music notes (03/30/05): Chris Hart’s recent album "Behind The Blue Wall" (Broken Hart Productions) is by far the Forest City’s best written, best performed, best sounding album to date. That I’ve heard anyway. The way it blasts off with ‘We Were Stoned", quickly grabs your attention and makes you actually forget what you were just doing. The timely "Behind The Blue Wall" focuses on the Dudley George story and insights leading up to the Ipperwash Inquiry. Great musical storytelling not unlike Londoner Frank Ridsdale’s "Elijah Harper" off his "Mod World Old World" album. "Forget About Me" is the album’s full-throttle upbeat drive-with-the-top-down singsong, delivering the goods with a full horn section to boot. The beautiful "Falling From The Sky" mixes Chris’ raw emotion against chords that support his heartfelt words perfectly, drawing the listener in from the first second’s drum hit. The personal observation in "Mrs. Mathieson" shows remarkable empathy in bringing another’s life into the spotlight for the first time after that life has ended. The studio’s atmosphere comes through perfectly on this track. You can actually hear the silence between the words and chords. This is the album’s best track in my mind, and ears. This guy needs to be heard far beyond London’s boundaries. The few times I’ve seen Chris perform at the LMC, showed me just how versatile this singer/guitarist really is. If his next effort equals or outshines this one, we’re all in for an incredible treat to savor for years to come.     by houndDog

music notes (06/17/04):Hello there, my name is Ike Moore, local London musician in a band called Icewater www.icewaterlegion.com. I was a first-timer at the London Music Club tonight for Rinsethealgorithm and it was great. Looks like you've got a great club there. Hope to come back sometime soon. Just thought I'd pass along a review I wrote of the show tonight (maybe for your website).  All the best, Ike Moore,  Icewater - vocals.   Review:  Rinsethealgorithm - June 17, 2004  by Ike Moore (Icewater).   Bassist Rich Brown has done it again. This new project of his, Rinsethealgorithm, speaks loudly of his accomplishments as a musician in Canada and more, shows him as a world-class musician. My first trip to the London Music Club, I was impressed. This venue is going places but only with the help of music lovers like yourselves. Go see something at this place, and you won't regret it. This could very well be the cultural cornerstone we've been looking for. That aside, bassist Rich Brown and his band put on a fantastic show for all of those in the audience. He is a multi-talented man that plays in all kinds of styles, and is most definitely Toronto's busiest bass player. Tonight, he played jazz in our fair city.... and oh did he play. From the first notes of his opening tune, to the end of his set, Rich soothed the audience into a trance-like state with his incredibly smooth stylings. At times, it was hard to distinguish if he was using a fretless bass, or a fretted one. The chorus effects were tasty and well placed. His musicality was unrivaled and his playing very impressive. Rich's songs were very introspective and he explained his reasoning behind the writing process between songs. Many tunes had very special meanings to Rich and this emotional attachment helped the audience see the extra beauty in these songs. Though Rich was the featured performer, his band mates didn't cease to impress either. Robi Botos, the keyboard player, was very, very good. His solos were top notch and totally musical. His keyboard playing seemed so natural and was very passionate. Aubrey Dayle, the drummer, was terrific as well. He was sometimes carrying on beats that were so complex and physically demanding that I would catch myself staring in disbelief that he could be accomplishing the sounds which I heard and was witnessing with my own eyes. Michael Stewart, sax, blended his very musical stylings to the mix and lovingly placed all his notes with extra care. He was a nice addition to the mix, and performed very well. Overall this was an amazing show of Jazz music. Some of it was not overly traditional harmonically, but to this reviewer, that's a okay. I really enjoyed this show, and it allowed me to see first hand some top-notch players who are trying to do something new in their field, for their own reasons. Kudos to a great bunch of players. Thank you for coming to London.  by Ike Moore

music notes (06/15/04): "Cryin' Again" by Foxtail (DSM-SP-576) This is a wonderful, bright, non-stop joy of a recording that has a passion behind it that’s hard to conceal. The first thing you notice is the crisp banjo playing of Larry Johnston, a harbinger to a gorgeous blend of voices that could uplift even the saddest frown on the darkest day. There’s an excellent blend of original material (by Nora Galloway and one each by Gord DeVries and Larry Johnston) and proven standards. When I read that the recordings were made direct into a single microphone, I was even more impressed that this was a reflection of how this talented foursome would sound live. I was also pleased to read that they recorded this album at DansanMan Studios here in London. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with owner/engineer Dan Santarella there a couple of times, and enjoyed the relaxed, state-of-the-art environment. Nora Galloway’s beautiful voice highlights the even more beautiful ‘You’re Cryin’ Again’. The warm, inviting ‘All Through The Night’ might just have you playing and replaying this disc about that long. Throughout, there’s seems to be a hint of the past intermixed with a sound that points to the possible future of where these roots are bound. They definitely get an extra dose of nourishment here… without question. This is timeless stuff when it is recorded with the right people, the right sound, the right approach. This one gets top marks because it seems to hit its mark every time.  by houndDog

music notes (05/31/04): The first few seconds of playtime on Chris Hart’s “Lonesome Blood” album (Broken Hart Productions) assured me that this was going to be a very well-balanced, atmospheric showcase of original material. There’s a confidence in the sound, the way the words are sung, and the musicianship that moves it all along. Like a gunshot, out comes “Shoot Me To Sleep”, with single written all over it. “Lonesome Blood”, with it’s haunting pedal steel guitar, flows a little differently next, but works well in it’s own solitary way. “Let’s Get it On” sounds like a cross between Bruce Springsteen and Chris Isaak, swaying on a bouncing beat with an ease that seems to live in all the tracks on this hard-to-categorise album. Elvis could have easily sung “Drifting Away” in about 1957 (minus a select word or two). My favourite song on this disc is “Dead Savannah”, written not by Chris, but by Theodore Hart? It has a completely different feel and sound than all the rest of the tracks… like Squeeze meets Marty Stuart, and this is what they came up with when told they had to write one song together. The album was recorded wonderfully by Dan Brodbeck here in London, Ontario at DB Studios, and all the players contribute flawlessly throughout. My choice for single #2 is “The Perfect Ending”, which reminds me a lot of Roy Orbison toward the end of his great career. A clear, introspective, aching voice with a story to tell, a lesson to teach, a truth that hides nothing. If this is what some call ‘country music’, then I’m glad it comes from this country, from this town, at this time. by houndDog

music notes (05/20/04):The London Music Club, which has been up and running for a good month and a half now, once again struck gold with a special three-hour acoustic see-saw performance last evening (05/19/04). Taking turns at original offerings, Kristin Sweetland and Sam Masich (pictured left) could not outdo each other as they bounced back and forth, lending a hand on one another's mesmerizing compositions. Presented by Ian Gifford of CHRW’s “For The Folk”, London-born Kristin and west-coaster Sam seemed like they’ve been doing this shared sounding-board, right-back-at-ya show for a long time. But that isn’t the case, although Kristin and Sam first met at a songwriters' workshop in B.C. about five years ago. Kristin played many tracks from her wonderful “Root, Heart & Crown” album, and Sam continued to surprise everyone with stories set against intricate chord arrangements. He has written or co-written hundreds of songs and has studied martial arts for more than twenty years, conducting workshops on both music and his martial arts interests. His incredible “Nuclear Waltz” kept everyone's ears and eyes fixed toward the source of each awaited word, as the audience joined in the tra-la-la-la three-step chorus. Kristin’s highlight moment was her “Battle Hymn”, superbly sung and featuring intricate, quick guitar runs that suited this Civil War dirge. The only thing missing was a drum banging slowly as the trumpets they blow!!! There was a lot of history in both performers' choices of songs last night. To top off a great ride, Sam informed all that there was a special musical guest in the house-  Jane Siberry!!! Jane then came up to the stage and proceeded to entertain the still-captivated audience, with some help from Sam and Kristin, for the balance of the show. You couldn’t ask for a better ending. Thanks go out to Ian Gifford and CHRW for bringing the talent, the fun, and surprise to London last evening!!!   by houndDog

music notes (05/14/04): "Mod World Old World" by Frank Ridsdale (Wiggy St.Paco No. WSPNCD1280) What a treat!!! I stumbled upon this fun-charged, full-blown musical explosion, not knowing much about the man whose name sits at the top left corner of the cover on this his debut solo album. Not being a home-grown Londoner kept me in the dark as to the history of all involved. Right off the bat I could sense that something special was unfolding. These songs sound like they were supposed to be written, no matter what. There’s a lot of bounce, humour, satire, dark moments, and that voice that keeps each story rolling in its chosen musical style. On the tracks “Hey Jack” and “This Old World”, I thought for a second I was listening to Tom Wilson (ex-Junkhouse) singing in that serious, deep voice. But no, it was just one of Frank Ridsdale’s many musical demeanours rising to the surface. “Blue Day” is a great blues song that reminded me of some recent Bob Dylan blues when he teamed up again with Daniel Lanois a few years back. Good stuff. The catchiest, fun track has to be “The Frog”… the newest dance craze??? The history of the failed Meech Lake Accord resides in the four-minute and thirteen-second lesson called “Elijah Harper”. Frank Ridsdale has developed quite a musical contact-list over the years since his days with Uranus and Sci Phonics, and I’m sure that a handful of them helped on this effort and had as much fun as Frank did in delivering this gem. “Mod World Old World” should be at least in every Londoner's CD rack. I’m going to give this borrowed copy back as soon as I buy a copy of my own.   by houndDog

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