Artist Archives 3

Chris Brokaw is a very talented guy...No doubt about it.  His solo stuff is great, but one must conjecture that he also must be super easy to work with given the insanely long list of sideman roles he has juggled.   He has been full or part-time contributing member of the following: CODEINE, COME, COBRA VERDE, MANTA RAY, LOOG, STEVE WYNN, PULLMAN, THE NEW YEAR, THALIA ZEDEK, Consonant, THE WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY, ROSA CHANCE WELL and MOLASSES.

Oh yeah...Chris even did a couple records with G.G. Allin and survived.

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Voodoo Court is a high energy nuclear surf band for the new millenium with an essence of the old surf sound, rooted in Central CA.    A power trio, featuringMark Kuhn,  the band delivers enough reverb to be heard from L.A. all the way to Miami.

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I had the opportunity recently to meet and hang out in the studio with Rock and Roll Legend, Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls the last time he was in Hamilton.  Heck, I even sold him a TV yellow Tokai Les Paul Jr. which he ended up using on the session and the rest of his tour.  He was the coolest, most down to earth guy and it was an extraordinary pleasure to meet him. definitely, try to catch him on tour.

Without the Dolls, there really would never have been Punk rock, which would have been a very bad thing.  As far as I am concerned, Syl and the Dolls should be inducted into the rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Doc Hopper were a fantastic Punk band.  Singer/guitarist/all-around excellent guy Chris "Gobo" Pierce has been in tons of other cool bands including the AG's (Drums), Sinkhole (Drums), Dead Guy and No Way Narc.  Also, check out Chris'  Technical Ecstasy recording studio in New Jersey or you can try his Myspace site here. 

Chris' latest thing is THE GROUCHO MARXISTS.  I don't know what else to say other than buy some of his stuff!!!  I have never heard anything that Chris has been involved in that didn't rock entirely!!!!

 

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Formed in 2000 by Mike Abalienation and Shannon Suicide as a D.O.A cover band (hence the name...the Murder Squad after D.O.A's hockey team).  Decided to go heavier with their originals.  With their feet firmly set in thrash and grind, Mike being the (ex) lead throat and founding member of N.Y's ABALIENATION and BLOODSUCKING FREAKS and Shan's love of thrash metal they play what they know best...heavy and extreme music.  Rounding out the band on guitar is ROB...the chaos master himself.  Shredding,brutal and loud!! on bass, Wounded Paw (Spazmz,ULCER,Spotty Botty) has a history all his own and he also runs SOUND FOUNDATION studio and WOUNDED PAW records.

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Justin Meldal-Johnsen

Gosh...where to begin.  Can you say Diverse?!?!?! Justin has played in many interesting acts.  Certainly, Beck is likely the most notable, but he has worked with many other great acts including Elastic PureJoy with Dave Allen (Gang of Four's original and amazing Bass Player) and Medicine.

Justin has recorded with Marianne Faithful, Frank Black, The Mars Volta, Sean Lennon, Mark Eitzel, Pete Yorn, Ladytron, Turin Brakes, and many others. In addition, Justin co-wrote and recorded an album forthcoming from Macy Gray. He has also contributed to remixes for David Bowie, Moby, and Jamiroquai, to name a few.

More recently, Justin has embarked on his own band project, IMA Robot.

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The Mofos are a high energy surf instrumental group. Their style is a mix between Link Wray and Motorhead.  If that isn't enough for you to bolt out the door to find their CD, you likely need your gulliver examined.

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Describe Baby Ray?  Imagine if XTC were born in Boston.  Given how much I love XTC and tonnes of Boston Bands, I consider that statement a serious compliment.  I hate to categorize bands, but Baby Ray have the Songwriting chops and super harmonies to live up to a lofty comparison such as that.  Ken also plays with the Weisstronauts

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Montreal's Treblemakers were a stellar Surf band.  Fast & loud, They displayed none of the happy-happy joy-joy melodies that were common in other bands of the genre (and that is a good thing!).  Also, Zak is a really cool guy.

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Pete Weiss, owner of Verdant Studio has been helping artists make unique records since 1989. Weiss' eclectic knowledge of many types of music, organic approach to sound and performance, and his easygoing demeanor have created a high demand for his production and engineering talents with artists from around the world.

Narrowly Described as "The Ventures on rocket fuel", The Weisstronauts are much, much more.  People of every calling in life regardless of age, creed, sex and musical preference will find something enjoyable on a Weisstronauts CD (Can you tell I really like them?).  Go buy one!

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Not every psychobilly band is British, the Danish band, Nekromantix bring along a new and different psychobilly style. The music is best described in terms like "Elvis meets the Wolfman", add punk attitude and spice it up with a universe of monster movies lyrics.  Fun?  Indeed, Just Check out that Coffin Bass.

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Adrenalin-fuelled guitars and Astute lyrics.  Works for me!  How about you?  Annabarbi already rock Hungary and will hopefully have some impact over here as well.

Here is Peter with his Tokai Firebird that I set him up with.

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"...astounding chops, a great sense of harmony, and his sense of time is uncanny..."

Indeed!  Check Scott's website out!

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Des Moines' Reverend of Tone, David Lee is well known on the 'net for his knowledge of tone.  He is a regular on the Harmony Central Boards.  His Pedal Picksreviews are always unbiased, well-written and informative.  David is a real nice cat and a great resource with respect to Tone and the endless pursuit thereof.

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VietGrove

Perhaps, Britain's most obscure band.

Check them out.

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Jeff Virgo spent 5 years as Bassist and Musical Director for VON LMO.  If that isn't a cool enough of a reason to check his stuff out, I don't know what is :-)

and 

Mindfunk Prod.

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The Feisty Piranhas is currently a trio of very different musicians that bring their own specialty to the band. A mixture of Punk, Hard Rock, Jazz, Classic Rock, Instrumental Rock, Blues and Classical.

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Check out Jamie Oakes website and then order one of his solo CD's!  Tom Cochrane, Holly Cole, Marc Jordan, Amy Sky and Rob Lamothe regularly call upon this multi-talented artist to fill out their own sounds while exposing Oakes' gifts across Canada, in Europe and as far away as Japan.

Yamaha Canada has also acknowledged Oakes' considerable abilities by inviting him to join Randy Bachman, Rik Emmett and Jason McCoy among others as one of only a handful of guitarists nation wide to be officially endorsed by the legendary company.

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The Terminal Sunglasses were part of the Montreal punk/new wave/alternative music scene from 1983 to 1985. Labelled an "avant-garage" band, they updated 60's garage band influences and Velvet Underground avant-guard tendencies with 1980's punk sensibilities.  I spent a lot of time listening to their crazy and incredibly fun record "Wrap Around Cool".  The Site has free high quality MP3 downloads of all their stuff! Dig the cool threads also!!!

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Alone and by themselves the members of "Trio Chroch" - the name comes from the first two letters of each of the musicians first names - are nice young men, who have chosen to be in the business of music. But put them together on stage and strange, crazy, insane and unpredictable things happen in their intuitive and spontaneous music.

Check them out!

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BabyShakers

If you like The Hellacopters, Zeke, Motorhead, The Bronx, AC/DC etc, These guys will turn your crank!

Bryan, the Bass Player (previously the drummer for local punk rock heroes, Social Suicide) is also an award-winning Tattoo artist.  Check his stuff out by clicking on his pic below:

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Classic Rock at it's finest!

Mike LaPointe performs all of the lead and acoustic guitar work with the flash and vigour of a classic rock’n’roll front man. No two shows are the same! Influences include Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, Steve Morse and classical music from the Baroque period..  Check their site out by clicking on his pic below:

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Up here in Canada, we are blessed with one of the Absolute Best Beatles Tribute Bands around, The Caverners.  Book them!  You will not be disappointed.

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Franjo Obradovic, Croatian guitar player and gun for hire from Germany .  Franjo knows guitar tone.  He is the guy who did many of the demos on the Jacques stompboxes website.  Franjo is also one of my favourite Internet buddies!  Check out his site out by clicking on the pic below:

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David Mirabella.com

Check out David's site.  Breakheart Skyline, his latest solo CD, is a mix of roots rock, pop, folk, alt. country and noisy, lo-fi ballads. Atmospheric and home recorded it has been a very successful indie release.

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Hey Kids! MDC HAVE A NEW ALBUM! THE FIRST FULL STUDIO ALBUM IN 11 YEARS!

X-Con Ron sent me a copy of the Record and It is great. 

 Go buy it here.  These guys were a staple in my record buying diet when I was younger.  So good to see them still hammering it out.

The band is back touring and they never fail to kick some ass.

Also, be sure to check out X-con Ron's Page as well!  Ron is an excellent person and loves to Mtn. Bike almost as much as me :-)

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For DIY tube amp-related information, as well as a selection of components and tube amp parts for sale or trade.  Check out the 

This is not a "company" website...this is the work of an individual who is out of control :-)

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Dan Walsh

In 2001, Dan Walsh was enlisted by Fred Eaglesmith to play Baritone guitar, Dobro, and Lap Steel in the Flying Squirrels.  He tours extensively throughout North America and Europe with Fred and his band performing approximately 250 shows per year.  He is a also a great guy!

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FUNKLE is a New York City based psycha-funk-abilly rock outfit
featuring Michael Lennicx (guitar,vocals), Dennis Lucido (bass,vocals),
Patrick Ruiz (drumma) and Tito Ruiz (guitar, vocals).  The site also features the paintings, illustration, design, and animation of Michael Lennicx.

So really kool stuff here!!!  Check it out!

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Bongos, congas, Korg Mini-Pops, Dr. Beat, Dr. Rhythm, TR-808, ARP Axxe, Farfisa, electric guitars, bass guitar, double-speed bass guitar, Superstar 3000 guitar, saxophones, Casios, double-speed percussion, rototoms, African drum, shakers, toy xylophones, bells, Synare, telephone, voice... You get the idea :-)

Original recordings produced, arranged and performed once upon a time in New Orleans, Louisiana and Houston, Texas.

You should really check it out.

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3 Guys my age that love DEVO, Turbonegro, Angry Samoans! Obviously, My spiritual brethren.

Tim is also one of the techs at Carr Amplifiers.  How cool is that?

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Digital Ink is the name of the graphic design and production studio run by Aron Harris. Specializing in logo design and business graphics, Aron has also been playing guitar and bass for nearly 20 years and has a less-than-healthy obsession with effect pedals. He'd be happy to talk to you about any design project you need done. Or the pros and cons of vintage analog effects vs. modern digital ones.

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If you've never seen the band before, and you happen to walk in while they are setting up, you might suspect Mr. Opporknockity is anything but a rock band.  With accordions, a washboard, harmonicas, jingle bells, and featuring Troy Roark (pictured above) on guitars out the ying-yang, you might conjure up other ideas about this group. . .
    Bluegrass band?  Possibly.
    Polka Band?  Well, maybe.
    Stick around for a few tunes and you realize that this is a rock band with a twist.  Sure, they have some definite country influence, but what is coming off of that stage is some seriously fun rock & roll.

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needtobreathe

Signing with Atlantic/Lava Records in March 2005, NEEDTOBREATHE is now actively touring the Southeast in preparation for the release of their debut album, recently recorded with producer Andy Green.  Seth Bolt (pictured above) plays bass and is an excellent guy to deal with.  Watch out for these guys!

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Junior Achiever is Gene Champagne's new band.  Champagne co-founded Warner Recording Artists’ the Killjoys.  Joining Champagne in Junior Achiever is like-minded musician Dave Fritz. Fritz once fronted another poptastic Hamilton group, Trigger, CFNY 1999 Modern Music Search finalists.

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A Northern Ontario music scene staple since 1997, Elephant Band has released two full-length CDs, "Autobus" (June 1998) and "Lessons in Songwriting (April 2002), as well as a CD single "The London EP" (December 2001). 

Elephant Band consists of Patrick Rhéal (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Eric Soini (drums, vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Vincent Therrien (vocals, bass, guitar). Patrick Rhéal and Vincent Therrien have been writing and performing music together since the early 90's, and Eric Soini, a welcomed addition to the band, joined in 1996.

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Yawning Man was born in the middle 80´s.  Current members are: Alfredo Hernandez - drums (Across the River, Sort of Quartet, Kyuss, founding member of Queens of the Stone Age, Family Butcher, co-founder of Che and member of Desert Sessions); Mario Lalli - bass (Fatso Jetson, Orquesta del Desierto, Across the River, The Sort of Quartet) and Gary Arce - guitars (The Sort of Quartet, Oddio Gasser, Ten East).

YAWNING MAN was the band that John Garcia (Kyuss, Hermano) and Brant Bjork used to see rehearsing when they were teenagers.  In his own words, B.Bjork said about YAWNING MAN that they are the best live band he has seen ever.  Needless to say how important the YAWNING MAN´s music has been in order to understand the desert rock music scene since the middle 80´s.  YAWNING MAN was responsible for influencing music in the desert and creating a sound which today is still trying to be duplicated.

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A music group containing two different bands: Kaze and Page. In the words of Kage, "We group to gather to share our "Music": feelings, emotions, friendship, energy, thoughts, experiences and so on".  Cool!

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Since Fourth Floor Collapse formed in Perth in 1998 they have become the most awarded unsigned band in Australia, winning many Western Australian Music Industry Awards, and having also taken out the Next Big Thing Competition.

Fourth Floor Collapse is an intensely captivating live band. Vocalist Michael Miller mesmerises the crowd with soaring passion and delicate spine-tingling subtleties. Creative arrangements and beautiful songwriting draws the crowd in further with rare drama and intensity creating a live performance that is simply exciting and mind-numbingly spellbinding. 

Fourth Floor Collapse have regularly toured around Australia, and have supported bands such as Badly Drawn Boy, Teenage Fanclub, Turin Brakes, the Avalanches, You Am I, Jebediah, The Blackeyed Susans, Big Heavy Stuff, John Butler, Epicure, The Anyones, iOTA, Eskimo Joe, Superjesus, Shihad, Magic Dirt and The Sleepy Jackson. They have also played several festivals including the Big Day Out 2004. 
 

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 Avant-Jazz/Rock guitarist, audio innovator Chris Buono is turning heads and leaving audiences perplexed with his fly by the seat of your pants, sonic superhero artistry. Not to be tied down to one genre, Chris Buono has been associated with an impressive list of today’s boldest musical minds. With an undeniably unique and recognizable sound, Chris Buono’s presence is resonating through a myriad of creative circles.