The Little Festival That Could: Rock lives on in Montebello Good old fashioned rock is becoming a dinosaur on the festival circuit. In an industry dominated by folk rock, indie, EDM and other genres, the days of big guitar riffs, live heavy drums and overpowering vocals seem to be a fading memory. Thankfully, for those of us that need to […]

There are few things more synonymous with Canada than hockey and beer. Thus, how fitting is it for a Canadian band to brew its own beer and pay homage to the Hanson brothers (everyone’s favorite violent but lovable cinematic hockey goons). Consisting of Robbie and Johnny Hanson (brothers Rob and John Wright), Tommy Hanson (Tom Holliston) and ‘Some Guy’ Hanson, […]

I had a dream recently about a video store my dad used to take me to. We’d rent a couple of VHS tapes every weekend and sometimes would watch them all, sometimes just one. I had a knack for re-watching a tape I liked a good 50 times over. It is a fond memory of mine but, realistically, is nothing […]

Attending a live show, be it as a fan or critic, always comes with a certain set of expectations. You know the music, you know the audience and you know the energy. Gauging whether the show is good or not is often a by-product of those expectations. So what happens when there are no expectations? I’ll be the first to […]

It’s been 50 years since that fateful day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated. A lot has been written and a lot of movies have been made about it. Musicians, on the other hand, have rarely approached the topic. Cowboy Junkies aim to change that. Their sprawling epic record The Kennedy Suite (also being staged as a post-modern musical) doesn’t […]

Rock and roll was originally founded under two principles: fun and rebellion. There are no true rebels left in rock music. It has all been done and what was once counter culture has become mainstream. There are, however, a precious few bands left that still have fun in their recordings. It’s easy to say you’re having fun – it’s a […]