i have an amethyst amulet around my neck

... if you read my blog enough you probably know I adore Adam and The Amethysts, and have posted about this awesome band before. Well I'm doing it again. On Sunday night I saw Adam and his amethysts at Sneaky Dee's and it was amazing! I've seen Adam play numerous times sans the Amethysts but never with his backing band of Katherine Peacock and Nathan Ward. Needless to say it was the best performance I've seen by them. Their amazing psych-rock-indie-pop sound is infamously catchy and their heart-felt lyrics about my (and Adam's) hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, are very relate-able not only to Thunder Bay folk but small-town-at-heart people of every shape and size. They played many of the songs off their first c.d, Amethyst Amulet, as well as a couple new songs that are not on said disc. One that was particularly lovely included a lyrical snippet from the song "Everything's Alright" from JesusChrist Superstar, which made me rediculously excited due to the fact that I have a soft spot for musicals. Last but not least besides having the c.d. for purchase at the show there were also authentic amethyst amulets straight from Thunder Bay, and I obviously purchased one.
Anyways...

If you haven't given Adam and The Amethysts a listen, you can click here, and if you like what you hear, Amethyst Amulet is now available for purchase on iTunes, as well as at your local music store (most likely). Support local Canadian artists and give him a try!

Small Town Shows...

I was home for my reading week and went out to a great local show. It was a two-night event, though unfortunately I could only attend for one night. 'Deep Freeze '09' was a pretty good show over all. I appreciated the venue (Black Pirate's Pub), and in general there were a lot of good bands playing. My favourites being Forever Dead and The Auditor General. I've talked about The Auditor General before, but not Forever Dead.

photo by Shannon Lepere

Forever Dead is a great rockabilly band from Thunder Bay. Their music is great, but their live shows are even better. The energy the band gives off is contagious and makes the audience
dance and sing along with all of their songs. Lead singer, Chelsea Heart's voice is powerful and intriguing and her stage presence is rarely seen. When accompanied by Jessica Hochins, keyboardist and backup vocals, they create great harmonies. The band is comprised of George Gratz, stand up bass, Mark Viherkoski, guitar, and Taylor T, drums. They all come together to create upbeat, energetic songs that are sure to please.

To buy their CD, click here.

If you like Forever Dead you'll probably like:

• The Creepshow
• The Horrorpops

Hometown Heroes

When I'm in my hometown of Thunder Bay, I tend to go to local shows at least twice a week. Even though I tend to like one band a night, I really like supporting local bands. This summer, a new local band emerged and lets just say they blow my mind. They are Vega, genre unknown, because to classify them is quite the task. The group's background is so diverse, coming from hardcore, rockabilly, and metal, yet interests in so much more than that. Their songs are uber-catchy and have me singing for days, and they appeal to such a wide audience. Their musical influences spawn from a wide variety of bands, such as Circa Survive, Thursday, Moneen, Choke, and Killswitch Engage, which can be heard in their songs. Vega will surely please a wide variety of music-lovers.

"I think we have the ability to reach a broad audience because we blend so many genres together. The music fits the lyrics well, so it allows us to write easily, yet from the heart."
- Jessica Hochins, vocals

"Writing this music has been an outlet for me to express a much softer side of myself. When I write for Vega, I find it important to capture a feeling. Through Vega, I have been able to express certain parts of my life musically, as well as progress as a songwriter: playing with layer, guitar interplay and textures. "
- Shawn Hartviksen, guitarist

Click HERE to check out their sweet sound.

** photo taken by me, Vanessa Vaillant

music to my ears (as per usual)

Exciting new music to share with everyone!!

The Auditor General

I'm reccomending to everyone today, The Auditor General, because they have some of the best music I've heard in a really long time. Every single one of their songs has blown my mind, and I hope they blow yours too. I can say, almost for certain, that if you are a fan of Ben Gibbard's voice (frontman of Death Cab for Cutie) The Auditor General will please you. Their heart-felt lyrics will make you smile and think of the happy times. From Thunder Bay, Ontario, they are kind of segregated from most major cities, so they don't have a lot of touring lined up so far, but will be in Calgery in March. Unfortunately right now I'm at a loss-for-words on how to describe these great guys from my home town, but all I can say is that they have warmed this cold Toronto day for me. Please check them out!

Recommendations...
Allons-y
The Ballad of Ron Mexico
The Possesed The Devil
Glen Gould Was Right
but really, i recommend everything.