Category Archives: Genre

Hedley is one of those artists that I’ve listened to over the past few years, admittedly even cranked a few of their tunes in the car but never really paid that much attention to…that is until they blew the roof off of the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Saturday night.

What an amazing treat it was Friday night to take in the Santana show at Casino Rama. We’re talking about one of music’s icons, and premiere guitarists.  I felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to photograph and review this performance.  Right from the opening bars of Soul Sacrifice, we were all captivated by the sweet and unmistakable sounds of Carlos Santana’s guitar playing. He has a tone and style like no other, and when he sauntered onto the stage, with his sparkling gold guitar and wearing his fedora, the jammed packed theatre rose up and greeted Carlos and his 10 piece band.

Hedley took their HELLO tour to Barrie, Ontario Monday night playing to a capacity Molson Centre, and the fans adored every part of the show. The band had a great production, nice wide clean stage, with vivid lighting rig and video boards. The sound was so clean and clear – the band really set it up well. That’s what happens when a multi-platinum band tours across Canada. And this show is damn good.

Kingston area hip hop performers Keaton and S-Cape Artist took turns stealing the show last Thursday night in Kingston at The Mansion. I know this because I was lucky enough to spend the evening with them, as they and local Brockville band Our Forgotten Memories supported my band Project Mantra at our Kingston CD Release Party.

Lets keep this one simple.  I love Country Music!  I really do.  And this morning waking up to the CMAO 2016 Award Nominations was kind of like a kid at Christmas.  As my eyes read through and processed this years nominations I couldn’t help but wonder.  Who will be the BIG Winners next month at the Awards Ceremonies in Markham? Here is the list of Nominations.

With another year of Juno’s in the history books the thought occurred to me last night that, well for one, Canadian Country Music is not very well represented at the awards that are supposed to represent the best of Canada and, for two, Canadian Country is all but absent on the international scene, or at least south of the border.

Anticipation ran high in Canada’s Capital since it was announced that the best selling solo artist in US history, Garth Brooks, would be making his return to the city for the first time in 19 years this past January. The wait came to an end on Friday as thousands of fans descended on the Canadian Tire Centre for the first of 4 shows.

When I first read that Metallica founder and frontman James Hetfield was leaving the band and going country I was honestly surprised but then it occurred to me that there have been plenty of rockers that made the leap before him so it’s not that far of a stretch.

It may have been less than a year since Johnny Reid brought his high spirited show to RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest but his local chapter of the Tartan Army didn’t have any issues packing into TD Place for, what many who have been to multiple stops on the tour are calling, one of the best shows to date on his “What Love Is All About Tour”

2015 was a big year for Danielle Marie, a young starlet, from western Canada, a CCMA Spotlight Performance at the Canadian Country Music Fan favourite Legends Show in Halifax, 4 BC Country Music Award Nominations, the 2015 BCCMA Ray McAuley Horizon Award and a radio tour throughout three provinces. Plus Danielle’s sophomore album Here Right Now broke the Top 25 iTunes Country Album Chart within 24 hours of release and her current single at radio, ‘Drive Away’, co-written with award winning Nashville writer Byron Hill, is proving to be her biggest yet and recently debuted on the Canadian Country Trax report currently at #74!