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The Wilson Family Forgery
While formed in Hamilton, the core of the Wilson Family Forgery have spent the last year in New Jersey, but this weekend Thomas Wilson and Sarah Stewart–Kroeker return to the city where they confirmed their love and created an album of songs revolving around the city.
“My wife actually grew up in Hamilton, and I moved to woo her after we met working at camp,” recounts Wilson on the musical outfits early beginnings. “After living in Hamilton for a couple of years together, we planned to move to the U.S. together when she got into Yale for her MA.
Wilson and Stewart–Kroeker released Love Songs and Sinner Ballads in 2008 but had been fashioning a new group outing that fleshed out a lot of Wilson’s musical ideals.
“Our first disc was basically a straight–up folk record,” confirms Wilson. “We added some really nice piano, cello, and percussion to make an interesting listen, but basically all the songs were in the same genre. The new album has only seven songs, but it is exponentially more diverse musically than our first effort. It spans indie–rock, alt–country, blues, soul, gospel and jazz and includes a full band on five songs.
With Peter Stewart–Kroeker (electric guitar), Archibald Jay (piano), Andrew Eckhart (bass), Adrian Macfarlane (drums) and Randy Neudorf (melodia, organ and production duties), the Wilson Family Forgery was, er, forged, to accentuate the pun.
“I like the double meaning of the word forgery which means both to create something and to imitate something,” smiles Wilson. “Since the band was founded in Hamilton there’s a hint to its Steeltown origins as well.
“In some ways, Hamilton is a lot like Winnipeg, where I grew up, an underdog city, with loads of character,” adds Wilson on the inspiration for songs like “If Hamilton Were A Woman.” “As a songwriter I try to scrape off the veneer and dig into the essence of a thing — in many places of Hamilton, the veneer has already rubbed off years ago, making my job much easier.”
When the Radio CBC–GO program decided to do a satellite broadcast from the Pearl Company, locals Kim Koren, Tiny Bill Cody and Wilson were each charged with writing a song for Hamilton. Wilson’s “If Hamilton Were A Woman” delighted the audience and remains up on their website. With the song making it in a revamped version on the Wilson Family Forgery debut, Wilson and Stewart–Kroeker reunite with their Hamilton musical family and friends to celebrate the CD release. With ornate package that offers artwork that puts a focus on Wilson’s lyrics, the band hopes to capatalize on their past funny and punny exposure for their hometown respite.
“At the CBC–GO performance the people in the audience were killing themselves laughing,” recalls Wilson. “Of course, I was aiming for humour with that song — I grew up listening to CBC, I knew they love that cheeky kind of humour.
“Sometime people laugh at my song ‘Juniper Brine’ and apologize to me after the show, because they’re not sure if it’s supposed to be funny. Yes! It is supposed to be funny! The first songs I ever wrote were all humorous and I love a good pun – Bob Dylan cracks me up and I try to emulate him. Similarly, people aren’t always sure whether to laugh or not. There’s sometimes a tendency to take song writing overly seriously. I’ll never turn down a laugh, even on a sad song.”
The Wilson Family Forgery return this Friday May 28 at the Casbah Lounge with Tiny Bill Cody and the Treasures. The show starts at 9pm and $5 gets you in. Click on wilsonfamilyforgery.com
The Eighth Annual Blues With A Feeling
What came together as a result of local blues legend Richard ‘King Biscuit Boy’ Newell’s sudden passing eight years ago has grown into an annual celebration of music and music in the hammer – with last year’s event even including an impromptu wedding for Crowbar vocalist Kelly Jay. Ever year the event grows and with every passing year, the Friends of Richard Newell Committee are proud to remember their friend.
“I think it’s fair to say that Richard Newell was the instigator and the focus of the blues scene in Hamilton for 40 years,” says Paul Panchezak, Trickbag drummer, CFMU DJ and long time friend of Newell. “He is the reason that to this day Hamilton has a reputation for first class blues – ‘official’ as the King Biscuit Boy would say. He was also a larger than life personality with a legion of fans and friends. The concert brings together his friends and bandmates to celebrate his legacy and the blues he loved while the scholarship introduces him to a new generation of Hamilton musicians. Richard Newell is known around the world – we’ve had fans attend this show from as far away as California and Idaho but it’s a fact that he is most loved and fondly remembered in Hamilton.
“There are now a core of seven of us that do the bulk of the work it takes to put the BWAF show on – Paul Cronkwright, Neil Nickafor, myself, Rob Platsko, Larry Feudo, Sonny Del Rio and Ian Wallace,” he adds. “Some of the members are ex–members of King Biscuit bands, some are friends that go back to Richard’s childhood, and others are Hamilton blues fans who want to keep Richard’s name and memory alive. Our goals remain the same: each year we donate funds to a scholarship in Rich Newell’s name in the music program at Mohawk College and we put on one of, if not the best blues show in Hamilton.”
Growing every year, BWAF has made a residency at the Leander Boat Club over the last few years, and even incorporated a second day on the waterfront. This year, the quality of talent remains top notch and the boat cruise event returns as well.
“Over the years we’ve had Bharath and his Rhythm Four from Montreal, Zark and the Sharks from Buffalo as well as Chuck Jackson’s AllStars and Fathead from Toronto,” recalls Panchezak on past guests of BWAF. “Of course besides Crowbar, we’ve had our fair share of Hamilton acts including Trickbag, Dan Lockwood’s Favourite Grooves, Steve Strongman, Guitar Mikey and many others. This year from the area we’ve got The Smoke Wagon Blues Band and Ronnie Copple aka Eddie Cookie [King Biscuit Boy’s original guitarist] at the Leander Show and Trickbag with Sonny Del Rio and Denis Keldie on the Blues Cruise. Also at the Leander program we’re excited to have two of the hottest blues acts in the country. Monkey Junk is kind of a supergroup with a guitarist who has worked with Sue Foley, a harp player who has played and recorded with Harry Manx and a former David Gogo drummer. Our other headliners, Blackburn, have been called Toronto’s answer to the Neville Brothers. Three of the four members are actually brothers with a real history on the Ontario music scene. This should be a heck of a show. I know I’m looking forward to it.”
The Eighth Annual Blues With A Feeling celebration happens this Saturday May 29 and the Second Annual Hamilton Blues Cruise this Sunday May 30. Advanced tickets are available at Dr. Disc and Picks and Sticks.
Stolen Change
Born and raised in Hamilton, Ryan Davie had gone to complete his post secondary education by studying guitar but the end result was forming one of Hamilton’s newest bands.
“I went to Mohawk College to study guitar for a one year prep program, but was really only interested in finding a band and getting a job doing music,” recalls Davie. “I’ve always wanted to be in a band because I don’t like talking about my feelings or moods so I play them – also, I love rocking out and have people dig what I am about.”
He’d meet drummer Adam Reid and bassist Markus Starr and begin the band, Bombshell via an open mic night playing cover songs at Doors Pub.
“When we first started playing, we were just doing covers; I still think that’s the best thing for any new band to do starting out because it just helps you get tight, fast and also helps you gel onstage and find your true sound,” explains Davie. “Everyone is into either dance/rap or metal. I like a lot of metal and some of it totally does come out through a few songs. But there is no in-between anymore unless you’re Theory–of–a–Three–Day–Nickel –Creed, as I like to put it. So we want to be the in–between but a real and heartfelt hard rock band.”
Mixing late ‘70s riff rock with a punk aesthetic and occasionally veering into more technical progressive rock, Bombshell had to change their name and once Stolen Change took shape the band set out to offer their debut original CD, Pallet for Mayhem. Tapping JP Riemens to produce at Grant Avenue Studio, Stolen Change offer a hard rock that casts allusions to some of their inspirations like Guns ‘n’ Roses, Black Sabbath or Nirvana.
“We chose Stolen Change because we wanted to steal our own change and take, take, take,” explains Davie on the moniker. “There no room in the industry for pushovers, we needed a change of name and so we stole it.”
“We recorded our album with two takes for each song off the floor, just to let the tunes breathe more and groove a little harder,” he adds on capturing the band’s live sound. “There’s some metal in there but we take a more hard rock approach with bluesy leads and rhythms.
“The CD release will be an awesome show,” concludes Davie on the official Stolen Change release party this weekend. “We always play hard and give’r everything we got. We want to play the world and have our music heard. I want to tour everywhere big and small, I just love to play. Money’s cool but I’m so used to being broke it really doesn’t matter that much to me. The rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle is unforgiving that way, so you just give’r all or nothing. That’s the only way to do it.”
Stolen Change play this Saturday May 29 at the Westside Concert Theatre with Loaded Dice, Out On The Tiles and Moeraes Fate. Doors for the all ages /licensed event open at 6pm and $15 gets you in and a CD. Click on myspace.com/stolenchange
Hammer City Roller Girls’ Hugs and Bruises
We documented Imants Krumins 50th birthday celebration a few years back. While he wasn’t a musician, I grew up looking up to guys like Imants as pillars in the music community – part of a support group, playing the role of audience member, transport coordinator, radio broadcaster/publicist and console – that helped the musicians create their art.
While a tumour scare made the local community worry for Imants’ health, I ran into Imants at a recent Hammer City Roller Girls derby match and he’s happy to be up and about again. Music shows at the clubs, derby matches at the rink, backyard parties and art crawls – it’s all inextricably entwined breeding a mosaic that fuels Hamilton’s artistic communities.
Imants’ nephew, Joe Krumins, grew up looking up to his uncle as well following in his uncle’s footsteps of sorts – taking his film school education and turning it into a way of supporting local musicians and local roller derby. Krumins’ York University Film Studies thesis documentary on the HCRG called Hugs and Bruises, while not specifically about music – has a Hamilton soundtrack and half the Lorrainas as its subject.
“I grew up in Burlington, and having Imants as an uncle – and parents that are quite involved in the community as well, you can’t help but go to shows and do that whole thing,” explains Joe Krumins on growing up in the local scene. “Half the battle in a documentary film is establishing the personal connection with your subject, so having that comfort and trust established early, or more quickly established as a result of my connections to Imants. As I get more involved, I’m definitely starting to see the network take shape and understand what an important role the community aspect plays in this type of work – no matter what kind of role you take.”
Begun by two–fifths of the Lorrainas, the HCRG embodies the D.I.Y ethic that The Lorrainas’ Lasha ‘Whip Lasha’ Reed and Kerry ‘Kiki’ Wade had similarly applied to their band and Wade (with Lynn ‘Buckshot’ Bebee of the Poisoned Aeros, the Evelyn Dicks) to a clothing design studio. The soundtrack is all Hamilton the Vapids, the Orphans and of course, the Lorrainas – and it’s exciting to see the worlds of art, derby, film and of course music blend into one 17 minute of celluloid set to potentially hit the festival route in the upcoming year. Unlike the dramatic licence Drew Barrymore’s Whip Smart takes, Krumins offers the raw story.
“I feel that it's a story of accomplishment,” says Krumins. “The film is as much about the HCRG and their story as it is about the Hamilton community and the strengths and weaknesses that come with pursuing a DIY ethic – in my opinion. It’s about more than derby, it’s about Hamilton and I think that local musicians, artists, and that crowd will really enjoy the piece. To be honest, the film is pretty open in a demographic sense. It was my intention to create a film that would appeal to both the derby crowd and people who had no idea derby was even happening.”
Hugs And Bruises debuts Thursday June 3 at This Ain’t Hollywood for a Hammer City Roller Girls party. Click on joekrummins.com/hugsandbruises V
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