Hey Ocean! @ Hunter's - Live Review - Mar 22/12

I showed up to Hunter’s Ale House around 10:30pm to make sure that I was there before the crowd came.  Upon entry, the bar was already pretty full, which came as a surprise as I usually expect most to show up around the 11:30 or midnight mark.  I sat down at a table and waited patiently for Aidan Knight to start his opening set.  Honestly, I had no idea who Aidan Knight was; in fact, I was assuming that he was a one-man show.  I was sorely mistaken!  Aidan Knight had a full band with him, all of which were multi-instrumentalists.  One song I’d see a fiddle, two trumpets, and some percussion while the next song would have a tambourine, two people on drums, and some guitar.  Needless to say, within about 30 seconds of starting the show, I was in love with this Victoria, BC band!

Then, of course, it was time for Hey Ocean!  I had seen them once before at the Canada Day celebrations at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth, NS, and I was so amazed at how well they worked together and how beautiful and unique they sounded that I knew I had to see them in Charlottetown.  Seeing them so up close and intimately in comparison to the large venue at Alderney was a serious treat.  They began their set with the first track off of their album Is (set to officially release on May 15th) “If I Were A Ship”, which I believe was the perfect introduction to their amazing talents.  From the beginning line shouting “HEY OCEAN!” to the sound of Ashleigh’s beautiful vocals along with her flute and calymba playing and of course the completely obvious chemistry the band has together made for one fantastic experience.  The crowd was definitely on their feet dancing, completely feeling the groove Hey Ocean! was bringing to the table.  All of their songs that they played, including “Jolene”, “Islands”, and “Big Blue Wave” brought the same feel-good energy as the one before.

I had a chance to sit down with Ashleigh Ball (vocals/flute) and Dave Beckingham (vocals/guitar) to ask them about how they enjoyed playing PEI and what’s in store for the future.  “We’ve never been to [Hunter’s] before.  We played The Wave twice, once with a band called Slowcoaster quite a few years ago and this is our third time [on the island].  We want to come more often for sure, it’s a great place with great people,” says Dave.  When it comes to their new album releasing officially, Ashleigh was very happy with the finished product: “We’re really excited about it, we haven’t put out an album in over 3 years.  It was definitely a very interesting and crazy process for sure; it actually took us over a year to record.  A lot of love and blood and sweat and tears went into the album.  It’s very different but it’s also really us, so we’re happy to be touring with it!”

I agree, the album has a very unique but amazing sound, and so far I have heard nothing but positive reactions to the music.  I wish Hey Ocean! the best of luck on their tour, and if you didn’t catch them at Hunter’s, you can always take a roadtrip out to Montreal in August to see them at Osheaga Music Festival alongside a ton of other extremely talented artists!

English Words w/ Two Hours Traffic @ Baba's - Live Review - Mar 17/12

It was shortly after the show began that I made it to Baba’s Lounge, and there was already a sea of green pouring out of the front entrance to catch the English Words St. Patrick’s Day performance.  We had all heard tell that there would be a very special guest joining English Words tonight, and you could tell that everyone was anxious to see who it was.  I finally made it into the bar and to my complete surprise and certainly to my excitement, the special guests were none other than PEI band Two Hours Traffic!

The crowd was huge and the dance floor was packed full of dancing patrons.  As usual, Two Hours Traffic brought an incredibly energetic and fun show to the table, and I was very happy to have been able to catch it!

Next up was Charlottetown band English Words, the headliners of the evening.  The crowd jammed into the front of the bar and were waiting anxiously to start dancing and jumping around.  The set began without a hitch, the energy was intense and the band certainly got the patrons rocking out to their electronic and new wave sound.

The addition of Charlottetown native Thayne Campbell on the bass was a really nice touch, and he played as if he was a member for years.  I had seen Thayne perform several times both solo and with other bands like Beverly and Sister Jack, so I knew he had a great sound and was definitely not disappointed when I heard him with English Words.  The positive vibe and the music continued right until closing time, with the dance floor completely packed right up until the end.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I’d say the rest of the crowd did as well.

It was my first St. Patrick’s Day in Charlottetown, and it most certainly was the best one I’ve had yet thanks to Two Hours Traffic and English Words!

For more information on English Words, please visit their website at www.englishwordsband.com or follow them on Facebook or Twitter!  If you missed the chance to catch them at Baba’s or you just need more English Words in your life, make sure to head to Hunter’s Ale House on May 4th for another great performance.

Tim Chaisson and Ian Sherwood @ Marc's Studio - Double Interview - Mar 16/12

Tim Chaisson

1. How to you find Marc’s Studio in comparison to other venues on the island?

- Well I find Marc’s Studio is new and fresh and I think it’s a beautiful room, as anyone who has been here would know.  I found from tonight that everybody listening is huge and it’s got a really laid back atmosphere.  I think for a fella that’s going to sing a couple of songs, it’s the place to go.

2. How will the new album compare to Broken Hearted Beat?

- Well I think the new album is going to be a little bit less rock-oriented compared to the last one.  This is going to be more like a Tim Chaisson album so it’s going to be more acoustic-based with drums, bass, and guitar.  The songs are more from me as well.  They’re songs I’ve written over the past couple of years, so they’re a little more personal.

3. Do you have any big things planned for the near future?

- The biggest thing is just getting the record out and touring.  As for playing shows on the Island, it’s going to be a while, but I’m doing a house concert in April and I’m going back to Australia for the month of May.


Ian Sherwood

 1. Do you play in PEI often?

- I played PEI a couple of times a year.  Over the last couple years, there’s a house concert in Donaldson that hires me every summer which is great.  It’s a really nice family that gets me out there to do a show in the summertime and I find myself over usually one time during the fall or winter to do a show somewhere involved with something.  As much as I can come back I’ll try to come back.

2. How long have you been using the loop pedal?

- I started using it probably about five years ago. I bought it because I wanted to start getting the saxophone in the show and it was a hard thing to do.  It was especially with the solo shows when I wasn’t able to hire another musician but I wanted to still be able to play the saxophone. I had heard of the loop [pedal] and I had seen some people using it, so I bought it and just started figuring things out.  The show sort of evolved from there because people liked the stuff that I was doing, like bringing the horn into the show.  I just sort of developed that and worked on it until [the loop pedal] became a very important part of the show.

3. How did you find Marc’s Studio?

- I loved it, this room is amazing!  It’s got the intimacy of a house concert which is my favourite kind of show to do, so this far exceeded my expectations.  It’s a great sounding room.


4. Do you have any upcoming events or projects?

- I may possibly have some shows in PEI; they’re still sort of in the works, but maybe something in June.  I’m going to hopefully be in the studio this time next year as well.

Tim Chaisson and Ian Sherwood @ Marc's Studio - Live Review - Mar 16/12

I came into Marc’s Studio right before the show was supposed to start and the room was already full of people waiting to hear the musical stylings of Tim Chaisson and of Ian Sherwood.

Tim started out the show with his song “Would You Go So Far” from the Broken Hearted Beat album, followed by my favourite new song “Blast Your Way Out” and a combination of songs from his current album, songs that will be on his new album, and traditional Celtic songs that he played on the fiddle and on the mandolin.  The sound in the venue was phenomenal, and with the accompaniment of Koady Chaisson on guitar and Ian Sherwood on sax for a couple of songs, it really made for a fantastic first set!

When Ian Sherwood got up to play next, I knew it was going to be a quality show as I’ve heard performances from last year’s ECMA in Charlottetown.  He started the show out with the song “Jenny” that encompassed using his loop pedal to add vocals and other instruments.  Adding the complexity of the loops in combination with his infectious voice, it had the crowd excited to hear more!  He continued on with some more great songs including “What Am I Doing Here”, “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now”, and “Short End Of The Stick”.  Tim Chaisson was also there to accompany Ian on the fiddle for a couple of songs to really get the crowd dancing in their seats.

Overall with the “mouth jigging” from Tim and the scatting from Ian combined with witty banter, interesting stories, and quality music, this was certainly a show to remember!

Young At Heart Musical Theatre For Seniors Presents: Canada In Love @ The Guild - Interview - Mar 16/12

The Guild was filled up in anticipation for the performance of Canada In Love done by Young At Heart Musical Theatre For Seniors.  The show was a tribute to Canada’s love songs from all over the country.  It included traditional songs from the 1800s to songs by Gene MacLellan and The Rankins, to name a few.  Not only did the performance incorporate some amazing music, it also had a lot of humour attached to it, which was wonderful to be a part of!  This was their closing performance after five weeks of touring to various long term care facilities all over PEI, reaching over 1200 of the elderly in our communities.

After the show I was able to speak with the Artistic Director, Catherine O’Brien, about Young At Heart and her future plans for the organization.

1. Why did you get started with YAH?

- For one thing, I saw a need.    There’s the demographic on the island: there is an aging population and a lot of seniors living on the island independently with some assisted living or living in nursing homes, manors, and community care facilities.  A lot of them are out in remote areas and they don’t get a chance to get out and see theatre or any other cultural events.  Sometimes it’s just because of physical or financial constraints and I knew [Young At Heart] would be something of value that I wanted to bring here to PEI.  I knew it existed in Ontario and I worked with the company in Ontario as well.  I started YAH here with Hank Stinson; I can’t believe it’s been 7 years!

2. You had gone from 16 venues to 38 venues this year, how did that come to be?

-We started out calling around at first.  Once we started to tour and people started to get it and love the show, the word started to spread.  By the third year [organizations] were calling us and it started to build from there.  We’re still getting calls every year; I’d say we could be doing over 40 shows next time.



3. Are you planning on touring out of the province?

- We are, it’s certainly in the plans but right now it’s not in the budget so that’s the big thing.  It’s about finding funding and resources and finding the connections off-island.  I know [touring] would work beautifully and I don’t think there’s anything like this happening in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, so we’d love to do it.

4. What is your favourite production that you’ve done so far?

- Each new show is my favourite and I think that we certainly strive to bring the most professional quality shows that we can.  If we’re also improving and getting stronger at that then that’s great too.  I’m always looking for new and exciting shows to do, or write shows myself that I think would be attractive to the seniors.

5 .Do you have anything in the works for next year?

- Right now our biggest goal is fundraising.  We’re really in dire need of some money and core funding so I really have to start working on that because ideally I’d like to grow.  We can only do so many shows on the island but what I need to do now is to be able to provide more than one show a season.  That’s something they’ve been asking us for, that we can come at least twice a year.

6. If you could use three words to describe Young At Heart Musical Theatre for Seniors, what would they be?

- Quality.  Accessible.  Entertainment.

For more information, visit www.yahtheatre.com

The Stanfields @ Hunter's - Live Review - Mar 9 & 10/12

Walking into Hunter’s Ale House on Friday night, there was no doubt about it: it was going to be an amazing night!  Anticipation was high in the already busy bar at 11:00pm for Halifax band The Stanfields, and I was no exception;  I had seen this group play at Nova Scotia Music Week and I knew exactly what kind of show they were about to offer.   To begin the night, Cape Breton native Carleton Stone took the stage.  With this intense vocals and his backing band, Carleton was certainly a pleasure to watch.  His set brought several people up front to dance and his fun and witty banter made the vibe very laid back and fun-loving.

At around 1am, The Stanfields took the stage.  By this point, it was nearly impossible to move inside Hunter’s and everybody was pushing to the front, waiting for the first chord to play.  The boys did not disappoint with their Irish-style drinking music, making each and every person in that bar jump around and raise their glass.  They played a slew of unbelievable songs involving the crowd favourite “Dirtiest Drunk in the History of Liquor” and a bunch of new material off of their upcoming album.  Some of those songs included “Jack of All Trades”, “Run on the Banks”, “Invisible Hands”, and “Dunvegan’s Drums”.  To add to the entertainment, the band even passed around a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey to quench the thirst of the packed crowd!  The Stanfields certainly know how to create a party atmosphere and made the Hunter’s crowd’s night an incredibly memorable one (or lack thereof).

Friday night’s show was so fantastic that there was just as much of a crowd, and many returning patrons, the following day for part two of Carleton Stone and The Stanfields’ show.  The energy from both groups was just as high as the night previous, and the crowd was just as rowdy as well.  What a weekend!

Jon Landry, lead singer of The Stanfields, had this to say about their weekend in Charlottetown, PEI: “Hunter’s Ale House is like a home away from home for us. The audience and the staff are second to none. We always get pretty excited to see a date on our calendar over there and we cannot wait to get back to do it again and again!”

Come back soon, gentlemen, we’ll be happy to have you!

Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys - Interview - Mar 8/12

Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys are a four-piece roots/traditional band from PEI that consists of Gordie MacKeeman (fiddle), Peter Cann (vocals, lead guitar), Thomas Webb (vocals, bass, banjo), and Mark Geddes (vocals, drums, bass).  With plans for a new album and a showcase at the Roots Room during ECMA, the band has an exciting year ahead.  I was able to talk with Gordie and Mark about the band and their upcoming St. Patrick’s Day show at Hunter’s Ale House.

1. Will the band be recording an album in the near future?

G: Probably within the next year for sure.

M: We just want to wait and do it right, have the right amount of money and the right amount of songs.

G: Exactly, we don’t want to rush it, we want to come up with a good album and put a lot of work into it.  We’re looking towards the fall, but we’ll see how we are.

2. Are you playing a lot of live shows?

G: Not a whole lot this time of year, mainly just gearing up for the summer.

M: We have a New England tour in May with the New England Celtic Arts.  Phil MacIntyre brings a lot of Canadian artists down like Tim Chaisson, Cynthia MacLeod, Ward MacDonald, and Richard Wood.

G: Then we’re going to the UK in late July, early August and then playing lots of festivals.

3. When did you decide music was your career?

 M: A couple of weeks ago, haha.  Realistically 5 years ago I started taking it seriously and knew I wanted it to be a career.

G:  We both started in our band with Nudie from Nudie and the Turks.  We both started playing with him and it got us into it more.

4. Are you excited for St. Patrick’s Day at Hunter’s?

 G: Yes, we’re playing all day long from 2pm to 2am.  We’re getting lots of guests to help us out.  The Wynnes, Mike Dickson, and Peter Webb are going to play with us.

M: Probably a few surprises too.  There’s that odd person you see in the crowd you know knows a song, so we grab them to come play. Especially on a Saturday at Hunter’s, it’s going to be a time.  It’s a good place to play.

5. Any final thoughts?

M: See you on Saturday at Hunter’s!