Come out and get an earful of this great young local band.  Show starts at 9pm with a $3 cover.

Come out and get an earful of this great young local band.  Show starts at 9pm with a $3 cover.

Rod Nicholson - Scene Magazine: By turns confessional and narrative, the tunes here are presented in an unadorned performance and production style that throws their lyrical and melodic content into sharp relief. Name-checking this material influence-wise would include some fine artists such as Joe Ely, Townes Van Zandt and John Prine. Lucas Stagg measures up well against such vintage stuff while projecting his own clear style, no mean feat in itself. Whether it’s the James Burton chug of ‘Hell Bent’ or the straight-up country cautionary tale ‘Doin’ Time’, the order of the day is sharp playing, strong clear vocal harmonies and melodies that stick in the mind.

Show starts at 9pm - $3 cover

With the May 2007 release of Time bomb, a collaboration CD with fellow Canadian Roxanne Potvin and American blues guitar heroine Deborah Coleman, powerhouse singer/songwriter/guitarist, Sue Foley has once again solidified her place as one of the leading lights of the contemporary blues scene.

Time bomb’s release comes only a year after Foley’s critically acclaimed 10th studio album, New Used Car, the most accomplished and accessible album of her career, featuring Sue’s smooth purr-to-growl vocal style wrapped around original songs, punctuated by her biting, shiver-inducing lead guitar work. She wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 12 tunes on the disc. “I feel this is the best songwriting I’ve done in my life – the songs just developed so naturally and seemed to write themselves,” says Foley, “it was a remarkable process and it is the strongest work and most satisfying album yet.”

With the May 2007 release of Time bomb, a collaboration CD with fellow Canadian Roxanne Potvin and American blues guitar heroine Deborah Coleman, powerhouse singer/songwriter/guitarist, Sue Foley has once again solidified her place as one of the leading lights of the contemporary blues scene.

Time bomb’s release comes only a year after Foley’s critically acclaimed 10th studio album, New Used Car, the most accomplished and accessible album of her career, featuring Sue’s smooth purr-to-growl vocal style wrapped around original songs, punctuated by her biting, shiver-inducing lead guitar work. She wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 12 tunes on the disc. “I feel this is the best songwriting I’ve done in my life – the songs just developed so naturally and seemed to write themselves,” says Foley, “it was a remarkable process and it is the strongest work and most satisfying album yet.”

Dave Balfour has the distinct ability to write excellent songs and to play covers really well.

Dave just finished helping bring a tonne of great music to Perth via the Stewart Park Festival - now it’s his chance to play! You won’t want to miss this one.

Dave Balfour has the distinct ability to write excellent songs and to play covers really well.

Split Decision will be playing some good old rock and roll at O’Reilly’s Pub on July 26th.

Split Decision will be playing some good old rock and roll at O’Reilly’s Pub on July 26th.

Join Matt Dickson and Chris Angel, a new acoustic duo at O’Reilly’s Pub Perth on Saturday night, August 16th.

Join Matt Dickson and Chris Angel, a new acoustic duo at O’Reilly’s Pub Perth on Saturday night, August 16th.

“On Thursday, May 8th auditions will be held for the ‘On Stage’ portion of the Stewart Park Festival. The event will take place at O’Reillys pub, 43 Gore Street. Each performer will be asked to play 2 songs , at least one of them must be an original composition. Six acts will be chosen and two spots are reserved for local acts.  We are looking forward to a great night of entertainment.

The Spades are simply the best garage outfit in Ontario. Ask Gord Sinclair of the Tragically Hip — he produced the Peterborough band’s new CD, Let It Grow. It conjures up vinyl visions ofCrazy Horse and The Heartbreakers. And The Spades are even better live.

Biography - written by Mary Ocampo

Not only have they been performing in major festivals, been heard on commercial radio, been raved about in newspapers across the region – even appearing on national television – The Joshua Morin Band is breaking into and gaining momentum in the music scene with their signature style of music they call ‘indie rock with a story.’

If you haven’t heard him yet, you’re missing out on a “multi-talented… writer, singer, musician and showman,” as described by Caroline Boyce of Magic Dolphin Music.

It’s clear why this Ottawa native has been given such praise! As a multi-talented writer, Joshua pens a fresh, new style of music he calls ‘indie rock with a story.’ A combination of folk story-telling and indie rock, it came from Joshua’s love of entertaining by telling stories, and his musical roots – which include jazz and blues, as well as rock and folk. Joshua’s lyrics understand that it’s the simple life moments – about love, loss and leaky cars – that make up the depth of life itself, ingeniously marrying these themes with rock’s raw emotions. His clever twists are mischievously unapologetic and his stories are wittily ironic. They leave listeners sometimes laughing and commiserating, both at the same time!

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We are excited to have the Lady Racers visit during their current tour. 

Christina Foster, Lia Dawson and Anna Robertson are a trio of talented young singer songwriters. They first formed as a band in the spring of 2003, and haven’t been able to get away from each other since. They found their beginnings during high school, and began honing their craft in kitchens and bedrooms around Kingston, Ontario. Slowly they got their footing in more ambitious venues such as local clubs and open mics. What started as a casual creative outlet then became a way of life.
Everywhere they went their thoughtful, sometimes melancholy and always beautiful harmonies were well received, and their passion for singing and song writing illuminated the stage. Accompanied by one acoustic guitar, which they take turns playing, they perform using a minimal amount of equipment.
In 2004, the ladies worked together to record their first, self-titled 8 song demo. Using the demo and word of mouth as their tools, they have played with an impressive line-up of performers, as well as festivals and clubs around Kingston, Toronto and the surrounding areas.
In 2005-6 the racers began to build on their original formation, adding first an upright bass player, followed by two electric guitar players and a drummer. With the addition of the new instruments, the ladies became more versatile and able to cater to many different audiences. Sometimes they appear with just the 3 racers, sometimes with a full back-up band. Spring 2006, the girls and their band began recording their latest CD, “Here and Now” at recording studio Concept Audio in Kingston. With everything from dancey-blues to sombre ballads to striking a cappella, this album has a little something for everyone. They are hoping to continue playing the festival circuit as well as planning an Ontario tour this upcoming summer. With a new album in hand, these ladies are ready to race.

Current Swell, based in Victoria BC includes Scott Stanton, Dave Lang, and Louie Sadava, all originally from Alberta, with Chris Petersen recently being added on drums. The band has been together for over 3 years, writing together for over 5 years and, since congregating in Victoria, have found their own style of music from the coast. 2005 saw Current Swell releasing So I Say, which quickly gained momentum leading the band to be one of the hottest new acts from British Columbia. The end of 2005 and beginning of 2006 saw the band spending 5 months traveling from Bali to Australia playing shows and earning many fans along the way. Upon the bands return, Current Swell committed to a relentless touring schedule which included a full Canadian tour and numerous Western Canadian tours, while beginning the process of writing and recording their sophomore album (Trust Us Now) which was released in June of 2007. The band has performed with some great acts including Bedouin Soundclash and Xavier Rudd. They toured Western Canada in the spring of 2007 with headlining Aussie band, The Beautiful Girls. Current Swell boasts loyal and devout fans across the nation and globe, which is fuel to the fire, and will be on another national tour throughout the summer while plans are made for tours in the United States and Japan. Dubbed as “a blend of Ben Harper meets Sublime”, any fan of sunshine and good times is sure to smile when the songs of Current Swell grace their ears.

 By: Lianne Lahaie-Tysick

 James McKenty and The Spades’ latest CD is called Let It Grow and true to the title, the band is planting robust seeds of success in the furrows of the Canadian music sceneI always enjoy writing about James McKenty and The Spades because a) James is from Perth; b)  they’re an amazing band with a sound that will soothe your soul and rattle your bones at the same time; c) they’re a group of talented young men that is setting the Canadian music scene on fire; and d) I have a major soft spot for them because James is one of my nearest and dearest friends, as his bandmates, bassist Josh ‘Chachi’ Robichaud and drummer Thomas ‘Winchester’ Street You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive an e-mail from James’ dad, John McKenty, last week, giving me an update on The Spades and the great strides they’re making in their musical career together.

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Welcome to our new web/blog page where we plan to keep you informed on who’s coming and what’s happening. This week, Jamie McKenty & The Spades will be playing at O’Reilly’s for the after hours portion of the Stewart Park Festival on Friday, July 20. The show will probably start around 9:00pm and you need an after hours pin to get in. These are available at the Festival in Stewart Park. This band has been making waves all over Ontario - Jamie is local boy so come on out and show him some props!

Welcome to our new web/blog page where we plan to keep you informed on who’s coming and what’s happening. This week, Jamie McKenty & The Spades will be playing at O’Reilly’s for the after hours portion of the Stewart Park Festival on Friday, July 20. The show will probably start around 9:00pm and you need an after hours pin to get in. These are available at the Festival in Stewart Park. This band has been making waves all over Ontario - Jamie is local boy so come on out and show him some props!