Music shows are supposed to be about fun and music.

The Southside Shuffle Festival which took place in Port Credit Ontario this past weekend – UNDERSTANDS that.

Wellbad – a group of avant- garde musicians from Germany, dictated the evening’s success. Blues-based with a whole lot of styles added on made Wellbad the talk of the Festival. Daniel Wellbat, the frontman and apparent heir to ‘Moon the Loon’s’ throne is a blend of Joe Cocker and Dennis Hopper. A madman without the Englishmen. Part actor, part singer and fully an entertainer. Daniel may have been the show but his mates in Wellbad gave Wellbat the floor upon which to dance. A tight band with Rhythm, Blues and Funk the foundation. A must see performance with a catalog overflowing with variety.

Widemouth Mason came next. A band that was hand-picked by The Rolling Stones to be an opening act for several shows. A Blues- based outfit with Shaun Verreault providing scathing guitar solos and menacing riffs. Safwan Javed lays down the law on drums. Saturday night the band showcased the reason The Stones picked them ‘once upon a time’ and also added their Bluesy take on a David Bowie tune; Modern Love. ‘Smile’ and the rest of their ‘hits’ made the set flow with energy and theme. Check out their latest album; ‘I Wanna Go With You.‘ A new disc sidelined by government decisions related to Covid.

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Kim Mitchell – Canada’s answer to nobody took the stage. The seventy year old Rock n Roll survivor was in control from the beginning. Professionalism, humor and a songbook matched by few in Canada. A member of the Canadian Songwriting Hall of fame, former front man of Max Webster and all around ‘goofy guy’ performed an airtight set with his guitar’s finesses and power leading the way. Of course ‘Patio Lanterns’, ‘Go For a Soda’ and ‘Rock n Roll Duty ‘ were all played to roars normally reserved for a hockey goal in Leafs nation. A Max Webster fan favorite ‘High Class in Borrowed Shoes’ from the album of the same name was as vicious in 2022 as it was when Mitchell had hair.

The brilliance of Kim (aside from songwriting ) is his versatile live banter between songs. He’s you and me. He’s an every-man whose observations are more from the punter’s point of view or even as a Canadian Tire customer. Age and his ‘not too long ago’ heart surgery has not slowed Mitchell in any way. He’s having the time of his life and it shows on stage.