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Ottawa’s The Riot Police hit the stage for the Canada Day celebrations in Cornwall Ontario giving a heated performance on what what might have been one of the hottest days of the summer.

Frontman for Hey Rosetta! Tim Baker made a tour stop at Bronson Centre in support of his Solo LP, Forever Overhead delivering a remarkable performance.

Montreal’s incredible indie-pop superstar Coeur de Pirate follows up a multi-night sold out run in the NCR with a return to the Bronson Centre Theatre on Friday Feb 1st.

The Old Smugglers – Photo by Marty Lang

They look like gangsters from the 1940’s, they sing about the salty sea, they play instruments that look like they were scavenged from a shipwreck, and on November 10th, 2017, The Old Smugglers revealed their 3rd album “Hard Pan to Chaos”.

The Old Smuggler’s are a duo, The Infamous Dr. Thunder & Mister December – and it seems that’s all they need; no drummer, no bass player, although occasionally Dr. Thunder plays bass for live shows. Nonetheless, their stage performances are far from lackluster, quite the opposite. Don’t be deceived by what appears to be a stripped down act, these guys can fill a room with thick guitar tones, gravel in their throats, and fire in their eyes. This approach translates naturally from the stage to their recordings, percussion and bass are used as a more of a spice than a main ingredient. That being said, there aren’t any moments that feel hollow or as though anything is missing. Like a pirate with a broken paddle for a peg leg, a mangled coat hanger for a hook hand, and a dirty marble for a glass eye, it’s all sorts of messed up and yet that’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be.

“…Lyrics that are sharper than sharks teeth and fueled by moonshine.”

Now I have to admit, while I like the Arkells, I never jumped on the buzz-worthy bandwagon that a lot of my peers seem to have. Arkells are solid. They bring energy to every show. They even get political sometimes, and their “Ode to the Whistleblower” is a pretty powerful tune. And much like Glorious Sons (who are coming to the K-Rock Centre in February 2018), the commercial radio/university campus buzz/Canadian indie support for them is not only noticeable but frankly hard to miss.

The music and lyrics for Surround the World were written by Oren Sharon. The unique video is compilation of 51 different different female singers from around the world singing the lyrics.

The National Arts Centre is a really spectacular venue for a concert of any size and magnitude. Even more so when the musical artist on the stage is pouring their heart out and the audience is electric. That was just the case this past Friday night, as a capacity crowd of passionate Canadian music lovers arose from their seats and ignored the sitting room guidelines to celebrate the ever-evolving indie dream-rock sounds of Mother Mother.

Canadian rock music has never been more relevant. The sights and sounds are full and crisp, and the talent pool is deep. Still, once in awhile a music snob like myself gets to head to a concert with a band that I am largely unfamiliar with, in hopes of being wowed. Seldom does this actually happen. Most times, the band (insert name here) brings a lot of energy and a few hook driven choruses to the table, and at about the halfway point I begin to count down to the end of the night.

Thursday night at The Dakota Tavern was by far the most diverse instalment of the Four Chords And The Truth series. Really getting to the “kernels of the popcorn”. The songwriters featured at each confession have the opportunity to get back to the roots of each of their songs and give us (the audience) some vulnerable insight into the origin of their art.

Dear Rouge brought their Black to Gold tour to the Mansion in Kingston on Friday night and they along with special guests Rah Rah and Caveboy were solid gold!