Rory McGibney

sam adams II

(jamilton photo by rory mcgibney: Sam Adams)

Last week I went to a 'Sam Adams & Special Guests' concert. During the day, a friend and I journeyed to Toronto, bused to the Opera House, and waited around all day, just to get a good spot during the concert. It was SO worth it. We arrived at the Opera House at around 2:30, and the doors opened at 7:00. As the day went on, and the time dragged by, our excitement and anticipation grew. Finally, the doors opened, and we were one of the first 10 girls inside. The whole experience was such a rush.   We waited impatiently for the artists to come on stage, getting pushed and shoved by others in the crowd.

     First out came a guest performer named Dubbs. He was a young, good looking guy with a lot of talent. By the time he finished his performance on stage the crowd was eager; some girls were even in hysterics. A surprise guest joined Dubbs on stage, his name was Ricky J. I instantly knew who he was, his hit song 'What a Night'  plays all over the radio. Both of these performers were admirable, and did exactly what they were supposed to do: pump up the crowd for the main act.

     Finally Sam Adams came out, and with a bang. I could feel the music pounding in my chest, and the floor shaking. His stage presence was phenomenal . He of course played his huge hit 'I Hate College,' and many other songs such as 'Comin' Up,' 'Driving Me Crazy,' and 'No Speak Americano.' More than once, he went crowd surfing, which made the crowd go WILD. Being right in the front row of the concert was unreal. At one point, he was less then 3 feet away. After seeing Sam Adams on youtube, and listening to him on my Ipod constantly, it was surreal seeing him  up-close and personal at last.

     With his musical mix of electro, hip-hop, and rap his performance was exhilarating and breath taking. I have been  a fan of his from the start. The first time I heard his music was near the beginning of his career, when he had only a few songs out. Yet, I instantly fell in love with his style of music. Since then, I have only grown more fond it, since he has expanded his genre, and added much more electro into his songs. I am extremely fortunate to have been able to get a ticket in time to go to the Opera House, it was his first ever concert out of the US. For him, that must have been a huge accomplishment. The next time he returns to Toronto, I know I'll be making it a priority to go see him once again

Elton John: What a show!

(jamilton.ca photos by Rory McGibney)
Last weekend, I saw Elton John in concert. Beforehand, I didn’t know much about him, but the moment he walked on stage in his snazzy pink and black suit, and received a standing ovation, I instantly appreciated him. He started off with ‘Funeral For a Friend,’ which went into ‘Love Lies Bleeding,’ off the album Yellow Brick Road. Even if you didn’t know many of his songs, like myself at the time, you couldn’t help but enjoy his voice, and the atmosphere itself.
 
The performance was great. It looked like a completely sold out show, with an extremely enthusiastic audience. The lighting really added to the performance, it was not only on the stage, but also on the floor where some of the audience was seated.  From where my seat was, I could see the people right in front of the stage, and it was pretty entertaining. Many of them had bright, crazy glasses on, and some were even glowing or blinking. There was lots of screaming and dancing going on.
 
 Elton John’s voice was astounding. But at times, I felt that the instruments overpowered his voice, and it was difficult to hear him. There were five people in the band, and Elton himself playing the piano. I was surprised at how many different guitars were played during the concert; there must have been at least 7 or 8. At one point, Elton jumped up onto his piano, which is pretty impressive for a man his age. Throughout his performance he was full of energy. The majority of the people there might be considered old wrinklies; but there were also a lot of younger people there, like myself, who were enjoying the show just as much. I never really thought I would have a good time going to a concert of a man in his 60s, but in this case, age wasn’t an important factor. This guy puts on a great show.

Drake ... thanks!

For the past few years, I have been a huge fan of Drake. First off, he was one of my favorite characters on the hit Canadian TV show Degrassi, and he is now an amazing rapper. On June 15th, Drake released his album ‘Thank Me Later.’ The album was supposed to be released in late 2009, so there was a lot of anticipation before it finally did come out. With my high hopes for the album, I was slightly disappointed. Yes, it was a superb album, but it was supposed to be fantastic, and better than ever. But, I feel like all the songs were very similar to each other.
 
         Although I was not completely blown away, I did still enjoy the album. There were other famous artists included such as Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, T.I, and Young Jeezy. I found that each and every one of these artists’ voices went well with Drake's voice, and the beats. All in all, I had two favorite songs from the new release. The first is ‘Find Your Love.’ I really enjoy it because it’s much slower than Drake’s usual songs, and the lyrics are more meaningful than his usual. My other favorite is ‘Over.’ In my mind, the two most important things in a song are the excellent lyrics and a nice beat, and both of the songs have those characteristics.
 
         All things considered, it was an admirable album. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but it was still enjoyable. The more I listened to it, the more it grew on me. What I like about his music is that is it great for all different occasions, whether it’s just hanging out, partying, or just sitting at home on the computer listening to it.

Sam Adams – Not the beer

On March 4th, Sam Adams released his first album, called ‘Boston’s Boy.’ Who is Sam Adams? He’s a new artist that brings a unique genre to the table. It’s a mix of rap and electronic beats. He has already become very successful, even though he’s a young guy, and he’s still in school.

I first heard him on Youtube, and soon after, began downloading all his music. I could not stop listening to him. Most of his songs have a terrific beat, and are extremely catchy. Sam Adams is very versatile; some of his songs such as ‘Driving Me Crazy’ or ‘Brand New’ are quick and upbeat, and others such as ‘Just Love Here’ are at more of a slow pace.

Adams is a very talented guy. He’s played the piano since he was seven, he is an astounding rapper, and his music is self-produced. Just a week after releasing his album on iTunes, it became the #1 Hip Hop/Rap album. This summer, Sam Adams will be joining rap sensations such as Ludacris, Drake, and B.o.B. on the Summer Jam Stage in Boston on June 5th.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFsugG7tnMc&feature=channel

Taylor, Keith & Britney

Sorry I haven’t been able to blog lately, I’ve been super busy this summer! I haven’t had the chance to go to many clubs lately to check out the live music, but I have had the privilege of seeing several famous, extremely talented artists this summer, such as Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Britney Spears.

The first concert I went to this summer was from Keith Urban’s ‘Escape Together,’ World Tour. We travelled to Rochester to see it. I didn’t even know who Keith Urban was beforehand! But, after the concert, I realized I had been really missing out all these years. He was amazing! To start off the show, Taylor Swift performed about 10 or 12 songs, such as Picture to Burn, Love Story, and Tim McGraw. For such a young, new artist, her voice is unbelievably strong, and can hit any note. I’ve been a fan of hers for about a year now, and seeing her in person was just surreal. She had great stage presence, and looked completely comfortable up there. I can see why her album is named ‘Fearless.’ At one point, the crowd cheered for at least two minutes straight, all for her! By the end of her performance, I was completely confident that she will have a long, fabulous career ahead of her.

Next on stage was Keith Urban. The crowd, full of cowboy hats, boots and plaid went wild. He played songs such as You’ll Think of Me, Kiss a Girl, and Tonight I Wanna Cry. Even though I wasn’t familiar with his music, I enjoyed it just as much, and possibly more, than I did Taylor Swift's. I don’t know what I enjoyed most about his performance. Whether it was the country feel, or the southern music, or possibly his friendly, entertaining comments, I’m not sure. All I’m sure of is that every single person in the crowd had never seen anything like it. He was an amazing performer. During the show, he went straight into the crowd, and up in the stands, while playing his guitar. I’ve never seen a singer do that before. Later that night night, I was sad to see the concert come to an end. But, I left the place knowing that I saw two very talented artists, that I may never have the privilege of seeing again.

The minute I got home, I added all of Keith Urban’s songs onto my iPod.

The next concert I went to was the legendary Britney Spears, at Copps Coliseum. It was based upon a circus, and it was a huge production! There were women doing flips, and landing on a bar four feet off the ground, men and women swinging around on ropes, trampolines, and many more impressive acts. I was so excited to see Britney; I’ve loved her since I was about six years old. I know all her songs, watched all her videos, and have seen Crossroads, the movie she stars in, about 20 times.

When she arrived on stage, I looked around, and all the girls around me seemed to feel the exact same way. It was so unreal, seeing Britney Spears in my very own hometown. She kicked off the show with her song Circus, and performed many other hits, like Break the Ice, Toxic, and Baby One More Time. Her performance was great, apart from a few complications. A couple times she seems a little unsure of what she was doing, during her dancing segments. But, this is understandable, as she was dancing for most of her performance. She has the responsibility of memorizing lots of different dances.

Throughout her performance, she kept surprising me. Along with the circus performers, she was also hanging from high heights, at one point, upside-down, and singing at the same time.

Although Britney had some issues to deal with a couple years back, she defiantly made her way back to the top. Almost every girl I know attended the concert, which shows how popular she is really is again. She was a great performer to watch, and really entertained us all.

Die Standing

When I began writing reviews for local music, I realized how many talented, successful artists are from Hamilton. Beforehand, I thought that it was rare to find band members from your own hometown, but I know realize that there is an endless list of fantastic, new, willing artists within Hamilton.

I took a trip to the Casbah on July 23rd, to check out ‘Die Standing.’ The band formed in 2007, and has three male members: James Hand, who plays the guitar; Josh Ward, who plays the bass; and Nick Sturn, who plays the drums. In addition to each playing an instrument, they are all responsible for the vocals. ‘Die Standing’ has a powerful punk-rock sound to them. Their music was loud and intense. I found it hard to understand what they were saying at times, it was a little unclear, but I enjoyed the beat of their music.

They performed several songs, a couple of which were performed for the first time ever that night. The names of the new songs were ‘The shadows fall,’ and ‘I want something.’ In my opinion, the two new songs were the best, because I found them a little less screamo then the other songs. ‘I want something’ was a very repetitive song, which was easy to learn the lyrics to. It was a great idea for them to perform it, so that the audience could have a lot of fun, and get more involved. In the end, I had a great time going to their show. It wasn’t really my type of music, but I still enjoyed it, and I found myself tapping my foot to most of their songs. I would suggest them to anyone who is a fan of punk-rock music.

I believe that they will become quite successful in the next few years. The crowd seemed to love them, and number of fans will only grow.

rogers musicfest

(photos by Rory McGibney)

On Sunday, I went to the Rogers Spring Music Festival Battle of the Bands, at the Corktown Pub, and had a LOT of fun…but my ears are still buzzing from the all the noise. 12 bands played, and the one that was voted the best received $20,000 worth of rewards, and some recording time in the studio. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there for the whole festival, but I got to stop by, and watch three of them perform. I saw The Usual Suspects, Atlantis Blue Print, and Saginaw.

When I arrived, The Usual Suspects were playing. Sadly, I just caught the end of one of the songs, and their last song. I really wish I could have heard more; they were talented! There were several instruments being used: keyboard, guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. Their genre of music was a mix of indie, rock and rap.  I watched them perform the song Fantasy, and I was pleased with it, they had a great sound.

    The next band I saw was Atlantis Blue Print. There were three males in the group: Adam Skinner, the singer and guitarist, Raul Ponce, the drummer, and Brad Barnett, the bass player. They had a very clean, crisp sound. Their genre was a funky rock, and they really seemed to know what they were doing. All three of the band members seemed very confident on stage; they didn’t act at all nervous. By the looks of it, they seemed to be very experienced with being on stage. Adam Skinner's vocals were amazing! His singing was at a perfect volume compared to the level of sound coming from the other instruments. Of the three bands I watched perform, I believe that Atlantis Blue Print was my favorite.

    Lastly, was a two-year-old screamo band named Saginaw. The band was full of anger and dreadlocks. There were five males, all from Waterford. When they first came on stage, almost the whole audience starting applauding loudly. I don’t know if it was just me, but I found this hardcore metal band extremely hard to understand. This genre is definitely not my type of music, but I do appreciate their talent. They had a very unique sound and appearance, but many people in the audience loved them. I enjoyed the instruments, and the fast-pace beat.  

All in all, I had a great time going to the Rogers Music Festival. I wish I could have stuck around to find out who won. If I were to be the judge, I would have picked Atlantis Blue Print, but it all really depends on what type of music you’re interested in. I don’t know how they could have possibly chose a winner, as everyone loves different types of music. Although I loved The Atlantis Blue Print, I’m sure someone at the Festival enjoyed Saginaw ten times more. That’s what’s great about music, there are so many different genres, and everyone enjoys something a little bit different.

Before I began writing reviews, the only ‘Blues’ I knew of was the little blue dog on TV; Blues Clues. But, now that I’ve had the privilege of listening to several extremely talented bands, I now know what ‘Blues’ really means. Last weekend, I went to The Coach and Lantern, and I saw a band named The Stingrays, and they gave me much more insight into the Blues genre.

         It was an older band, with four guys playing the drums; guitar; bass; harmonica; and also singing. They had really great sound, and they created an amazing atmosphere in the small comfortable pub. I hate when you go to a restaurant, and you can’t even hear the people sitting beside you, because of the music playing. But, this band had it down pat; they had the perfect volume. I could still hear everyone around me

         As The Stingrays (home.cogeco.ca/~stingrays) were performing, I looked around at the other people in the pub. Everyone seemed pleased with the music. Many people were thumping their hands on the tables, or tapping their feet to the beat. Their music was being thoroughly enjoyed. The band used many different techniques, which made it sound as if there were more than just four people performing; they had a very full sound, like there were tons of instruments being used. The singing made you feel almost as if you were way back in the 30’s. He had a very old fashioned sounding voice, which I really liked.

         All in all, I really enjoyed myself. There was great music, and a great atmosphere, which is exactly what you want when watching a band perform. The Stingrays are at The Coach and Lantern every week, and I highly recommend giving the entertaining, experienced band a listen.

City Sirens @ Shiloh

On the weekend, I went to review a little bit of live music, and I was so pleased with what I found! I stopped in at the Casbah, and stayed for two performances, ‘City Sirens,’ and ‘Shiloh.’

City Sirens came on first. Right away, they had driving beats, and amazing vocals. They’re a group of five young men, all from Hamilton. The band covered songs like ‘I want to hold your hand’ by The Beatles, and ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz; but also performed several of their own amazing songs. While they were onstage, it was unbelievable to just look around. I was surrounded by people that were wearing City Sirens t-shirts, and singing every word of every song! All bands must feel great when they see that, remembering how they were treated before their musical career, and then seeing people scream at the top of their lungs, just to hear more of their music.

Throughout their performance, the band and the fans were smiling from ear to ear. It was such a great atmosphere, with the strong bass, and the screaming teens; I’m sure it got everyone pretty energetic. City Sirens did a marvelous job, the crowd was begging for an encore, but sadly, there was not enough time. I’m positive that they will become very well known; each and every single guy in the band seems extremely talented. Their music was so fabulous; I bought a CD of my own. ☺

Right after City Sirens, Shiloh came on stage. The crowd went crazy! She sang several songs of her own: I remember; Goodbye, You Suck; Better, and a few more. She performed a variety of genres, such as rock and reggae, and her voice was extremely powerful throughout. All of the instruments that were used matched perfectly with the vocals, and there was a great balance between them. She could hit all sorts of notes, high and low.

Both bands were applauded greatly; and seemed to really get the crowd going. I’ve never been so impressed with live music before, this was my type of music, and I loved every minute of it. I had a great time watching them perform, and I can only hope to see them again.

City Sirens:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=64309019

Shiloh:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=214822299

Bluesing

  Music is a fascinating thing. Sitting at home, listening to the radio, you may not enjoy certain genres of music. But, when you hear it live; you get drawn in. Everything is so much more real, and impressive. Just watching a band with so much determination and love for music is amazing. There is always such a great atmosphere and attitude in the room. Nothing compares to live music. 

         On the weekend, I had a great time at the Carrigan Arms, where I watched the live band. I’d had the pleasure of seeing the drummer (Dave Gratton), the bass player (Garth Vogan), and the guitarist (James Anthony) perform once before, but I had never seen the singer before. His name was Johnny Maxx, and he was fabulous! Other than his singing career, he is also a successful comedian. He had a deep, strong voice; he was great to listen to!

         Throughout the whole performance, the audience and the band seemed to be loving every minute. Everyone was laughing, and clapping along to many of the songs. Johnny Maxx was a very wild, outgoing, fun guy; he managed to get everyone involved! The band didn’t limit their stage area; the singer was going up the audience and singing, or telling jokes. It was probably the most entertaining performance I’ve ever seen because everyone in the band was just so charismatic!

         All in the all, I had a great time there. The band played good-time blues, and a little bit of country. Everyone was amazing, and seemed so experienced. The guitarist, James Anthony, also sang to several songs, and had a couple guitar solos that were outstanding! Keep on the lookout for these artists, because they are exceptional, and I would recommend them to anyone who loves the blues!