Crash Karma @ The Paragon Theatre, August 25th/10

When my coworker told me about Crash Karma playing at the Paragon, I was pretty curious to hear how a combination of I Mother Earth's former lead singer, Our Lady Peace's former guitarist, and The Tea Party's former drummer was going to sound.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the result of these Canadian rock legends coming together along with Amir from Zygote.

The show started off with a good sized audience, some fans of the old music, some of the new, all super anxious to see and hear these guys play.  The first track Crash Karma played reminded me a lot of something Queens of the Stoneage would play.  It was completely edgy and energetic and I had a blast listening to it!  They proceeded to play a couple more of their new songs, which all had a unique characteristic to them in comparison to the one previous.  It was heavier music than I had expected but I was definitely not disappointed in that.  It was a breath of fresh air to hear songs that weren't essentially the same song with a different tempo or different lyrics; I was very impressed.  Throughout their set they also managed to crank out some of their old songs including "Clumsy" (OLP), "Turpentine" (IME), and "Alive" (Edwin); that song by the way brought back the junior high nostalgia.  Oddly enough, "Alive" has still found a way into my heart 10 years later and it still resides on my iPod.

During the whole show, the band was so interactive with the audience, clapping their hands and jumping around.  At one point Edwin screams "CANADA PRIDE!!" which got everyone going.  It was really awesome!

Post-show I actually had a chance to talk to Edwin (lead vocals) and Mike (guitar).  They were really down to earth guys, you wouldn't know that they had played huge stadiums in previous years in front of thousands of fans.  We had a great chat, I got to ask them a few questions, and we parted ways (but not before signing my arm with a Sharpie, haha!).  I was suprised to hear from them that they actually both enjoy playing the smaller bar crowds as much as packed stadiums.  "I like playing both (venues); they're great experiences.  It's hard to get eye contact in arenas since we're 35 feet away.  Having that (eye contact) reflects on a personal level," says Mike.  In response to the same question Edwin says, "Both are great, because we have a crowd that wants to hear us play.  It's still a thrill!".  They also credit their fans for helping them get to the top; "Canada has great fans!" says Edwin.  Hearing them talk about their past and current careers just made me realize how much they're passionate about creating music and how much they love their fan base!

A truly wonderful evening put on by these guys!  If you happen to see Crash Karma putting on a show in your area, be sure to check them out.  The energy coming off of these guys will definitely give you great vibes and make you rock out to the music!  For more info on the band, check out http://www.crashkarma.com/!

Want to be reviewed/interviewed?

First of all, thanks to those of you who have been paying attention to this site, though it is still very new.  I've been having a lot of fun figuring out what to write about, and though I have some thoughts in mind, I'm more than willing to receive any input or requests!  If you're a musician, music industry professional, promoter, or the like, and would like to be interviewed on an upcoming album/project/single/etc. or would just like your current album/single/show written on, please feel free to send me an email at amandah.turner@gmail.com and we'll get some details on the subject!

In other news, keep checking in as I have a book review as well as a few interviews that will be published in the next few weeks.  Cheers!

Amandah

Tim Chaisson & Morning Fold to Play Deep Roots Concert

Prince Edward Island's Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold will be headlining Deep Roots' Emerging Artists: 'UNEARTHED' show next Saturday, August 28th in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.  The artists chosen by the judges to play at the Al Whittle theatre with Chaisson are Julie Aube (Dieppe, NB), Jessie Potter (Canning, NS), The Trips (Mahone Bay, NS), and Elizabeth Furniss (Berwick, NS).

Twenty-three year old singer/songwriter Chaisson and his band, Morning Fold have been very successful over the past few years with their album 'Broken Hearted Beat' that was released in September 2009.  The album earned them a Pop Recording of the Year nomination at the East Coast Music Awards and won them two PEI Music Awards for Best Pop Recording of the Year and Group of the Year among their many nominations.  They have also played such memorable shows as the Atlantic House at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, JunoFest, the ECMA After Party (as well as several showcases), Canadian Music Week, Cavendish Beach Music Festival, and Evolve Festival.

As for Deep Roots, this community-based organization fosters the musical roots of the area by sharing music through many concerts and showcases as well as its largest one, the Deep Roots Music Festival, which takes place in September.  This festival features local talent from the Annapolis Valley area as well as other performers from the national and international stages.

The show on August 28th will be starting at 7:30pm, doors open at 6:30pm, and admission is by free will donation in support of Deep Roots' Emerging Artists program.

For more information on the show, call Debbie at 1-902-542-7668 or visit their website at http://www.deeproots.ca/.  Information on Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold can be found at http://www.timchaisson.com/ or by emailing info@timchaisson.com.

Brand New Site! Stay Tuned...

This will be up and running very soon!  Stay tuned for reviews, articles, and updates on just about anything or anyone music related.  Cheers, Amandah.