DJ Plan B, Gary Cain and DJ Adrock battle out great tracks based on various different comic books. If you missed the Gary Cain band interview make sure to check that out as well. And if you are into Comic books and Music….there is nothing better than “The Electrifying Adventures of DJ Jeff E Jeff”
The Usual Suspects will be joining thr audience for Thanksgiving Dinner. Ya!
Rita AuBenseiter aka the Lovely and Talented Theresa Noon is back with her cast of the usual suspects! in A Very AuBenseiter Thanksgiving.
Nan is growing older and has summoned the entire AuBenseiter clan for an important Thanksgiving Dinner. When this misfit extended family gets together for a meal, they’re sure to serve up a menu of hilarity, hijinks and Nan’s special Murder Pie. Be part of the family and enjoy a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. Invite your family and friends.
Mystery Dinner and Show: $54.00 (inc. tax and grats)
When: September 27th & October 4,11,&12th, 2014
Guests Arrive: Starting at 6:30pm
*October 12th is a matinee performance at 12:30pm
Still tickets available for this Saturday’s Murder Mystery Dinner: A Very AuBenseiter Thanksgiving. Bring your dysfunctional family to have a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner in a very untraditional way with this dysfunctional family!
Also at The Blue Moon…. Flannwood Mac! Friday November 7, 2014 Doors Open at: 6:30pm, Music at: 8:00pm. Tickets:$15.00 advance, $20.00 door. Reserve for Dinner to get Premium Seating
Flannwood Mac at The Blue Moon in November!
I have seen Flannwood Mac …. and they honour Fleetwood Mac beautifully.
Eric Charles of the Eric Charles Band visits the Sound FM Studios
Eric Charles is a Canadian Singer/Songwriter and former front man for successful indie band, the Road Poets: a hardworking roots rock act with a devoted following. This seasoned and passionate live performer has stayed true to his indie pop rocker pedigree with his new full length solo studio album, Another Trip. Studded with catchy melodies, ear pleasing rock n’ rock hooks and artful lyrics that repay a close listen. Charles credits some of the following musical influences: Neil Young, Cold Play, The Killers, Radiohead, The Tragically Hip, Son Volt, Oasis, Sloan, Gin Blossoms, City & Colour, Jim Cuddy, Death Cab for Cutie, 55-40, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, U2, The Jayhawks, REM, Crosby, Stills & Nash and America.
The Eric Charles Band was recently chosen to compete at Kitchener’s Big Music Fest and over the summer Eric and his band’s guitarist / vocalist Nick Maldonado went on a Radio Station Road Trip throughout parts of Ontario and Quebec in support of Another Trip remix – In for The Ride. The single was produced by Gavin Brown (Billy Talent, Big Sugar, Tragically Hip and Sarah Harmer to name a few!) Gavin Brown recently received the prestigious Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award. So Eric and the band were super excited to go down to Toronto’s Noble Studios to work with Brown on the In for the Ride rock remix. And the radio stations have embraced In for the Ride, which is now receiving mainstream airplay.
As the last stop of his radio station tour, Eric Charles returned to Sound FM as my very special guest. We had a wide ranging chat from the first time he picked up a guitar, to Eric’s latest big news. The band just finished playing a highly successful concert at Kitchener’s Eidelweiss Tavern, with musical guests Jessie Treneer, and Henry Taylor. And now The Eric Charles Band has been invited to perform at Toronto’s legendary live concert venue The Horseshoe Tavern this Tuesday night Sept 30! For more on Eric go to http://eric-charles.com/ and here is the link to the piece I wrote for Waterloo Region Record’s Nightlife. http://www.therecord.com/whatson-story/4626653-big-music-fest-s-shot-at-the-big-time/
You heard it here first. I think Eric is another musician destined for the Toppermost of the Poppermost! – Coral FM.
Listen here for my chat with Eric Charles of The Eric Charles Band. The interview also features select tracks from Another Trip, and Eric’s In for the Ride remix, plus a live acoustic performance in the studio.
Last week Mano A Mano brought to you the exclusive interview with Paul Jago from the night of the Imbibe concert brought to you by SoundFM/Mano A Mano and Lake of Bays Brewing Company. Now we bring you the concert!
There are a few songs missing from the second set but just wait because Mano A Mano will be releasing video of some of these missing tracks soon! Also, check out the beer list below! Most notably the Mano A Mano Pomegranate Cerveza that was on tap that night and SOLD OUT!!!!
Lynn Jackson and Chris Boyne – The Acoustic Sessions
An authenticity runs through Canadian singer-songwriter Lynn Jackson’s music that reflects a deep commitment to telling stories that ring true with listeners. Combine this with her gentle voice, rich instrumentation and sweet melodies and you get a sound that is roots-Americana with a hint of folk-pop.
Having shared stages with Ron Sexsmith, Fred Eaglesmith and Jay Semko (The Northern Pikes), Jackson just finished her 7th studio album. The Acoustic Sessions is a stripped-down rootsy retrospective of her writing since 2002 and follows up 2012’s critically acclaimed Down in the Dust (Busted Flat Records, Fall 2012). Jackson take her cues from Lucinda Williams, Kathleen Edwards and Eliza Gilkyson, using her ‘whiskey and honey’ voice to mix her timeless melodies while spinning tales about love, loss and everyday people. Having toured Down in the Dust through the dusty Prairies to Vancouver Island in 2013, Jackson is about to hit the road again with a coast-to-coast tour to support Acoustic Sessions. As audiences warm to her soulful storytelling style, Jackson is solidifying her place as one of the most original and compelling voices on the Canadian folk music scene.
I love the fact that the record showcases the powerhouse talents of Lynn and her good pal Chris Boyne, who is in the band Sexdwarf. Lynn and Chris share an aural intuition and together their voices create the perfect vocal meld. The Acoustic Sessions is another fine testament to Lynn’s strength as a songwriter. It matters not what music genre she chooses. And the reviews are just beginning to roll in …. Coral
The Acoustic Sessions” boasts a live, off-the-floor vibe and the vocals are front and centre. Jackson has never sounded stronger and more self-assured as a vocalist. Whether you call it folk, country, introspective songwriter or roots, “The Acoustic Sessions” is, hands down, my favourite of her albums.”– Robert Reid, Waterloo Region Record.
“The Acoustic Sessions” is perhaps the cleanest and sharpest representation of Jackson’s strengths as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Unencumbered by careful, dense arrangements and studio sheen, her listeners are provided with the chance to hear her words and melodies as if for the first time. It’s also her first record to share billing with her frequent collaborator, tour-mate, and pal, Chris Boyne.” – Patrick Finch – Nightlife, The Waterloo Region Record.
Co produced by Lynn Jackson and Chris Boyne, Acoustic Sessions also showcases the creme de la creme of local players from guitarists, Joe Dunn of Sexdrarf, Scott Fitzpatrick, and pedal steel master Steve Wood, plus violinist Wendy Wright, cellist Nick Storring and very special guest performer /co-producer Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake!
I am so proud of Lynn and it was an honour to have her as a guest. During the show Lynn premiered specially chosen tracks from the Acoustic Sessions including Mark The Spot, Maria, Wintersong, and Scarecrow. Lynn’s also played her favorite songs Ham and Eggs and Trans-Canada Highway Go! from her special guest Slo’ Tom – ex frontfunman from Ottawa’s ultimate alt punkrockster trinity Furnaceface!
Lynn Jackson is having a CD release party for her 7th studio album The Acoustic Sessions at the Jane Bond in uptown Waterloo – with special guests, Ottawa’s Slo’ Tom plus a lot of local talent, including: Chris Boyne, Joe Dunn, Scott Fitzpatrick, Andy Miller, Steve Wood, Wendy Wright!
The admission price is $10 for the show and the CD! And that CD price is One Night Only folks! Because it will only be available for $15 after the Jane Bond gig.
(**This is going to be such a great night. Doors open at 8 pm so I suggest you get to Jane Bond early and grab a CD for just $10 while quantities last ** Coral FM)
Just before the epic Paul Jago concert at Imbibe in Kitchener, where he unearthed the music of the Gandharvas, we were lucky enough to sit down with Paul and pick his brain about The Gandharvas, Said Dog, Balls Deluxe and more! Check it all out in the interview podcast!
The Gandharvas live concert will be aired over the next few weeks on the Mano A Mano show!
You can hear the awards party above with some great tracks rocked out for each of the winners…But here is your list of winners:
Local Hero Award
2013 – DJ Zach – Highbrau Radio
2014 – Moses Bogart – Str8 outta the pit
Community Champion Award
2013 – Non-Toxic Airwaves
2014 – The Coral FM show with DJ Coral
SoundFM Soldier for behind the scenes work
2013 – Lieutenant Dang & The Nattyphysicist for the station move
2014 – Lieutenant Dang & Dr. Mark for renewing the CRTC liscense
The Most Dead Air Award
2013 – Megaseg
2014 – Airtime
The Best/Worst Teen Moustache Award
2013 – DJ JD
2014 – DJ Jeff E Jeff
The DJ AdRock memorial award for exceptional DJing
2012 – DJ Steel
2013 – DJ Saviour
2014 – The Nattyphysicist
The Freshest Beats Award for the best new program
2013 – Friday Night Rockabilly
2014 – The Electrifying Sessions with DJ Jeff E Jeff
The Best Classic Show
2013 – Mano A Mano
2014 – Mano A Mano
Hailing from Waterloo, Ontario, The Royal Streets featuring Sam Keating, drums, Eric Stirtzinger, guitar, Algeron Friolet, Guitar/Vocals, Jillian Dowding, vocals, and Michael Demsey, guitar, have already begun to make their mark on the Canadian folk-rock music scene. Following a year and half of consisting Eastern Canada touring, The Royal Streets released their debut studio effort, Kings & Queen, on March 6th 2014 with the help of Catherine North Studios and producer Dan Hosh whose credits include Canadian acts like City & Colour, Whitehorse, and Rose Cousins.
The Royal Streets play Oshaga!
Although the four of us have gone to school and been friends with each other for the majority of our lives, it was not until recently that we decided combine our efforts musically. The Royal Streets is our way of demonstrating hours and hours of hard work mixed with a variety of musical influences and our own life experiences. We are based out of Waterloo, Ontario and hope to share these sounds with all of you. Have a listen and join the riot, we are The Royal Streets.
They are now on the verge of their first Western tour and I am sure it will not be their last.
**This is strange mix for this podcast – part of it is phone chat, and part of it is in studio. The reason for this – my recorder did not properly record the live broadcast, (with Jillian, Michael, and Al who also sang a new song Sour Diesel) so I salvaged what I could of it and then mixed in the phone chat that I did with Jillian and Michael the day before. And then I mixed in some of the great tunes from their latest CD Kings and Queen. Ah, technology… ain’t it great when it works? – Coral.**
Catch The Royal Streets at The Wax (beside Bobby O’Brien’s in downtown Kitchener) with special guests Amberwood and very special guests 1951 featuring their good pal / producer Dan Hosh from Hamilton’s Catherine North Studios.
Bobby Thompson (left) Darryl Romphf (middle) and Jordan Patterson (right)
About Jordan Patterson…
After spending nearly the last decade and a half forging a highly
successful career in artist tour management and concert & event promotion for artist Britney Spears, and as a Concert Production Manager/Promoter Representative for House of Blues Concerts Canada, renown Blues vocalist/harp player Jordan Patterson has returned to his first love and passion; playing and singing the blues.
Influenced by such blues harp legends as James Cotton, Paul Butterfield and Mark Wenner of The Nighthawks, Patterson’s incendiary live performances have led him and his band D.C. Hurricane to play at such premier festivals as the Tampa Bay Blues Festival (where he stole the show in 1996), Canada’s Tros Rivieres Blues Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the UK’s Burnley National Blues Festival, the London Blues Festival, Helsinki, Finland’s April Jazz Festival and many more. Patterson has also performed at venues throughout North America and Europe with some of the music industry’s true legends, including James Brown, Barbara Morrison, Carlos Santana, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Mick Fleetwood, Robert Cray, Son Seals, Savoy Brown and Texas bluesman, U.P. Wilson, with whom he recorded the JSP Records released album, “Whirlwind.” Patterson subsequently toured Europe as a double bill in support of that release. In addition to his festival appearances, during his time in the U.K., Patterson and the D.C. Hurricane performed to sold-out crowds at famed London nightclubs Ronnie Scott’s and The 100 Club, and had the amazing opportunity to record sessions for the BBC Musical Archives, which were broadcast all throughout the European continents; amassing him many more fans in the process.
In 1996, Jordan released his debut album ‘Give Me a Chance’ on JSP Records with The D.C. Hurricane. The solid offering featured guest performances from blues legends Bobby Rush and Bobby Parker. It also garnered Patterson critical acclaim and worldwide press from notable publications as Living Blues Magazine (USA); Blueprint Magazine (UK); All Music Guide (USA); Juke Joint Magazine (UK), and countless newspapers throughout the globe. Blueprint Magazine was especially enthusiastic about Patterson’s live performance exclaiming, “Blessed with a voice that many performers would die for, Patterson has the wit and personality that guarantee him success. This man is a class performer and a major star in the making.” ‘Give Me a Chance’ also earned Patterson rotation on blues stations throughout the globe, including XM Radio and with Bill Wax, Program Director of B.B. King’s Bluesville, who still remains a fan to this day.
Group shot on ye olde Sound FM couch. The boys liked the studio!
Patterson is currently in the studio with his fresh new Canadian line up; The Jordan Patterson Band. With Patterson on harp, the group features bass player Darius McKinley, drummer Benjamin Rollo, guitarist Darryl Romphf and Washington DC-based, guitarist Bobby Thompson. “The Back On Track” recording project has now been released as an EP; a 4-track tease to the full-length album set to debut this winter and available for listen at jordanpatterson.ca. Three of its songs were showcased via Youtube and garnished over an impressive 40,000 hits on Patterson’s various social pages. It is a welcome return for this most galvanizing, exciting songwriter and performer as he takes his rightful spot as one of the leading practitioners of blues harp on the scene today.
I cannot believe that these three talented musicians spent over an hour with me at the Sound FM studios. All of them are high calibre players able to play anywhere in the world. Jordan has quite a pedigee. His mother, Professor Nancy-Lou Patterson – published Author, Fine Arts Professor, is a renowned artist / art historian and founder of the Fine Arts department at the University of Waterloo. His father, Dr. E Palmer Patterson is a published Author and History Professor at the University of Waterloo, with a focus on the history of the First Nations People .
Jordan is the youngest of nine kids, and years back Emmanuel Patterson or Manny as I called him was one of my main media contacts for concerts in Waterloo Region. He is now Promoter/ Director of Festivals for Live Nation Canada. So this is one high achieving family!
I sat like a sponge taking in every word Jordan, Darryl, and Bobby said about “The Back on Track Recording Project ” from Jordan’s backstory behind the each of these vibrant songs on the EP, and their immediate musical chemistry, to the actual performance “shorthand” of the band… And Jordan’s special high five to The Ultimate KW Blues Concert Curator Glenn Smith!
So grab a drink, and a snack, and have a listen to three mega talented musicmen Jordan Patterson, (acclaimed producer/songwriter/ guitarist) Darryl Romphf, and Bobby Thompson as they talk about how this project came to be and the kick ass show that is happening tonight at Cork Hall.
KW is sooooo glad that Jordan is going to bring it on home with his special brand of high energy harp n blues – Electrified! Funkified! Rocked Out and Amplified. – Coral FM
Listen here for the interview witrh Jordan Petterson, Bobby Thompson and Daryl Romphf.
Conjoining the complimentary genres of indie, folk and roots to create a unique aural drive that is as captivating as it is distinct. Young Running’s take on amalgamating the finer elements of influences including The Beatles, Radiohead, The Beauties, Iron & Wine, Death Cab For Cutie and Neil Young begets an unparalleled purity. Young Running’s fresh perspective is illustrated on their sophomore release, an independent five-song EP dubbed Coming Home. Recorded over four days with producer Derek Downham (The Beauties) and engineer John Dinsmore at esteemed Hogtown facility Lincoln County Social Club, Moss is elated at how sublimely it showcases the band’s solidity.
Highlighted on tunes such as the simple and honest title track via its provoking thoughts on returning to a small hometown with romance on the mind, breezy “Quiver Of Smoke” relating the sentiment of a former spark potentially set to rekindle—as conveyed in a momentous albeit breezy tempo—and “Ohh My” utilizing an easy, virulent groove to set the stage for a bar fight, Coming Home is surely on a straight and narrow path fuelled by confidence, dominance, subtlety and originality. Young Running recently made their Waterloo Region debut at The Galt Club’s Vinyl Cafe House Concert Series at Cafe 13 in Cambridge. They are currently on a cross Canada tour. No doubt they will soon be back! For more info on Young Running – Liam Kearney, James Moss, Kevin Braun and Spencer Irvine go to www.youngrunning.com. – Cheers Coral FM
Listen here for my interview with Young Running’s songwriter Liam Kearney
Sharron Matthews is performing at St John’s Church for The Elora Music Festival Sat July 26.
In 2013, after touring her one woman shows around the world to critical acclaim, Sharron was named the first cabaret-artist-in residence in Canada right here at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. In anticipation of her hit 2012 cabaret tour Sharron Matthews Superstar: GOLD, Sharron was named “Woman of the Year 2012” by the New Current, the largest online student magazine in the UK.
GOLD travelled from Toronto, to Scotland, London to New York City and then on to Cape Town, South Africa, for their inaugural cabaret festival and Sharron sold out houses and received rave reviews on her biggest tour ever.
Her New York cabaret debut, Sharron Matthews Superstar: World Domination Tour 2010, was named “#1 Cabaret in New York City in 2010” by Andrew Martin of NiteLifeExchange and WPAT Radio. In 2009, Sharron was named “Best Cabaret Performer” by Toronto’s Now Magazine. Sharron ended 2013 back at her alma mater working on and premiering her latest show, Full Dark, which was workshopped at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre where she is the Cabaret-Artist-in Residence. In 2014, Sharron’s performance calendar will see her traveling all across Canada and back to the UK.
TV and Film: For two seasons, Sharron was one of the stars of Global’s hit TV show, Canada Sings, which was nominated in 2012 for a prestigious Reel Screen Award and in 2013 for two Canadian Screen Awards. Sharron was named “Queen of the Mash Ups” for CS by the Toronto Star’s Debra Yeo. In 2011, she played Daphne of VisionTV’s, She’s the Mayor. In the hit movie Mean Girls, she played Joan the Secretary alongside Tina Fey. Sharron was also featured in the films Cinderella Man, Take the Lead, The Music Man movie for Disney and Hairspray: The Movie.
Solo Performer and Cabaret Artist: In 2013, after touring her one woman shows around the world to critical acclaim, Sharron was named the first cabaret-artist-in residence in Canada. In anticipation of her hit 2012 cabaret tour “Sharron Matthews Superstar: GOLD”, Sharron was named “Woman of the Year 2012” by the New Current, the largest online student magazine in the UK. “GOLD” travelled from Toronto, to Scotland, London to New York City and then on to Cape Town, South Africa, for their inaugural cabaret festival and Sharron sold out houses and received rave reviews on her biggest tour ever. “Hot Show! One of the top cabarets of the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe.”- The Scotsman. “Sharron is pure gold!”- Broadyway Baby. “Sharron Matthews truly is the Superstar!”- The Curtain Up Show. Sharron Matthews took the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival by storm, garnering amazing reviews for her one woman show, “Jesus Thinks I’m Funny”, which was named one of the “Best of the Fest” by the Scotsman newspaper, out of 2800 shows. Following the Edfringe, Sharron toured the show to London’s Leicester Square theatre to sold out audiences. Her New York cabaret debut, “Sharron Matthews Superstar: World Domination Tour 2010”, was named “#1 Cabaret in New York City in 2010” by Andrew Martin of NiteLifeExchange and WPAT Radio.In 2009, Sharron was named “Best Cabaret Performer” by Toronto’s Now Magazine. Sharron ended 2013 back at her alma mater working on and premiering her latest show, “Full Dark”, which was workshopped at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre where she is the Cabaret-Artist-in Residence. In 2014, Sharron’s performance calendar will see her traveling all across Canada and back to the UK.
Stage Actress: Sharron played Madame Thenardier in Les Miserable on a North American tour with Colm Wilkinson, Lottie in original cast of the Harold Prince revival of Showboat, Babette in Beauty and the Beast at the Princess of Wales and the Narrator in two sold out runs of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She played the Wicked Witch of the West in the acclaimed LKTYP production of Wizard of Oz for which she was nominated for a Dora Award the same year Sharron had the honour of hosting the Doras Awards (Toronto’s theatre awards) at the Winter Garden Theatre. In 2011, she returned to YPT (formerly LKTYP) play Maisie in the Seussical to critical acclaim.
Recording Artist: Sharron is featured on the soundtrack for Harold Prince’s Showboat, Disney’s The Music Man, and her own cd, Party Girl. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/par…
Writer: Sharron’s has written articles that have appeared in publications across the globe. Recently, Sharron has written for The National Post, Now Magazine, The Scotsman and The List Magazine. Her blog was named “Brutally honest and funny” by CTV’s Glenn Sumi.http://sharrmatthews.blogspot.ca/
Sharron Matthews and I had a wide ranging chin wag which runs from her tumultous childhood, to portraying both sides of the theatre nasks through her work, her family tree and The Bard, in addition to singing in New York at Joe’s Pub, Vicious Bitches in Toronto with Gavin Crawford, Film roles in Mean Girls with Tina Fey, and Hairspray with John Travolta, her latest one woman show about stage fright (in creative progress) Full Dark, and of course …. Sharron’s Big Broadway Show. For me meeting Sharron Matthews was like meeting a kindred spirit. Sharron is smart and sassy and so down to earth. She with her scotch and diet cola, and I with my shiraz, waxed songs, Sharron’s Mash Ups, theatre, her pal Jann Arden, Canada Sings, George! her Dora award winning husband (London Road!) Prince, and Grey’s Anatomy (**Spoiler Alerts**)! I can hardly wait to experience this one of a kind performance July 26 at St John’s Church for The Elora Festival. Cheers to a Lady who Soars on Her Own Terms! – Coral FM.
Jennifer Cornish and Trevor Smith Diggins star in the smash Zombie Romance Dine Her @ The Harmony Lunch.
Since it opened way back in 1930, the legendary Harmony Lunch restaurant in Waterloo has survived the Great Depression, a global war and a growing fast-food chain frenzy. This summer, the iconic eatery takes on show business for ten performances of DINE HER, a romantic comedy with a meal and a zombie apocalypse on the side. Written and directed by veteran Second City comedian Bruce Hunter, DINE HER offers a frighteningly funny twist on the traditional dinner theatre concept. The 60-minute show premiered last year in Toronto earning rave reviews from critics and audience alike.
“Diner theatre is similar to dinner theatre, only it’s faster, cheaper and you still get a belly full of
laughs,” says Hunter, who performed in the original show. “It’s more like casual, comfort food, up close and personal in a cozy old diner, and then the show starts and all hell breaks loose.”
Winner of two Gemini awards and two Canadian Comedy Awards, Hunter has been featured in dozens of TV shows and films, including Atomic Betty, Kid’s CBC, Degrassi, Good Will Hunting, Mean Girls and Puppets Who Kill. Hunter’s company, RealSpace Theatre, expands the performance space beyond the stage to explore how audiences and performers interact with their environment to create a unique theatre experience.
DINE HER was written specifically for diners just like Harmony Lunch. “Not only is it a local landmark with a long, rich history,” says Hunter, “it also offers the perfect setting for this particular style of in-your‐lap comedy.”
DINE HER is co-produced in Waterloo with PrACTical TheACTrics and stars prominent local actors Jennifer Cornish, Trevor Smith Diggins, and Lisa MacNeil.
The show includes a themed menu with three meal options for $40.00. Dinner at 7:00 pm. Showtime 8:00 pm. Tickets available online at eventbrite.ca.
Visit facebook.com/dineher or phone 519-804-2133 for information and group sales. Recommended for mature audiences. Dine Her opens Wed Oct 22 and runs to Friday Oct 31.
It was my severe pleasure to chat with the cast of Dine Her – Jennifer Cornish, Lisa MacNeil, and Trevor Smith Diggins. And to see if my special guest co-host Circus Music’s CJ Allen could finally vanquish his Zombie fears.
Also featured in this podcast The Official Dine Her Music Soundtrack. Special thanks to my good pal JavaJoy aka Joyce Domingo (who is also part of Dine Her Cast) for helping me put this special undead music collection together. To all in the cast – Break a Leg – Don’t Lose One! Squooches and Brains – Coral FM.
The Mahones are currently on tour and play the Ottawa Jazz Festival June 30 http://ottawajazzfestival.com/
I had a chance to chat with tin whistle virtuoso Michael O’Grady about All Things Mahones.
And I also had a crazy wee chin wag with Finny, Katie, and drummer Dom “The Bomb” Whelan about their fave Shane MacGowan and The Dropkick Murphys yarns which inspired Mahone songs Great Night on the Lash on Black Irish and Pass the Pint of No Return on Angels and Devils!
Check The Mahones out at a shindig near you and find out about their latest shenanigans http://themahones.co/
Craig Cardiff’s latest double CD Love is Louder (Than All This Noise) is one of my favourite new releases in 2014.
For the past two and a half years, Craig Cardiff has been passing around a Book of Truths during his shows and asking his fans to share something truthful in it – a story, a confession, a hope, a secret.
The book gives fans a chance to write down something they might be too afraid to say out loud, and it gives Cardiff an opportunity to connect with the people who come to his shows.
Those entries aren’t always easy to read. The stories can be heartbreaking, and they can leave Cardiff wanting to do something, to find the person who wrote in his book and tell them to hold on for tomorrow, that things will be OK. Cardiff’s new album, Love Is Louder (Than All This Noise) Part 1 & 2, has turned into a response to those stories. This double album, which was released Nov. 19, 2013, offers 21 tracks that are connected by an underlying sense that there are better days to come.
The Arnprior-based folk singer worked with producers Ben Leggett (Faraway Neighbours, Ben Hermann) and Andre Wahl (Hawksley Workman, Luke Doucet) to record an album that is quite different than anything Cardiff has released before. Love Is Louder (Than All This Noise) is one-part boisterous group sing-along, one-part gentle lullaby. One album features full live band recordings, while the other is more subdued, with acoustic guitar, cello, clarinet and violin. This is the same team that produced Floods and Fires, the album that earned Cardiff a nomination for a 2012 Juno Award for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo and a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination as 2012 Contemporary Singer of the Year. This time, Leggett and Wahl told Cardiff they wouldn’t let him make an album like the ones he’s made before. Cardiff recorded with a live band for the first time, playing louder and harder than he ever has, and he stepped into a new role, arranging instrumental parts. Cardiff, Leggett and Wahl recorded Love Is Louder (Than All This Noise) primarily in Cardiff’s home studio in Arnprior – which he and Leggett built together during the recording of Floods and Fires – the Chalet Studio in Claremont, and the Schoolhouse studio built by Hawksley Workman outside Huntsville.
Love Is Louder (Than All This Noise) is a fabulous double CD. I have most of it on my Ipod so I can have Craig’s little heartplays in my ear wherever I roam. – Coral FM
This is my special sonic Christmas prezzie which I have been now been doing for 20 years – Seasons Greetings to Everyone at Sound FM – Here’s to another Great Year of Broadcasting. This Christmas Coral is dedicated to all of my great friends – Mike and Therese, Therese, Kara, Mandy, Rolf, Ray, Kate, Rose and Pedro, Mum and Dad, Phil and his Families, Lauri and her Family, and especially **Malcy and Jack** xx Coral Fm aka The Christmas Coral
“(Compared to Juliet in Romeo and Juliet) playing Ruth in Blithe Spirit is like driving a tiny tiny sports car on a highway cut into the side of an incredibly high mountain with a sheer drop to certain death on the rocky rapids beneath on your outside side. It’s a completely different experience.” Sara Topham
Pictured above – Sara Topham as Ruth in Blithe Spirit.
Photo credit David Hou courtesy of The Stratford Festival.
Blithe Spirit is directed by Brian Bedford, (an expert on all things Noel Coward to my mind!)
The cast also includes Ben Carlson as Charles, Michelle Giroux as Elvira, and Seana McKenna, as Madame Arcati.
In Part 2 of this interview, Sara speaks about playing the role of Ruth in Blithe Spirit from mastering Coward’s lovely complex text to working on a crazy special effects set (like another character itself!) in this terribly savvy and simply finely comedy. We also talk about one of her all time favorite movie roles. And …. I have put together a special music mix
just for Sara from Sergei Prokofiev to the prose of Alfred Lord Tennyson! – Coral FM.
Sara Topham as Juliet and Daniel Briere as Romeo in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Juliet’s like closing your eyes and falling backwards off a huge cliff into a big rolling ocean where you know, as long as you surrender, you will perhaps end up at the bottom of the ocean but the waves will bring you up again. You feel like the ocean is okay. It’s a safe place.” – Sara Topham
“Romeo and Julietis a blessedly traditional Elizabethan vision thanks to sublime director Tim Carroll.
Sara Topham’s Juliet is reminiscent of Olivia Hussey’s impassioned performance in the Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film classic.” – Coral FM
Directed by Tim Carroll, (Peter Pan for Stratford Festival) Romeo and Juliet cast also includes Daniel Briere as Romeo, Tom McCamus as The Friar, Jonathan Goad as Mercutio, Kate Hennig as The Nurse, and Scott Wentworth as Lord Capulet.
In Part 1 of this interview Sara chats about the thrill and challenge of playing Juliet, and playing this role with the Festival house lights up! This beloved Shakespearean character was Sara’s very first speaking role in a play at high school … so she has been “living with Juliet for a long time.”
The beautiful Gambrel Barn performance space at The Elora Festival now celebrating its 35 season.
Elora Festival Artistic Director Noel Edisonis well established as one of the most versatile and charismatic conductors in the world today. As conductor and artistic director of two world-class Canadian ensembles, the large-scale Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the chamber-sized Elora Festival Singers, Edison is widely recognized and appreciated for his skillful, interpretive work with both choir and orchestra.
A native of Toronto, Edison moved to the scenic village of Elora, where, in 1979, he co-founded the Elora Festival and, a year later, the Elora Festival Singers as its choir-in-residence. Since 1984, Edison has served as Artistic Director of the Elora Festival as well as Organist and Choirmaster of one of the few all-professional church choirs in Canada at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Elora. In 1988, he established the Elora Festival Orchestra.
In 2002 the University of Guelph conferred upon Noel the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music. And on January 22, 2009, he was appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour.
Elora Festival The Elora Festivalwas launched as the Three Centuries Festival in 1979. It has since evolved into an internationally acclaimed annual music event now known as the Elora Festival that attracts capacity crowds to the Village of Elora. Patrons enjoy four weeks of international calibre music, from large-scale classical works for choir and orchestra to intimate evenings of jazz and popular music.
Elora Festival and Singers The Elora Festival Singers (EFS), an all-professional Grammy- and Juno-nominated chamber choir, was founded in 1980 by Noel Edison as principal choral ensemble of the Elora Festival. In 1992, the Elora Festival Singers was incorporated as a separate organization to manage its year-round activities. Since 1997, the choir has been the core of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, and is the choral ensemble-in-residence of the Elora Festival for four weeks each summer. Through regular concert series, recordings, broadcasts, and touring, EFS has established a reputation as one of the finest chamber choirs in Canada and beyond, contributing to the musical life, not only of the community, but on an international stage. With eight releases on the NAXOS label, the EFS is known for its rich, warm sound and clarity of texture. The choir is renowned for its diverse styles, for its commitment to Canadian repertoire, and for its collaborations with other Canadian artists. The Elora Festival and Singers continue to manage a professional choir of international regard and present a summer festival of classical and contemporary music, with an emphasis on choral works, featuring Canadian artists of international calibre in the unique setting of the Village of Elora.
It was my great pleasure to have Elora Festival Artistic Director Noel Edison as a special guest on Coral FM. We had a lot of fun in a candid wide ranging chat which included Noel’s experience on The Grammys red carpet, his insight into the music of tomorrow, his childhood passion for singing, how Carl Orff’s Carmina’s Burana’s Oh Fortuna is about to be used in a most unusual way, and of course The Elora Festival 2013! Noel Edison is welcome back anytime! – Coral FM.
For a complete guide to Elora Festival 2014 and to order tickets Visit http://www.elorafestival.com Listen here for my interview with Noel Edison
Meghan Elizabeth Weber is a singer/ songwriter who has performed at charity events around Waterloo Region over the past five years. She performed at Kitchener City Hall’s Downtown Live in 2011 and released an EP called Afterthoughts in 2012. Her song Tiny Stones is a local fave, and she often host The Boathouse’s Open Mic Nights. Meghan is also a very gifted visual artist and avid photographer.And she was recently nominated in the category of Music at The Waterloo Region Arts Awards!
To me, Meghan Elizabeth Weber has a savvy slow like honey timber reminiscent of songstress Fiona Apple. She is a savvy lyrical scribe letting her songs overtake her as audiences blissfully follow her into a fascinating sensual world.
I was so happy to finally have Meghan as my guest on Coral FM where she debuted her new song Outskirts. I predict with Kitchener wanting to become Austin Texas North, that you will find Meghan in many amazing places. She is one of a kind!
For more info on Meghan and upcoming concerts go to her Facebook page or check her out on You Tube. She is now working with her new brand Falcon Abbey. Stay tuned for their debut CD coming soon! – Coral FM.
John Moyer is an actor/ producer from Kitchener’s Backyard’s Theatre – a locally based theatre company who likes to present “stories from beneath your feet”…… Nowhere, Ontario written by (John’s wife) Kathleen Cleland Moyer, is one of their most successful productions to date.
And as actor/ producer and local history teacher, you could call John Moyer Backyard Theatre’s own Triple Threat!
Due to popular demand a remount of Nowhere, Ontario was presented at the Conrad Centre in downtown Kitchener.
This play literally takes place right in the Victoria Park Neighborhood 100 years ago, during the Great War when Kitchener was called Berlin. Cleland Moyer’s poignant piece, (with a touch of Vaudeville as innovative comic device) chronicles the ravages of war be it on the battlefield or right in your own backyard. Case in point – I live on Queen Street South near Queen and Courtland where the 118th Battalion was stationed during those very uncertain times.
Said one younger audience member after seeing Nowhere, Ontario – “I never really understood war until I saw this play.”
Lest we forget – Coral FM.
Steve Toms Kitchener’s fave lefty bass playing dude!
It was a pleasure to have bassist Steve Toms from Daddy Long Legs join me recently for a great radio chat and a playlist which included music from many of Steve’s personal faves. Once again, I got the chance to listen and learn more not only about the best of the blues, but more about the region’s best blues boys who have redefined the sound of the blues – to me DDL is kinda like garage skiffle blues rock rhythm with a soupcon of soul – sometimes bat ass crazy, sometimes reeeeal hurtin’ ….
Daddy Long Legs Rogue’s Gallery
Mike Elliott Guitar, Vocals
Steve Toms Bass
Junior Malleck Harmonica
Jeff Wagner Drums
For more about Daddy Long Legs (including reviews of their latest CD The Devil’s In The Details and their FINAL Daddy Longs Legs gig!) coming up in the fall of 2014 check out Busted Flat @ http://www.bustedflatrecords.com/.
Kitchener’s favorite lefty bass playa! is also playing for a lot of his musical friends including Scott Wicken. Check him out at a cool bar near you. – Coral FM.
Here is Part 1 – Steve chats about his love of music and Busted Flat.
Here is Part 2 – where Steve speaks about some of his favorite music to listen to as we create his personal playlist. Steve said he is coming back sometime very soon. – Coral FM.
Amanda Kind as The Witch, Moira King and Aaron Balzer as The Bakers!
Actors Harrison Smith and Jonathan Schiller joined me for a chat about KWMP’s Into the Woods – one of the most beloved Stephen Sondheim musicals. I saw the show at The Regsitry Theatre and it was great. Kudos to Amanda Kind as The Witch! I hope all of Sondheim’s music resonates in our cultural consciousnesses Ever After! – Tee Hee Coral FM.
Brendan James Stephens is known as The Vaudevillian – the members of his band include – Stephens, a suitcase, a snare/ pedal / cymbal, a (resonated) guitar, a six string Banjo dubbed with the word with Howl!, banjo mandolin, and a Carzoo, which combined in performance with his other one man band tricks of the trade, transforms to “Carzoobamaphone.”
Playing since the age of 14, and working his way around the music circuit James recently wowed the crowds at The Memphis Blues Challenge and soon he’s headed to The Windy City to perform as part of theatrical Medicine Show!
Music-wise James is a throwback to simpler times, his original material a modern version of the old time songs of the Mississippi Blues and New Orleans Jazz Scene in the 1920’s / 30’s. And he often pays homage to The Library Congress, (jug band player) Gus Cannon and The Mississippi Shieks. I was pleased and pleasured to have Brendan James Stephens and upright bassist Joey Bell grace the Sound FM studios recently with some live tunes. It was pure Vo Vo De Oh Doe! – Coral FM
Um-diddle-diddle-diddle um-diddleye,Um-diddle-diddle-diddle um-diddleye ….
Broadway actor Mark Ledbetter plays the role of Bert, the lovable chimney sweep, in the Drayton Entertainment production of Disney’s and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins. Audiences may remember the affable character as made famous by movie star Dick Van Dyke in the original 1964 film starring Julie Andrews.
Mark Ledbetter is a well-established actor, having been on Broadway in the recent productions of A Christmas Story and Anything Goes. He also understudied and frequently performed the role of Bert in Mary Poppins on Broadway for almost two years.
Ledbetter’s distinguished career also includes roles Off-Broadway including The Tin Pan Alley Rag with the Roundabout Theatre Company, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Of Thee I Sing with City Center Encores. His first national touring credits include Robert Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone and Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie.
The accomplished performer also originated the roles of Jimmy and Scooter in the world premiere cast of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and in subsequent years was seen in the Danny Kaye role, Phil Davis, in the San Francisco, Detroit and St. Paul companies. He can also be heard on the show’s cast album.
Regional theatre highlights include Leo opposite Patti LuPone in The Kennedy Center production of Marc Blitzstein’s opera, Regina, both Tony and Riff in West Side Story at The Human Race Theatre Company and the Pioneer Theatre Company, respectively, CosMo Brown in Singin’ in the Rain at NSMT, and Romance, Romance at Paper Mill Playhouse.
In addition to his stage work, Ledbetter’s also appeared in the movie version of The Producers with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick among other film and television credits.
Prior to Mary Poppins, Ledbetter recently participated in a workshop of the new musical The Honeymooners adapted from the classic television series.
How sweet it is! Mark truly is a triple threat!
Mary Poppins is playing at The Dunfield Theatre Cambridge to April 28 2013.
For more info about Mark Ledbetter check out his website at www.markledbetter.com. For more about the Dunfield Theatre go to www.draytonentertainment.com.
*** This was very wide ranging chat. Mark spoke about his role as this lovable chimney sweep, and the fun he’s having with the cast of Mary Poppins at the Dunfield, to working in New York opposite a Broadway legend. Was it fun? Innnnnduuuubitably! – *** Coral FM
Just before the epic Paul Jago concert at Imbibe in Kitchener, where he unearthed the music of the Gandharvas, we were lucky enough to sit down with Paul and pick his brain about The Gandharvas, Said Dog, Balls Deluxe and more! Check it all out in the interview podcast!
This is my special sonic Christmas prezzie which I have been now been doing for 20 years – Seasons Greetings to Everyone at Sound FM – Here’s to another Great Year of Broadcasting. This Christmas Coral is dedicated to all of my great friends – Mike and Therese, Therese, Kara, Mandy, Rolf, Ray, Kate, Rose and Pedro, Mum and Dad, Phil and his Families, Lauri and her Family, and especially **Malcy and Jack** xx Coral Fm aka The Christmas Coral
