"There is a real connection and bond if you have a brother in the band and that spilled into the other band members”
“This one involves a lot of people that are influential in Hamilton in terms of house music and techno”
"The band that I had the most limited success with was Britney's Krack," recalls Hotchkies on twenty years ago.
With a new year and a new decade upon us, taking stock of 2019 is no mean feat. It offered the height of a decade long development of James Street North
Some two plus decades ago, the local indie scene was swelling with a new crop of upstarts looking to make a name for themselves.
Bringing together Bowmanville’s The Doozies, Shari and Jonny as well as some special guests to showcase his own music for the evening
"Being a co-op student at CFMU really opened my eyes to music and I think that's actually where my musical career started," says Daniel Morreale.
Back in 2004, a couple of pairs of brothers came together at Waterdown High, enlisting their singer while he was still in Grade 6.
With an upcoming fundraiser, Piva gathered the cream of the crop as he sees it from our local talent base for a show that also celebrates Hamilton music
The year began with us documenting Dave Rave’s first solo album in eight years dubbed Adventureland but the year ends with another party for Rave
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been talking to Christopher Clause for some 18 years since he first started doing Beatles tribute fundraising shows locally
What began as a spontaneous idea from a dude with some famous friends wanting to do good has turned into a tradition of epic proportions
What do Alessia Cara, Jason Mraz and Celine Dion have in common? You’d be suprised to find out it’s former Hamilton musician Eric Ruscinski.
Strongman is busy year round but the holidays offered a special chance to connect with fans and his holiday show has become a tradition
“We’re basically managing the artists we’re releasing records with and we have five active artists,” says Sonic Unyon co–owner Tim Potocic.
“Andrew and I grew up and played in more of an emo band in high school and we’ve played together for about ten years or so,”
“For Liquid Assets — we wanted the wildest off the wall stuff because there is so much dead serious stuff"
And it’s absolutely deserved: “Under the Graveyard” rocks, the Ozzman’s best output in some time, and it’s garnering critical praise from all corners.
With a film crew following them for the last three years, the new Picture My Face documentary is ever closer to completion
With his seventy–sixth birthday celebrations just wrapped up in the last week or so, Sonny Del–Rio shows little signs of slowing down
While the name Miles Evans–Branagh might be more novel for local music fans, he’s been a musician around town and beyond for over a decade
A grassroots festival of independent rockers has turned into an annual seasonal instituition in the city of Burlington
Laila Biali has a natural star quality that is evident in every note she sings and every word she speaks.
An artist and musician has made his home in Hamilton and the inspiration the city provided is now channeled into his newest collection of songs.
“The project started with me writing a couple of songs — and then a couple of more songs, I recorded them myself and a couple of good friends"
While she’s entrenched herself in the local scene over the last two years, Valley has fostered her connections across Ontario
“This music is definitely meant to be more adventurous — It’s an attempt to prove that keyboards could be as heavy if not more so than guitars”
Corin Raymond follows up on his Juno-nominated "Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams" album with "Dirty Mansions".
“It was really interesting experience hearing Burt Bacharach’s music before actually knowing it’s him — like in that Austin Powers movie"
“When I was in high school in Richmond Hill, my friends had a band and I was kind of the fifth Beatle of sorts,”
This weekend, Titian hosts a special showcase of music, art, film and recovery with an event at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
With the 14th Annual Hamilton Film Festival happening from November 2 through 10, Nathan Fleet and company bring the world of film to Hamilton
If you’re a greater Hamiltonian that’s been out to the venues or festivals, you’d be hard pressed to not have seen Freedom Train perform live at least once
The 7th Annual Steel City Jazz Festival happens from Thursday 8 through Sunday November 10 at the Artword Artbar, the Corktown Pub and the Pearl Company.
Maybe it’s not exactly punk to celebrate a silver jubilee unless your lampooning the Queen of England
We last spoke with Brett Klassen some five years ago documenting the young hip hop producer and emcee’s journey from Altona, Manitoba to Hamilton in 2011
Famous Framus had released five EPs by the time our paths had crossed some fifteen years ago. Michael MaGarrey would create a new persona
Last year, local singer and songwriter Matthew de Zoete decided to organize a local tribute to the Kinks in honour of an important pop musical hallmark
With their heyday in the early ’90s, Swervedriver developed a strong connection with Sonic Unyon and Southern Ontario as a whole.
Laid To Rest celebrate ten years with news on a few gigs, a couple of related bands and a new album or two.
Will Gillespie might wish that every day was Hallowe’en. We just caught up this passed summer with singer and songwriter turned playwright and actor,
Musicians helping musicians is what the Third Annual Bob Pedler Memorial Fundraiser is about — an event organized by the Hamilton Musicians’ Guild
In the midst of all of the country harvest festivals happening around southern Ontario this month, a special Hamilton Hoedown happens within city limits
"There's the music but I have a fuller experience going on and I always have my visuals behind me," adds Wegner about the live show.
“I used to run between the Flamingo and the Golden Rail to watch a set from each of the bands,” Harms said. “I became friends with a lot of the bands."
"I have a big party around my birthday and last year I had a fundraising event that helped me get a new wheelchair accessible"
It’s been a really long time since we’ve heard official word of a new release from Martin Verrall. Singer, songwriter, painter and poet
What began as a high school dream has finally taken shape as one of Hamilton’s newest bands for singer and guitarist Joshua James
“They have an incredible facility there and do a lot of scientific type things as it is an educational facility"
Kevin Talbot has been making a music on the local scene since he was in his teens with bands like A Night to Remember and the Never Scene.
“I grew up in North Bay but moved south — what’s interesting is I connected with a group of Hamiltonians before I moved and they introduced me the music"
Fans of the history of rock and roll, pop and Motown will be delighted with an upcoming performance of some legendary living artists
Guitarist and vocalist Ross Lizotte has been making music in Hamilton for some twenty years or more but it was back in 2007 that he hit a hallmark
This energetic musical collaboration will showcase traditional band instruments and string, woodwind, brass and percussion of the full orchestra
“That’s the risk when poeple date creative people, you never know what they will write about you,” remarks Whorms on the lyrical fodder of her songs
“Mike Rizzo was into music before we were and he was one of the driving forces to get the guys in Porcelain Youth to become a band,”
For some 30 years, Oakville born Andrew Aldridge has lent his guitar textures to many a song from a myriad of performers.
"Koetta Black started back in 2008 when i was 13 or 14 years old when I signed up for a rock band class
As a full time artists in multi-media and acrylic painting, her murals and more are displayed around Hamilton.
“I like writing songs and getting weird sounds — the experimenting is the real attraction for me,” says Bowden.
Hamilton native, family man, mortgage broker and founder of Twin Within, Steve McKay is always an interesting interview.
“It’s been quite a while since our debut so we’re due for a new recording but we've gone through a lot of changes since then,”
Some scene veterans came together in some different roles to offer a slightly more novel kind of music than their previous efforts.
While they were probably listening to more City and Colour when in Burlington, the new location broadened the duo’s musical horizon.
“We signed to MCA in Los Angeles because Attic Records in Canada wasn’t able to get our music around the world,” says Mahon
Divided on two different stages, a variety of Hamilton acts are showcased while you sample the culinary delights of ribs.
“It’s a surreal hip hop experience, spreading a message of self–love and it’s manifesting dreams and positive energy flows,”
“I’ve had one toe in the music industry and my feet firmly in Hamilton hanging out with the family and working"
“We speed up, we slow down but we’ve never given up,” says Howard on the career arc of Threat Signal who released their fifth album, Disconnect in 2017.
“Knowing all of the people I’ve met from going to shows over the years, it’s amazing the rolodex of names you collect”
“There’s really a movement happening at Mohawk — there are so many people there who want to be in bands,” adds Woodcroft.
While you can see her in that Ellis video, it’s Dong’s work with SACHA and this weekend’s benefit concert that is the current focus.
Only Human, otherwise known as the duo of Geoff Carmichael and Joe Conti, release their sophomore CD this weekend
Some twenty years ago, a fourteen year old kid named Jason Hachey was living upstairs at the Corktown Tavern
I wasn’t feeling music for a while because the business side of things brought me down but then we started doing Rules
“It’s worked out well as we’ve all been friends for like twenty or twenty–five years and it’s been fun to make this music"
Sonically speaking, Silvertone Hills are a rare breed in Hamilton as they mine less hard rock and more Brit Pop for their music.
“It’s funny, we met them 35 years ago when both of our bands played the Police Picnic,” recalls Deppe on his association with A Flock of Seaguls
“I started playing guitar at eleven years old but it wasn’t until I was fifteen that I started to compose and write mature songs”
“I fell in love with writing, lyrics and music so it pushed me to learn language more — to write poetry I had to reach a higher level of language”
David Byers is one of the unsung names in Hamilton's musical history although his influence and participation would shape some serious milestones.
"It's been about two years since our last EP, "Youth Decay", and unfortunately our old bass player has a problem with his wrist and was unable to continue"
"Because I've blossomed a little later in life, perhaps I set some deadlines to have things done at a certain time but sometimes it doesn't work out"
Some veteran punk rockers took it upon themselves to organize an event to bring together community, foster its growth and develop its future
One of the newer names on the local stage is not only prick up ears for their style of music but also for their altruistic goals.
The more eclectic and underground sounds of the city are heading to the country this weekend thanks to a collective of promoters and performers
“Swingin’ in St. John’s was such a success we're going to be mounting it for a third time this year with the same cast we have for Diamond in the Rough,”
He was a rock icon, a promoter of Canada and a larger than life character that helped shape a national identity
“We grew up playing music and decided to study music after high school but Brad did his undergrad at Western and then moved to the University of Toronto"
Pip had released some twenty–four albums in his discography with the last dozen or so created his time in the last decade or so
“I joined the later incarnation of Cry Baby in Toronto in the ’ 90s,” recalls drummer Lucky Pete Lambert who recently helped Billing revive that band
The world of classical guitar comes to Hamilton with a festival that features concerts, workshops vendors and culminates with a guitar competition.
Songs from the Bishop offers a novel stage for some Hamilton indie rockers to get in front of a different kind of audience
Balogh was there when Jackson Square opened in 1972 and wanted to book bands on the rooftop and that got his foot in the door.
Juno Award winner and 2019 International Blues Challenge Best Guitarist (solo/duo) Steve Strongman returns to his hometown to offer his newest album.
“After our last record, we lost a couple of members in the band and around the same time, our deal with our old record label fell apart”
“We were in a band together called Toothpick Hercules, we were pals, went to the same high school and played music together”