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Friday, 22 April 2022 17:17

Kelly Prescott

“Love Wins” is the first new album from Prescott since her 2016 EP “Hillbilly Jewels”, and with it she returns to her roots with the sounds and styles that she loves, delivering a collection of songs that are contemplative and masterfully highlight her soulful vocals. Produced by her brother Kaylen Prescott, “Love Wins” is a self-penned six-song collection that draws straight from Prescott’s heart, featuring additional co-writes with Donovan Woods, Patricia Conroy and more.

A third-generation singer-songwriter, Prescott spent her formative years cutting her teeth in the music industry and is no stranger to life in a recording studio or on the road. Over the last few years, Prescott has worked tirelessly to hone her craft, resulting in a sonic evolution and a level of dynamic musicianship that must be experienced to be believed. For “Love Wins”, Prescott also called upon some of her friends and biggest champions, with guest vocals including Canadian country artists Shawn Austin and Jessica Mitchell. Prescott has shared the stage with such notable names as Terri Clark, Dallas Smith, Kyle Cook (Matchbox 20), and alongside her musical family, she recently made her impressive Grand Ole Opry debut as guests of Clark’s. She is currently making her way across Canada as part of Alan Doyle’s “Rough Side Out” tour.

Friday, 18 March 2022 09:40

Johnny Reid

Over an illustrious career spanning more than two decades, JUNO Award winning singer-songwriter, Johnny Reid has captured the hearts of fans and audiences around the world. The critically acclaimed singer is widely known for his lyrical honesty and musical ability, as demonstrated by an extensive catalogue of hit songs, album sales totaling over 1.5 million units in Canada, countless awards and multiple sold out national arena tours.

His recordings are filled with classic rock riffs laced with blue-collar roots and a voice that brims with force and honesty. He’s an undeniable fan favourite, writing songs that chronicle the working class hero and have a blue-collar everyman feel, filled with fervent honesty and just the right mix of both personal and universal storytelling.

“Take a pinch of Bruce Springsteen, a dash of Bob Seger and enough Rod Stewart to give the mix vocal gravel, and you start to get the vibe of this Scottish-born singer/songwriter.”

– The New York Post –

Wednesday, 16 March 2022 08:38

Tom Cochrane

To quote the title of one of the songs on his feverishly anticipated new record, Tom Cochrane is now "Back In The Game." True, the Canadian rock icon has never stopped creating or performing, but Take It Home is his first album of new material since 2006's No Stranger. Happily, Take It Home (to be released via Universal Music Canada on February 10, 2015) reveals an artist still at the top of his game, exploring new lyrical and sonic terrain while remaining grounded in the values that have made him one of Canada's most beloved rock 'n rollers ever.

Over the course of a long and illustrious career now spanning more than 40 years, the pride of Lynn Lake, Manitoba has covered more terrain than the Franklin expedition. From early beginnings as a folk-based singer/songwriter playing the coffeehouses of Toronto's famed Yorkville scene in the early '70s, Tom became the driving force in adventurous rockers Red Rider prior to achieving massive international success (over six million copies sold worldwide and diamond-sales status at home) with breakthrough 1991 album Mad Mad World and its anthemic hit "Life Is A Highway."

Since then, he has continued to create potent new material while cementing his place in the hearts of Canadians through crowd-pleasing performances from coast to coast and his unwavering work on behalf of humanitarian causes and organizations. An Order of Canada recipient and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee, Cochrane has won eight Juno awards and numerous other industry honours, including the 2013 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award and a Grammy nomination.

In recent years, Cochrane stepped off the music industry treadmill, but his creative itch never disappeared. "It gnaws at you when you haven't created something for a while," he explains. "I tried my hand at painting again, but I didn't find it as satisfying as I used to. There were a number of reasons I wanted to make another record. First and foremost, if you've got wings you fly! You start to feel that voice, that muse, the urge to get something off your chest. That never goes away, it may just not be as intense at certain times."

"There is a conditioned cycle that has been imprinted on me since I was about 26. You get out there, you read, you talk, you travel, you experience, you do this stuff that creates a life then you write about it and attempt to record it. Sometimes that is really painful, sometimes it is really joyful. There is drudgery to it. It's like flying an aircraft in some senses, with moments of complete boredom and drudgery and moments of complete terror, then you bring the whole thing in for a safe landing!"

The aviation analogy is fitting for this son of a bush pilot (Tom is also a pilot, and was a proud honorary colonel for six years with the 409 squadron in Cold Lake Alberta).  He has now touched down with a 12-song collection guaranteed to please loyal TC fans while potentially attracting many new ones to the fold. Sonically and lyrically, Take It Home manages to be both timeless and timely.

In an era in which way too many acts settle upon one easily described and digested sound, the stylistic eclecticism and emotional range Cochrane displays here is truly refreshing. As Tom notes, "there really is a broad panorama of songs on this record. They run the course."

"It's retrospective in a sense. The record runs the gamut from fire and brimstone with the Texas swing of 'Back In The Game' and '1st Time Around' to the spiritual and gospel with 'The Ones That I’ve Known,' 'Pink Time,' and 'A Prayer For Hope.' There are references to my beloved Georgian Bay but mythical Bays as well and some of the stories harvested from it and other parts of Canada. There's also a heavy nod of the cap to Austin and the deep south where many of my early musical influences come from .. songs about being a rock and roll hobo," he continues. "You don't spend this much time travelling back and forth from down there without gathering dust on your boots and clothes then shaking it off in a song or two."

The album title is appropriate, for in many ways Tom is returning to his roots here. "I see this record as a real retrospective on the essence of the troubadour," he says. "From the bards of the middle ages into the blues guys like Leadbelly and Lightnin' Hopkins into Woody Guthrie who inspired Dylan and Lightfoot as well as artists who inspired another generation. Look at Dylan and Willie Nelson, staying on the tour bus, moving to the next city to play for people. It's like the boy inside the man, they're going back to their youth. To me, some of the songs on this record explore that."

Stylistically, Take It Home draws deeply from American roots music. "When I played these songs for Big Ben Richardson, a friend who lives in Austin and plays in Grady, he said 'they're all over the place, but there's a real Southern feel tying them all together.' I agree. I've spent a lot of time in Austin in recent years. I wrote 'Back In The Game' after my wife Kath and I went to Austin's Continental Club when they had a swing dancing night. It has a blues meets Texas swing feel while 'I Can't Stay Here' is more Tennessee. I'm exploring a lot of that as a Canadian who has absorbed plenty of this over the years. For instance, JJ Cale was a big influence on 'Lunatic Fringe' [the Red Rider tune that became a classic rock staple]." 

Take It Home is the sound of an artist doing it all for the right reasons, following his muse wherever it leads, with no commercial imperatives in mind. "You start out doing this not because you want to be rich," Tom reflects. "I have done real well in my career and life that way and I'm not doing it now because I want to be rich. You do it for the passion and let the chips fall where they may. I'm just pretty lucky to be doing this at this stage of the game. It's still fun and I feel vital doing it." This record is born not so much out of great pain or great elation but a little of both and some unfinished business and a few things that have been left unsaid or undone along the way."

At the same time, there's plenty of material here that can find a happy home on both country and rock radio. The country-rock party vibe of first single "Sunday Afternoon Hang" did just that, and upcoming second single "First Time Around," “Diamonds," or “Country Girls Never Get Old” are destined to follow suit.

For Cochrane, the process of making an album begins with one song. "For Take It Home, that song was 'Pink Time'," he recalls. "Two other songs on the record, 'Diamonds' and 'Prayer For Hope,' were written earlier, but  'Pink Time' started this particular phase. Then I started 'First Time Around,' a completely different type of song. They are like two bookends of the record."

Those three songs take the listener from the heart-wrenching to the hedonistic. "Pink Time" is the poignant and tender story of a husband dealing with the ravages being wrought upon his wife by Alzheimer's: "When the pink time comes, I'll be right there by your side, down by the bay." "First Time Around," along with tunes like "Back In The Game," "Sunday Afternoon Hang" and “Country Girls Never Get Old” put a much more upbeat spin on proceedings. "I wanted to have some fun and make this a rootsy record as well," Tom explains.

Tom's penchant for compassionate social commentary is also on vivid display here. As with "Life Is A Highway" nearly two decades earlier, "A Prayer For Hope" was spurred by a World Vision-backed trip to Africa. "I wrote that about six years ago, after an AIDS-specific visit to Kenya," Cochrane recalls. "We met Margaret there, a mother dying of AIDS. We couldn't do anything for her, other than pray. She had a child named Hope and a caregiver from WV called Mercy, an incredible human being." The encounter is captured in stark clarity in the song: "Margaret sits by the hill and stares at her children, wonders what they'll do when she's gone."

On the powerful ballad (and album closer) "The Ones That I've Known," Tom pays homage to "the ones that gave so much for freedom," specifically two inspirational figures, civil rights heroine Rosa Parks and Terry Fox. The profile in courage exemplified by Fox had a direct impact on Tom via one memorable encounter. "Seeing him on the last day he ran was such a powerful experience," he explains. "Red Rider were driving non-stop from Winnipeg to Toronto. We hadn't seen a hotel room in three nights and I was contemplating quitting. In the middle of nowhere, near Thunder Bay, the traffic stops. I see this kid running by on one leg, his face looking really pasty, and you can't tell if its tears or rain running down his face. I'm thinking 'how tough do I have it? Here is this kid giving his all to save lives and bring attention to cancer."

This ability to tell personal stories that have a universal resonance is a trademark of the troubadour, and this is a talent Tom Cochrane has always displayed.

On Take It Home, Tom and co-producer/longtime creative collaborator Bill Bell (Jimmy Rankin, Justin Nozuka and also Jason Mraz's music director for a spell) have skilfully merged a roadhouse rough and ready feel and a high-fidelity production sound.  "Take It Home goes back to the scene of the crime so to speak. I wanted to pay homage to many of my early southern influences like JJ Cale, The Band, Ry Cooder and Captain Beefheart. Their ghosts are ever present on the record," Tom explains. "I wanted the album to be really raw. Parts of it aren't, but the essence of it is really raw. I didn't want the parts to sound refined in any shape or form. Billy's job is to add just the right amount of slickness here and there."

 

Take It Home was recorded in a variety of different settings. Some tracks were laid down in elite Toronto studio Metalworks and Los Angeles studios Glenwood Place Studio and Soleil Studio, with other recording, overdubbing and mixing taking place at Cochrane's home studio, Laya Stone, in Parry Sound, Ontario. The result is a highly pleasing aural mix of the rustic and the refined. 

In keeping with the rootsy vibe of many of the new songs, Tom plays banjo, mandolin, ukelele and harmonica, as well as a range of guitars and keyboards. He's assisted by a cast of A-list players that includes drummers Davide Direnzo (Jacksoul), Gary Craig (Bruce Cockburn) and the legendary Jim Keltner ( JJ Cale, Traveling Wilburys, John Lennon), bassists John Dymond (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings), Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve (Streetheart), James "Hutch" Hutchison (Neville Brothers, Bonnie Raitt), and Jeff Jones (Red Rider), and guitarists Bill Bell and Kenny Greer (Red Rider). The outstanding steel, ukelele and mandolin playing of Greer is a crucial component in the sound of the record. The strong backing vocals of Beverley Knight, Danielle Bourjeaurd, Tareya Green and Andrew Cole are also employed judiciously on Take It Home.

Still passionate about performance, Tom is already thinking about which of the new tunes will best fit a set list already challenged by the amount of great material from which he can draw. "I wanted to make sure there's at least there or four songs off the album that'll stand the test of time and we can pull off live. Either to make people tap their feet and dance or have ones that hit home. I think I'll be playing 'The Ones That I've Known' and 'Pink Time' quite a few years from now. 'Back in The Game' is lots of fun, and I see it as one you can pull out when things are getting pensive."

Like a big freight train winding its way north then west in the early mist of a Canadian summer morning, Take It Home has a power to it that is as compelling as it is haunting.

Wednesday, 11 March 2020 10:44

Matthew Curry

Matthew Curry is a prolific writer who aims to write and record a new release annually.  When asked about the new songs, he prefers to leave interpretation in some cases to the listener, while being transparently forthcoming with others.  The opener, "Blink of an Eye" finds the songwriter channeling inspiration from the Black Crowes, Eagles perhaps a bit of Chris Stapleton as he sings of the woes losing a woman, out of selfishness. The harder edged rocker "Caroline" is a feel good track.  Curry offers, "the song presents that scenario where many young guys and gals face a young lady's father not pleased about the relationship, and the challenges of sneaking away for the sake of love.  This one is a really fun one to play cause it always seems very easy for the audience to dance and sing along with it."  The title track "Shine On" displays the artist's connection to the beauty of Memphis Soul and Muscle Shoals Southern Gospel Rock that shines with simple purity as he delivers the uplifting yet heavy lyrics. "Matter Of Time" follows with a softer, easy listening tone.  Curry shares, "We've all experienced love that we thought would last eternity, and didn't quite end up working that way."  The final track "Draw The Line" is a bit ambiguous by intent leaving the listener to find personal meaning.  Curry continues to grow year after year as a writer, and is the antithesis of those who created in a confined space.  The songs reflect his style and sound yet no two sound exactly the same.  There is nothing cookie cutter about his approach or execution, and that trend seems to continue throughout his three offerings thus far.

Alongside a ton of headline dates across the U.S., and isolated appearances overseas, Matthew Curry has had the honor of touring with the Doobie Bros, Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, Journey, and others. 

Curry is a Midwesterner who proudly articulates it is an honor to call that part of the country home.  He offers, "We're more slow pace, say what you mean and mean what you say, decent type people around here. Somewhat unassuming. I think it also translates to my music as well - it is straight forward without the fads or gimmicks of the day."  He grew up with a father deeply interested in the arts, and as he thinks back on a man who had such an influence prior to his passing, he reveals, "We both shared a passion for music that went deeper than anyone could know. My father's dream was to be getting to do what I'm doing for a living. Though it didn't quite work out that way for him, he had a great ear and great advice to help me as I was growing up. Losing him was the hardest thing that has ever happened to me, not a day goes by where I don't think about him, and not a night goes by where I don't lay down in bed and think about how much I miss him and the bound we had through music. Often times the thoughts that cross my mind don't only involve music though, I often picture in my mind floating down the river in the canoe with him, going fishing and camping with him and my brother, and learning about working on motorcycles from him, simple stuff like that makes me smile and remember all the great times we had together!"

Matthew Curry continues to gain notoriety and his career in its essence is the  definition of a bright future.  It is his opinion that Rock n Roll is the genre within music that truly and deeply speaks from and to the soul. He simply aspires to build on the tradition that impacts listener in a way that is best shared as he states, "When you hear a great Blues or a great rock song, you can often get chills or it can make the hair on your neck stand up. I think the main reason being the soulfulness of both styles of music. That's one thing I've always strived for was to pour my soul out when I sing, play, or write. Because if you can do that, I feel like the better chance you will have of people latching onto your music." 

Wednesday, 11 March 2020 09:58

Road Apples

Hailing from the very birthplace of the venerable Canadian rock group it pays homage to, Road Apples formed in Kingston, Ontario during December 1992 and quickly established itself as the best, busiest and most sought after tribute show to The Tragically Hip.

The momentum the band was able to build in the first half of 1993 ultimately helped catapult it to national status and success.  In the wake of its concerts, word spread quickly that this was a band that was worth the price of admission.  From June 1993 until August 1998, the band members made their collective living touring Canada on a full-time basis.  From Newfoundland to Vancouver Island and northern Alberta to upstate New York, the band logged thousands of miles as it amassed a resume of close to one thousand performances – leaving no doubt that Road Apples is a band that has earned its favourable reputation through years of hard touring.

After 5 years of essentially living on the road, the band made a conscious decision to scale down its schedule to enable the members to focus on other life pursuits.  While remaining active from the fall of 1998 through to present day, the band has been more selective in the venues and events it has performed at. 

As a result of Road Apples’ success in the mid-90’s, there has been a proliferation of other bands offering what is billed as a similar service to the market.  However, there is one thing that ultimately distinguishes Road Apples from the other ‘Hip’ tribute bands:  experience.  Experience breeds confidence and confidence begets consistency.  With thousands of live performances now under their belts, the members of this band have collectively honed their craft to a level unmatched by any of their competitors.

Wednesday, 11 March 2020 09:57

Bordertowne Boys

We are a 4 piece band , Called the Bordertowne Boys.

We strive to supply the people with the best music and entertainment we can possibly provide. Pleasing all ages with music from Johnny Cash to AC/DC including many of our original material. Our main goal is to have people leaving our show with smiles and good memories.

Sunday, 23 February 2020 18:12

Bachman-Cummings

Kemptville Live Music Festival is please to announce that Bachman-Cummings Together Again, Live In Concert Tour will join us on Friday, July 22, 2022.

Canada's most celebrated musicians and songwriters Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings announced today a cross-Canada reunion tour entitled, Together Again, Live In Concert. Bachman and Cumming return to the stage for this reunion tour for the first time in more than a decade. Together Again, Live In Concert will celebrate the music of The Guess Who, Bachman Turner Overdrive and Burton Cummings. 

Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings have written some of the greatest songs of the last 50 years. Together theirs is undoubtedly the Great Canadian Songbook.

These Eyes, Laughing, Undun, No Time, American Woman, No Sugar Tonight, Hand Me Down World, Share The Land, Albert Flasher, Follow Your Daughter Home, Glamour Boy, Star Baby, Clap For The Wolfman, Let It Ride, Takin' Care Of Business, You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet, Hey You, Looking Out For #1, Stand Tall, I'm Scared, My Own Way To Rock, Break It To Them Gently, Fine State of Affairs, You Saved My Soul – and that's only some of the dozens of gold and platinum hits between them.

To coincide with the reunion tour Together Again, Live In Concert, Sony Music Canada will release a limited edition Bachman Cummings box set in June 2020. The Bachman Cummings Collection includes five Guess Who albums from the formative 1969-1971 period—including; Canned Wheat, American Woman, and Share the Land—alongside material from both Bachman Turner Overdrive and Burton Cummings. This 7CD or 7LP set will also include an expanded booklet of rare and never published publicity, studio, and master tape photographs as well as detailed label copy and notes. Both LP and CD boxes will be available to pre-order soon.

Members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Canadian Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Canadian Walk of Fame, the first ever inductees into the Prairie Music Hall of Fame, recipients of the Order of Canada, the Order of Manitoba, the Governor-General's Performance Arts Award and several Broadcast Music Industry awards for over 1 million airplays, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings made Canadian music international paving the way for every Canadian artist who followed.

After the phenomenal success of the much-heralded four-year Guess Who reunion, Bachman – Cummings decided in 2005 that the time was right to finally go out under their own names. "We're the two guys who wrote and sang these songs and I think people know that and want to hear the real thing," insists Burton Cummings. "Bachman – Cummings are out there delivering that. Not all artists are lucky enough to have that kind of staying power. As Bachman – Cummings, Randy and I are able to touch Guess Who, BTO and Cummings solo stuff. The response from audiences was even more than we could ever have hoped for."

Bachman – Cummings starred in their own top-rated CBC television concert special First Time Around (later released on DVD) and followed that with the platinum-selling album The Bachman Cummings Songbook in 2006 marking the first ever pairing of their Guess Who, BTO and Cummings solo hits on one package. In 2007 Jukebox found the two digging through their own record collections to affectionately cover their personal favourite songs from bygone years.

"We are having more fun now," states Randy. "There is a lot of love and respect for each other. Working together with Burton again musically is like riding a bike, easy and fun, but with everyone clapping along as we do it."

Sunday, 23 February 2020 12:02

Rock&Rock Never Forgets

Based in Canada's National Capital region, *ROCK AND ROLL NEVER FORGETS* is "CANADA'S" BOB SEGER Tribute Show!!

8 musicians form this "must see" show for any and all fans of Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band!!

All of the hits, all of the classics that have stood the test of time and made Bob a top draw throughout the world over the past 40 plus years, authentically done in a style that is "Seger" to the core!

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