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Nuance Prog Rock Festival

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Nuance Progressive / Rock / Experimental Art Festival is for all progressive rock lovers. It showcases alternative rock bands from southern Ontario. It is a MUST SHOW TO SEE if your a lover of progressive rock. I still can’t believe that I have never heard of this festival before and better yet, it’s a 20 minute walk from my house!!!

I just opened up a local newsletter called The Mirror and I came across this interesting article. As you can see from link, it comes across like a traditional like ART Festival, but when you go and look at the official Nuance link from the article, it’s so much more!

This years lineup features Wilton Said, Lorne Hind, The Rebel Wheel (which reminds me of very early Spiro Giro, a early influence on my style of playing) and Counter Point (these guys sound like they are heavily influenced by YES’s, Relayer album)

So if you get the chance, come on out to the 2008 Nuance and be a Sound Chaser like the rest of us! Hey, isn’t that you Tony on keyboards? I never knew you were in YES?

NOTE: Tony, Domenic and Jon, I expect you to show up!

Keep om Jammin’





Jazz pianist Steve Kovens CD release

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A great East York Jazz pianist is set to release his latest CD. It was held at Papermill Theatre in East York. He sold out the venue, that holds 160, but you can catch him this weekend at Ten Feet Tall on the Danforth, in Toronto. He is a regular at their Sunday Jazz series.

I’ve seen Steve Koven live and he never disappoints me in his delivery. Either his solo material or the electricity with his Trio, he is worth the price of admission. Even though he is a serious jazz fan, he sometimes has a funky side to him.

He is a Toronto boy and started playing around the tender age of seven. He earned a B.F.A. from York University, in the northern part of the city and studied contemporary improvisation at this site. Since graduating in 1987, Koven has pursued his career as a jazz pianist, composer and educator.

The man is nationally and internationally known as a musician and teacher. The man has earned his badge of musical honour, not to mention zillions of air miles!

I just want to expose all of you educated music lovers to the hidden treasures that we have here in my neighbourhood of East York in Toronto, Canada!

This is little long, but I hope that you give Steve, a good old Toronto boy, and his trio a chance! Enjoy.

Keep on Jammin’

Battle Scar by Max Webster and RUSH

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This song, Battle Scar, is a melding of Canada’s greatest rock bands from this or any other era. Through a musical alchemy, two totally different rock styles, together blend this into a classic, colossal Canadian Rock anthem.

This song was on Max Webster‘s Universal Juveniles album. This album was the one that made the US take notice of this iconic Canadian band. The British critics even anointed this album a Heavy Metal Classic! I wonder if Ozzie ever heard this one?

Battle Scar was written by Pye Dubois and Kim Mitchell with the sole intention for both bands to use, to play live. Both bands used to play on tour together in their early careers so it only seemed a natural progression for them to play a song that was created specifically for both bands to perform while on tour. It was recorded at the prestigious Phase One Studios in Toronto.

As a young guitarist, I use to listen to this song for hours on end on my turntable at my parents home. I let my imagination run wild on what it would be like to see these two goliaths of Canadian Rock play this tune together, live at a huge historic venue like the old Maple Leafs Garden during the song’s hey days! Oh the glory, oh the electricity in the air … oh another concert missed and lost forever except in my mind.

Max Webster, RIP

Keep on Jammin’

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