodica, in the vein of bands like later Fugazi. Lot 9 Brawl is one of the longest running punk-ska bands in the city. The Gutter Hearts I'm really starting to dig, with their no-holds barred punk rock. It's very timless - it could be 1970's New York, 1980's Los Angeles or 1990's mid-west. The Rowley Estate is another aggro-punk-pop band who brings a real honesty to their songs. A great line-up of what Windsor punk has always been about. Doors are at 9pm and tickets are only $3 at the door for this 19+ show.

Sunday April 26

ALL-AGES: Aquila wsg Odium (Walkerton, ON), Burning The Day (Toronto, ON), Waking Without Remorse and Desertion
The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.)
This show is going to blow the ears out and the doors off. I've been really impressed with Aquila's sound - these guys are definitely getting ready to claim the mantle as Windsor's kings of metal (in fact, they may already). Their recordings sound top notch and they've been taking their show on the road for some time now. In fact, Odium has been a tour partner for many shows around Ontario now. The nu-blood of Windsor metal is here and Aquila is leading the onslaught. All hail, Aquila. The new kings are here. Doors are at 6pm for this all-ages event. Tickets are $5 at the door.

ALL-AGES: The Other Guys present The Record & Music Paraphernalia Show
featuring Kelly "Mr. Chill" Hoppe and Greg Cox
The Mill, 3199 Sandwich St.
10am to 4pm, $3 Admission
With the rise of interest in vinyl (records), this is a nice treat for a Sunday morning. Hanging out at The Mill, flipping through some cool old records, listening to tunes by Mr. Chill and his gun slinger, Greg Cox. Good times, folks.

SAC Songwriter's Circle
Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West)
Another monthly installment of the SAC Regional Group, where host Glen MacNeil and local songwriters can network and share songwriting techniques. Starts at 7pm, admission is free - bring your songs!

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 Travis Reitsma
The FM Lounge (156 Chatham St. West, beside Pogo's)
"The Heartbreak Kid" will woo you with his own songs and share the stage for you to showcase your own at the venue formerly known as the Old Fish Market.

TAKE 5: Randi Irving

Take 5 is a new feature on "Musically Speaking", where I'll ask five quick questions to various movers and shakers from Windsor's local arts and entertainment world about their thoughts on Windsor's independent music scene, past and present.

Take 5 with...Randi Irving

Randi Irving is the host of the multi-Jammy Award winning program The Windsor Scene, heard each and every Thursday on CJAM 91.5 FM at 6pm. Every week, Randi tirelessly promotes the local Windsor music scene, from heavy metal to folk and everything in between. She always playing the best of the new rising stars from our local original music scene as well as digging into the vaults for some old treats. Throw in the occassional band interview and/or live performance in the CJAM studios and that spells a recipe for "must listen" every Thursday!

The local bands I am most excited about right now are...
The Tree Streets, Destroy Thy Will, Monolith, Blastphemy...I'm really anticipating Ron Leary's new work.

The best local album I've heard in some time is...
Ron Leary Theroadinbetween (2006), Explode When They Bloom As The Animals Make Their Way Through The Crowds (2008)

If there's one thing I wish the local music scene would do more of is...
Banjo's. You just don't see/hear enough of them! I think the past couple of years this scene has no doubt progressed, in regards to making itself (the music) known both locally and on a wider spectrum. we just need to keep it up. Look at all of the accomplishments that are already under our belt.

Sometimes I wish this local bands was still together...
Sewing With Nancie, Twice For Nothing, Repeat Until False, pretty much the entire pop-punk scene circa late 90s early 2000s...and Full White Drag.

My favourite place to see a band in town is...
CJAM's production studio. I think the potential of the FM Lounge is worth the time to dig into... it's a perfect sized room with plenty of area to sit and relax, or get right into the groove on the floor. But if you're looking for sound quality, I think a full house at Phog deserves a nod.

EVENT PREVIEW: Black Diamond Bay (ex-members of The Dears) playing intimate Windsor showcase TONIGHT!

Black Diamond Bay (Montreal, QC) wsg Helsinki Go

Phog Lounge, 157 University Ave. West
Friday April 17, Doors at 9pm
Tickets are $6 advance, $8 at the door, 19+

While many fingers point to Arcade Fire’s release of Funeral as the shot heard around the world signaling Canada’s “Montreal sound” was about to explode, the grunt work was definitely done by one of Canada’s most beloved and critically acclaimed indie pop bands, The Dears. These guys toured feverishly (including many stops in Windsor at the dearly missed Avalon Front), supporting such classic Canadian releases as No Cities Left, Gang of Losers and last years Missiles. But sometimes, when a bands principal songwriter is just one of the many, it can lead to the other members longing for a desire to unleash their own creative outlet. And when you’re working side by side with a songwriter like The Dears’ Murray Lightburn, that can only fuel a dormant passion whether you realize it or not. Such was the case with Dears guitarist Patrick Krief. Patrick joined The Dears in the mid-2000’s and debuted on the 2006 release Gang of Losers. Countless tours, recording sessions and dark highways later, and Patrick Krief gets the itch to start working on his own material. The result was 2007’s Take It Or Leave, a solo album under the banner of his last name, Krief. A promo tour ensued to support the offering (including another Avalon Front stop), then it was back to work on the next Dears recording, 2008’s Missiles. But the fire to write and record his own songs grew just too great. Assembling his live band from the previous tour, former Dears drummer George Donoso III, Andre Bendahan on bass, and keyboardist Roberto Piccioni, they hit the studio, this time under a collective banner, Black Diamond Bay. The end result is Calm Awaits, an epic-sounding pop album, grandiose in design, with songwriting that is familiar in warmth but full of a hundred side journeys. At times showing traces of that “Montreal sound”, Calm Awaits will also endear itself to not only bands of that ilk (such as Krief’s former band The Dears, or the High Dials), but of British outfits like Elbow or Doves. While Calm Awaits saw its release on March 31^st, Windsor will be lucky to be one of the first stops where it will be available at shows, when Black Diamond Bay hits Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West) on Friday April 17^th with special guests, Windsor’s own Helsinki Go. (For a full interview with Black Diamond Bay's Patrick Krief, pick up the April edition of WAMM Magazine, at various locations around the city now!)

Tickets for this event are $6 in advance at Phog Lounge, or $8 at the door. These guys are playing much larger venues on this tour than Phog - we really lucked out in getting such an intimate showcase by these guys so early on in the tour.

TAKE 5: Nancy Drew

Take 5 is a new feature on "Musically Speaking", where I'll ask five quick questions to various movers and shakers from Windsor's local arts and entertainment world about their thoughts on Windsor's independent music scene, past and present.

Take 5 with...Nancy Drew

Without a question, Nancy Drew is the matriarch of Windsor's independent music scene. Windsor's rock and roll pixie queen has a voice that is unmatched in its intensity and passion and her career as the frontwoman for Windsor's legendary Luxury Christ is still talked about despite nearly a decade removed (save the amazing reunion show this past Christmas). She's collaborate with many local artists (appearing on The Locusts Have No King's 2007 self-titled debut) and is once again working with former Luxury Christ bandmate Trevor Malcolm alongside Pat Petro and Liam O'Donnell in the electropop outfit Citywide Vacuum. Following the success of 2007's Pact, rumours abound that CWV is working on material for a follow-up release.

The local bands I am most excited about right now are...
Another Saturday Knight, The Locusts Have No King, Two For The Cascade...and High Mother of course!

The best local album I've heard in some time is...
Another Saturday Knight Another Saturday Knight (2008)

If there's one thing I wish the local music scene would do more of is...
Gigs on weekends, weekdays kinda suck. AND more venues...but these are not things that the bands can really control...unless some more folks in bands open up venues, that would be cool.

Sometimes I wish this local bands was still together...
Prehistoric Cavestrokers were really fun in their day....and Jimmy Bronco were so cool too!

My favourite place to see a band in town is...
If Phog were larger it would be PERFECT. So far it is my fave. I like the FM lounge of late. Not bad acoustics and good visibility.

TAKE 5: Gavin Michael Booth

Take 5 with...Gavin Michael Booth

Take 5 is a new feature on "Musically Speaking", where I'll ask five quick questions to various movers and shakers from Windsor's local arts and entertainment world about their thoughts on Windsor's independent music scene, past and present.

Gavin Michael Booth is no stranger to the local music scene. A fiercely dedicated local film maker, he's offered his services to making music videos for many local bands, such as One Man's Opinion, Ashes of Soma and Ali The Don. With several films (short and feature) under his belt, all locally crewed and shot, Booth has brought Hollywood to Windsor. He even convinced alternative rockers The Afters to come to Windsor from Dallas, Texas to shoot their video for "Never Going Back To OK". His latest film, "Still Here", just wrapped up after shooting around Essex County, his short "Lyebeck's Latte" debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, and his daily webisodic chronicle "How Many Days?" tracks Booth on his quest to meet all his film inspirations (many of whom he's met on record) has been attracting web attention for the better part of the past two years.

The local bands I am most excited about right now are...
Richy Nix and Inoke Errati. (I'm) not even a huge fan of hip hop, or screamo, or most modern rock, but somehow when Richy Nix puts them all together I just really really dig his tracks. Each one he releases or I hear on 89x is catchier than the last. I've been excited about Jake and the guys (in Inoke Errati) for a few years now - my iPod has 3 of their album tracks in the "Most Played" list and I had a sneak preview of some stuff from the upcoming album and I think its going way further than the last album that hooked me as a fan.

The best local album I've heard in some time is...
StereoGoesStellar StereoGoesStellar (2009) - the piano and the vocals win me over. Just good, fun, clean music. Its great with the windows down on a drive as the weather warms up. The album is well produced and song arrangement has the songs flowing so there's never a dull moment when played front to back.

If there's one thing I wish the local music scene would do more of is...
Larger shows! More bands playing together in bigger rooms. Everyone should work together to build audiences and their fan bases as well as give the audience that "concert" feel we all know and love. I also think more acoustic shows. Smaller venues sometimes are just blasted with the LOUD that can be some local bands and stripping it down to acoustic versions of the band's set always shows off a different skill set and range for the artist(s) without making my ears bleed.

Sometimes I wish these local bands was still together...
Ten Indians and Racecar. Ten Indians' The Severed Head Of Something Beautiful is not just (one of the) top albums in the local scene for me but top albums ever. Never a week that goes by I don't listen to something from that record. I haven't seen them live in probably 10 years... would just be an absolute treat to seem the rock the stage again. Forget the album name, (Racecar) had the track "Girl With Two Names" - it was one of my first eye openers to the local scene putting out such great quality recordings... and this is back before everyone had a Macbook and garage band. Their songs were catchy, never got to see them live...never should have stopped playing together.

Note: Ten Indians are making a one off comeback - they're reuniting under the name Shiv & The Shams at Phog Lounge on Tuesday April 28. Racecar's main man was Dean Drouillard who has been busy for more than a decade in Toronto as one of the scene's most sought after session musicians, as well as a stand-out producer and solo artist.

My favourite place to see a band in town is...
The Chubby Pickle. Now that the venue is half the size, a packed show is really packed! I love the new stage, always loved the crowd there... people that love music. I've also loved going there for 4 years not knowing what music I'll be listening to but knowing I'll have a great time regardless of the band. They were also the staging ground venue for a few of the acts that have broken outside of the Windsor area. What Shawn created with The Pickle still holds true and I can't remember a bad night I've spent there... other than the hangovers!

EVENT PREVIEW: Harvesting The FAM presents "Through The Eyes & Voice of Women"

Harvesting The FAM Festival presents
Through Women's Eyes & Voices featuring
Two For The Cascade and This Is Me As A Woman
Milk Coffee Bar, 68 University Ave. West
Friday April 17, Doors at 9pm
Tickets are $5 at the door, All-Ages

Harvesting The FAM is Windsor's largest independent arts, music and film festival, a multi-date, multi-venue love affair with the best of the local independent music scene, local film makers, and local artists. Held each fall over a series of clubs, galleries and halls, Harvesting The FAM has been growing in size and stature each year, with last year's (the third) bringing in out-of-town bands to join the festivities. With the right promotion and support, it would be nice to see the FAM Festival reach the heights of such festivals as SCENE from St. Catharines. SCENE started off as a local showcase of the Niagara's regions best live music and has since gone on to be one of the destination festivals on the summer circuit.

For the month of April, the organizers of Harvesting The FAM has been doing a special showcase at Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West) entitled Through Women's Eyes & Voices, a 30-day exhibition of local women's photography, with some sporadic live music events featuring some of the area's finest female performers.

This Friday, April 17th features the sultry sounds of Two For The Cascade and This Is Me As A Woman.

Two For The Cascade (Photo: Kevin Buckridan)

Two For The Cascade is an electro-acoustic quartet built around the hauntingly romantic vocal duet of Stefanie Zaccagnini (who also handles the Moog and percussion) and Kevin Buckridan (who also plays guitar and various electronic gadgets - such as his iPhone). Drawing on inspirations such as My Morning Jacket, Cat Power and M. Ward, they originally began as a duo (who played the previous two FAM Festivals) until adding two more members late last year - drummer/vocalist George Manuray (Roy Mahal, ex-itzjunk, ex-Ten Indians) and Theramin player Holly Brush (who also tackles the e-bow, percussion and backing vocals as well). The additional members has added some gorgeous layers to their beautifully atmospheric songwriting and the four have recently finished recording their debut CD. Hopefully it should be ready to go by the end of spring.

This Is Me As A Woman (photo: Cristina Naccarato)

This Is Me As A Woman is the nom-de-tune for local singer/songwriter Kimberly Ann Kukoraitis. Over the past few years, Kimberly Ann has developed a rabid following, playing both the Harvesting The FAM and Smash The Glass festivals in successive years. Reminiscent at times of singers like Martha Wainwright and Ani Di Franco, she's recently entered the realm of the rock band, as the Moog playing vocalist/dancing machine for Vultures!

On the photography side, the exhibit features the works of many local female photographers: Roxi D-Lite, Alishia Fox, Bree Gaudette, Anna Frenette, Tara Watts, Julia Hall, Corrina Keeling, Cristina Naccarato, Juliana Schewe and Melissa-Rae W.

EVENT PREVIEW: Days Fade unload at The Blind Dog on Thursday!

Days Fade
The Blind Dog, 761 Ouellette Ave.
Thursday April 16, Doors at 8pm
Tickets are $3 at the door, All-Ages

They are the undisputed kings of Windsor's local hardcore scene. They've played with everyone who's anyone in town, from Fiftywatthead to The Dead's Elite, and shared the stage with many national and international heavyweights, including a recent show with Walls of Jericho and The Red Chord.

They've seen members come and go, but in the world of Days-Fucking-Fade, the band must go on and will go on, and if that means restocking the soldiers with new recruits, then so be it.

Bassist Ryan Barron (who formerly sang for the band) is a promotional giant. He runs Rose City Promotions and has been doing a great job securing many national and international hardcore artists to come through Windsor, putting on some of the best All-Ages shows this city has seen...well...ever. The list of bands he's brought through are impressive: Walls of Jericho, The Red Chord, Ion Dissonance, Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza...the list goes on and on.

And all the while he does this, he's pushing his own band, Days Fade, to the top of the Canadian hardcore scene. They've recently added a new guitarist to the mix but that hasn't slowed them down any. They've got dates booked all over the place and are about to start a small tour in May with Boston's Seeker Destroyer and Indiana's Saints Never Surrender, hitting Sarnia, Toronto, St. Catharines and more during the month of May. The tour starts in Windsor with a date at The Chubby Pickle (762 Ouellette Ave.) on May 15th.

But you can catch Days Fade as they do a little tune-up this Thursday when they throw an all-ages show at The Blind Dog (761 Ouellette Ave.), starting at 8 pm. And for only $3, it's a pretty good deal. It's only a matter of time until these guys are picked up by one of the many hardcore labels out there or join a larger tour.

Days Fade are simply unstoppable.

EVENT PREVIEW: The Pack A.D. Brings The Blood, Sweat and Tears to Windsor Tonight!

The Pack A.D. (Vancouver, BC) with special guests Another Saturday Knight
Phog Lounge, 157 University Ave. West
Doors at 9pm, Tickets are $5 at the door, 19+

The face of blues in Canada is changing. With the explosive debut of Detroit's own The White Stripes a few years ago (that was conceivably bubbling under years earlier with the likes of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) and since fed by the likes of The Black Keys, The Dirtbombs and The Vasco Era, music fans are being treated to a raw and emotionally charged brand of blues garage rock that carries way more of the blood, sweat and whiskey induced tears of the original blues legends of the 1930's and 1940's than much of the 80's blues of Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jeff Healey. Hence a re-emergence in finding some of these older players such as R.L. Burnside.

This has lead to a rise in similar indie sounds coming from our own great country over the past few years. Winnipeg's The Perpetrators have been tearing through Windsor for years now (they played here just last week actually), infecting all who've witnessed with their gritty blues attack. Toronto's The Speaking Tongues have been making waves of late, touring in support of their critically acclaimed 2008 debut Wild Sound, as well as the sheer awesomeness that is the shredding capabilities of Shiloh Harrison in Cambridge's HotKid. Even locally, we saw a brief resurgence of late, with Lee Gaul and Steven Gibb (both of The Golden Hands Before God...) surfacing in a sideband called Baby Blue Eyes & The Spanish Boots, as well as the raucous blues-based punk rawk of veteran revivalists High Mother.

But no one has done more for Canadian blues and garage rock in the past year and a half than Vancouver's The Pack A.D. Following the oft-imitated new garage blues norm of performing as a duo, guitarist/singer Becky Black and her skins-bashing bandmate Maya Miller have carved their way through an established niche and left an indelible stain of their own blood all across it's dirty sheets. Their 2007 independent debut Tin Type gave an early warning sign to what lay ahead - so much so that one of Canada's longest running and most respected indie labels, Mint Records, scooped them up for their own roster. After adding an "A.D." to the The Pack (there was literally thousands of indie bands called The Pack), they released their Mint debut the following year with the critically acclaimed Funeral MixTape (as well as a full on national re-distribution of Tin Type on Mint).

These ladies sing the blues to whomever is willing to join them for a beer and a song, wherever the rock and roll trade winds take them. They are true testaments to the heart and soul of a travelling musician, playing some nights to the faces of a thousand sweating grins before braving the cold winds of the 401 to playing in front of ten weathered souls, more interested in the Jeopardy on the crackling television set behind the bar. But they've always paid attention by show's end. They give their all no matter the crowd, the venue or the circumstance. They sing their songs with a demand that you feel their stories. An empassioned plea to feel their sting of a broken heart, their joy of a whiskey kiss or their anger at a disrespecting or hard woman. And boy, do you ever.

They've also always stood by the ones that helped them out throughout their journeys - fans and venues alike - and for that very reason they're playing Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. West) tonight on their tour. This is about the third or fourth time they've hit Phog and by rites they should very well be playing a much larger venue this time around than the meager 60+ that Phog holds. They could easily be at Saint Andrew's or The Magic Stick in Detroit, or at the least, The Blind Dog. But Phog has always treated them well, the crowds have always treated them well, so they'll stick with the stage that brung them.

So if you're hankering for some down and dirty, rock and roll honest to goodness blues, dig out a fiver and head over to Phog tonight for some of the Canadian blues guitar that's even got Rolling Stone in the U.S. taking notice (the latest issue mentioned their killer "Making Gestures" single as one of their faves right now). To warm up the show, Chad Howson and the gang from Another Saturday Knight will be playing their post-punk pop goodness for a spell.

Here's the video for "Making Gestures" to whet your appetite...