Hamilton rock band City and the Sea have been through a few lineup changes since their last EP. Their first release with the brand-spanking new band, Action Figures, brings a fresh, more aggressive sound. With amped up energy and more of an alternative edge, this collection is a great leap forward.
The soulfulness from their previous work is a little understated here but it's still in the mix thanks to Nick Cino's amazing vocals. He's joined by returning bassist Dave Marini and new members Jon Daly (guitar) and Joe Piccolo (drums). Former member Dano Stajduhar plays drums on one track.
With a core of three distinctive vocalists and a talented team of musicians to back them up, the Caretakers have created an incredibly diverse new CD, Unfinished Thoughts (and Other Stories from the Songwriter's Den)
The Caretakers are Jeffrey C. Martin (guitar, vocals, main songwriter), Lena Montecalvo (vocals), and Norm Van Bergen (vocals, guitar). Though they each have a distinctive voice, the trio also work really well together when the song calls for harmonies.
The band takes the CSNY/Buffalo Springfield/Byrds style folk rock sound and updates it. Elements of southern rock, pop, country, and more can be heard throughout the disc. Lyrically, the songs also explore a number of political themes.
Standout tracks include the epic sounding Seven Monkeys On My Back, the sweet, soulful Daddy Laughed, and the incredibly catchy opening number, It's Thinking Time.
Former Munday Nuns members, Dave Pomfret's new CD: No Rush, is an amazing collection of songs that's hard to pin down stylistically.
Dave (aka Salsa Dave) goes from catchy, rockin' riffs to mellow melodies. On the way, he touches on folk, rock, and even bits of pop and country thrown in.
Joining Dave in making this great music is former Nuns bandmate (and former Killjoy) Mike Trebilcock on guitar and many other instruments. Mike also produced the disc.
The album was also a family affair as his wife, Karen Sturrock and his stepchildren joined on backing vocals. His son, Brier Pomfret, plays the piano on it as well.
"Hey everyone, we have a special treat for all the Kings fans out there! We've recently been in the studio working on some new music and we put together a little video of us working on a tune called Hundred. Enjoy!
We have lots of shows coming up in the next little while, including a spot as part of this year's NXNE Festival at the Black Bull in Toronto on June 18. Passes and info for the event can be found at www.nxne.com!
We also have our Thursday shows at Lazy Flamingo in Hess Village and a bunch of Chapters shows coming up, check the Facebook page for all the info! See you there!
