Lennon Stella's mid-summer night's dream, Nashville star opens for The Chainsmokers Aug 8 in TO

By Will McGuirk

When I was driving up to #booksbridge I would listen to the 105.5 FM, the hits hit station, and I would regularly hear Lennon Stella’s single “Bad” - occasionally it would sync up while I was passing Ashburn, the one time home of The Stella family and occasionally the sweet rhinestones and feathers slide of it would sync up with one of the slow curves on Reach Road. One notices these things. Folks are noticing Lennon Stella and she now has a gig opening for The Chainsmokers world tour. The gang will be in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena

Lennon posted on her instagram.

pinch me. like truly what the fak is happening. I’m opening up for @thechainsmokers and @5SOS? r u joking ? holy shit balls I’m geeeeeeking out and I have been geeking out for a while now but I couldn’t tell you guys BUT NOW I CAN TELL YOU GUYS SO THIS IS ME TELLING YOU GUYS !!!!!!! 

Prior to this Lennon Stella has two gigs at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall Mar 19 and 20 2019.

Jerry Leger on his European tour; plays Town Brewery in Whitby Jun 7

By Will McGuirk

Its been a while since Jerry Leger has played in Durham Region but he makes a welcome return Jun 7 2018 at the Town Brewery in Whitby. The Toronto singer/songwriter, considered one of the best in the country by many (including me), has recently returned from a tour of Europe with his band, The Situation. They played The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland and England. There is a lot of European folk traditions in Leger's songbook so we asked him how it went on this, his first visit to the mythical source.

SC: Much of what would inform your music would come from the British Isles and Ireland - how has visiting the wellspring of folk affected your own songwriting?

JL: "Yeah, music from there has always been a part of my make up, so it's always had an affect on my writing. It was wild to finally be there and I could almost hear music bouncing off of the land, water, streets and pubs."

SC: Have you had a chance to see other musicians in the towns you have toured? Any of the locals impressed you?

JL: "Not really, we played 21 or 22 shows in 25 days, so there wasn't a lot of downtime. We did see some jazz played by some local students in Copenhagen. That was cool and Kyle (Sullivan), the drummer in The Situation sat in for a tune. Other than that we got to hear some cool musicians who opened for us. I dug Matt McGinn who opened for us in Belfast and a great guy too. The Situation and I roamed the streets of Cologne, drinking beers with the band that opened for us there, B. Phonics."

SC: There were places in Ireland and England I visited where I felt very grounded, has that happened to you, has the land spoken to you?

JL: "I wish I could have spent more time in some these places, we were on the move a lot but I felt very comfortable in Winchester, England. We played this old tavern dating back to the 1500's, filled with ghosts, a great bartender and a great crowd. I enjoyed hanging out there and walking around the block a bit. Outside of Manchester, James McKie's Dad lives there and drove us around to see a lot of the surrounding villages and beautiful scenery. I just wanted to stay there. Belfast we had a day off, so that was nice getting to hang out there. Overall I really enjoyed meeting people and always felt welcomed and comfortable. Looking forward to going back"

Canadian Music Week: Where the Oshawa/Durham bands at?

By Will McGuirk

CMW kicked off Monday May 7 and continues right through until Sunday. Among the hundreds of acts playing there are a few well known acts but thats the key to CMW; its a showcase of the new, the emerging, the bubbling under. With scores of venues, affordable ticketing and a slew of activities and events such as panel discussions, award shows, trade shows, an international showcase focus on the USA for 2018, a hackathon, summits, and a film festival there's no excuse to not get out and enjoy the week. Go see the next big thing now and get the bragging rights. Some of the existing big things involved or performing include Mudhoney, Sloan, Nile Rodgers, Bob Lefsetz, Steve Horowitz and Denise Donlon.

Some of the Oshawa/Durham kats involved include

May 9 Beams @ Lee Palace, Lindi Ortega @ Mod Club

May 10 Jaunt @ Garrison, Do Good Badlies @ Dakota Tavern, West Hammock @ Adelaide Hall

May 11 Crown Lands @ Phoenix

May 12 Sarah Fazackerley @ Paddock, The Standstills @ Horseshoe

Crown Lands, Mappe Off and Annie Sumi announced for Hillside, runs July 13-15 2018

By Will McGuirk

Hillside 2018 is going to be a lot of fun. The annual music fest in Guelph always is really but with three of my fave Durham Region acts on the bill its going to be even more so. All three, Crown Lands, Mappe Of and Annie Sumi are doing fine work, building and garnering even more attention as the days go by.

Crown Lands retro-psyche rawk, Mappe Of's prog-folk ramblings and Sumi's darling meditations are just a few of the great acts coming outta the Region, count Dizzy, Chastity, West Hammock, Matlock Expressway, Rory Taillon among those you will see and hear more of at festivals this year.

Its a good time in the D-Rawk however its odd I am also engaged in a FB conversation about how the Oshawa city staff are failing local acts by not booking them for their city-run events. Lot of work to do yet I guess but at least other communities are digging our kats and giving them a stage.

Hillside announced its full line up for its stages today and as per usual its as much on the edge as it ever was.  Destroyer!! Yes!! Adrian Underhill, Chad Van Gaalen, U.S. Girls, Partner, Walrus and Cancon classy folk trio Tamarack. Too many for me to bother typing but reality is Hillside is one of the highlights of the summer and more so when spent seeing pals get the accolades so justly deserved. Get your tickets, get your camping sites, get on it.