Concert Reviews by Martin Cook
The Dropkick Murphy's
@ The Kool Haus - Nov. 16th, 2009
The ultimate fusion of Irish and Punk music guaranteed to get anyone with a little green in them up and stomping their feet. The Boston based Dropkick Murphys brought down the Kool Haus on November 16th playing a sold-out show to a pack of their loyal followers. Their style is reminiscent of Shane McGowan's 'Pogues' but with a much harder punk rock sound. Playing old favourites such as 'Shipping out to Boston' and 'Kiss me, I'm Shitfaced' they had fans getting more than a little rowdy in the mosh pits. Lead singer Al Barr was in top form and able to belt out the tunes with complete clarity, well as clear as a drunken Boston punk can get. The rest of the line up was awesome with their chops both up to speed and well rehearsed. Any fan of the Irish Punk style should visit their website to find out more about the band and their upcoming concert dates.
5/5 Stars - This was an incredible concert!
Source: Dropkick Murphys Official Website
Jerry Leger and The Situation
@ Castro's Lounge every Thursday!
Looking for a relaxing evening with some great music by a home-grown Toronto artist? Well look no further than Castro's Lounge at 2116 Queen St E. on any given Thursday. A unique blend of folk and bluegrass this mostly acoustic outfit plays a great mix of both original and cover tunes that are sure to get your feet tapping. Fronted by the charismatic Jerry Leger, the band keeps the audience involved as jokes and banter are commonplace between tunes and bring a real warmth to the small room that is Castro's Lounge. Not to be overlooked is the highly talented drummer and vocalist Kyle Sullivan. With a style all his own this Humber trained jazz drummer keeps the beat and belts out the lyrics with a demeanor similar to Levon Helm of 'The Band'. So if you need to come up with a good place to take a date on a Thursday night, get your butt down to Castro's Lounge and check out the captivating performances of Jerry Leger and The Situation.
4/5 Stars - They need more songs with fiddles in them, other than that they are phenomenal.
Source: Jerry Leger Homepage
Upcoming Concerts You Can't Miss...
Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck @ The Air Canada Centre - Sun Feb. 21
Need I say more? Two Gods of the British whiteboy blues genre on stage together for the first time in who knows how long. The real question here is will you get tickets?
Alice in Chains @ The Sound Academy - Wed March 17
Do you like grunge that isn't Nirvana? Well you had better be at this show! Alice in Chains does grunge with style and haven't been to Toronto in far too long - so break out the ripped jeans and plaid shirts and get down with your bad self!
Jethro Tull @ The Molson Amphitheatre - Fri June 18
The forever touring brain child of musical genius and total weirdo Ian Anderson is back in Toronto again this summer and this is one band that is never a disappointment and always excites the inner music nerd that exists somewhere in all of us. Be there.
Source: Eye Weekly