Busy, Busy, Busy!
Can’t believe its been almost 6 months since our last post! So much fun has happened since then! The Mtn Dukes are no more. We’ve rejoined TooNice for the 3rd time (is the 3rd time the charm?…haha) and still playing with Hayley Carro as well. We’ve relaunched our ska radio program, SKA PARTY that is sporadic but a hoot when it happens! Great times away from the blog indeed! Shows have been a plenty and here’s some video evidence with the reggae band:
For new gear, we’ve got a new TC Electronics BG250 amp that is lightweight and is great in all situations! We’ve also added some light percussion instruments for our acoustic shows. A tambourine we can kick at and a stomp box… yes, a stomp box! It gives us a great kick drum sound that keeps the acoustic shows pumpin’. Our Cajon is still a heck of a lot of fun to play as well!
Also, been groovin‘ to some great new/old tunes recently so here’s 10 recents that we just can’t seem to get enough of & we are diggin this month. Feel free to add in the comments what has been tickling your ears of late! We are always on the look out for new music!
talking heads – the big country
lindi ortega – high
iceberg – les barques
emile simon – desert
cartoon violence – better
dilip & the davs – like a king
flock of seagulls – wishing
spoon – mystery zone
pixies – alec eiffel
ini kamoze – wings with me
Til next time & see you on the dancefloor!
Hives: Concert Review?
the hives wore tophats & tails. a ninja tackled a fan on stage. everyone sat on the floor. they married us. it rocked. – tweet
The Hives have always been a band that we somewhat followed. their debut disc is about as solid as any released in the last 20 years. we were instantly captivated. after that first release though, the songs have been hit and miss so our interest waned. but when the chance to go see them in concert came up, we jumped at it! literally!
pros: great songs, great crowd, great fan interaction, cool mosh pit, roadies were ninjas, we ALL sat down
cons: too much talk not enuff rock, left us wanting more
we will never forget how they managed to get the entire joint to sit down. that was an epic moment! they played essentially their greatest hits. we were holding out to hear more of the first cd but ahhhh so many songs, so little time.
loud rifftastic rock is never a bad thing.
so glad to have seen them and no matter what, we’ll always be a diehard fan from now on. man, the sweat that dripped from us that night! still can’t believe we lost our shoes twice in the pit & fell over once. crisis averted thx to everyone around us though!
here are a slew of pics that hopefully capture some of the energy of the HIVES night of June 26th at the Sound Academy in Toronto.
the Chamber door closes
just an quick update. things are moving fast here at the Hills (as u likely guessed) due to the lack of posts.
we had a killer show with Rosalita and Mollys Chamber on March 2nd at Duffys. Playing the drum kit for the Rosas has been wikked fun & we are enjoying the vibe immensely. Mollys Chamber’s new singer was on display for the first time with the band & hit a homer out of the park. great times all around!
here’s a megamix of some slightly distorted viz from the nite:
Sadly though this was 2 be our last official show with the Chamber as we had to give our notice just this past week. it was a great 7 month ride with the band & we learned a helluva lot of new songs & we also learnt a lot about bass along the way. can’t wait to see the band at their next gig as we are 100% sure they will have no probs finding an eager replacement! if u know some1 interested apply at their website. more posts soon!
Strummer Nights 2011
Forget summer nights in Hamilton, Strummer nights are way better!
We were lucky enough to experience 2 straight nights of Joe Strummer songs at This Ain’t Hollywood this past weekend. Great crowds (the first night was capacity packed, second one almost) and a way better experience than having to live thru an evening of Gorillaz or Big Audio Dynamite to get your 2011 Clash fix. It was so good we already can’t wait for the next version on Good Friday and Easter Saturday of 2012. There wasn’t a bad act amongst the lineup with a heap of supergroups, one-offs, reunions and special guests appearing. Folk, Punk, Celtic, Rock, Reggae, Rockabilly, Thrash genres and everything in-between were all covered. Personal highlight had to be seeing the Letdowns (ex-Wetspots) play. Ah, so many good shows they’ve had and all the memories just came flooding back the moment they hit the stage! Our fave song, Straight to Hell got a sweet treatment and hearing Burning Lights from the soundtrack of I Hired a Contract Killer was fantastic! Top marks for The Saints Are Coming for bringing a great Celtic twist to some songs that we wish the video we took did more justice.
and speaking of video, this event got us thinking about investing in a better camera to take videos of live music with since our current setup is hit and miss. its just an everyday digital camera and not meant for live music. ahhhh, there’s always a reason for more gear!
Here’s some pics and some of the best of the video evidence. Visit our youtube site for all the vizness. More videos still being added as we post this. Thanks for the memories Strummer Night #9, we’ll see u again for 10!
How Would U Like UR Reggae TOOday Sir?
ok, so its just a dusting of snow this morning but last night we travelled to our TOONICE jam thru a full on blizzard for 20 mins. that was right on! can’t wait to hit the slopes again!
nothing quite warms the soul like reggae does. the sweet, sweet sounds and rhythms can ease the burden of many a Canadian shield inspired winter. TooNice has been focussing jams of late on new material which is fantastic! there are about 5 new originals in the pipe and they are all highly addictive! “Jon-O” was the focus of last night and its becoming a mix of reggae and full-on rock with very distinct parts which got us to thinking this morning about how we like our reggae. just plain and hot buttered or with some “rock” spice? we thinks u gotta spice it up when the spirit moves ya but to go down that path too often can qucikly get annoying. much like too much spice!
thinking about catching the great SLACKERS tonight! U should too!
Ari Up will be missed! a great reminder that “thru music we can live forever“