Like a real-life character out of Bruce McDonald’s classic film Hard Core Logo, Scott Earl Hardy has played the same dives across Canada more times than he’d care to mention, been on the wrong end of too many bad deals, and survived his share of near-death experiences. Yet, through it all, he never lost his passion for writing and performing rock and roll in its most dangerous form.

Hearing Hardy’s new album, Love Kills Slow, without knowing any of this, one could easily assume that its go-for-broke arrangements and no-holds-barred lyrics were the work of an artist at least half Hardy’s age. But deep within these grooves lies punk rock’s original promise, fulfilled by music only someone with Hardy’s credentials could create.

Love Kills Slow is a collection of the best tracks Hardy has recorded over the past few years at producer John Dinsmore’s Toronto studio, Lincoln County Social Club. Dinsmore also contributed scorching lead guitar, after laying the foundation on bass with his NQ Arbuckle rhythm section mate Mark Kesper on drums.

Cashbox Magazine Canada is proud to announce the lastest recipient of its legacy award. The honour is awarded to a Canadian music personality who has paved roads and through dedication and hard work earned a spot in Canadian music history. Previous honourees have been entertainers Teen Idol Bobby Curtola, Legendary Singer/Radio Personality Robbie Lane, Record Store owner pioneer Fred Ramsperger (International Music-Montreal) and the well-loved blues performer/radio/TV personality Danny Marks.

The decision of choosing the person is done carefully by committee with contributions weighed and then voted upon. Not surprisingly Lori Yates was a unanimous choice.

Jam meisters Phish is dropping new studio album, Big Boat  Friday, October 7th and everywhere bongs are being loaded to the hilt. Big Boat was announced last week with an exclusive album trailer, viewable now at phish.com. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, KISS), his second collaboration with Phish following 2014's Fuego.

Fall is here and the time is right for finding new music strewn like acorns in the street. Ottawans The Peptides is a nine-member band with a larger-than-life pop sound. Five vocalists and four instrumentalists draw on funk, electronic and disco influences. Described by the Ottawa Citizen as “the B52’s crossed with The Manhattan Transfer backed by Arcade Fire.” They claim to be a  snapshot of Canadian diversity, The PepTides is made up of  English, French, Ukrainian, Mexican,Guyanese, Cree, Acadian, Armenian, Scottish and LGBTQ players. The group is noted for its extravagant live performances featuring thick vocal harmonies, theatrical choreography and colourful visuals. The PepTides’ songs juxtapose upbeat music with lyrics commenting on deep themes like love, hate, revenge, sex, religion, war and getting ready for dates.

In 2013, The PepTides garnered national attention by producing a full-length album in collaboration with Stuart McLean of CBC Radio’s Vinyl Cafe. A 2014 release Love Question Mark was lauded by Exclaim! as “an ambitious collection of fun, daring, unadulterated, true blue art.” 

To know more about who Ron Chapman is and what he’s currently up to – here’s is a bit of bio about the producer/director, musician. Chapman recently appeared as a guest on my CIUT 89.5 interview show, The Bill King Show and we dug back into his history and talked about his passion for film making and affection for Cuba.

Ron Chapman is a lifelong musician, producer, director and entrepreneur. Early in his career he was a musician, managed musical artists, produced albums, and produced and directed rock videos. He owned and operated the legendary, ground-breaking Toronto music club “The Edge”, bringing an eclectic mix of some of the day’s most exciting international acts and artists to the scene. For decades, he has been producing and directing television commercials, working with some of the world’s leading brands.

As a filmmaker, Chapman’s first documentary, “Who the F**K is Arthur Fogel” - CEO of the Global Touring division of Live Nation Entertainment and long time Canadian music promoter – Arthur Fogel – Chapman follows the impresario behind the scenes.

Weather's warming so all kinds of bands are hitting the road. Fans of Canadiana will be happy to know that one of the genre's paramount practitioners will be touring the land starting Mar.31.

Photo Credits: Pat Blythe, A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker"
Photo at right: Tim Tamashiro, Reg Schwager, Don Thompson, Ben Heppner

It's been a rather exceptional week for music....jazz, folk, blues, touch of rock....an absolutely stellar week and it puts me right over the top. To say I'm delighted is a gross understatement. So let's begin....

Saturday night found me at the Glenn Gould Studio as the guest of Jane Harbury. The show....well, it was not what I expected.....at all. What a wonderfully entertaining evening. Full of music, stories and laughter, host Tim Tamashiro and tenor Ben Heppner kept us all in stitches and our ears full of beautiful, toe tapping, finger  snapping music. Sam Taylor, you would have been right at home!

You hear a lot of loose talk about stepping away from success and getting back to the roots of it all. Of the few who actually walk that walk, put T.Dot's enduringly hot folk eminence Jane Siberry at the top of the list. Early in 2006, Siberry closed her music label and sold or gave away nearly all of her possessions, including her Toronto home and her musical instruments. She changed her name to “Issa” and retained one traveling guitar. “I felt I had to change or die.”Three years of spartan living later, she began using the name “Jane Siberry” again and resumed international touring and recording in 2009.

A disinclination to follow fads, trends and fashions has been Siberry’s signature from the earliest days of her musical career. An unending desire to find and describe the essence of human experience has led her through numerous musical inventions in a multitude of forms, earning her the passionate loyalty of music-lovers world-wide. Siberry is known for her original, adventurous musical vision and her independent journey has contributed to new models for operating as a musician.

Fall is prime time for sweater-folk music and the perfect time to release the mucho anticipated debut album 'Songs In The Dark' from The Wainwright Sisters, out Nov. 13, 2015.

Although they're sisters, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche didn't grow up together.

Aside from genetics, their true bond was a musical one, both growing up in families steeped in songwriting. Both their mothers would sing them lullabies (Kate McGarrigle to Martha and Suzzy Roche to Lucy). Now to honour that, 30 years later, Martha and Lucy are singing many of these same songs, some penned by their mothers and father (Loudon Wainwright III) on 'Songs In The Dark.'

The record also includes songs that shaped their childhoods, made famous by the likes of Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rogers. When Martha and Lucy grew up and become songwriters of their own, they discovered their physical separation was trumped by their shared musical DNA. On 'Songs In The Dark,' this is captured in its elemental essence: dark, mysterious, and beautiful.

Copperpenny was a Canadian rock band from Kitchener, Ontario. They were formed in 1965 by Kenny Hollis and Rich Wamil, and were originally known as the Penny Farthings to reflect the British Invasion. Not long after their formation they adopted Copperpenny as their moniker, after a B-side by Toronto band, The Paupers.

In 1968, the release of "Nice Girl" on Columbia Records garnered moderate success. They soon switched to RCA and enjoyed a minor hit with "Stop (Wait A Minute)". However, it was not until their move to Sweet Plum Records, a division of London Records, where they would enjoy their first major success. 

"You're Still The One" was the band's first mainstream hit and follow-up. 1973's "Sitting On a Poor Man's Throne" was recorded in Dearborn, Michigan with Richard Becker. Copperpenny continued to record as they toured throughout the United States with headlining acts such as Led Zepplin, Bob Seger, The Guess Who and Uriah Heep.

It’s pretty obvious Justin Trudeau mined for young votes an untapped source and got ahead of his feeble opponents who by all counts knew the plant was drying in the dorm stalls of their youth.
It truly is about time we legalize and savor the profits from the forbidden plant. Sucking families dry through gambling to me seems downright evil yet governments rely heavily on the faith of the weak, downfallen and underpaid to fill the coffers.

People smoke everywhere – who hasn’t. Hardly a day passes when I don’t recognize the sweet pungent smell of herb – it’s in and around. In fact, I see more people smoking freely on Main Street than at festivals.

It’s been decades since I last inhaled but I must admit I miss lighting up in cinemas and near the bandstand. Oh, the follies of youth!

Canadian Music Week is pleased to announce Andy Kim as the 2016 inductee to the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame. Andy will be honoured for his achievements and longstanding career in the music industry at the annual Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards Gala Dinner in the Grand Ballroom at the Sheraton Centre on Thursday May 5, 2016.

"Andy Kim's contributions to the Canadian and international music community are truly remarkable in his 50+ year career. As a former recipient of the Indie Award for Favorite Solo Artist during Canadian Music Week, we are so proud to have him as part of the CMW alumni and are thrilled at his induction into the Hall of Fame", says CMW President Neill Dixon.

Continuing on a string of fall tour dates that took him through the US and out to Canada’s west coast, Kalle Mattson has added more stops, including Toronto, Ottawa, Guelph, Kingston, and Peterborough, before heading overseas. It's all in support of Mattson’s latest mini-album, Avalanche, out now via HOME Music Co. Written over the course of March 2015 it picks up where the previous full length left off. Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold was released in 2014 to widespread critical acclaim, listed for the Polaris Music Prize and led to Mattson playing more than 160 shows across nine countries, including dates with Hozier. As a sneak peek at what Kalle Mattson and his band sound like live you can watch them perform “A Long Time Ago” live at Cherry Beach Studios, a song which Stereogum rates as “fearless in vulnerability.” Mattson 's shared a new video for the title track, “Avalanche”, via NPR’s First Watch.

Robbie Lane, Canadian music pioneer, was honoured at his place a work, on stage, where he has spent the majority of his adult life. Rarely will you see an entertainer more at home, under the lights and performing for the crowd than Robbie Lane.

Robbie received the Cashbox Canada Legacy Award of Merit on Sunday October 18, 2015 from none other than Canadian legend and old friend Bobby Curtola. “What an honour it was for me to be the one to give this award to my old friend Robbie Lane,” said Curtola after the event. “He truly is a pioneer and the Canadian music industry owes a lot to guys like Robbie. And he’s still doing it!”

Robbie Lane’s career spans six decades, 1960’s through to 2015 and a brief history of how he got here is awe inspiring.

Here's an overnight success that's only taken a decade. That's how long female-fronted hard rockers Diemonds have been bashing it out, playing every venue they could plug into across Canada and the US. The quintet, fronted by the commanding presence of Priya Panda is having a helluva 2015. The hard-working posse have played such notable festivals as Heavy MTL, SXSW, NXNE, Vans Warped Tour, Seattle Hempfest and most recently The KISS Kruise with KISS and Cheap Trick. Just out is third and most heavy hitting album so far, Never Wanna Die, which gets release in the U.S. on prestigious Napalm Records. A personal highlight for Pryia was opening for hard rock heroine Lita Ford in Toronto, which was followed by their Infest The West last August.