I
hardly know where to go from here… after 200 calendars… I guess the
most logical step is… Calendar #201. All the news that's fit to print.
If you were to amalgamate the season names of Spring and Winter…
since we seem to be enjoying/ suffering both of them right now… I don't
think that 'Sprinter' would pass the marketing committee test groups… since
this season seems to be taking FOREVER. I guess it's more like… Wing Season…
that delightful mix of Winter and Spring that fills the Buddha patio up for
the afternoon and brings out the snowpants after dinner. Trying to plan for
this season is a total crap shoot.
Regardless, we made it through to May… exams are done. Our University and
College students are free for the season… our teachers are finished marking
exams… our working folk are planning vacations…
Of course, the main music plans that most people will have are to book off and buy your weekend passes for Northern Lights Festival Boreal, July 6-8 at Bell Park here in Sudbury… and the River and Sky Music and Camping Festival, July 20-22 at a new location between North Bay and Sudbury. I can tell you right now that The Northern Lights Festival Boreal line-up includes Daniel Lanois, Joel Plaskett, Steven Page, The Good Lovelies, Hidden Cameras, Yukon Blonde, Jenn Grant, Canailles, Kinnie Starr, Sierra Noble, The Almighty Rhombus, Spencer Jose, Hugh Jazz and many more. R&S line-up is to be posted around May 12th, so do bookmark the website and check back with them to see the details.
As always, stay tuned for more shows! Always more coming down the pipe. Don't miss the Bluegrass and Gospel Sundays at the Laughing Buddha, starting up again on Sunday May 6th… kids welcome… at the Laughing Buddha, Sundays from 2-5pm.
May 4th and 5th - Cuff The Duke! TWO NIGHTS -Tickets on Sale March 1st - - $15.00 advance each night. $20.00 at the door if available.
Cuff the Duke is one of those bands that can sell out 2 shows in Sudbury… that's right… 400 tickets are on sale. We have confirmed that Pistol George Warren will be playing one of the nights. Bunnies and The Almighty Rhombus will be playing the second night. The Skeletones Four are on both nights. It's a little Cuff the Duke Festival! Cuff the Duke released their 5th album in October and commenced a cross Canada tour that included lunch at the Buddha, but strangely no Sudbury gig… we're making up for this demand with a two nighter with the band. The most recent item now is that Cuff the Duke has added Juno Nominated onto their CV in 2012 for Best Album Adult Alternative category.?Stay tuned for a whole heap more great shows as the Winter wears thin and bands start to hit the highways again. Keep a close ear here in the Calendar, on the Website and on Facebook for the news as it happens.?
Wednesday, May 9th - Kalle Mattson, Faraway Neighbours - $7.00 at the door
These bands were just through here 2 weeks ago with the Northern Ontario Music Awards… both are headed out on tours of Ontario right now and are kicking things off with a warm-up date here in Suds. The Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay natives are hitting the road. When they return, we'll have them back in to see what all that road time has done for them. These are two bands to watch in the future.
Thursday, May 10th - The
Strumbellas, Stephanie Fyfe - $7.00 at the door
Born in Toronto but conceived in Lindsay, Ontario, The Strumbellas
are equal parts small town dream and big city hustle. It's strange, perhaps,
that Canada's biggest city is home to its alt-country scene, but The Strumbellas
rebel yell is a natural extension of the sound honed by Toronto stalwarts Royal
City, The Sadies, Cuff the Duke, The Wilderness of Manitoba, and $100. Principal
songwriter Simon Ward likes to say that his heart is in his hometown but his
head is in the city, or vice versa, he's not sure which.
Sensitive singer-songwriters beware: this ain't your meemaw's country music.
The band brings wheat-field harmonies and arena-ready thunder to back rooms
and festival stages alike, sounding bigger and louder than any band with a banjo
deserves to sound. Folk whisp and country twang are nowhere to be found as the
seven-member band pounds out a bluegrass-inspired indie rock that rivals punk
and hardcore for sweat, blood, and ruckus.
Friday, May 11th - The Terminators - $5.00 at the door
Paul DiSalle returns for another night of great rock and roll. This three piece band will be your perfect late night party with La Salon du Livre in town again for another great event.
Saturday,
May 12th - Alun Piggins
& the Quitters - $7.00 at the door
It's been awhile since Al and Jay came back to The Townehouse. It has been their northern home for nearly 20 years.Alun is a songwriter that has devoted his life to raising the bar on music. He writes anthemic music for those who need a hero down on the factory floor, the bar rail of the pub or slinging their wares at a 9-5. He's standing at the dead end with a sledgehammer. He's a folk singer who rocks like The Jam… a punk that should be in Crazy Horse. Together with Jay Santiago on Drums, they form a skiffle group with the roar of a lion.
Sunday, May 13th - The Vibonics - no cover
Toronto's Vibonics are fusing elements of hip-hop and R&B
with indie rock and funk, the six-piece band will be performing acoustic tonight…
Please support them if you can come out by buying a CD or helping them on their
tour with a couple bucks. The group blends a range of styles seamlessly into
their signature flow, captured perfectly on their de- but EP. Ironically enough,
as natural and organic as the group's sound is, it all started as an unlikely
school proj- ect between emcee Crossword and guitarist Alfred Chow.
"Alfred and I met at school, and one of the projects we had to do was to
write a song," recalls Crossword. "It came together in a way that
worked better than we ex- pected, so we continued writing."
"If you asked me six years ago if I'd be playing in a hip hop band, I'd say no way," adds Chow, speaking to the surprising chemistry between not only Vibonics' mem- bers, but the synergy between the disparate influences they incorporate into their music. "It just worked. We were patient and put the right line up together. I grew up playing rock, funk, metal and jazz, so writing this EP with a solid membership enabled us to do this."
Thursday, May 17th - Old
Time Machine, Old Cabin, El Tazo - $7.00 at the door
The duo of Old Time Machine started in Whitehorse, Yukon as the art-show contribution of a bluesman and a bedroom-musician. The unlikely duo works to blend studies of finger style traditional blues with experience crafting ethereal soundscapes to create familiar but distinctly original music.
Their work started when Ryan put forward a handful of songs departing from his solo writing. Kyle eagerly filled spaces with reverb-soaked vocals and backbeats. With a handful of songs and a mountain of stringed instruments, analog machines and effects, drums, and mics, between them, McNally and Cashen began combining traditional sounding folk structures with ghostly harmonies and vintage electronics.
Friday, May 18th - Hugh Jazz w/ guests - $7.00 at the door
The Gypsy Jazz Trio of Hugh Jazz expands it's doors now with Meadowlark Five chanteuse Danica on vocals for a set of swinging songs. Hugh Jazz brings together three exciting musicians in Eric, Eric and Ben who bring together their backgrounds of Jazz, Rockabilly, Classical, Rock and Punk into a swinging hybrid that would make Django Reinhardt spin in his grave with joy.
Saturday, May 19th - Life Blown Open w/ guests - $7.00 at the door
Life blOwn Open returns to Sudbury for a preview before their CD Release party in Late July or early August. Tanner and Justin have been in the south for 18 months now but still love to come back to their familiar stomping grounds. Their new bass player can't join them tonight, so we'll go back to ultra familiar territory with Paul stepping in to sub one more time. (no biggie... I love this band... it never gets old)
Wednesday, May 23rd - Poor Young Things - $5.00 at the door
Poor Young Things need no sympathy. The rock 'n' roll band, made
up of five resourceful focused musicians, gave up a contented life in Thunder
Bay, Ontario, and headed for Toronto without knowing a soul. Within a year,
the band had recorded with their dream producer Jon Drew (Arkells) and signed
a deal with Bumstead Records. Poor them, indeed.
Their debut EP, Let It Sleep, a precursor to a full-length album to be released
later in 2012, is an emotive working-class rock release with songs primarily
about the culture shock of a big city and surviving there.
Thursday, May 24th - Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk, The Wintermitts - $7.00 at the door
What began as a simple solo project in the summer of 2008 has, over time and travel, evolved into a powerful and dynamic folk-pop experience. Lauren Mann, the namesake and forerunner of Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk, has brought an eclectic, passionate, and, as the name might give away, fairly odd group of musicians alongside her to bring greater instrumentation and dynamic to her captivating music.
Please meet Wintermitts, a genre bending six-piece from the rain-soaked left hand corner of Canada, in a city called Vancouver. They sing in French and English. They rock out on trumpets and accordions. They waltz when they need to and they're as absorbing (and comforting!) as you'd hope a winter mitten would be. Since 2005, they've been soothing souls in a way that Chicken Soup could only dream of. Watching them live is like peering into the playroom of six best friends, swapping instruments whenever they please and letting love drift like dandelion seeds.
Together they have created Oceans, the latest addition to their catalogue and easily their most refined album to date. Produced by Kees Dekker (Plants and Animals, Rah Rah) and engineered by Shawn Penner (Mother Mother, Hannah Georgas), Oceans is a lesson in dazzling orchestral pop. Part chanson d'amour française, part delirious waltz and part naturalist manifesto, it's as rollicking as a mid-sea canoe ride. It's as warm as Grandma's home-knit sweater. It's an expression of wonderment in the face of love, of nature, of art itself. It's about pushing past the dark moments to find that, yeah, life's actually worth grooving on.
Friday, May 25th - The Doors Night - $7.00 at the door
The spirit of Jim is poised to rise out of the desert again. From the Whiskey a Go Go to the bathtubs of Paris… there were few pairs of leather pants that could drive the libidoslike Jim Morrison. As luck would have it… rather than Jim languishing as one of Andy Warhol's pretty boys, as film school would have led him… or becoming a rent boy or something… he met John Densmore, Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek who formed one of the most iconic rock and roll bands of the era. They fused Muddy Waters blues, sharp Zombies R&B pop and California psychedelia into one of the most dangerous bands in the land. Tonight, the part of Jim Morrison will once again be played by Billy John, Robby Krieger will be fretted by Ryan Levecque, John Densmore pounded out by Matt Foy and the inimitable Ray Manzarek by Peter Learn. The part of 'Studio Bass Player' will be covered by Pepper. It's a party that you don't want to miss in celebration of one of the greats.
Saturday, May 26th - Nickel City Roller Derby Night - $10.00 at the door
This year, the Townehouse Tavern is one of the proud sponsors
of Nickel City Roller Derby. When the league has a bout, we'll have the after
party. So we want all of you to buy tickets for the bout… Tonight at the
Azilda Arena… and then after the bout you come and party with 30 awesome
Roller Derby Girls. We'll have bands playing through the night… chances
to buy Derby merch, enter Derby contests… like win a skate with the Derby
Girls! Check out the league on line at http://www.ncrd.ca/ .
The Women's Flat Track Derby Association is the international governing body
for the sport of women's flat track roller derby and a membership organization
for leagues to collaborate and network. The WFTDA sets standards for rules,
seasons, and safety, and determines guidelines for the national and international
athletic competitions of member leagues. There are currently 147 WFTDA member
leagues and 67 leagues in the WFTDA Apprentice program.
Monday,
May 28th - Chris Murray
and the Fundamentals, +local openers - $7.00 advance, $10.00 door. Doors
at 8:00pm. Show at 9:00pm.
Chris Murray is a unique force on today's music scene. Born in Toronto, he earned a strong reputation as a dynamic performer and gifted songwriter as leader of influential Canadian ska group King Apparatus. Upon the band's breakup, he relocated to Los Angeles, emerging as a solo artist with The 4-Track Adventures Of Venice Shoreline Chris, recorded in various locations on a portable 4-track cassette recorder.
Entering LA's ultra-purist rock steady scene armed only with an
acoustic guitar, Chris has become a leading figure in the world's foremost authentic
Jamaican music community. As host of Bluebeat Lounge, a popular weekly concert
series focusing on reggae and ska, Chris promoted more than 350 shows over seven
years at Hollywood's Knitting Factory.
Life has led Chris down a musical path to the very roots of reggae music. From
trading songs on acoustic guitar with boogie-ska pioneer Laurel Aitken and singing
with famed bandleader Carlos Malcom, to jamming with The Specials in a basement
club and recording with Jamaica's original rhythm section, Lloyd Knibb and Lloyd
Brevett, Chris has served his apprenticeship with the finest musicians associated
with the genre. He has also performed with backing groups for such legendary
Jamaican artists as Rico Rodriguez, Leonard Dillon (The Ethiopians), Eric Morris
and Prince Buster.
Chris has toured on five continents, sometimes solo, sometimes
with his LA band Chris Murray Combo, and sometimes backed by local groups. His
travels have taken him throughout the US, Canada, Europe, the UK, Japan, Mexico,
Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Currently releasing on his own label, Unstrictly Roots, recently Chris assembled
his own analog home studio and is recording the sophomore album for Chris Murray
Combo. Other upcoming activities include his 10th UK tour in June and the debut
appearance of Chris Murray & The New Victorians at the 12th Annual Victoria
Skafest.
Since forming in 2008, The Fundamentals have worked tirelessly to bring their unique sound and exciting live show to audiences everywhere. Their music recalls the rhythms of 1960s Jamaica, with its roots firmly planted in the traditions of early ska, rocksteady, and reggae. The seven-piece ensemble combines these influences with an abiding love of blues and soul, and an attitude that is pure rock'n'roll, making sure every audience member and listener has an unforgettable time.??Known for their energetic and engaging live performances, The Fundamentals have shared the stage with many notable international acts, including The Aggrolites, Catch 22, Mustard Plug, and The New York Ska Jazz Ensemble; they have also played with top Canadian acts The Planet Smashers, The Creepshow, The Afterbeat and Subb. They have been featured at several festivals, including POP Montreal, the Victoria Ska Festival and the Montreal Ska Festival, and headlined the Ottawa Ska Festival and Owl's Head Festival in Mansonville, QC. Their reputation as masters of versatility and improvisation led to them performing as the backing band for New York ska legend King Django, a role they reprised for Jamaican-Canadian reggae star Vernon Maytone.
Thursday, May 31st - The Elwins, Coast Redwood - $7.00 at the door
Ontario-based indie pop outfit The Elwins have garnered an impressive pile of attention and praise considering their relative youth. From performing alongside acts like Tokyo Police Club, Arkells and Sweet Thing or at festivals including SXSW, CMW, POP Montreal, and the Halifax Pop Explosion to being heralded an "act to watch" by tastemakers like Exclaim!, CBC Radio 3, and Torontoist.com, The Elwins have rapidly risen the rungs of the Canadian independent music scene - and all without a full-length offering to their name; however, that's set to change with the release of their highly-anticipated long-player And I Thank You.
Coast Redwood, Sudbury's ragged rock and roll combo returns. Stephen, Sam, Spencer and Emmett are the new line-up that has been storming the city for the last few months. Elements of punk, Springsteen and modern indie rock. If they can survive the honeymoon then this will be one of Sudbury's shining lights when they record and tour.
Friday, June 1st - Ryan Levecque and Bandit w/ Guests - $7.00 at the door
Saturday, June 2nd - Satan's Sugar Shack, Zamboni Slim Band - $7.00 at the door
Sunday, June 3rd - Five Alarm Funk - $10.00 at the door
Ask around of the Townehouse regulars… those who saw this show last time will demand your attendance. Five Alarm Funk is a horn powered, percussion fuelled sonic and visual assault.For more than six years the band has brought their relentless and unforgettable live show to clubs and major festivals across Canada and the United States.The group on stage is an unstoppable orgy of energy. Ten musicians perform intricate and airtight arrangements with delirious dance moves and full on headbanging. Choreographed arm movements coincide with melodic climaxes while the four percussionists create a true spectacle.
Five Alarm Funk is releasing their fourth studio album, Rock the Sky, in May 2012. As the name implies, and the epic Pegasus on the cover attests, Rock the Sky has the band embracing their rock influences. "Iron Pegasus" is Iron Maiden meeting Tower of Power in an Egyptian bazaar, while "Wash Your Face" evokes Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock fighting to the death. The funk is not forgotten in "The Critic", with heavy baritone sax propelling a slow and sexy groove.
Thursday, June 7th - Monster Truck - $10.00 advance, $12.00 at the door
Once again, Monster Truck returns to Sudbury to do the business that no one else can do. "What's better than a kitschy sleaze-rock band? A self-aware kitschy sleaze-rock band. You're bound to get just that from Monster Truck. These bearded, greasy-haired Hamiltonians have just dropped The Brown EP (out today via Dine Alone), a stiff shot of beer-fuelled, testosterone-jacked riff rock that knows it's beer-fuelled, testosterone-jacked riff rock."
This is the kick off show of a new event called 'New Music Fest'. This event was started a couple years ago in Barrie by a group called Admiral Entertainment. They want to showcase many local and touring bands in many venues throughout Sudbury over the course of the weekend. For more info on the club based festival, see http://www.newmusicfest.ca/
Friday, June 8th - Pistol George Warren - Record release - $7.00 at the door or free with New Music Fest Pass.
PGW releases their 2nd album. Trumpets and fanfare will go hand
in hand as Sudbury's supergroup takes weekends and weeks this summer to conquer
Ontario and beyond. You have to admit… Country, Soul and Funk had it coming.