Steven Joniak – the Blog

I had tagged along to see KT Tunstall open up for Sheryl Crow and expecting a mellow, ok kind of show BUT instead was pleasently surprised to see both of these talented ladies put on awesome performances with only a couple ‘pop ballads’ throughout the night – these women can rock live! Their voices sounded great and powerful and both know how to play guitar like nobody’s business.

While I enjoyed the familiar songs like ‘Other Side of the World’ from KT and ‘A Change Will Do You Good’ from Sheryl, it was the songs I had not heard before from each that surprised me like Sheryl Crow’s ‘Motivation’ that helped to keep me moving and warm through an otherwise very chilly night (ALL you weather people are SO FIRED!).

To sum up the night in two words – Absolute Awesome!

Note to Molson Amphitheatre people – you guys REALLY need to workout the parking issues – at $20 per car there is NO reason we should be stuck waiting over 30 minutes to LEAVE the lot and just idling away – pure bullshit, hire the staff and work it out! That alone would make me reconsider EVER seeing another show at this venue.

Subnote: Oddly enough, 2+6=8 – the power of eight continues yet again…

Seeing Melanie C, especially in a club venue, was absolutely amazing! She was a great sport and really embraced the crowd who brought in various home made props and even blew bubbles during a few of her songs. Such a great energy and her voice sounds amazing live – the hilarity was how open the Phoenix was in allowing everyone to film & take pictures and throughout the show all I saw was cameras, cell phones and even a couple video cameras! Argh! Curses for not bringing mine, but as my friend said the memory of the event is in my mind … and my heart *sigh*….

Here’s a great interview of Mel on The Hour that talks not only about her career but also her views on the music industry – she knows her stuff!:

 

Thursday, May 8 I’m going to catch Melanie C (yes, the former Sporty Spice Girl) live in Toronto at the Phoenix Concert Theatre [link]. The venue is a club (ie not seating) and tickets are still available for about $40 (after extra charges) – so why not come on down and join me? 

Since splitting from the Spice Girls in ‘99, she’s proven she has far more talent and diversity, with millions of album sales and multiple hit single later, her range of piano ballads to guitar-laden rock coupled with great song writing and an awesome voice – can all be described in one word, ‘brilliant!‘. Mel has quickly became another favourite in my music collection.

She’s touring in support of This Time, (though officially launching in North America last month, I’ve been listening to it since its UK debut last year) the 4th album from one of Britain’s most successful female performers – to find out more check our her official website.

This will be an awesome night! – the ‘power of eight‘ continues…

This event snuck up on me and is an interesting one in that it highlights independent music around Toronto for the few days its live. I wish I could go see all the concerts as the last few years I’m finding many hidden talents in the independent scene that really rock the shit out of most of the mainstream ‘muzak’ that is put out these days. The official website is a bit of a mess to navigate but somewhere in there, is all the info [link: CMW.net].

Your best bet for a complete listing of all thats going on during the event (and in the city in general) is the free Eye Weekly magazine you can pick up at any newstand or subway station around the city. [ link: EYE Weekly.com ]

My real complaints with the event are 1) the bands I would like to check out are playing well after midnight! and 2) this damn snow and cold weather makes club hopping a less then desirable experience. Well at least the internet offers a warm and cozy way to check out the bands from the comfort of home (and buy their music – don’t steal it!). Here are a couple cool bands I recently came across and like – both from Toronto:

Scarlet Sins – http://www.scarletsinsonline.com/
Music speaks for itself, but when it comes to Toronto’s Scarlet Sins, it shouts in your face.
From the inimitable cover of their debut independent eponymous effort—the alchemical symbol for androgyny—to the 13 tracks of thick, undulating metallic rock inside, this is not your typical band. The sinister, mysterious passion put forth on Scarlet Sins proves this quartet’s ambition is matched only by their technical prowess and undying aural allure.

Die Mannequin – http://www.diemannequin.ca/
Loaded with infectious hooks and melody yet sharp as knives slashing through your speakers, Die Mannequin is a monster trio that will leave you craving more. That, and care failure has bigger balls than any man I’ve ever met!
Ian D’Sa – Billy Talent
credit to Bean on Fire for introducing me to this group on YouTube.

Last night I finally got to see the Queen of rock ‘n roll, Joan Jett, LIVE! I grew up with her songs and lived by them through nearly every stage of my life leaving a lasting impression – I mean I’ve been part of the bad reputation nation longer then any friendship I know today! She is by far the one artist whom I have the most albums – 11 in total – and it looks like she’s not stopping anytime soon. Her latest critically acclaimed album, Sinner, released in 2006, continues her growth lyrically as they become both outspoken and personal while the music remains classic Joan Jett all the way once again keeping her promise to always be true to herself and her fans.

This woman knows how to rock and really can play some awesome guitar riffs to put most of the so called ‘rockers’ of today to shame. Her skills were good enough to land her onto Rolling Stone’s list of Top 100 Greatest Guitar Players of all time at 87, one of only 2 woman on the entire list (the other Joni Mitchell) though I think she deserved to be placed higher then some of the others on the list. Another cool fact about Joan Jett is she was the first woman and rocker to start her own label, a decision she was forced to do when she was trying to sell her debut record and was turned down by 28 major labels! She’s gone on to sell millions of albums world wide [source]. Her move not only proved to the gender-biased industry that women can play guitar and rock out as good or even better then the male counterparts of the time but also that an artist can make it on their own without the help of a record company. She has also been the inspiration for many of the hit-making girl rock bands over the years such as the Go-Go’s and the Bangles.

But back to the live concert – she sounds awesome live, slick and gritty guitar playing with pure attitude – and she looks damn fine for someone who on September 22 will be turning – get ready for it – 50! I mean just look at the picture – the girl looks amazing and I can only wonder if her vegan lifestyle helps to keep her looking so good and lean – those pipes could kick my ass in a heartbeat! The rest of her band mates, the Blackhearts composed of Dougie on lead guitar, Thommy on Drums, and Kasim on Bass, and long time keyboards/producer/co-song wirter/friend Kenny Laguna are all just as talented and proved themselves throughout the show.

Overall, she does put on a great live show. She’s not jumping all around the stage but is solid with her music and the raw and gritty playing can only be topped by her trademark vocals that churn out her own unique blend of melodic roughness to carry out the classic tunes such as I Love Rock and Roll, and Hate Myself for Loving You or even soften up beautifully on the ballad Crimson and Clover.

But the fact her career spans well over 25 years now, the vast age range at the concert was most amusing, especially considering the venue was Casino Rama in Orillia, ON. Throughout the show much of the older crowd kept walking in and out of the venue seeming somewhat dazed and confused as if they walked into a wrong room, while others in entire sections sat quietly and silently as if they were watching the evening news. But then everyone came to life and sprang to their feet when Joan began to sing her best known hit ‘I Love Rock and Roll’ – it was quite the sight to see and I had to laugh at the once catatonic crowd now waving their arms and whaling the chorus as if they had just hit the jackpot on the slot floor.

The concert only lasted about 70 mins but every single minute of it was pure punk, rock and roll and I loved every moment of it! I only regret I wasn’t able to see her years earlier – or more often – but now that I finally did you know I’ll be marking my calendar when she’s back in town again and be first in line to buy tickets. Hell yeah!

Link: Official Joan Jett and the Blackhearts website

Link: Official Bad Reputation Nation (fan site)

…to even begin to describe this video except that its Japanese and all the way through I laughed so hard I cried! (*warning, your life will never be the same again after watching this)

January 8th is the day I share my birthday with famous celebrities like Elvis Presley and David Bowie – pretty cool company to be with don’t you think?

This is a response to my friend’s Gigababy post [clickie] about how she can’t stand classic rock. …

>—
Music is arguably the one art that transcends language, culture and can inspire a full range of emotions more then any other creative medium. Sometimes a particular lyric or sound of music can strike a deep personal experience with the listener which then evolves into them liking similar music of that gendre or style.

I like ALL music, but at different times. But good music, regardless of gendre, will always stick in my book. I’m not a fan of any of the bands you mention above but I do love the song ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ by the Stones. Don’t know why exactly but I guess its so different then anything I heard at the time and it stuck – but the rest, meh. I still have nightmares of working my summers in Stelco where ALL they ever played was Q107 and Zepplin was every 2nd song, every hour, every day … I still get shivers even looking at football shaped balloons *cringe*

The problem arises that because people do have such a strong emotional connection with their favourite music, they assume everyone else must like it to without realizing that only a handful of bands ever really reached such a global acceptance such as Elvis or Abba – when was the last time you heard someone say ‘I hate Elvis/Abba?’ – think about it…

As for why people fall for these ‘rockstars’ is the same reason I would have women swoon over me if I had a hit record and made gagillions of dollars (CDN please!) – its the allure of that dream of being with a winner, a star, living the ‘good life’ where you have no cares in the world, party all the time and live life to the fullest. That is of course until you realize that Jagger is wearing knee pads in the pic – now why do you think he would need those, hmmm?

In the meantime, give me my punk rock girl bands and NIN with a twist of euro techno and a dash of Paul Potts and Pavarotti – and leave the classic rock on the side. There’s only so much I can digest at once.
—<

And for a more humorous perspective, see Dave Chappelle's take on this topic:

Lizette & launched an updated member site this weekend and much like the band, it rocks! The band is based in Stockholm Sweden and are musically reminescent of Nine Inch Nails and Alanis Morisette but still having a sound all their own.

Lead singer Lizette is a very talented friend and fellow Mac fanatic. She writes and produces all her own music and performs with her own live band. Currently they’re finishing up their latest album set to debut worldwide within the next few months – Check’em out!

Photo props: Lizette & banner designed by SarahB

Watch the video and then sign the pledge at AVAAZ.org, as part of Live Earth, to help send a message to the world that you want something to be done, and will do your part, to help slow down and prevent further effects from Global Warming.