Tonight’s local music radio show on 107.1FM in the Champlain Valley and broadcasting online on our Facebook Page WBKM, or at our website WBKM.ORG will go as follows:
From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. It’s been a great week in Burlington with temperatures finally in the 70’s and 80’s and it’s so easy to get out and to do whatever you want. It’s so great to feel that freedom. One symbol of freedom that many people use as an allusion is the ship. Going to sea and setting yourself in a dance with nature is classic symbol throughout literature. Let’s begin with a song about ships.
That’s a strong and gorgeous song from Francesca. Choosing to love is the ultimate Freedom. Thanks Peg Tassey MUSIC for explaining it so well. Great song from Anais. OK, let’s play the next song on Callisto.
Beautiful song from the Jericho band. Something in Orphans reminded me of Dreamtime so I had to play them back to back. Great new song from Elephants. The new album called Break by Slingshot is still rocking my world. That’s another of the wonderful songs on that album. Great new song from Alpenglow. Last Sunday I had the usual bunch of friends stop over to watch Game Of Thrones. I know, I should have skipped it and went to Radio Bean to see REDadmiral, but just because I missed them, that doesn’t mean that you have to.
8..) Stop – REDadmiral
9.) Look At The Lilacs – Binger
10.) Stick That In Your Juicebox and Sip It – Better Things
11.) All My Life – Wide Wail
Classic rocker from Burlington’s ’90’s. BT did a great job opening for Slingshot at The Monkey House a couple of weeks ago. They played a great version of Juicebox that night. The lilacs are blooming and smelling fantastic and I love that new Binger song. Cool rocker from Admiral. So, I heard the coolest news last week. I went to Radio Bean to see The Nancy Druids and since Sean is playing in the band with Ann Mindell, and Julia Austin was hanging out at the show, Sean said that in July that Matt Hutton would come to Vermont and they will play an Envy reunion show!!! I think they were my favorite band from the ’90’s and I’m so excited! Here are a few songs from their album Distorted Greetings.
12.) Bloodboy – Envy
13.) Still Life Scene – Envy
14.) Bomb – Envy
I can’t wait to see them again! Yea! OK, on a different note, I’m in a bit of a melancholy mood, since it’s almost Memorial Day and last year on that day my uncle passed away. Hearing the news on Wednesday that Gordon Downie from The Tragically Hip was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer was pretty devastating. They have played Burlington many many times and have filled Vermont with their music for many years. They have a new album coming out and will do one more tour, which just amazes me. Here is a set of their music.
15.) Music At Work – The Tragically Hip
16.) New Orleans Is Sinking (live) – The Tragically Hip
17.) Fully Completely – The Tragically Hip
It’s sad and beautiful to think that we will get one more chance to see the mighty Canadian band. OK, let’s switch to some good news. Vermont artist Anais Mitchell did an album about her take on the Orpheus and Eurydice saga a few years ago. She called it Hadestown and it’s being performed in New York City off Broadway at the New York Theater Workshop. Here are a few songs from the album.
18.) Lover’s Desire – Anais Mitchell
19.) His kiss, the Riot – Anais Mitchell
20.) Doubt Comes In – Anais Mitchell
21.) I Raise My Cup To Him – Anais Mitchell
That is the ending of the Hadestown album. Well, there’s only so much time, so let’s play one more song.
Swale at Light Club Lamp Shop May 20, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
I had a wonderful terrible time seeing music last night at Light Club Lamp Shop and Radio Bean. Swale were set to play 9-11 and the Nancy Druids were set to play from 10-11 so I knew I was doomed from the start. I love both bands so much. I knew a choice would have to be made. I knew I could not make a right choice and I knew I could not make a wrong choice. Oh, and there was lots of other music I’d love to have seen that night too. Sigh.
I got out of work at 7 and stopped home for dinner. I headed out around 8:30 and settled into Light Club Lamp Shop just before 9. I chatted with Lauren and Molly King about music for a bit then just before 9:30 SWALE hit the stage. The opened with a strong version of Soul Piggy Bank which filled my heart with joy. They took a moment to get settled then played the bouncy new song that I’ve been referring to as Loser. It has a delightful mix of sadness and cheeriness. They reached back to the beginning for a rocking version of Cancer then brought the full rock fury with Edible. They kept the intensity at full blast for Drug Laws, which is a new song that just keeps driving and driving. They kept the place rocking with Popular Crowd and rocked hard with Joyless. They eased up a bit with Beaten Down. The clock said 10pm but John Franklin, the bass player for the Druids chatted with me for a bit so I thought I could stay for a couple more and not miss the Druids. Swale kept things mellow for Old School, the brought the energy back up with a new song called Release Your Records. It’s a very cool song and features some excellent vocals from Eric Olsen. I was pushing the time limit so I headed out the door as the band launched into Jack Sharp. I’d love to have stayed, but will catch up with them again someday soon.
The Nancy Druids at Radio Bean May 20, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
I walked down two doors and entered Radio Bean. The Nancy Druids were on stage and ready to go. They launched into their set and filed my heart with their soaring melodies. John’s bass and Ann Mindell‘s pounding drums create a strong backbone as Sean Toohey lets the songs take beautiful twists and elegant turns. His vocals are cool and endearing and his guitar playing is over the moon. He puts a ton of effort into making his playing seem so effortless. All the songs have lovely melodies and when he launches into a solo he can electrify a room. Songs like Sky and Sign are really catchy and easy to sing. Ordinary Breakdown Day has a nice stomp to it. December is a beautiful fuzz pop indie rock song. Halo features some bombastic Mindell drumming. Space Between A Secret And A Lie works on an intellectual and emotional level. Falling is a great song that rocks hard. All of these song titles are approximate and all of the songs are really good and despite having to walk out on Swale (really, I actually did that?) I enjoyed every note from the Druids. They were going to wrap it up but the small yet excitable audience wanted more. They played the cover of I Am The Walrus and towards the end Sean grabbed a beer can to play some slide and ended the song by running the guitar over the mic stand in a perfectly controlled cacophonous ending. It was a stunning show, much like all of the Druids shows that I’ve seen.
The Nancy Druids at Radio Bean May 20, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis 2
I hung out and chatted for a bit after the show then took the short happy walk home. It was so hard to leave a band that I love but think I might possibly have made the right decision. Then again, with bands like Swale and the Nancy Druids, it’s impossible to go wrong.
I had a great time seeing music last week The Monkey House. I got out of work at 6, stopped home for a quick bite to eat then took the lovely walk to Winooski. There were quite a few people hanging out as I settled in. It was not a long wait until The Path hit the stage. With two guitar players, a bass player, drummer and a singer, they played some very intense hardcore punk. They opened with an instrumental and laid down a heavy groove. At the first chance they had to either keep it going or kick it another direction, they let it move in a new way. I could tell right away that this was going to be an exceptional band. The singer joined on the next song and he screamed the vocals with punk fury. The show was short but every song was powerful and fun. The singer described them in between songs and someone in the audience mentioned that there was no way to tell what the words were. Someone from the stage said they were in the band and didn’t know what the lyrics were. Someone from the audience asked them to turn up the lyrics. The band just soldiered on with blistering classic song after song, until they called it a night. It was a truly great half hour, or so, of music.
Better Things at The Monkey House May 10 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
After a bit of a break Better Things hit the stage. Their well crafted indie rock songs rock hard and were lots of fun. They play as a four-piece with two guitar/singers, bass and drums. The vocals have a nice melodic blend and the songs move nicely at a brisk pace. I did not know any of the songs that they played, but have since purchased the new song “Stick That In Your Juicebox and Sip It” and have enjoyed the video. I really enjoyed their set and must see them more often.
Slingshot Dakota at the Monkey House May 10 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
Up next Slingshot Dakota took the stage. They are just a drums and keys/vocals duo but put our a tremendous sound and a ton of energy in a short time. They opened with the great new song Paycheck from their wonderful new album Break. The song is sweet and passionate and has nice changes and has had me humming it for weeks. They stayed with the new album for most of the show with great versions of Monocacy, Doreen and You. They tossed in a couple from the previous album Dark Hearts. I loved every twist and turn in the music and every ear-splitting note. Tom Patterson is a bombastic drummer and Carly Comando belts out the songs with her voice and fills the room with delightful and earth-shattering keys. The sound is huge and loud and has a beautiful melodic flow. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Slingshot. Again, their set was really short, but was so incredibly sweet.
Tyler Daniel Bean at The Monkey House May 10 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
At that point I was getting tired but had enough left to hang out for the last band, Tyler Daniel Bean. The last time I saw him he played solo acoustic, but this time he had a full band. He played guitar and sang and was joined by another guitarist, bassist and drummer. They played cool indie rock songs that I really enjoyed. The band were really good but the drummer was outstanding. I really enjoyed his performance for the short and fun show.
After they wrapped up I said a quick goodbye to Carly and bought a shirt since supporting bands who travel is an important thing. The long walk home was filled with joy and lovely memories of great music.
Tonight’s local music radio show on WBKM 107.1FM in the Champlain Valley, also streaming at our website, will go as follows:
Song before: Soul Eternal – Anderson Ponty Band
intro
From our small city to the great big world, these are the sounds of Burlington. It’s been a beautiful week in Burlington, but something unusual happened late Monday night. A meteor with a blue trail sailed over Vermont and could be seen all around New England. Let’s begin with a brand new song that speaks of meteors.
That’s a cool new song from Villanelles cool new album Blue Heart Attack. Spirit is a song from Burlington’s ’90’s and I still remember seeing Rachel and how powerful her voice is. Great song from Milton who is at Light Club Lamp shop tonight at 8pm. Jane just put out a new album called Field Notes. Miriam’s voice just makes that song. OK, it’s time for the next song on Callisto.
That’s a brand new song from the brand new Elephants album The Perfect Map. I had a great time seeing the Blondes at Nectar’s on Monday and while listening, I knew I wanted to play that one for you. Great new song from Slingshot. Their new album Break is still keeping me listening to it. Great new song from Alpenglow. This next band are at Light Club Lamp Shop tomorrow.
9.) Edible – SWALE
10.) Falling In And Out Of Sleep – Envy
11.) Finder – Madelines
12.) Nowhere Feels Like Home – Fire The Cannons
Cannons filled a rock void in the early 200’s and played some killer shows. Finder is a classic from the ’90’s. Sean Toohey and Ann Mindell from Envy are playing in their new band The Nancy Druids at Radio Bean on Friday at 10pm. I really enjoyed seeing this next band a little over a week ago at The Monkey House
SS are really The High Breaks when they play Sabbath covers. They did such a great job rearranging the songs into a surf style. I saw Torpedo a few times in the early 00’s and always had a rocking time. I love Say It!! Better should have lots of cool new music coming soon. OK, let’s go back to the ’80’s. Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to go.
17.) Hold Me Tight – The Decentz
18.) Melt – Chin Ho
19.) East Jabib – REDadmiral
20.) The Summer Of Andy – Cancer Conspiracy
CC played some great music back in the ’90’s. That’s a pretty new song from Admiral. They are playing Sunday at Radio Bean. I played Chin Ho’s cover as an homage to the ’80’s Ladies who have the show before me on Thursday nights at 7pm on WBKM. That song from the Decentz always gets me moving. A former local musician and music writer who has been working at the Future Of Music Coalition, Casey Merlin Rae, has just moved on to a job with SiriusXM. Congratulations. Here is one of his solo songs.
The lots used to play around in the early 10’s but are now touring the US and touring the world. Great song from the Cush’s first album. They played that song many times in Burlington. Yea Casey! This next song is pretty new and catchy as can be.
24.) The Feeling Is Strange – Binger
25.) Random Earth – Elephants Of Scotland
26.) For Buddy – Elephants Of Scotland
Those are the two last songs on Elephant’s new album The Perfect Map. I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we?
outro
Songs after: Where In The World – Fish
13th Star – Fish
New Americana – Halsey
She’ll Come Back For You Tomorrow – The Church Band
The Dirty Blondes at Nectar’s May 16, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
I had a great time seeing music at Nectar’s last night. I got in a much needed post work nap, then got going around 8pm and drove to Shelburne to pick up my brother Ken. We headed back to Burlington and arrived at the club around 9:30. I hadn’t eaten dinner yet so I ordered some food and ate and missed the opening band. I was set and ready to go just in time for the main band.
The Dirty Blondes hit the stage around 10:30 and rocked hard. They opened with Burn and it was clear from the start that the lovely voices of Diane Sullivan and Rebecca Rogers were going to make the show great. Guitarist Jesse Azarian played some wicked leads. Bassist Chris Clark kept they rhythm driving and drummer Ornan McLean put on the usual powerhouse show. They played fast and hard and loud. They rocked Crybaby hard. They taught us to dance with Kung Pao. They kept the rock at peak intensity for Scorned Woman. They eased up a little for the spiritual Hallelujah and the totally original Oh Dirty Blondes. Even though my birthday was last Thursday they still sent me some nice wishes and played Happy Birthday for me. Up next, they turned the music up to full speed for When I’m Drunk. They rocked hard with Slut then kicked out a killer Too Drunk. Jackin’ Off followed then the played the homage to their drummer with Ornan’s song. Ornan had a pretty intense short drum solo in the song before it went into the final verse where they explain why Ornan will always be the drummer for the Dirty Blondes. They wrapped the night with a walk around Burlington with the song Yayo. It rocked hard but as it came to the end, Ornan kept the music driving. After a bit Diane left the stage then Becky followed. The other three kept jamming out. You could tell that Jesse was pretty much done but every time they came to a possible ending point, Ornan just kept going. It was fun to watch and be a part of and eventually Ornan let it go and the band finally finished.
After the show Ken and I chatted with the band, got some hugs then I drove him back to Shelburne. What a fun night.
Speedy Ortiz at Waking Windows 6 May 6, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
I had a great time seeing music at Waking Windows a couple of weeks ago. The festival always falls at the busiest time of the year in my day job at Gardener’s Supply, and I work weekends, so it’s always a challenge to get to the show. On Friday May 6th I worked 10:30am-9pm, and moments after work was done, I walked to Winooski. I walked by the Monkey House but The Mountain Says No were tearing down their gear. I hoped I would catch part of a song, but no luck. I proceeded across the traffic circle, found the box office and got my pin that would get me into the shows. The outdoor stage was right next to it and Speedy Ortiz were on the stage and rocking. I wandered into the show and listened. They played as a four-piece with a singer/electric guitar player, another electric guitar player, bass and drums. The sound was heavy and rocking and had enough fun changes to keep you guessing. They mixed an indie rock style with a more classic rock and metal sound and were really good. There was some sweet lead guitar playing and some sledgehammer drumming and the good sized crowd was rocked hard
Villanelles at Waking Windows 6 May 6, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
I really wanted to stay, but really wanted to check out Villanelles at The Monkey House, so I headed back through the traffic circle and wandered into the club. It was pretty full and the only space to dance around a little was at the front, so I headed to the stage. With a singer/electric guitar player, bass, drums, and keys, Villanelles played some hard rocking songs and tossed some lighted balloons to the audience. I caught a half a dozen songs, all of them good and had fun listening and trying to figure out where they were going. I had just gotten their new album, Blue Heart Attack, but was not familiar with it yet, but think most of the songs that I heard were from the new one. I did recognize Heartbreak Baby and loved how much it rocked. I was loving their set but the clock said it was time to go, so out the door I went.
Swale at Waking Windows 6 May 6, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
I went back across the traffic circle, past Speedy Ortiz, who were still rocking nicely, and into Waterworks. Swale were making sounds from the stage, and I hoped they were just beginning. The sound coalesced and condensed itself into Waterlanding. I ran into coworkers Jessica Ellis and Billy Greer and headed to the front of the stage. Swale rocked had with songs like Everyone Likes To, Drug Laws, and Joyless. I ran into Peg Tassey and the band mellowed a bit with Beaten Down. Swale followed with a cool new song then rocked out fast and hard with Jack Sharp. Another cool one followed then they closed with an epic version of We Could All Be That Way, or whatever the title will be. I love the build and ferocity of that song.
Alexander F at Waking Windows 6 May 6, 2016
After the set I ran into Joe Adler and Max Tracy, but soon thought it was time to head out to catch Aspero Saicos at the Monkey House. I walked back through traffic only to find a line of people long enough to fill the tent outside the venue, waiting to get in. Not wanting to wait, I headed back to Waterworks and got in as Alexander F were about to play. The singer, electric guitar, bass, drums four-piece let loose a set of killer punk with a funky edge. The singer threw himself into the crowd for much of the show and the bass player followed him on a few songs. They rocked hard and were lots of fun. I was a bit disappointed about missing Aspero, but I had seen them before, and by missing them, I got the opportunity to love a new band. That really is part of the whole idea of Waking Windows.
Arc Iris at Waking Windows 6 May 6, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
After their set I just hung out and chatted with a bunch of cool people and then it was time for Arc Iris to play. They played as a singer/guitar player, keys, drummer trio and took the stage in shimmering gold cloaks. They let their dramatic prog rock dance pop music slowly unfurl. I love their sound and songs and when they went to play the song Johnny, they pulled Joe Adler to the stage and sang it as Joey. It was a pretty sweet show.
Arc Iris with Joe Adler at Waking Windows 6 May 6, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
Angel Wings pic of Aric Iris at Waking Windows 6 May 6 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
It was late and I was tired and should have headed home, but had to make the traffic crossing one more time and headed back to the Monkey House for The High Breaks. The guitar, bass, drums trio play fun dark surf-rock music instrumentals. They rocked out with songs like Hot Dog and Ankle Breaker. They tossed in the surf version of Symptom Of The Universe. They returned to their own tunes with Boardwalk Boogie, Sea Chopper and Voodoo Wave. They tossed in a fun version of Wipeout and were going to leave but the audience demanded another. They pulled out a fun surf version of Paranoid and called it a night.
The High Breaks at Waking Windows 6 May 6, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
I was very content on the long walk home. I had to work 10 hours on Saturday and 10 on Sunday, so I never made it back to the festival, but really enjoyed my time there on Friday night.
Song before: The Man With The Child In His Eyes – Kate Bush
intro
From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. Today is my birthday so I’m going to celebrate by playing some of my favorite songs. I hope you like them too. If your band is not on tonight’s play list, it’s not that I don’t love you, it’s just I had two hours to pick music and I love far more than two hours worth. Every song on tonight’s list is one that I love.
1.) Angle Of The Sun – Peg Tassey
2.) Megan’s Song – Hana Zara
3.) Feel The Bern – Violint Wednesday
4.) Giving Up The Ghost – Aaron Flinn
Aaron is such a great guitar player and such a great guy and has a great voice and I love that song. The Bern song has really gotten to me. I love how easy to sing it is. Hana is just stunning and that is such a touching song. Peg has been one of my favorites for a long time and that is such a beautiful song, on so many levels. OK, it’s time for the next song on Callisto.
5.) Been So Long – Alpenglow
6.) Brothers And Sisters – Joe Adler
7.) Sober – Vedora
8.) Release The Beast – The Mountain Says No
I remember thinking that was the greatest song I had ever heard by Mountain when I first heard it. Now I feel that way about their newer songs that will be on their next album, but since it’s not recorded yet I had to play Beast. Vedora used to play Sober a lot when they played shows after the first album came out. I’m glad they got that one onto the second album. I love the huge sound. Brothers always just fills my heart with love. I want to send that one out to my brother Ken. That’s such a cool song from Alpenglow. It’s been fun hearing them evolve. So, on Tuesday night I went over to The Monkey House and saw four great bands. I loved the sets from Tyler Daniel Bean and Better Things. The Path opened the night with a killer punk set. The other band who played are one that I have come to just love. They come around once or twice a year and always play a blistering show. I love every song on their new album and want to showcase them a bit right now. Thanks for everything Slingshot Dakota!!
9.) Paycheck – Slingshot Dakota
10.) Until The Day I Die – Slingshot Dakota
11.) I-78 – Slingshot Dakota
12.) Break – Slingshot Dakota
I love the new album and that song especially. When I first saw them I got a CD single with Day and 78 run together and still love those songs. It’s like the idea of love flowing into the practice of love. Paycheck is such a great song. I was so psyched when they opened with it. OK, let’s play a great rock and roll song.
13.) Little French Earthquakes – Phil Yates and the Affiliates
14.) Satellite – Guster
15.) Sparks – The Color Exchange
16.) The Next Instead – Swale
I love so many of Swale;s songs. Picking one was hard, but Next always gets me going. Color came to town and played Nectar’s one night a year or so ago. I’ve loved Sparks ever since. Ryan Miller from Guster keeps turning up at cool local events. Satellite is such a great song. I love how it sounds back to back with Sparks. Earthquakes always rocks me. I’m beginning to really like a lot of songs on Binger’s new album, but this one from their last EP always lights me up.
17.) Sequoia 3 – Binger
18.) Symptom Of The Universe – Surf Sabbath
19.) Bulletproof Vest – Zola Turn
20.) Orange Like Water – The Cush
I was lucky enough to see The Cush many times when they lived in Vermont. That is from their most recent album and it’s great to know they are still making great music and I can’t wait until the next time they are able to come back and enchant us. I’ve always loved Zola and wanted to play Vest because it rocks so hard. I love The High Breaks and their rearranged Sabbath songs are just wonderful. Hmmm Binger. Keep writing those great words and playing that great music. This is a great song from one of the most elegantly powerful bands to come out of Burlington.
21) Somewhere Far – The Red Telephone
22.) Breathing In – The Hero Cycle
23.) 1965 – The New Siberians
24.) These Summer Nights – Sarah Blacker
We are on the cusp of summer and that one always reminds me of beautiful summer nights. I’m 51 today and was born in 1965. Hero are a band I caught a couple times in their short incarnation and love the sweep of their songs. I love a lot of Telephone songs but that one was just calling to me. On Monday, the Dirty Blondes are playing at Nectar’s. I love them because they rock so hard.
25.) Ornan’s Song – Dirty Blondes
26.) TFAY – Elephants Of Scotland
I love that Elephant’s song. Ornan plays drums for both bands. I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week. Bye. See Ya. Sayonara.
Tonight’s local music radio show on WBKM.ORG and 107.1FM will go as follows:
Song before: Over The Rainbow/Kill The King – Rainbow
Intro
From our small city to the great big world, these are the Sounds Of Burlington. It’s spring and flowers are coming out and the leaves are beginning to form on the trees. I’ve been watching the lilac leaves come out and now the flowers are beginning to form. Let’s begin tonight with a brand new song from Binger’s brand new album Skeptics.
1.) Look At The Lilacs – Binger
2.) Doreen – Slingshot Dakota
3.) Chuck Berry – Dino Bravo
4.) Year Of The Snake – Tyler Daniel Bean
Tomorrow is the beginning of a massive 3 day music festival called Waking Windows. It will be held at many venues all around the Winooski traffic circle. It runs Friday from 5pm-2am, Saturday from noon to 2am and Sunday from 11zm to midnight. Hundreds of bands will play. Many will be local and many from out of town. Tyler and Dino will both play early on Friday. Slingshot are not part of the festival but are in town next Tuesday at the Monkey House. I love the new Binger album. Here are some more of the bands who will play on Friday.
5.) Alienation – Black Rabbit
6.) Monsters Are Due – Doom Service
7.) Above The Frequency – Invisible Homes
8.) Tornado Head – Barbacoa
It’s quite possible that all of those songs will get played tomorrow. Here are some more bands who are playing Friday.
9.) Grass Is Always Greener – Phil Yates and the Affiliates
10.) I Got A Job – Maryse Smith
11.) Ricky The Rider – The Mountain Says No
12.) Heartbreak Baby – Villanelles
That is a song from Villanelles new album Blue Heart Attack. There is a chance they will play that one Friday at WW. Mountain said they are only playing new songs, so likely Ricky will not get played, but I had to pick something of theirs. I love that song. Maryse and Phil are playing on Friday too. These next bands are playing late on Friday. .
13.) Waiting For You – Swale
14.) Money Gnomes – Arc Iris
15.) The Big One – The High Breaks
The Breaks will close out Friday. I’m so psyched to see Iris again. Their shows are so great. Hmmm, Swale. OK, here are some bands that will play Saturday at Waking Windows.
16.) The First Of May – Colin Nicholas Clary
17.) The Champagne Room – The Smittens
18.) Let Go – Lowell Thompson
19.) What If – REDadmiral
20.) Siddhartha – Wren Kitz
Wren has a set at WW on Saturday. That’s a new song from Admiral. Perhaps they will play it on Saturday. Lowell always puts on a great show. Since it’s now May, I had to play the Colin song and one from his band The Smittens, who are playing WW on Saturday. OK, it’s time for the next song on the album Callisto. Alpenglow are playing WW on Saturday too.
21.) Following The Scene – Alpenglow
22.) Give Me All Your Love – Madaila
23.) The Alchemist – Pours
Pours have a set at WW on Saturday. So do Madaila and Alpenglow. These next bands have sets on Saturday too.
24.) Golden Goose – Cave Bees
25.) We’re Closed – Blue Button
26.) Black And Red – Rough Francis
Saturday should be great at Waking Windows. Here are some of the bands who will play Sunday at WW.
27.) Womb With A View – Heavy Plains
28.) The Feeling – Vedora
29.) Shoreline In Jersey – Joe Adler
Joe will be playing at Waking Windows with Wee Folkestra on Sunday. Vedora are not playing, but Matt Hastings has a set as Ver Sacrum and Caroline Marie has a set. Heavy plains will no doubt rock. OK, there are a ton of other bands playing on Suday, but I want to go back to the new Binger album to close the show.
30.) Resurrection In Sanskrit I – Binger
31.) Resurrection In Sanskrit II – Binger
I hope you enjoyed checking out the music of our town. Let’s do it again next week, shall we?
Outro
Songs after: Clock Moves Sideways – Fish
New Americana – Halsey
Aura – The Church
Iron Maiden Montreal April 1 2016 pic by Tim Lewis 1
I know I’m slow to begin writing about this show, since it happened a month ago, but it is still with me and it’s time to put words to my feelings. As is almost everything I write, this is a story about a band. When I was young and discovering music I found a love for metal and really got into Iron Maiden. They played the third rock show I ever saw and were my second visit to the Montreal Forum. Over the years I have caught almost every tour, most of them with my brother Ken. They usually play every two years, often alternating a new album tour with a greatest hits type of tour. The last time they played was July 11 of 2012. Ken and I filled in the following years with a couple of Rush shows and a couple of Judas Priest shows but Maiden have always been one of our favorites. Maiden filled in those years by creating the stunning new album Book Of Souls and dealing with Bruce’s cancer. When I first heard about the Montreal show on April 1st of this year, 2016, I bought our tickets as quickly as I could.
I drove to Shelburne Vermont and picked up Ken and we headed north. The drive up was pretty pleasant and uneventful and we got into the city and parked quite easily. We wandered around St Catherine St, checked out the metal room at HMV, grabbed some dinner then headed to the show.
The Raven Age Montreal April 1, 2016 pic by Tim Lewis
The show was set to begin at 7:50, which seemed odd, but the doors had opened earlier than I expected and it was really about 7:42 when The Raven Age hit the stage. They played a solid set of pretty good songs. I liked the show but since all this time has passed, none of the songs have stayed with me. Their set was almost exactly 40 minutes and they left the stage at 8:22pm. There was the usual 30 minute set break and around 8:51 the lights went down and the opening video started. It was a video about Maiden’s plane, Ed Force 1, getting trapped in the jungle until Eddie’s mighty hand freed it and pushed it into the sky. We were off.
In typical fashion, Iron Maiden opened the show with the first song on the new album. If Eternity Should Fail has that epic slow beginning and rocks hard all the way through. The audience was elated and standing and rocking out. The band followed with the super fun single from the new album, Speed Of Light and it was just a great song to experience live. For the third song they went way back in time and elated the crowd with Children Of The Damned. Anther new song, Tears Of A Clown followed. It has heavy riffs and chord progression that just fills your heart and it kept me in a happy place. Another new one followed. The Red And The Black has one of those epic Maiden singalong parts and the audience filled the room with their voices. Next, they went back in time and pulled out The Trooper. The audience loved it as the band rocked it hard. Bruce waved the flag, mostly from the high back part of the stage but also from the side of the stage where he dangled it over Janick’s face when he was tying to play a solo. Janick’s lead guitar work was great all night long but whenever a solo came to the front of the music, it was almost always Dave Murray playing it. Adrian Smith would almost always follow with a solo and it was great to hear the differences in style and tone. Nicko’s drumming stellarly pounded out the beat all night long and Steve Harris used his bass to put a lot of overdrive into the songs. As always, he mouthed out all of the lyrics. Bruce’s voice was in perfect form all night and he is the epitome of what a front man should be. He was always running around and engaging the audience and at one point his voice hit a note that was so loud I wondered if it really needed amplification. It cut through the entire sound system. After the Trooper, Bruce donned a mask and they pulled out Powerslave. That old song sounded like it would fit nicely on Book Of Souls and was a perfect choice for the show. Another new song, Death Or Glory, followed and it rocked hard and was fun to sing along with. Up next was the title song from the new album. Book Of Souls is another epic song and in the late middle Eddie came out to play. He chased Janick around a lot but at one point Bruce got behind Eddie and reached in and pulled our Eddie’s beating heart. Bruce tossed it into the cauldron at the top of the stage then pulled out the dull remains. He squeezed the remaining blood onto Janick then tossed Eddie’s heart to the audience. That went over as well as you would expect. Up next they went back in time and upon hearing the opening notes of Hallowed Be Thy Name you could feel a bolt of energy rip through the audience. Montreal has a long history of loving that song and it was just fantastic. The opening notes of the next song, Fear Of The Dark compelled the audience to start singing. Bruce seemed to enjoy how we just started singing and he did not have to prompt us. After that, the opening ring of Iron Maiden put the energy through the roof and the second version of Eddie filled the back of the stage. As always that meant that the set was done, but the show was not over. After a quick break the band returned for an encore of The Number Of The Beast. The audience sang along and loved every moment. The band kept rocking with a great version of Blood Brothers and I enjoyed the fact that I was with my brother to experience it. Wasted Years closed out the night and had the audience singing heartily. As always, it was a stunning show.
My brother Ken Lewis at the Bell Center in Montreal April 1 2016 right before Iron Maiden came on pic by Tim Lewis
We headed back to the car and were heading out of the city in reasonable time. We got close to the Champlain Bridge then got stuck in stop and go traffic and it took a full two hours to get to the south side of the bridge. It was quite frustrating, but even if the city of Montreal is incapable of getting traffic over a bridge, at least they do some great things, like hosting Iron Maiden shows. By the time I dropped Ken off and got home it was about 3:30am. I was very glad I was smart enough to take the next day off.
Iron Maiden Montreal Bell Center April 1 2016 pic by Tim Lewis 2
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