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.