Wednesday, November 1, 2017

GOOD LUCK! Local Maple Blues Award Nominees!



The the 21st annual Maple Blues Awards will be held at Koerner Hall in Toronto on January 15, 2018.  Once again, there are a number of local nominees.

Hamilton Blues legend Harrison Kennedy is up for 4 awards (Acoustic Act of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Recording/Producer of the Year and Songwriter).



Links: Harrison Kennedy, More Harrison Kennedy Stories: Video above courtesy of Luther Blues

Colin James' latest album Blue Highways (ft Hamilton's Steve Pelletier and Jesse O'Brien) is also up for Recording/Producer of the Year.

Links: Colin James, More Colin James Stories, Steve Pelletier, More Steve Peletier Stories, Jesse O'Brien, More Jesse O'Brien Stories, Video above courtesy of BelAxeBluesFlames

Kitchener's Soulstack has two nominated members: singer Jon Knight is up for Male Vocalist of the Year and Tom Bona is in the running for Drummer of the Year.

Links: Soulstack, More Soulstack Stories, Video above courtesy of Soulstack

Gary Kendall, a member of St. Catharines Blues band Mighty Duck Blues Band (as well as the legendary Downchild Blues Band) was nominated for Bassist  of the Year.


The artist with the most nominations is the Paul DesLauriers Band with the group and individual members receiving a combined total of 5 nods.

Online voting is available for various categories. the deadline is December 1st, 2017 at 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time. Register at www.mapleblues.ca.

Here's a complete list of nominees.

Acoustic Act
Male Vocalist
Recording/Producer of the Year
Entertainer
Electric Act
Female Vocalist
New Artist
B.B. King International Artist
Blues with a Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Guitarist
Harmonica Player
Piano/Keyboard Player
Horn Player
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CONGRATS! The Band Win 2017 Polaris Heritage Prize


The jury of the 2017 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize honoured the classic status of The Band's self titled album by choosing it as their winner in the 1960-1975 category. The Band featured a few local members (Rick Danko was from Norfolk and Robbie Robertson came from Six Nations). 



Links: The Band, More Stories of The Band, Video above courtesy of Nalencer

There were a few other local nominees as well:
Click here for a full list of nominees.

Click here for the full story from FYIMusicNews

CONGRATS!

Here is the full list of winners.

1960-1975
1976 – 1985
1986-1995
1996-2005
Blast from the Past: Last Year's Winners

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Saturday, October 28, 2017

CONGRATS! 2017 Spectator Readers' Choice Award Winners


The votes have been tallied in the 2017 Hamilton Spectator Readers' Choice Awards. Hammertown has chosen their favourite things in the city.

We'd like to make a special shout out to one of our sponsors, Picks and Sticks Music, who won in three categories (see details below). Also, our blogger's workplace, the St. Charles Adult Education Centre won Gold in the Adult Education category and reached the top ten in the Learning Centre list.

Here are the music related categories and the winners. Click here for a complete list.

Local Musician or Band
Local Musician or Band (Rest of the Top 10)
CONGRATS EVERYBODY!

Blast from the Past: Last Year's Winners

Links: Readers' Choice Awards, More Spec Readers' Choice Awards Stories
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Friday, October 27, 2017

News Roundup (Tia McGraff, Paul James, Passings, Treble Visits Locke Street)

The Adventures of Trebleclef, the Music Loving Monkey

Trebleclef travelled on Locke Street last week! Click the pictures to view more from these events

First, he grabbed a bite to east at the new amazing restaurant CIMA Entoca.


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Then he popped by Epic Books and bumped into the wonderful local musician Low Country Hill.


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After that, he checked out the grand opening for a vintage, cool record/clothing store, Into the Abyss.


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Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The Legendary Fats Domino Passes + Local Reaction

Doug Parker/Associated Press
Rock 'N' Roll has lost another of its main architects. The legendary Fats Domino passed away on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. Our condolences to his family, friends and fans.

Local stories: The Spectator, CHML, CBC

Local Reaction

We asked a number of local musicians for their comments on this amazing musician. We'll add more as the responses come in.

Sonny Del-Rio
His great sax-man, Lee Allan was my greatest influence in starting to play the sax in 1957.  There will never be another like Fats Domino. His music will live forever.  R.I.P. Fats
Dave Rave
Fats Domino was the soul of Rock and Roll. The Heartbeat of New Orleans. I loved his music. The Shakers performed I'm Ready. And one of the greatest performers I ever saw. Fats Domino RIP. Irreplaceable
Jesse O'Brien
RIP Fats Domino - he helped pave the way for all New Orleans style piano players and I hope he rests in peace on top of that Blueberry Hill.
Lily Sazz (Cootes Paradise)
Fats Domino was a pioneer of that distinctive New Orleans R&B sound, and he was one of the classic R&B musicians to contribute to the birth of 1950s rock 'n' roll. I think that all piano players in the blues or jazz genres have been influenced by him, whether they know it or not, through those that Fats, in turn, influenced. That's a legacy for us all to be grateful for. RIP Fats. Another great one gone.
 Rick Prinsthal (Rick and the 3D's)
I saw him @ Lulu's in Kitchener in the late 80's - opened for Jerry Lee Lewis - spectacular show!!
Greg Brisco
Incredibly sad with the passing of the greats. He was one of them. How boring life may have been without his music. I hate to think of the butterfly effect if Blueberry Hill or Ain't That a Shame were never recorded by him.
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New CD from Hamilton's Andre Bisson Explodes with Soul and Energy


Whether you're a believer or not, you'll be screaming AMEN after listening to Break, the unbelievable new album from Hamilton's Andre Bisson. With the urgency of a gospel preacher, the talented Bluesman sings his heart out and brings his skills to a whole other level!

It all kicks off with the amazing title track that starts mid-tempo then becomes a musical kick in the teeth exploding with soul and energy. What follows is Andre swinging, roaring, rocking and wailing with emotion. He and the band also have no trouble handling the delicate and beautiful numbers as well.

As always, Andre picks some of the best players around to back him up:
So perk up your life by getting this incredibe CD at his unforgettable live shows (including the CD Release show at the Spice Factory in Hamilton on Sunday, November 5, 2017 at 2:30pm). You can also  purchase/download it using cdbaby or iTunes.







Blast from the Past: Andre's Last CD

Links: Andre Bisson, More Andre Bisson stories, Videos above courtesy of Andre Bisson, More Releases
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Tuesday, October 24, 2017

CONGRATS! View Magazine's 2017 Readers' Choice Award Winners!


Results from the 2017 View Magazine Readers' Choice were unveiled in their Oct 19th issue.  Their fans helped vote for the best of everything Hamilton (and the surrounding areas) has to offer.

A special shout-out to one of our sponsors, Judy Marsales Real Estate for winning Gold in the Real Estate Office category

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).

Band
Female Artist
Festival
Free Event
Coolest Instrument to Play 
  • Drums
  • Guitar
Independent Music Label
Recording Studio 
Rehearsal Space
Radio Personality
Local Show Promotor
Music School
Blast from the Past: Last Year's Winners

Previous (DJ Shub Wins Native American Music Award) - - - Next (New Andre Bisson Album)
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Monday, October 23, 2017

CONGRATS! Fort Erie's DJ Shub Earns Native American Music Award + 2 More Canadian Winners


Fort Erie's DJ Shub took home the Best Music Video (for Indomitable,  a song he performed with the Northern Cree Singers) at the 17th annual Native American Music Awards. The fabulous ceremony was held on Saturday, October 14th at Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino in Niagara Falls, New York



Links: DJ Shub, More DJ Shub Stories, Video above courtesy of DJ Shub

Two more Canadians earned awards that night: BC Country artist, Kelly Derrickson (Best Female Artist) and Alberta group Northern Cree (Best Pow Wow Recording)



Links: Kelly Derrickson, More Kelly Derrickson Stories, Video above courtesy of  Kelly Derrickson



Links: Northern Cree, More Northern Cree Stories, Video above courtesy of Northern Cree

CONGRATS EVERYONE!

Here's a complete list of winners. Canadians are bolded:
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Saturday, October 21, 2017

Dizzy Gillespie's 100th Birthday

Pic courtesy of DizzyGillespie.com
Saturday, October 21, 2017 would have been Jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie's 100th bithday.

Here are a few video to celebrate the birthday of this musical icon!



Links: Louis Armstrong, More Louis Armstrong Stories, Video above courtesy of mytox



Video above courtesy of Erik Boyd



Video above courtesy of Louis Rodrigues



Links: Muppets, More Muppets Stories, Video above courtesy of scandura2007

Links: Dizzy Gillespie, More 100th Birthday Celebrations
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Friday, October 20, 2017

News Roundup (Gord Downie, Trout Lily, Bat Out of Hell Musical)



Click here for more pics from the event

Lou's mini-review:

Whether you're a fan of the album or not, you'll love the show. It has amazing music, powerful singers and  an interesting sci-fi type story different from the classic recordings. It was a joy to experience.



Links: Bat Out of Hell - The Musical, Video above courtesy of Bat Out of Hell - The Musical
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