Hamilton Spectatorreaders have spoken!Votes were tallied for the 25th anniversary edition of the paper's Readers' Choice Awards. Hammertown's amazing music scene was well represented.
If you haven't checked out the Barber Shop Podcast, you are missing one of the best sources of local music around. Each episode features the best area musicians performing live and showcasing their recorded tunes.
Three amazing shows were recently released. Have a look:
The public have honoured Blue Rodeo's past in the 2016 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize. The contest celebrates Canadian album from various eras. There are two winners for each section: one voted by the public and the other by a jury. Blue Rodeo's Five Days in July, which features Hamilton's Kim Deschamps (he's no longer a member), won the public vote for the 1986-95 category. The jury chose Mary Margaret O’Hara's Miss America.
The First Ontario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines will be holding a special concert on November 4, 2016. It is called An Evening with the Six String Nation Guitar and features a famous guitar made from pieces of Canadian history. Parts of the guitar include a pieces if Wayne Gretsky and Paul Henderson's hockey sticks, wood from a tree in the sacred Haida First Nation, wood from the Bluenose II and more.
There was a contest for a musician to perform at this one-of-a-kind event and three Niagara Area finalists were picked. The winner will be chosen as a result of how many likes and comments on their entries.
The winner (who'll be chosen on October 27, 2016) will be performing alongside the guitar's creator Jowi Taylor, Serena Pryne and Nick Lesyk of The Mandevilles and Suzie Vinnick.
Results from the 2016 View Magazine Readers' Choice were unveiled in their Oct 13th issue. Their fans helped vote for the best of everything Hamilton (and the surrounding areas) has to offer.
Here are the music-related winners:
Please not that it goes from Gold (top) to Silver (middle or bottom if only two winners) and Bronze (third).
There just may be some local flavour in this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Steppenwolf, the legendary group fronted by ex-Waterloo resident John Kay is one of the nominees. The original band also featured two Canadian natives: Keyboardist Goldy McJohn from Toronto and Oshawa's Jerry Edmonton on drums.
You can also help them out by voting! Fans can pick up to 5 nominees by going here. Deadline is December 6, 2016.
The next episode of the amazing Cable 14 Hamilton show, Ensemble! will be airing soon. The 2nd episode of the 5th season features local Bluesmen Ian Andrews and Jay Pollman.
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Steve Piper, the beloved drummer of Hamilton band, the Treble Men. We will post more details when we have it. Our condolences to his family, friends and fans.
There were a lot of social media reactions:
David Nicoloff (Treble Men, HellBent Rockers): "The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. That was our friend and brother. That is exactly who he is and will always be. I miss you Steve Piper. I promised you to be true. I will Never Let You Down. I will be more like you Steve Piper. RIP Steve......Forever a Treble Man. Twaaang."
Ian Andrews: "Thank you Steve Piper for all of your gifts you offered the world. Your gentle soul touched many lives and your genuine light shone a way for many for so long. I'll never forget our times playing, when your face lit up the second I walked in to the green room at TAH. The world has lost a true gentleman and now you may shine on us all from up above. Rest in peace my friend."
Summer may be over but Hamilton's Will Gillespiewill bring that feeling back with his latest EP, Kings of Summer. He brings a jazzy, bluesy laid-back style to this newest, incredible recording.
Will and his friends have fashioned a very fun EP packed with joy and energy. If you need to feel good, just put this on and your worries will fade away.
There are some amazing backing musicians on this offering. We have Dave Gould (Co-Producer Drums, Percussion, Vocal Harmonies ), Orange McFarland(Upright Bass, Vocal Harmonies, Steve De Piante aka Deeps (Piano ) and Victoria Cox of Skirt Check (Tenor Saxophone)
You can pick up a CD at his wonderful live shows or download it using bandcamp, cdbabyoriTunes.
Andre has this to say on his Facebook page: "Thank you GRBS for having us compete for you at the 2017 IBC Memphis Competition - International Blues Challenge! This is such an honour and we will give everything we've got when we are down there! Thanks to the band for their hard work, time and talent today, it meant a lot up us and we can't thank you enough!"
We also got word from Silvia Dee and the Boyfriend: "Silvia Dee and I are thrilled and honored to have been chosen to represent the Grand River Blues Society in the duo/category in Memphis. We are especially honored to have been amongst the wonderful artists who appeared last Sunday. We have such a vibrant and supportive blues community. Silvia and I are working very hard to put on the best show we possibly can at the IBC's. We are very excited to join with Hamilton's own Andre Bisson Band to carry the GBRS message to The IBC's."
Paul had the following to say: " I'm very pleased and honoured to be chosen with Tom Lockwood to represent, the Great Lakes Blues Society, at the international challenge in Memphis. This should be the place where I get to spread my Blues Wings a little. I once wrote, " I may never get to Memphis", but now I guess that ain't true."
Congrats to Matty Buzanko (bassist for the Overplayers and the Rest) and Hannah Bissell on their recent wedding! Below is a video where the recently wedded Matty joined the Kevin Maclean Band at their ceremony. WE'LL HAVE PICTURES SOON!
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