December 2019

Live Review – Danko Jones w/ Double Experience

Canada has exported many bands into the international music scene over the decades with household names such as Bryan Adams, Celine Dion and Justin Bieber to name a few. In the punk rock genre, SUM 41 remains the most famous while others such as Danko Jones have been met with less international success. However, that doesn’t stop them from touring and fresh from their European tour opening for Volbeat, Danko Jones returned to their home province in Canada for a change of clothes and to play some “rock and roll shows”, as Danko himself put it. So on December 12, Danko Jones came to the Brass Monkey in Ottawa, Ontario to play on “a Thursday night when no one comes to a sold out rock and roll show” and to “fulfill his dream of playing next to a pet store”.
Consisting of Danko Jones (vocals/guitar), John ‘JC’ Calabrese (bass), and Rich Knox (drums), they have released 8 albums with numerous EP’s and a Live album since 2002. But it’s their energetic and humoristic shows that have made them famous here in Canada and Europe. With a large discography containing numerous singles thrown in with humoristic dialogue, energy is required to fill in a 90 minute setlist. So despite recovering from a cold so “phlegm ruins the notes but nobody cares cuz it’s a rock and roll show”, energetic is what can best describe a Danko Jones show.
And they crammed in all their hits such as “First Date”, “Lovercall” and “Do You Wanna Rock” to name a few. And the sold out crowd knew the songs as Danko Jones is a popular band locally with regular radio airplay. Newer songs included “I’m In a Band” from ROCK SUPREME and the song “Fists up High” from an upcoming album in the process of being recorded which was the big surprise of the evening. But it was the seamless interchange between dialogue with the audience and the music that made the 90 minutes an entertaining and memorable show, a more serious-comedy performance in the style of Steel Panther’s routine.
Double Experience was the opening band for the evening. They are a rock band based in Ottawa, Ontario that was formed in the summer of 2011. The band consists of vocalist and front man Ian Nichols and guitarist Brock Tinsley. They have released three albums with most of their success obtained in Europe, where they tour regularly.

Editors Note *

I saw Danko Jones once a few years ago . He stated at the time he was the best Rockstar on the planet and that we as fans are lucky to be in his presence. I never planned on doing any coverage of this artist due to the off-putting nature of that performance and although I only stayed about five minutes into his set I was glad John was covering a current performance because I believe firmly in the freedoms we all have t0 like certain artists or to walk away and listen to something else . Thanks John for your honest review .

Third Annual INKCARCERATION Music and Tattoo Festival Announces Weekend Lineup Featuring Limp Bizkit, Weezer and Blink-182

Ohio’s Rock Event of The Summer is Back July 10-12, 2020 at the Historic Ohio State Reformatory

Tickets Available Now – Just in Time for Holiday Gift-Giving!

40 Bands on Two Stages, 60 Tattoo Artists, Reformatory Tours, Gourmet Food Trucks, Camping and Escape from Blood Prison Haunted Attraction

Tickets are now on sale now for the third annual INKCARCERATION Music and Tattoo Festival, featuring headliners Limp Bizkit, Weezer and Blink-182, at the famous Ohio State Reformatory, a.k.a. Shawshank prison, in Mansfield, OH, on July 10, 11, and 12, 2020

“We are extremely humbled by the support the fans put behind this festival in 2019 and wanted to bring them something even bigger in 2020,” the INKCARCERATION Festival team says. “For year three, we put together an extremely eclectic lineup that brings together all forms of rock. This festival is becoming known as the most unique event in the country, so we wanted to construct a lineup as unique as the venue itself! And, of course, it’s still the only rock festival held at a famous haunted prison! Expect lots of site upgrades from VIP to camping. We can’t wait for everyone to see what we have in store!”

INKCARCERATION Festival will feature over 40 bands on two outdoors stages, 60 tattoo artists, reformatory tours, gourmet food trucks, the best drinks, camping and the return of the popular haunted house attraction Escape from Blood Prison.

Joining Limp Bizkit, Weezer and Blink-182 will be a diverse lineup that includes Papa Roach, Halestorm, Mastodon, Underoath, Hollywood Undead, Steel Panther, Falling in Reverse, Candlebox, Badflower, Atreyu, Static-X , Puddle of Mudd, New Politics, All That Remains, We Came as Romans, The Devil Wears Prada, Emmure, Attila, Stick to Your Guns, New Years Day, Escape the Fate, Cold, Carnifex, The Aquadolls, Band-Maid, Stitched Up Heart, September Mourning, Damn Nation, Paralandra, Along Came a Spider, A Killers Confession, MissYou, Sink the Ship, Dread Engine, Mollo Rilla, Saving Escape, and more.

Live Review- The Beautiful Oblivion tour ft. ISSUES and Polyphia

With the advent of music streaming, it’s hard for bands to stay relevant nowadays and as we approach the 2020’s, it’s even harder for young bands who started after the days where CD sales ruled the roost. So with the launch and headlining world tour in support of their third album BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION, it should be commended that ISSUES tried to mix things up a bit to appeal to a larger audience.

An American metalcore band founded in 2012 and based in Atlanta, Georgia, the band currently consists of lead vocalist Tyler Carter, guitarist/vocalist AJ Rebollo, bassist Skyler Acord, and drummer Josh Manuel. They are known for their combination of metalcore, nu metal, pop and contemporary R&B. The self-titled debut album, ISSUES, climbed to #9 on the Billboard charts in 2012 based on a DJ infused metalcore sound which was unique to the market at the time. But things evolve and on December 4, Issues brought their Beautiful Oblivion tour to Club Soda in Montreal, Canada.

Playing all 13 tracks as well as their singles from their first 2 albums, ISSUES played an electrifying set covering all the checklists required for metalcore bands from hand pumping to encouraging moshing. What was fascinating was the standout differences between the songs from their earlier work to BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION. From a traditional metalcore sound to a more broader pop-synced sound found in BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION, it shows that ISSUES tried to make themselves appealing to the larger, commercial audience – with a large amount of success. BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION songs such as Tapping out and Drink About It blended perfectly with the set while the more dance-like song Flexin’ fell flat as it required a pre-recorded background beat to which the band hand to play to instead of creating their own sound with their performance. R & B songs like Without You and Get It Right were capable of getting the crowd going like COMA does. The crowd did not slow down to the slower song like Rain, Your Sake, Beautiful Oblivion or Downfall.

With the thirteen song from BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION, as well as Stingray Affliction, COMA, Never Lose Your Flames, The Realest, Slow me Down and, Mad At Myself as encore – ISSUES played a full setlist for their show and the energy did not stop from beginning to end. Although they still have far to go to be a “headliner”, their intent and drive to become one was apparent that evening.

Opening for ISSUES was POLYPHIA, a progessive rock band from Dallas, Texas. Not familiar with the prog rock scene, POLYPHIA were touring in support of their album NEW LEVELS NEW DEVILS released in 2018. A young band, yet were formed in 2010, played a melodic rock sound similar to bands like Supertramp but had no vocals.

Album review – Transcedence by RavenWord

Many aspects of heavy metal music have historically originated through Gothic culture dating back to the 18th century. Many classic literary novels were also born through that culture including Edgar Allen Poe’s work in the 19th century. For those who have forgotten high school English classes, he is an author most known for his novel “The Raven” which has been popularised many times throughout Culture from movies, video games and even The Simpsons. So naturally, the time has come for heavy metal music and The Raven to merge forming RavenWord, an Italian symphonic power metal band who are releasing their first album, Transcendence, out January 31 via Rockshots Records.

Consisting of singer Chiara Tricarico (Sound Storm, Moonlight Haze), drummer Michele Olmi (Chronosfear, Skeleeton) and bass/guitar player Cesare Ferrari (Choirs Of Veritas) , RavenWord captures the romantic and decadent poetic themes typical of Edgar Allan Poe’s period, combined with an equally decadent symphonic metal sound. Containing 13 tracks, Transcendence plays out to a similar style compared with other European metal bands with crisp toned vocals, polished guitar solos and quick bass rhythms.

Starting off the bat with the opening track Blue Roses to the third track (and opening single) No More, Tricarico carries the songs using her mezzo-sopranic voice. Handling all of the axe work, Ferrari notes were produced and synced well creating a seamless transition between the three tracks. The Fourth track, Lullaby Of The Last Petal is when things slow down with Tricarico lowering her voice to more soprano level and keeping that range to the fifth track, Purity. The tempo picks up by the sixth track, Rain of Stars, after a brief piano solo. The rest of the album follows the same formula with The Swansong replacing Lullaby of the Last Petal on the ballad list. The stand out song was The Distance, the twelfth song on the album which contained subtle Celtic overtones at the beginning which created a stand out effect from the rest.

Transcedence is a well produced and organized album with consistent and clear sound from each artist. Riffs and Rythmns are distinctly separate with Tricarico’s notes coming in distinct and clear while remaining in the same key. The album features a calm, haunting sound with an underlying beauty, similar to themes found in Edgar Allen Poe literature. With her signature vocal style, Tricario tells stories of love, intrigue and fear while keeping in form with modern European metal style. With Transcendence, RavenWord captures the romantic and decadent poetic themes typical of Edgar Allan Poe’s period, combined with an equally decadent symphonic metal sound.

Live Review – Stitched Up Heart

Cleveland , Ohio – The cold and windy gusts blowing off Lake Erie last week were not a deterrent for the music fans that descended on The House of Blues for a night of great music . The band Stitched Up Heart returned to the north coast in support capacity for Steel Panther and it was a winning combo .

I had the opportunity to do an exclusive interview with singer Alecia ‘Mixi’ Demner which will be posted in a separate article , it is not to be missed .

The stage was dark and ominous at Stitched Up Heart took it over like a smooth military operation immediately kicking into high gear with the song ” This Thing ” and pleased fans and gained new ones in the mix .

The opening of ” Stranger Things Theme ” ( A TV show I adore ) really was a nice addition to the anticipation of the night as well . My favorite songs played were of course ” Warrior” , ” Monster ” and ” Catch Me When I Fall”

The band has gone thru a few line up changes until the right mix of dedication , ability and personality emerged triumphant , Stitched Up Heart is

Alecia ‘Mixi’ Demner – lead vocals (2010–present)
James Decker – drums/backing vocals (2012–present)
Merritt Goodwin – lead guitar (2012–present)
Randy Mathias – bass/backing vocals (2014–present)

If you don’t believe there are not any new bands coming thru , then you are in for a shock , because this band is one of the best around . In support of their upcoming release ” Darkness ” they are sure to be stopping by a city near you soon .

Make sure you check out the official site at http://stitchedupheart.org/