It is a ‘Natural Fact’. Steve Strongman’s 2013 was a tremendous success! One Juno and three Maple Blues Awards later; Strongman passed ‘hump-day in his musical career . Natural Fact was Steve’s fourth album and an acoustic goldmine of Blues’ tunes. Fast forward to May 13th 2014. ‘Let Me Prove It To You’ now becomes his latest album and not the follow up most of … Continue reading Juno Award Winner Steve Strongman ‘Proves it To Us’ ….
Melissa Bel is an up and coming artist who loves playing in Quebec! A Toronto native, the young ‘starlet’ has musical roots based in musical soul. She will be performing at The Rialto Theater on Nov. 23rd. Her night will contain all original music with maybe one cover thrown in … Which one and who is her favorite performer of all time? No – it … Continue reading Melissa Bel – A Voice To Be Reckoned with …
Toronto‘s Amanda Martinez is coming for a visit … Something the singer admits does not happen often. Funny – since Montreal is one of her favorite cities to sing in. Hot off the heals of an album release – Amanda is donating her voice to the third edition of Montreal Mundial. She will be performing on November 21 as part of a Woman of the World … Continue reading Amanda Martinez – A New ‘Dawn’
Angel Forrest has been singing around Montreal and abroad for many years. Days and nights spent on the road – honing a voice which balances between Jazz, Blues and almost anything else … She has just recently released an album which, surprisingly – is her first Blues one with all original material in English. It has been a long time coming and for once – … Continue reading Angel Forrest; Reborn and Lovin’ It!
Florence K has just released a new album and is straight off her successful album launch at Club Soda. Florence and I had an opportunity to talk about the new album, her influences and where she is heading next. Florence K is the real deal and potentially – Canada and Quebec‘s next female superstar. ‘I’m Leaving You’ is a must buy CD which contains everything … Continue reading Florence K ; A New Album – A ‘Fuller’ Sound
They say good things come in threes. With Mundial Montreal – true as true as true can be … From November 19th – 22nd, the Festival will be featuring artists as ecclectic as a white egg on Easter Sunday. As an added bonus, this year’s edition will also showcase Aboriginal artists from across Canada. Eekwol, Samian,Shauit,George Leach, Leela Gilday and A Tribe Called Red – a … Continue reading Mundial Montreal;Third Time’s a Charm!
“Everything is great where I live …” Explains Derek Sharp. ” What’s it called? The Lord of the Rings … Narnia! Everybody is great in my family here in the middle of nowhere …” Sharp is the husband of local Montreal girl -turned-good; Sass Jordan. He is also the lead singer of The Guess Who and is entering his seventh year in that role. An … Continue reading A New Guess Who Album with Derek Sharp … !
The year was 1981 … Hockey’s New York Islanders won their second of what would become four Stanley Cups. Actress Natalie Wood died in what was an ‘apparent’ and questionable drowning. The film ‘Cannonball Run‘ – starring Burt Reynolds, was enticing people everywhere to race the world disregarding rules and general etiquette. On the music front – MTV began its sucessful run giving music another … Continue reading Pssst! April Wine Rocks! (Just Between You and Me)
Gino Vannelli had a lot of ambition as a young man growing up in Montreal. According to him – you have to have that fire to succeed. “I was filled with fire as a kid. I moved to New York when I was young and signed a record deal by the time I was twenty-one, which was fairly young for even today’s standards. None of … Continue reading Gino Vannelli; All Those Nights in Montreal. Part Two
Hometown boy turned man; Gino Vannelli, is coming back to Montreal in November … What else is new? The man who started his musical career as a drummer in Montreal and a current resident of Portland,Oregon – often comes home. He frequently visits his Mom and was most recently in Ste. Agathe to play a festival. He was also in Montreal scouting out the location … Continue reading Gino Vannelli – All Those Nights in Montreal …
‘ I just thought that every Father did what my Father did …” Says Edward Ellington Jr. ” It was only years later, I realized the magnitude of what my father accomplished. For a long time, I thought he was a travelling salesman.” Edward Ellington Jr. and his sister April, are the duo responsible for The Savoy Ellingtons. A group that has been together for twenty … Continue reading The Ellingtons; The Kids are Alright …
In a Quebec market which is bogged down in radio politics, One Road, after almost an entire year of charting and obtaining radio airplay everywhere in Canada – still cannot get their ‘Southern Rock‘ sound on the radio in Quebec ( k103.7fm excluded). “To say that our sound is ‘too country’ for a rock station and then play Lynyrd Skynyrd and even Mumford and Sons – … Continue reading One Road or Une Rue …?
Rick Keene Music Scene 