Showing posts with label Sue Sweetman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sue Sweetman. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Throwback Thursday: J.P. Riemens Album: Love is a Dog + Album Release Videos

Original Post: May 14, 2009 & July 11, 2009)
Updated Post: September 25, 2025

Hamilton Canadiana musician J.P. Riemens released his wonderful CD, Love is a Dog in 2009. Unfortunately, it is currently out of print but may be available through JP. 

Guests on the album include, Danny Lockwood and Carolyna Lovely (listed as Carolyna Loveless on the CD)

Below are videos from the July 10, 2009 CD Release Party.



Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Throwback Thursday: King Biscuit Boy, Nine Big Dogs, Songwriters' Circle

This is our first in a recurring series of 'Throwback Thursday' posts where we celebrate the wonderful past of the local music scene (specifically pre-2000). If you know of any videos, old posters, trivia bites, etc that would be perfect for this, please email us at blueshamilton@gmail.com

Links: King Biscuit Boy, More KBB Stories, Video above courtesy of Lori Newcomb


Links: Nine Big Dogs, Video above courtesy of Yrret Noskcaj

Former member Mike Daley had this to say on social media:

Baytides Cafe on King St. at Victoria was a coffeehouse with nightly performances by the likes of Edgar Breau, Russ Brice, Ken Brown, myself and Alex Bako. Ken, a talented guitarist/flautist, put together a project with Alex around '89 called the Bogus around Alex's funny and sardonic songs. Alex, who was also an actor, knew bassist Tim Hopkins from the Toy Town Troupers, who brought in Greg Allworth, a drummer that he knew from the York music programme. 

The band was renamed Nine Big Dogs and they entered a battle of the bands at Mohawk College. They won, and the prize was a recording session leading to a demo tape. That demo tape was heard by Jim Skarratt, who decided that he wanted to add Nine Big Dogs to his roster, which would eventually include Guitar Mikey, the Phantoms and electric violinist Mark Wood. 

Ken quit the band at that point and I, a 21-year-old jazz student at Mohawk, was asked to join on electric guitar. We signed recording, publishing and management contracts with Spy, a classic conflict of interest. Our album was recorded and mixed in Fort Erie at River Audio with Ed Stone over a couple of weekends. It came out in 1991, distributed by A&M, on CD and cassette. 

"Dougie's Lament" was picked up by Don Berns at CFNY and given regular rotation for a time, which helped us to get bookings at the Horseshoe, Lee's Palace, a couple of months of Mondays at Ultrasound, the Rivoli and many more. 

Spy took us out to Halifax in a tour bus where we showcased at the COCA conference for university and college bookers, where we met (and were blown off the stage by) an unsigned band doing a similar act named the Barenaked Ladies. 

Dissatisfaction was growing as very little money was coming in for these strenuous efforts, and in '92 Tim Hopkins quit the group to be replaced by a young bassist named Mike Arsenault. A highlight with Mike was a live recording for CFNY at the Ultrasound complete with recording truck. Finally Alex quit the band and the whole thing was over. For me in retrospect it was a valuable lesson in the risks and rewards of the music business and a lot of fun while it lasted.


Featuring: Cindy Dell (Host), Lee Anne Wesseling, John Loucks, Duane Rutter, Stephen Hogg, Sue Sweetman, JP Riemens, Terry Sumsion, Kris St. Louis, James Anthony, Judi Rideout, and more.

Video above courtesy of Cindy Dell

More Throwback Thursday Posts


Previous (The Carn Davidson 9 Videos) - - - Next (Friday the 13th Videos)

Friday, March 4, 2022

Awe-Inspiring Local Lyrics in 2022! JP Riemens, Michael J Birthelmer, Michelle Titian


HBL's wonderful marketing queen, Linda continues to off what talented songwriters we have in the area. Every weekend, through her Facebook hashtag #LocalLyricsShowcase, she posts full lyrics and a video for a superb local song. Check them out here.

Here are the first postings from 2022

Links: JP Riemens, More JP Riemens Stories, Click here for lyrics, Video above courtesy of Cindy Dell

Links: Michael Birthelmer, More Michael Birthelmer Stories, Click Here for Lyrics, Video above courtesy of Michael J Birthelmer - Topic

Links: Michelle Titian, More Michelle Titian Stories, Click Here for Lyrics, Video above courtesy of Michelle Titian

More Local Lyrics Showcase Posts


Previous (Juno Nominees) - - - Next (Women's Day Videos)

Thursday, July 30, 2015

News Roundup (Hailee Rose, Barn Katz, David Lum, Rita Chiarelli)


Legendary drumstick maker, Vic Firth passes.
Click pic for interview video


News

Local

World

The Adventures of Trebleclef, the Hamilton Blues Lovers Monkey

Nothing this week: Check out his past shenanigans!  

Birthdays

Thursday, July 30

Friday, July 31
Sunday, August 2
Monday, August 3
Tuesday, August 4
Wednesday, August 5
Thursday, August 6

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

1st Annual Southern Ontario Roots Endowment Coming to Hamilton

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhIxtb-MO9VsgZf4w06RPF6sp4LbOnwuuyHSvLuTricG7h9Ldb9BTzm1FZGCjoNpfM6IRaA2DZmcV0G77wSCLoaXLCnuOaLPKC5yf-8sU6zdkODh1dYtYFhYPIox7x6S2YiuYR-PutlY/s1600/april-fools-day251.png

On the heels of those piddly Junos comes a new major awards show that will put all others to shame: the Southern Ontario Roots Endowment (the SOREs) will be debuting in Hamilton on April 31, 2014.

This brand-new organization is the brainchild of Hamilton Blues Lovers CEO, Lou.  We met up with the elusive blogger to discuss why we needed more awards.

"Most of those programs are about talent, skill, songwriting and other such nonsense," Lou stated, "It's about time there was an awards ceremony for what really matters in the music world."  The result has been unique categories such as bodacious hair, coolest beard, sexiest blogger and more.

"The SOREs are open to any roots musician in the Southern Ontario area," Lou added, "and instead of handing out useless trophies like other TV shows I won't name, we plan on giving them something musicians can always use: an extra large pizza.  Now that's an endowment well done!"

Our esteemed blogger has decided to pull out all the stops for this stupendous ceremony.  After a huge search, they've decided to hold the first celebration at April Fulcilli's House of Used Pasta (where their motto is "You'd almost swear it's fresh!").

Sparing no expense, the SORE committee have also hired Jaleel White, "Urkel" from Family Matters, as the MC.

"It was important that we get a major A-List star for the debut," Lou explained, "Thanks to a sponsorship from Luigi's 8-Track Hut, we were able to get him.  Luckily, he had a hole in his busy schedule".

Check below to see who was nominated and who won

Most Bodacious Beard

Mo Kauffey
VOTE
Dan Walsh

 WINNER!
VOTE
Tom Wilson
 VOTE

Coolest Hair


Sean O'Grady

WINNER!


Doug Feaver
VOTE

Michael Hickey (Trickbag)
VOTE

Sexiest Blogger

Lou, Hamilton Blues Lovers
WINNER!
 
Glen Brown, Greater Hamilton Musician
VOTE
(Sorry, link out of order)
Gunner Smith, gunnersmith.ca
VOTE
(Sorry, link out of order)

Fabulous Headgear

Cindy Dell
VOTE

Sue Sweetman (Barn Katz)

WINNER!
VOTE
Wax Mannequin


VOTE

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Previous (Matt Mays and Downchild Bring Junos to the Area) - - - Next (News Roundup w Blue Rodeo, Shea D Duo, Lena Montecalvo, Gunter Ott)

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Darrell Webb Band@Private Show (January 20, 2013)







Link: Darrell Webb Band

Here is a bonus video from the opening band.



Links: Barn Katz, More Barn Katz Stories

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Previous (New James Clark Jones CD) - - - Next (2 More Episodes of Ensemble on YouTube)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Episodes of Ensemble Music TV Show on YouTube

Ensemble is a music-based TV show on Cable 14 Hamilton that features four singer/songwriters per episode.

The show runs on Saturdays at 10pm and Sundays at 9pm.  There is a new episode each month or so.  You can also watch the program online with their live feed if you are a Cogeco, Shaw, or Source Cable subscriber.

Recently, many of the episodes were placed on Cable 14's YouTube page.

Here's what they have so far . . .



Episode 1: Duane Rutter, Cindy Dell, Brennagh Burns, Les Smith (Trickbag)



 Episode 2: Dan Medakovic, Tiny Bill Cody, Kim Koren, Paul Langille



Episode 3: J.P. Riemens, Sue Sweetman (Barn Katz), Joe Clark, Steve Strongman



Episode 4: Steve Sinnicks, Melissa Bel, Mike Todd, Mo' Kauffey

We will be posting more episodes as they become available. . .

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Previous (Harrison Kennedy on Santa's Got Mojo 2) - - - Next (New Mike Allen CD)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Barn Katz@Brant Hills Church

Click here if you can't see the videos.

Sue Sweetman (vocals) is joined by Johnny Frame (guitar, vocals on Shut Up in the Mines of Coal Creek), Tim McDonald (banjo), Adam Dobson (bass), Joe Clark (Mandolin, vocals on Boll Weevil)













Click here for more Sue Sweetman stories

Rhyme 'N' Reason
also played at this fundraiser. Click here for video.

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Previous (Tom Wilson@Moonshine Cafe) - - - Next (Rhyme N Reason@Brant Hills Church)

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Sue Sweetman and JP Riemens - Artword Artbar (Oct 2, 2009)

Sue Sweetman and JP Riemens were sometimes backed up by Joe Clark (mandolin/guitar/vocals) and Rocky Hill (bass)