Category Archives: Concert Reviews

It was the first Saturday of June, the sun was shining, the restrictions on gatherings were recently lifted, the energy was high, and the people were happy!  The moment the first riff floated through the air you knew it was real, that you were once again in the presence of live music and smiling faces.  It was a fantastic first full hard rocking day of outdoor music in over a year.  There were food vendors, a tattoo tent, chainsaw art, mosh pits and even a couple surfers.  Shake the Ground Fest was an excellent way to welcome the return of the Central Ohio local music scene and kick it off in full force with many of the up-and-coming heavy hitters.  The bands were excited to finally have a chance to play the new songs they’ve been working on to a live audience.  Every one of them put on a killer performance despite the heat!  After a long and tough year, everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed the day of music, fun, friends, letting loose, and forgetting about the pandemic.  Many people were seen closing their eyes, enjoying the moment and simply “listening to the sound of the crowd.”

Award-Winning Jasmine Cain, a Sturgis SD native, now living in Nashville, has been entertaining rock fans for many years by touring tirelessly. (According to her website, she did 170 shows in 2019.) So when the Pandemic hit as she was releasing her 7^th album Seven, Jasmine didn’t take a wait and see approach. She immediately went out and purchased equipment to allow for streaming of content and promotion of the album until she would be able to tour again.

Seven went on to win the Josie Award for Album of the Year. Jasmine also took home the Vocalist of the Year Award for 2020.  She rose to the occasion like a true professional despite last year’s massive shutdown of the live music industry as a whole.

Tantric rocked The King of Clubs in Columbus, Ohio with two nights of sold out shows the weekend of May 7th and 8th.  It was a stellar performance with the unmistakable sound of Hugo Ferreira’s vocal style, great stage presence and awesome riffs.

The King of Clubs is a recently opened event venue in Columbus, Ohio designed with the goal of providing amazing musical experiences for artists and fans of all genres.  Even though the show was socially distanced, the energy was high, the venue was thumping, and the people were dancing in their seats.

A handful of lucky live music starved fans were treated to a special show featuring Amanda Rheaume and hosted by the National Arts Centre.

Live event starved fans in Ottawa were treated to some foot-stompin’ rock and roll on Saturday night at the Drive-in Experience held at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa.

Sunday night saw many families in Ottawa throw some blankets in the back of the pick-up and make their way to their first ever drive-in concert at Wesley Clover Parks in the west end of Ottawa.

There is a new venue that is giving artist some open air to play and Saturday night was no exception.

It’s the summer of 2020, most events that involved crowds of any size have been postponed or cancelled outright. Leave it to a campground deep in the 1000 Islands of Ontario to save the day and find a way to keep live music happening!

Cara Luft is driving from Manitoba to BC to visit her tiny home. “I’ve been doing a few solo distancing concerts in Manitoba and some with my (The Small Glories) band mate. I thought this feels really good. So I checked to see what restrictions were lifted and planned a few stops along the way, where ever they would have me.” We love live music so much that most shows sold out quickly.

Hamilton rockers, Monster Truck, hit the newest entertainment venue, CityView Drive-In, located opposite Rebel nightclub, last Friday, July 16th as Toronto celebrated its first drive-in concert since COVID19 and the subsequent lock down that hit Canada last March.