You know the saying all good things must come to an end, so too must all bad things. Last night Motley Crue stopped in Ottawa with their friend Alice Cooper for one last party before they hangup their costumes and turn of the pilot lights once and for all.
Kenny Chesney in Hamilton
So, Last night I had the chance to witness what I was hoping to be an epic performance from one of country music’s elite. From the thousands that have flocked to his shows in the US with sold out dates in stadiums holding 70,000+.
Brett Kissel at The Kee to Bala
Day two of last weekend’s road trip took me to beautiful Bala, Ontario. Home of The Kee to Bala. Saturday’s entertainment was Brett Kissel. It was his first time performing there and he was pumped!
The Fifth | Birds of Bellwoods
The Fifth | Birds of Bellwoods | EP Release
From the first note, Birds of Bellwoods drew me in to their new EP, The Fifth. Starting out simply and building from there, the addition of strings to the sound is perfection.
Track one, Sky got the most play. The pace builds and by the time they get to the chorus, “the youth I used to know”, the intensity is off the scale. Layered with harmonies and intensity. The lyrics seem to tell a story of loss, denial and acceptance.
Come Home showcases the four part harmonies and the softer side of love. Mixing high and low with strings and bass, there’s a strength in the sound that makes me wish there was more, and that I was there when they wrote it.
The Heavy bass beat and fast lyrics in Roll Your Stone, has an old fashioned feel to it, and yet it has a modern lyrical flow, it’s brilliant.
By far the darkest track, in my opinion, is Grey Ghosts. “Set my bed on fire today. Whiskey makes the trouble fade.” against the sweet sounding harmonies, it gives me goosebumps for the full 5 minutes and 6 seconds.
The title track, The Fifth, comes last with it’s tempo changes, gives us a look at the heart from the inside out, admittedly not always a pretty place.
Over all, the songwriting is smart and sharp. The sound is not purely indie folk, the flow of the lyrics and beat, at times, is rap reminiscent. Honestly, I think everyone should listen to it. Each track is bringing its best to the table. I can’t pick a favourite.
These guys are going places. Birds of Bellwoods are Stephen Joffe (Lead Vocals/Mandolin), Chris Blades (Vocals/Banjo), Kintaro Akiyama (Vocals/Standup Bass), Adrian Morningstar (Vocals/Guitar).
Watch for them at Jasper Folk Music Festival, TURF, The Horseshoe Tavern and Indie Week in Toronto.
Album Available On – iTunes – Spotify – Rdio – Bandcamp – Soundcloud– And More
In Conversation with Old Dominion
Well another week has passed and Boots and Hearts is still likely still a strong memory. Well how about catching up with Old Dominion before they hit the stage at the massively successful Coors Light Banquet Kickoff Party. The boys did a hell of job on stage and we were happy they gave us some time to chat.
Abby Stewart – I’m Still Faster – Official Music Video
We talk a lot about Abby Stewart around here it’s true but there’s a reason for that. This kid has got some mad talent and her latest music video, for her single “I’m Still Faster” off of her Firsts EP, which came out earlier this week is more evidence of just that. The video is set at Brockville Ontario Speedway which is mere minutes away from our home office in Prescott, Ontario.
Big Revival Tour – Ontario Bound
As the summer winds down and those of you rest your heads from a busy couple weekend’s of country music festivals with Boots and Hearts and Havelock back.
Chatting with Johnny Reid
Johnny Reid has had a busy summer appearing at numerous summer festivals across the country including North Bay Summer in the Park and Ottawa Bluesfest. We recently had a chance to catch up with Johnny before his performance at Manitoulin Country Fest.
Updated: Chatting with Dallas Smith
We had a chance to sit down with our buddy Dallas Smith backstage at Boots & Hearts this past weekend. We talked festivals, Cheap Seats & so much more. Click play and watch what we had to chat about. Enjoy.
Follow us on Twitter to! @SoundCheckBlg or follow Corey at @CoreyKelly76
UPDATE…So you wanna hear that track that Dallas mentioned in our interview. Here it is folks. Pretty sweet tune.
Dear Rouge coming to a city near you!
As we promised during Ottawa Bluesfest and again earlier this week Dear Rouge is about to hit the road on a major North American & European tour with fellow Canadian’s Rah Rah.
