Chastity, Queen Victoria, and why Oshawa is closed this weekend.

Hmmm a bit slow this weekend, bit slow indeed. Social Strife is at the Atria Saturday May 20 and . . . 

Ah it's May 24 isn’t it - ah yes - sure what’s the point of gigs, everyone’s away yes. Up North, yes? If ever there was a time for this city to check itself it's this 2023 May 24 weekend coming up. I recall speaking with some promoters who factor in the city’s traditional schedule into their bookings. Winter everyone goes South, summer everyone goes North. Interesting, like its 1983 or something, but it is their money, so I get it.

It never applied to me, this schedule. Maybe because I never had the dollars, maybe because I never had the inclination, maybe because I had no family cottage to hang at or inherit. Maybe yes, maybe no but nevertheless the Regent Theatre is dark this Long Weekend and the Biltmore Theatre only has what they are billing an Old School Dance Night - I don’t know what old school they are talking about, maybe Donovan? Not my old school I hope, gak! 

And my old school, as will be the way with many others, is not in this town anyway, not even in this country. Sure the private sector is based on profit so one has to be cautious. Its said fortune favours the brave but let's not be foolhardy etc. Reality is, the population in this town and this province is changing and so are the summer habits, and within those changes there are real business opportunities 

But I do understand the risk to private enterprise, booking shows on this holiday weekend. But what I have never understood is why the public sector has never stepped in. It may be politicians and staff tow the line that they are stewards of the public purse and also need to be not foolhardy with the hard-earned dollars of their constituents. But they also need to be cognizance of these constituents and their asks, and it maybe not always on such a conservative track. Anyway I kinda think City Hall et al shuts down because many if not all, have cottages to go to as well, yards to spruce up, pools to open etc, so why make extra work with a festival or some community event. And even for those without an actual place up north there’s still lots of reasons I’m sure, big one being of course winter is over so let's get “Straight Outta Dodge” as my new fave band, the jangly just this side of out of control Small Faces ish trio, Spirit Josh, sings.

What about the people who are just getting outta Dodge, just a road trip to shake off the winter webs, and get some air between them or you and their or your routine. Ask yourself where is this mythical Dodge you are leaving from- is it Picton, Peterborough, Papineau? Probably not.

And so ask yourself why isn’t Oshawa on the map for those road trips? Why is Oshawa Dodge? And not Picton or Peterborough or Papineau? Why isn’t Oshawa the destination for people in Picton who want to get outta their Dodge? Why isn’t Oshawa the place for people in Oshawa who just want to take their Dodge out for a run to the Lake and see some entertainment there or even downtown for a stroll and some on street buskers’ buzz.

I understand the risk to the private sector but maybe some research on demographics might be in order, maybe an expanded roster of booking agencies who see opportunity in diversity, maybe see what other businesses in other cities are doing to attract people to their downtowns 24/7 365 - and maybe the public sector should step up and fill the gap, make the investment for economic reasons,  (Ec. Dev. Class 101 - Events attract people, people attract business) and to encourage those who also want a break but don’t do the “traditional Canadian” constellations in Bobcaygeon thing, who want to take that break in their own city, or drive from other cities to Oshawa and spend some $$ here, and maybe the public sector could create that break with a food truck event at the Lake or community park picnics, or bands in the Bandshell (that last one is easy, I mean it’s right there in the name) you know it can’t be rocket surgery to get this happening. Man I can see why people want a break from this City - it's maddening at the very least.  

And of course the long weekend means nothing to me so I, like the mad man I am, booked a band into the new Kops location at 34 King Street East, yes the bit of King downtown!! So hopefully if there are people who like live music still in the city reading this column to find out what they can possibly do, then hi to those folks and yes you are welcome on Saturday May 20 evening at least to Kops to see Chastity. Tickets here.

Gigs This Week: Jerry Leger at Kops Records Oshawa Sat Dec 17

By Will McGuirk

Jerry Leger is such a student of music history he will know exactly what it means when I say the Big Time is just around the corner. For those unlike Jerry who don’t, it was a favourite saying of the late Ronnie Hawkins when chatting with his Hawks, the gang of lads destined to be The Band among them.

Jerry Leger also knows the big time is around the corner, he has been championed by the great Ron Sexsmith, who called him one of his favourite songwriters, but while Jerry is waiting to turn that corner, he will continue to write and sing and release records, winning fans one show, one song at a time. He has, if you include his band projects, 16 albums so far. Thats a long corner.

His latest album is Nothing Pressing, witty title given the state of the record industry during the pandemic. He has just issued too, two Christmas songs; his own composition, Christmas Without You, and a cover of the Kinks ‘Father Christmas’

Jerry will be performing these along with others from his catalogue when he performs at Kops Records in Oshawa Saturday Dec 17, kicking off the store’s Jolly Shwally Holidays.

Christmas brings back joyful memories he says, but some bittersweet.

“Fondest memories, Christmas mornings with my older brothers and parents, then we'd go to my Grandparents, and that would be a packed house of a lot of my Mom's family. Another fond memory is waking up before my brothers and having a hot chocolate with my Dad. He would let me open one present while we waited for the others. 

Also, when I was 11 or 12, I got all The Beatles albums on CD in that breadbox-style set. That was pretty exciting! I had all the vinyl but they were the Canadian versions and the CDs were my introduction to the UK albums, the way The Beatles intended them. At the time it was the happiest day of my life!”

Jerry has been happy too to get back on the road after the pandemic restrictions. He toured Germany, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, England, Scotland and Spain, and has been gearing up for more Canadian dates but like many artists the cost of touring adds up.

“We had a great and successful 5-week Spring tour overseas, while taking precautions. Maybe we got lucky, I'm sure there was some luck involved. Back here in Canada, it's been hard to get out on the road again, mainly due to touring costs like vehicle rentals and hotels being so inflated. I'm hoping that'll change for all of us, especially those that don't have a lot of money.,” he says.

The Kops Records show starts at 5:30 pm. It is open to the public, PWYC with a suggested donation of $20.

Chastity with Badflower, Born Ruffians, Ellevator, plus more announced for Stage 44

By Will McGuirk

Stage 44 has begun announcing shows for the coming months which is all great news as there have been construction delays as well as the fallout of Covid-19 guidelines. The building, located at 44 Bond Street in Oshawa, was once home to the infamous Dungeon but has been converted in the past year or so into two venues; one on the main floor and one back in the basement.

 Indie rockers Born Ruffians are booked for March 24, 2022 and indie folksters The Franklin Electric are coming in April 22. Hamilton trio Ellevator are scheduled in for May 20. In between on May 7 Los Angelenos Badflower with opener, local lad Chastity, who spent some formative years in that building down in the Dungeon.

Get Tickets here ->

Hunter Sheridan plays the Biltmore Theatre in Oshawa, Friday Oct. 22 2021

By Will McGuirk

Well if you want to see the next gen of musicians making things happen then check out this very fine line-up at the Biltmore Oct 22 2021. Hunter Sheridan, Hollowsage and the Three Mile Islanders, and Wooly are all scheduled to perform

Hunter Sheridan has been plugging away all over the D-Rock (he is currently based in Guelph) and its been a treat to see him emerge over the past years. This is his party and well deserved it is indeed.

I’m new to Hollowsage (Sagen Pearse of Uxbridge) but I did get to meet him at the OMA awards where he won a couple, and I am looking forward to more shows by this kat and his band.

Wooly have been a fave of mine since the outset, I have worked with them twice; once on the Bell Fibe TV show ‘Live at the Upstairs Basement’, and on a video shoot session previously at Blue Heron Books. Great folks, doing some inneresting things.

This is the one folks. These musicians have been making it all during lockdown, amid all the zoom and gloom, now they get to be back out, live and in-person, to perform whats been in their heads and bedrooms for almost two years.

Buy those tickets here ->

Amy Helm shall light up Oshawa Regent Theatre, tours with Matt Anderson

By Will McGuirk

Being a mom has influenced Amy Helm’s music career just as much, if not more than, being the daughter of The Band’s Levon Helm and singer Libby Titus.

Helm is on tour with Matt Anderson, making a stop at the Regent Theatre in Oshawa on Friday, May 3, 2019. There are also dates May 10 and 11 at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto on the tour which takes in Ontario and Eastern USA. The two singers met via producer Colin Linden when Helm was asked to contribute harmonies to Anderson’s albums. Helm describes Anderson’s voice as one which “opens time and space, opens the skies.”

Her own career opened with ‘Didn’t It Rain’ released in 2015. Her sophomore album ’This Too Shall Light’ arrived in 2018 on Yep Roc. The gap between the albums is explained by her choice to focus on her two children, on family rather than fame, she says in a phone interview from the road on the way to her infamous home in Woodstock, NY.

Growing up in such a famous musical family gave her first hand experience of the effects touring and recording schedules have on musicians. Alcoholism and addiction were a constant, absenteeism too. It was not a functional space to grow up in. In response she has strived to be better at balancing parenting with performing, to be as good a mom as she could be she says, thus the time between her albums.

Levon Helm passed away in 2012. Amy had reconciled with her father, nursing him in his decline, healing their relationship. They had grown closer over music, Amy played in his Midnight Ramble band, co-produced his Grammy winning album, ‘Dirt Farmer’ and recorded his album ‘Electric Dirt’ and ‘Ramble at the Ryman’, both of which won Grammys in the new category, Americana. It’s a name, Helm says, no musician, who falls under the genre, really likes.

It is a style which is said to begin with the influential rootsy rock ‘n roll of The Band. Regardless of the name of the genre, the work of Levon Helm and the other members of a group which bridged the musical heritage of Canada and the USA, is inside the songs of Amy Helm. And certainly being the daughter of Levon, and being the child of a drummer resonates deeply in her work.

On ‘This Too Shall Light’ there is a pronounced rhythm in all of the songs, a bounce, even in the slower numbers. Helm says the first thing she ever lays down when she sings, is the drums.

Producer Joe Henry wanted a spontaneity to the recording session so he had asked her not to rehearse or play around with the tracks ahead of schedule which took place over four days in Los Angeles. Helm says in reply the only thing she did do was sing along to a drum track.

Levon’s presence is felt on the album; “The Stones I Throw,” is a song he had originally released as Levon and the Hawks in 1965, and “Gloryland” is an a cappella hymnal which too was passed from the father to his daughter.

Besides covering her father’s work Helm also covers Rod Stewart’s “Mandolin Wind”, Allen Toussaint’s “Freedom for the Stallion” and the Milk Carton Kids’ “Michigan.”

The title track was written by Mick Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger. It is a play on the phrase “This Too Shall Pass,” and could be interpreted as the songs on the album are beacons which light up a life.

Most certainly with its mix of percussively driven folk spirituals and country blues it is an album which lights up with hope and optimism, the same light perhaps as a mother may see in the faces of her own children or of a father who meant the whole world to her.

Hey Oshawa scensters, Saturday's choices include Greenbank, Garnet or Horseshoe

By Will McGuirk

All or nothing to reference a brewery, feast or famine etc; Oshawa scenesters have a choice to make on Saturday Mar 23. So much goodness, so much high rock-ness but one can only choose one folks, (possibly two). Demographics may determine what show y’all end up at.

U.I.C is at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern: Those of a certain Star Club vintage will be on board for the OG garage punkers. The kats played the Star Club Memorial for Mike Star and they were just as fierce in 2016 as they were in 1986. They are playing with The Surfrajettes and Teenage X.

Billard Blossom at the Garnet in Peterborough: This supergroup from Velvet Elvis era Oshawa kats have a new album, “Change Your Grip” and they are out and about doing gigs, that is when they are not out and about doing other things including gigs. Some bands these kats have played in include Bradley Boy, Anagram, Tijuana Jesus and well Oliver Ward has too many to just pick one.

Rory Taillon, Stephen Fearing at the Greenbank Folk Club: Dang, this is a gig and a half!! Oshawa kats from the Wasted Space/Moustache Club times will be digging this pretty rad show for Rory Taillon. Now based in Ottawa Taillon is in many ways on a line with Tom Wilson of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings which features Colin Linden Stephen Fearing who is the headliner here. The Greenbank FC is a gem, always a great night, always an attentive audience, and one should go if only to see Fearing’s reaction when he hears the Taillon no mic required voice.

Moving on up, The Standstills set to release 'Badlands' and tour with Monster Truck, Nickelback

By Will McGuirk

Our lovely pals, The Standstills, are making a hometown stop at The Oshawa Music Hall April 5 2019. The gig is part of a Spring tour with Monster Truck and the duo will be supporting their new album, “Badlands” which releases Mar 22 via eOne Music. This is all good news for the band and as they have been so good to slowcity.ca, we wish Jonny Fox and Renee Couture well.

The ‘Badlands’ follows on from their 2015 EP, ‘From the Devil’s Porch’ and the single “Orleans” which charted at #4 on Active Rock radio. The Standstills were awarded Best New Rock Group at the Canadian Radio Music Awards and iTunes named it one of the best rock albums of the year. Yay Standstills!! They also just played a sold out show at the Reeperbahn Festival held in Hamburg, Germany. They are touring with Monster Truck and then have a couple of dates after, one with Nickelback.

TOUR DATES:

March 26 - The Brass Monkey - Ottawa, ON*
March 28 - The Marquee Ballroom - Halifax, NS*
March 29 - Tide & Boar - Moncton, NB*
March 30 - Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market - Fredericton, NB*
April 5 - The Music Hall Concert Theatre - Oshawa, ON*
April 6 - The Moose & Goose - Thorold, ON*
June 30 - Tail Creek Mud & Music Festival - Nevis, AB+
July 20 - Les Grandes Fetes Telus - Rimouski, QC^
* w/Monster Truck
+ w/ Pop Evil & Grandson
^ w/Nickelback

Band friends The Strumbellas and Dizzy get themselves back to the Garden

By Will McGuirk

Oshawa’s loss is Hamilton’s gain - could apply to so much across all sectors but in this case its the Hammer which gets The Strumbellas’ fab-fancy folk picnic with Dizzy Saturday, July 6 2019. The big show takes place at The Arboretum at Royal Botanical Gardens., in HAMILTON! The Strumbellas are of course our Oshawa pal David Ritter (keys), and Simon Ward (vocals, acoustic guitar), Jeremy Drury (percussion), Isabel Ritchie (strings), Jon Hembrey (guitar) and Darryl James (bass). They have been building audiences and awards pretty much from the get go and will keep building when their new album, “Rattlesnake”, drops March 29. The strum-fest also features Dan Mangan and Donovan Woods and of course Juno nominees from Oshawa Dizzy and it is all presented by MRG (and I do believe there are a couple of few Shwakats in there too). Gates open at 3:00 p.m. All ages / 19+ areas / Free admission for children under 10 accompanied by an adult

Tickets available Friday March 1 ->

Be sure to 'Catch Up and Slow Down' with Poor Nameless Boy

What a good day today was - catching up with someone I haven’t seen in a decade and discussing projects and politics, hanging with my crew -a zine publisher, musicians, a DJ and filmmakers over cold local craft beer and buying art and catching up with artists and pals and family and young singers and yes in this February dreary town all of this - a pal from this town who works in PR sent me this today and it is perfect for all of us slow-citizens building piece by piece a new future.

HustleMe - the rap battle of entrepreneurship at Moustache Club Jan 20

HustleMe - think millennials meet Dragon's Den or just think win dollars for your start-up.

HustleMe will take over the Moustache Club at 7 p.m. on Jan 20 108. Eight start-up entrepreneurs rap off with one winner scoring $1000 for their business idea. The judges listen to all pitches and move a certain number forward through each round until one emerges. Winner gets a sweet grand. Nice prize, I was going to enter, but instead I said yes when asked to be a judge.

We talk about creativity here at SlowCity.ca and its mostly art and music, theatre, photography, the ARTS as they say but being an entrepreneur is also being creative. We are seeing more and more young people looking to themselves to build a future, looking at themselves as a resource, knowing the factory is over, knowing they are going to have to hustle to build their future. HustleMe also hustles. They are building their future and they are building ours. I like HustleMe, it is a pretty rad platform. 

I contacted the previous winner, Samantha Stahkle of Ominous Games ( a winner if ever there was one) and asked her about her experience with the HustleMe event.

How has winning HustleMe helped you?

"HustleMe opened up a lot of opportunities for our team. Apart from helping fund our company's trip to the MIGS conference, HustleMe was our first real pitching competition, providing a lot of valuable experience and giving us the skills and confidence we needed to help take our business to the next level. Since HustleMe, we've gone on to pitch our business at Ignite Durham, where we won first place in the student category, and for UOIT's academic incubator start-up competition, helping us to secure more funding for our business. We also made a lot of valuable connections at the event, meeting people that have helped us to better understand aspects of our business such as merchandising and marketing."

Why did you first enter HustleMe and how did you hear about it, get involved?

"The decision to enter HustleMe was one made by our whole team - as a young, mostly-bootstrapped startup, it was an opportunity too great to pass up. Personally, I've always loved public speaking, so the experience also sounded like a ton of fun, which it was. I heard about the event through a friend from UOIT, Andrew Aultman, who is also pitching at the next event, I believe. So we owe him one for that!"

Where does your entrepreneurial spirit come from?

"That's a really complicated question, something which formed the focus of my first-round pitch, actually. I think it's a combination of just being passionate about your craft, and having the right people to guide you along the way. Over the past few years in school, my interest in game development naturally evolved into a desire to self-start, and thanks to our mentors at UOIT, our team had the resources and knowledge we needed to actually become entrepreneurs. For me, I think a big part of it is family, as well - my mom has always encouraged me to carve out my own path, and go for my dreams - what better way to do that than starting out on your own?"

What entrepreneurs do you admire?

"I could list off any number of Silicon Valley visionaries here, but the people I really admire most are the ones I've seen pursuing entrepreneurship firsthand. Several of my fellow students at UOIT have their own ventures, and knowing the commitment it takes to run a start-up, I have the utmost respect for them. All the great people I've met locally through organizations like Spark Centre and Start-Up Durham are so impressive - it's amazing what just one person can accomplish with a lot of effort and a lot of heart. But the entrepreneurs I've always admired the most are my mom and dad, Lana and David, who started a business together a few years before I was born. Growing up, I had the unique privilege of watching their business grow, as my mom sat with me on long nights poring over ledgers and explaining the basics of business to her curious little kid. I never really had to look outside my home for role models, and I'm incredibly grateful for that."