Men in Blue
Naysayers had many reasons to criticize the KRC this summer, as it was either sitting vacant, or home to a lame BMX, Monster Truck or Circus-style affair. This past week was probably the busiest the KRock has been since it’s grand opened last winter with back to back action featuring the Tragically Hip and Frontenacs hockey. On Tuesday Cheryl Crow came to town, followed by the Blue Man Group on Wednesday, and the Fronts home opener on Friday. Although I wasn’t fortunate to attend any of these events, I can attest to seeing the caravans of buses, and transport trucks, as well as parking that spanned a 10 block radius around the revered/loathed LVEC. With sincere thanks to Master and Commander Brunner, and Tiffany Kemp, we were able to assemble a few pics from the Blue Man performance, found in our newest Flickr set. If you want to contribute what you’ve got from this show, the Crow concert, or some future event, please contact us. We can’t be everywhere all the time!
Jazz Festival
I was out and about last night and stumbled across this mini ad for the 2008 Jazz Festival , taking place from the 3rd until the 5th of October in the Baby Grand Theatre. Tickets are $25 a pop at the Grand Theatre Box Office, or at the door. The line up looks pretty good.
Friday, Oct 3rd at 8pm - Kellylee Evans : Kellylee Evans (vocals), Kevin Barrett (acoustic guitar), Dave Thompson (acoustic guitar), Matthew Lima (electric bass, electric upright), and Adam Bowman (drums)
Saturday, Oct 4th at 8pm - Brandi Disterheft Quintet : Brandi Disterheft (acoustic bass), Chris Gale (tenor sax), Stacie McGregor (rhodes), Sly Juhas (drums), and Kinga (vocals).
Sunday, Oct 5th at 2pm - Marianne Trudel Dou : Marianne Trudel (piano), and Jonathan "Bunny" Stewart (tenor sax).
Oct 4th and 5th at 10pm (After hours at the Aroma Resto Wine Bar, no cover) - Vanessa Rodrigues (hammond b-3)
Going Home
The renovations at The Grand Theatre have been done for some time now and a few shows have gone on since it’s reopening. Beauty and the Beast marked the official reopening back in May. I was fortunate enough to be playing in the pit orchestra that night so I witnessed a huge celebration with speakers including the mayor, the architect behind the design and a Sir John A. MacDonald impersonator (really). It was a big deal. Another big deal is happening this weekend. The Kingston Symphony is playing its first concert of the season and its first concert back in The Grand in three years tomorrow night. This is a big deal because the theatre has been home to the KSA for decades. Read more
Shad
Late night concerts during the work week are not fun, especially when you have to get up at an ungodly hour the next day for a United Way breakfast. I hummed and hawed about whether or not I should go see one of my favorite new Canadian hip hop artists last night, and in the end, I found myself in the crowd at AJ’s Alehouse listening to Shad . Thankfully the promising Polaris award short lister did not disappoint, although I personally found his set list rather short with no real plan for an encore. Next time, I want to hear more of the Old Prince! The best surprise of the evening was Hey Ocean , the Toyota-sponsored opening act who nearly stole the show with their amazing west coast flavour. I thoroughly enjoyed it when Shad K sang a few tunes and played his guitar with these multi-talented folks. Check out the pics in our latest Flickr set, and videos on our YouTube channel.
Weekly Photo
Well after a long weekend of the Blues, it sure is nice to see the sun is still shinning on us. The Limestone City Blues Festival went off without a hitch once again. The acts were all top notch and very entertaining. But there was one act that stood out from the crowd, and that was Jimmy Bowskill. This kid is only 17 years old and hails from Petebrough. He has the talent to become one of the greatest guitarists of our time. Pretty bold statment, but he backs it up for me with skill that equals those of the late, great Carlos Santana and Jeff Healy. He started playing at the age of 10, and by 13 he had mastered the 6 sting. If you had the chance to see him play Thursday night at Confederation Basin, you witnessed the top teir of the future Blues scene.
Check out lots more pictures at Z Photography. Enjoy!
Apple Crisp on CBC
It seems like forever and a day since I attended the Apple Crisp music series hosted by CBC Bandwidth’s Alan Neal. This musical evening featured the likes of: The Gertrudes , Emily Fennell , Luther Wright , Chris Brown, Sheesham and Lotus and many more. It was an amazing night of music à la mode, and being a part of a live recording is always a fun experience. But woe is me, the Apple Crisp show was never made available online by CBC as Bandwidth is not released as a podcast. When attending PAB08, I got a chance to speak with some attendees from CBC who explained that shows such as Allan Neil’s can’t be made downloadable due to copyright issues surrounding the music they feature. I appreciate CBC’s concerns, however I’ll pay whatever, whenever to support the local music scene. So in my books, a podcast is not going to hurt any of these musicians, in fact, it only helps to promote their talent. With that in mind, the folks at Apple Crisp have made the recording available to listen to online, and although it is "free", it’s not necessarily above board with the CBC. So when you’re listening, remember that these artists live off of their music, which requires an audience to commit cold hard cash. Whether you purchase their CD’s or to attend one of their shows, I strongly encourage you to support your faves. Without further adieu…Part One and Part Two of Apple Crisp on CBC.
Anything but Shameless
There is some really great music going on in this town. I’ve been reluctant to say that too often because I am a musician in Kingston and wouldn’t want to seem biased. But it just has to be said. The Kingston music scene is absolutely hopping and I want to make sure that you get out to hear as much of this great music as possible. And what better time than summer time? Many of the bars in town have live music on a regular basis. All of which is worth a listen. Bars that come to mind as being big into music would be The Merchant, The Toucan, The Grad Club, My Bar, Raxx, The Nog, the RCHA and of course Stages and The Alehouse who mostly have larger out-of-town acts. Read more
Weekly Photo
And Charlie came to town.
It is no secret I am not a country music fan, but I can recognize a good entertainer when I see one. With all the shows that I have covered in the past couple years, I have gained a new respect for the artists and their talent, which goes beyond a particular music genre. I quivered at the thought of shooting Anne Murray and came away with respect for her as a great performer. And again Saturday night a similar situation with Charlie Pride. I don’t think I know a single song he performs, nor would I go out and buy his music, but he had me smiling and laughing and the crowd certainly enjoyed themselves. He has spent many years refining his craft and has stood the test of time. It was a much older crowd, although I noticed a few young faces. Charlie is getting his music out there, thats for sure. Check out more images from the show in my portfolio, including photos of his little brother, Steven Pride, who opened the show.
Meet Johnny San
Recently our resident podcaster, David Bailey, got a chance to sit down with local singer and songwriter Johnny Sanfilippo, aka Johnny San.
Johnny has been writing and producing his own music which he has played solo at local bars. He is now working with a new band and hoping to start performing live again soon.
Have listen to the podcast and find out more about Johnny at his MySpace.
Johnny San Interview [67:14m]: Weekly Photo
Well old George never gives up and he never fails. This guy has been around a long time now, but man, does he still know how to rock. George normally only plays smaller shows, while this show at the K-Rock Centre is what would be considered a big show for Thorogood, as the venue has over 3,000 seats. It was a small theatre setup so there was no bad seat, and even those in the very back had a good view with the stage being at center ice. You can view additional pictures of the show by visiting my portfolio.
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