August 2009 Archives

The Moncton music scene, like that of almost any city in this great nation of ours, has seen its share of ups and downs throughout history. No matter where they lie geographically, there is an inevitable ebb and flow to music scenes that cannot always be anticipated nor prevented, for better or worse.

Photo by Ray 13

The Strawmen

Since 2003, many bands within the Moncton music scene and beyond have used the Monctonlocals website (www.monctonlocals.com) as a promotional tool for their music. The site provides bands the opportunity for exposure to potential new fans while still keeping them connected with their established fan base.

Contrary to any pre-conceived notions that you might be expecting, the site is not a clique nor does the site or visitors to the site support only one specific genre of music.

Indie rock bands stand solidly beside their colleagues in jazz and heavy metal bands without reservation. Musical boundaries on the site are fuzzy at best and many wouldn't want it any other way.

Over the past few years, an initiative known as Support Local Music Week has been growing in popularity with both fans and the bands who utilize the Monctonlocals website.

As a musician himself and member of Moncton group The Motorleague, Monctonlocals site administrator Don Levandier says that Support Local Music Week was designed to give people the opportunity to check out groups and musicians that they might not normally take the time to investigate on their own, exposing both fans and bands to local acts which they might not have been familiar with.

"We always wanted Monctonlocals to be a home for local music when shows weren't going on," site administrator Don Levandier begins. "The site was designed to appeal to the non-musicians as much as it was for the people in the bands themselves."

"You would truly be surprised at how many local band members aren't in the loop on what's going on with the bands in their own backyard. So as a result of this, we wanted to have a week where everyone went local, supported one another and checked in on great Moncton-based bands."

Levandier is the first to admit that Monctonlocals.com went from being one of the most reliable sources for show information in the city to becoming "almost unnecessary" extremely quickly.

"With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and online social networking in general, the site has become almost obsolete," he notes. "That means that we had to start looking at including more exclusive content like video footage and original video content in order to stay relevant."

When a recent discussion about expansion surrounding the Monctonlocals site arose a few months ago, Levandier says that one of the first items of discussion agreed upon was to incorporate video content from local bands.

And with one visit to www.youtube.com/monctonlocals, visitors can check out video footage of Moncton bands past and present including groups like current local fan favorites such as Iron Giant and Hope while also featuring 'newer' bands like Louder Gabriel and Heavy Doobie.

The Monctonlocals You Tube channel is an ongoing work-in-progress. Levandier says that he is continuing to upload footage onto the website to give visitors more local content which they might not have found otherwise. He has essentially helped create a one-stop video shop for those interested in delving more into what the Moncton music scene has to offer.

To date, the feedback concerning the newly launched Monctonlocals YouTube website has been overwhelmingly positive.

"Since posting the Monctonlocals YouTube channel, we have had a lot of feedback from people that didn't necessarily know that some of these shows and events were even captured on video," Levandier says. "People have been very receptive to seeing footage of bands, some of which they were a part of, performing at shows through the years."

The advent of the Monctonlocals YouTube channel has encouraged many fans and bands to ask Levandier about contributing their video footage of shows shot throughout the years to the growing collection found online.

"I've had a lot of inquiries from people contacting me about old footage that they have and wondering if it could be added onto the site. So with these people and potential 'new' footage coming forward, we are really looking forward to digging through some video archives over the next month or so. I think a lot of valuable footage is going to surface from Moncton's musical history."

The creation of the Locals YouTube channel means that bands and fans can expect to see more video cameras popping up at upcoming events and shows with the intent of posting the footage on the website.

With 20 videos currently posted, the number of videos featured on the YouTube channel is set to grow exponentially over the coming weeks and months. And though the current number of videos being offered may seem small to some, you should keep in mind that it is a love of music and specifically of Moncton's relatively intimate music scene that is Levandier's motivation.

"It took a solid week to get the footage ready to go online and much more is still being uploaded now. So 'Support Local Music Week' really isn't completely accurate "" it's more like Support Local Music Month. I'm hopeful that this will ultimately help drive a renaissance of local music support," he says.

Don says that one of the biggest benefits of the week dedicated to the celebration of local music is seeing the content and music spread virally throughout other social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace, ultimately reaching people who either don't use or might not be familiar with Monctonlocals.com.

In many ways, this is the best case scenario of what can and should happen when it comes to local bands receiving promotion"" it shouldn't matter where people find the content, as long as they are finding or discovering it to begin with that is more than half the battle.

All of the above should go without saying- local bands should receive support year-round and not necessarily just for one or two weeks during the course of the year. The Support Local Music Week initiative is one of many smaller steps which are bound to encourage people to do year-round what Levandier hopes to accomplish during that one week: help people to realize that Moncton has a vibrant and vital music scene that should not be ignored at any time and can always use your support.

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Chances are you've heard Ryan Dahle's songs even though you might not recognize his name right off the bat. That is all about to change with his new record, Irrational Anthems.

Dahle was one of the guitarists/vocalists in the Canadian rock band Age Of Electric and also fronted the group Limblifter. During the mid to late 90's, Dahle was on a roll, earning seven radio hits and four Juno nominations between the two bands for songs like Limblifter's 'Tinfoil' and 'Remote Control' by Age of Electric.

Age of Electric went their separate ways in 1998 after more than a decade of slugging it out and striving to achieve a level of notoriety that only really came their way during their final few years together. When asked for the reasons behind their split, Dahle hesitates for a moment and then explains.

"That's a tough question," he admits down the line from British Columbia. "We had worked so hard for a long time and I guess it just started to wear on all of us within the band."

The end of Age Of Electric wasn't an explosive or controversial thing by any means, according to Dahle.

"We ended up playing two really big shows with Our Lady Peace and broke up amicably between those two dates. We have a lot of great memories and truly had a great time while we were together."

Limblifter would become Dahle's primary musical outlet and would go on to make two other great records (2000's Bellaclava and 2004's I/O) before Dahle would somewhat voluntarily fade into the background of the Canadian music scene.

Dahle remained entrenched in helping music be created, just not in the performing sense. He became a self-professed "studio rat," amassing recording equipment and building his own studio, the RecRoom, in Vancouver's Song City Complex which is also home to Greenhouse Studios.

Dahle has had the opportunity to work on many projects and in many different facets including recording, mixing and mastering. Not only did Dahle know his way around a mixing board, he would also help artists find the exact sound that best suited the songs being recorded. Even though the process of finding the perfect match of guitars and amplifiers could be an arduous process, Dahle recognizes the importance of the music sounding just right for the final product.

One of the most impressive credits on his resume is having mixed the upcoming Hot Hot Heat record.

"I've concentrated on making great sounding records with good equipment. Having the opportunity to have mixed the Hot Hot Heat record was a huge privilege and one I am very proud of, considering a band of their stature chose to work with me.

"I initially fell into the studio work by accident but welcomed it as it was a break from performing," Dahle says. "After awhile though, everything goes full circle and I came back around to song-writing. I realized that writing songs is kind of a luxury."

The renewed interest in song-writing would ultimately produce the 12 tracks on Dahle's new record Irrational Anthems. Recorded over the course of a year, Dahle admits the record has been completed for a year and a half. Dahle has been taking great care in the advance setup of his new record. He wanted to ensure all the right people were in all the right places and lending their support to his record prior to the album's release.

But rather than returning to the relative safety blanket of the Limblifter name, Dahle opted to release the record under his own name instead.

"I was actually torn between using the Limblifter name and releasing the record under my own name," Dahle explains. "I wanted to make and sell my new record without any kind of history being attached to it and received a lot of encouragement to go this route from my band mate Megan."

In this writer's opinion, selling his new record will not be a problem for Dahle. Irrational Anthems will be the catalyst to return him to the forefront of the Canadian music conscious. The 12 tracks on the record show a definite maturity in Dahle's song-writing, incorporating strings on songs like "Target Practice" while keeping the pop and power-pop edge that he is known for on tracks like "Chop Chop" and "Sixes and Sevens."

Shows in the Maritimes aren't currently on Dahle's tour schedule, but admits he would love to make it out to this part of the country before long.

"I think it's realistic that it will take some time for people to find out about this new record so we are thinking this might be more of a possibility in the spring."

Irrational Anthems is in stores and available online now.

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Mutemath's debut record in 2006 revealed a band that could be just as comfortable flirting with accessible, radio-friendly tracks as they could be with indulging the experimental side of their music. It is the latter that is the order of the day on Armistice, their sophomore record.

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Recorded in Buckingham, England in November 2008 is this beautiful opus from the criminally underrated Tift Merritt. Solo in the true sense of the word, this record features Merritt's voice accompanied only by her guitar or piano, the disc is the perfect outlet to showcase her tender, elegant vocals and engaging personality in the between song banter.

Buckingham Solo just might leave you speechless at the beauty emanating from your speakers.

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For his latest record, country legend Willie Nelson goes into jazz mode for what is his second complete set of cover songs. With guests such as Diana Krall and Norah Jones backing him up, Nelson's trademark lazy vocal delivery works well throughout these twelve tracks including standards like 'Fly Me To The Moon,' 'Ain't Misbehavin'' and 'The Nearness Of You' while Nelson's 'Always On My Mind' appropriately closes the set, an American Classic in its own right. 

This might not be a revolution on record but American Classics is deserving of a listen none the less - American icons like him are still making music for a reason.

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Over the course of his career, Danny Goldberg has worn many hats. He has worked with some of the world's biggest bands and at some of the biggest record labels in the US while also having logged miles as a journalist.

The title "author" is one of the most recent titles for Goldberg; his newest book Bumping Into Geniuses chronicles many capacities of the music business in which he has worked as well as some of the relationships and friendships he has cultivated over the past 40 years.

Goldberg is currently artist manager for musicians including The Hives, Steve Earle and Canadian indie darlings Stars. Gold Village Entertainment, formed in July 2006, is a return to the management field for him; from 1983 through 1992, his company Gold Mountain Entertainment oversaw the careers of Nirvana, Hole, The Beastie Boys and Sonic Youth.

In the time from 1992 through 2006, Goldberg held various positions within the music industry including CEO of both Mercury Records and Warner Brothers Records in addition to having founded independent label Artemis Records, the number one US indie label in terms of market share from 2001 through 2003.

He began his career in the 1960's as a music journalist, writing for prestigious publications including Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine, for whom he covered the Woodstock Festival. He would move on to do PR for Led Zeppelin and ultimately ascend to the post of Vice President for Zeppelin's Swan Song label.

But the music business is a far different beast in 2009 than it was as recently as 10 years ago. Physical music sales are in a constant state of freefall as consumers turned to file-trading on the internet, a practice from which the industry has yet to recover from or find a solution to that will restore them to their former glories.

"I think that labels really don't know what to do," Goldberg says from his New York office. "But it is the same for the movie industry; it is not just record companies that haven't come up with a replacement for lost revenue due to people getting their property for free. It is not an easy solution."

Goldberg goes on to say that digital music sales vary from artist to artist among his roster, but estimates that digital music sales make up between 50 and 65 per cent of some of his artists' total sales.

He says that this figure is lower in Europe by comparison and even lower still in Canada. None the less, Goldberg sees the silver lining.

"A digital sale is still a sale. Where artists and companies are suffering is from the non-sales of product such as downloading. That is a huge percentage lost but is a product of the technology of our world today."

One facet of the music business that is showing no repercussions of the music sales slump is the live concert portion of Gold Village's artists. Goldberg states that the live show business continues to be a very reliable outlet for his clients, admitting that the live show has become a much bigger percentage of the business for his acts. "I think that all artists have to be prepared to adjust to changing times. The course of making videos, making records and marketing bands has changed significantly in the past decade," Goldberg says.

"There is certain marketing that can be done via the internet that is far more efficient than the old days of doing mail outs via fan clubs. But honestly, I'm not sure whether the benefits of that can adequately compensate for the loss of billions of dollars of income that the labels are facing."

One of Goldberg's past artists certainly had no trouble finding an audience for their music.

Bumping Into Geniuses has a lengthy chapter dedicated to Nirvana where Goldberg states his relationship with their late front-man Kurt Cobain was "the most important of my professional career."

"I remember how sweet he was but he had a terrible drug habit," Goldberg reminisces. "Of course, he was a different person when he was stoned than when he was not. But when he was not stoned, he was one of the kindest, sweetest and most considerate people I had ever met. He was always steps ahead of everybody in his orbit."

Nirvana's success has been defined as a turning point in the history of music, closing the era of "hair metal" while giving commercial success to a genre of music that had long been relegated to underground circles.

In this writer's opinion, few bands since Nirvana can lay claim to having impacted music the way Nirvana did.

Does Goldberg foresee such a drastic musical revolution taking place again?

"I think the word revolution is too strong of a word, but absolutely, it has and will happen again," Goldberg states. "Different generations of fans yearn for something new; something that will make them stand out from their parent's generation. Youth help to reinvent culture every few years based on their need for their own identity in the world they live in.

"It was true of artists like Elvis and Michael Jackson and it will be true of future artists that can revolutionize the world with their talent and their songs."

Danny Goldberg's book Bumping Into Geniuses is in stores and online now.

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One of Moncton's finest punk bands is launching their brand new CD at The Paramount Lounge on Main Street, Moncton on Friday August 28. The Kamalas were formed in 2008 by guitarist and vocalist Elle Shapiro and drummer Salty, both of whom were members of The Damnsels. Rounding out the Kamalas lineup are bassist Jessup and guitarist T-Ray. The band's new self-titled CD was recorded in Moncton by engineer Kyle McDonald, who has also recorded efforts by Moncton bands The Peter Parkers as well as the debut (and only record) by the recently disbanded Blood Royal.

Recorded and mixed between June and August of this year, The Kamalas will be venturing to Quebec City, Ottawa and Toronto for shows prior to their Moncton date. Shapiro admits that this means that their Central Canadian fans will have first dibs on their shiny new disc.

"Hopefully that doesn't piss anyone off!" she quips.

Making enemies shouldn't be a concern to Shapiro. This is a band that can let their concise, tight songs do the talking for them and won't come out any worse for wear. And though the band's new music will soon be finding its way to CD players everywhere, Shapiro admits that releasing their music on vinyl wouldn't be out of the question if "we weren't such poor bastards!"

With a potential new seven-inch single in the works for the spring, expect to hear more from The Kamalas in the near future. Their new CD is only the beginning of a very good thing.

Fans can pick up The Kamalas' new CD at Spin It Records on Main Street and Live Wire on Mountain Road in Moncton. Those outside of the city anxious to hear these fantastic songs for themselves can order the disc via the group's Myspace site.

Also on the bill for The Kamalas CD release show are The Varsity Weirdos, The Rivermunks and The Cobra Jets. Admission to the show is a measly $8.

On the web: www.myspace.com/the3kamalas

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The first record in eight years from Seattle band The Young Fresh Fellows finds the group as an amped up version of leader Scott McCaughey's other group, The Minus 5. Producer Robyn Hitchcock elicits magnificent poppy performances from the group on 'Lamp Industries' and 'Let The Good Times Crawl' while things are a little punkier on 'New Day I Hate' and 'Shake Your Magazines.'

I Think This Is"¦ has a quirky nervous energy running through it that would quickly find a place in the hearts of fans of The Replacements.

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With his solo career picking up momentum, Neil Young released After The Gold Rush in 1970, 15 months after the rocking Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. After The Gold Rush found Young leaning on country-rock for the bulk of the album, with beautiful songs such as the title track, 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart,' 'Don't Let It Bring You Down' and 'Tell Me Why' among the most splendid songs in his catalogue.

Harvest would bring Young to even greater heights of success with tracks 'Old Man,' 'The Needle & The Damage Done' and 'Heart of Gold' remaining radio staples to the present day. The non-hits have plenty to offer as well. 'Are You Ready For The Country' transcends the otherwise melancholic mood of the record while album closer 'Words' brings this career-defining record to a close with a thrilling instrumental jam in the later part of the song.

Both of these records should be essential albums in anyone's music collection. Practically perfect in all respects, there is a reason why these records have endured the past two decades so well.

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The 32 tracks on the two discs in this collection were recorded at four different sessions done by Jackson and his band between 1979 and 1983. The majority of the tracks are so meticulously true to their original versions that it is tough to even tell they are live.

The 1979 session, featuring highlights like the driving 'One More Time' and 'Got The Time' features Jackson and his band at the top of their new wave game. Among the highlights from The Hammersmith Odeon in 1982 are 'Look Sharp,' the ballad 'Breaking Us In Two' and a sprightly 'Steppin' Out.' The group feeds off the crowd's energy at their 1980 show at the Hatfield Polytechnic, evident in songs like 'Is She Really Going Out With Him,' and 'Don't Wanna Be Like That.' The 1983 show that ends Disc Two shows Jackson and his band had then refined the art of the live show, opting for more deliberate performances on songs like 'Another World,' 'Sunday Papers' and 'A Slow Song.'

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1755 on the road again throughout New Brunswick

Legendary Acadian band 1755 is gearing up for their first tour in 25 years as they play shows throughout New Brunswick over the next month and a half. The tour stops are unique in the fact that the band is playing many smaller communities which might not normally have the opportunity to often welcome live bands, let alone one with the reputation of 1755.

1755 originally formed in 1976 and according to vocalist Roland Gauvin, the group rarely had a break away from the cycle of writing and touring in the time that they originally performed. Gauvin says their schedule definitely played a part in the band deciding to go their separate ways in 1984 at the conclusion of their "100 Pour 200" tour:

"As a group, we never had the opportunity of having down time away from touring or rehearsing new material. We had truly given it our best but we were starting to want to pursue other interests outside of the band."

During the 1994 Congres Mondial Acadien in Moncton, 1755 played a triumphant, sold-out reunion show at the Moncton Coliseum. Gauvin admits that the crowd's reaction at that show was truly overwhelming to the group and said that the emotion at the Coliseum was evident as soon as attendees set foot inside the venue.

That August evening in 1994 would prove to be the catalyst in the group continuing to perform throughout the years to the present although each of the band members has continued their pursuit of interests outside the band.

"Every one of the band members has continued in the music industry in one way or other," Gauvin explains. 

"Pierre Robichaud has released two solo albums; Kenneth Saulnier has been a part of a few different groups including Suroît, Beausoleil Broussard and Expresso SVP. Ronald Dupuis is involved in numerous groups while Donald Boudreau has spent the last 15 years as a musical interpreter at the Fortress of Louisburg and has worked on various musical projects in Cape Breton."

As for Gauvin himself, he has recorded three albums with Les Mechants Maquereaux in addition to a solo record and a holiday album he recorded with Les Muses and Belivo.

It is obvious that music continues to run deep in the veins of the 1755 band members. Although Gauvin confirms that the band is still considering writing new material, he admits that their live shows are sticking with the songs they know that people want to hear.

Given the consistent popularity of the group's concerts, fans don't seem to mind the lack of new material in their set. Gauvin estimates that combined sales of their albums (on both vinyl and CD) are near the 150,000 mark. Not a paltry sales figure at all.

And as far as Gauvin is concerned, fans don't have to worry about the band going back into hibernation anytime soon.

"We are lucky in that there is still a demand for the band. We still take such enormous pleasure in performing for the audiences that continue to come to our shows," Gauvin says.

1755's next live performance is slated to take place on Friday August 14 at Dover Park in Dieppe. Their special guests for the evening will be Cayouche and Dominique Dupuis. The group is continuing to play throughout New Brunswick through the remainder of August and September. A complete listing of their upcoming shows can be found on the band's new website (www.1755.capacadie.com).

Tickets for all 1755 shows are available online at www.billetterieacces.ca.

Halifax band The Got To Get Got are on their way back to the Maritimes after almost two weeks worth of shows in Central Canada. They are promoting their new record, Sahalee and are slated to play Saint John at Akhord on Friday August 14.

Lead by former North of America member Mark Mullane, the group was formed in 2000 as two separate factions using the same band name but based on opposite coasts of Canada. They recorded a four-song EP in this manner with each coast contributing two songs to the EP without the other faction having heard their counterpart's contributions until the product was pressed and completed.

The group ended up working in a few different studios during the creation of Sahalee as Mullane, bringing in many guest players in the process to help flush out the record's sound. It was recorded in a relatively quick fashion; the group started to record on December 4 and had the main tracks layed down by the time the holidays rolled around.

"All three engineers at the three different studios we used were people that I truly respected and had worked with in the past.

"The extra players on the record were necessary because we don't play the instruments they play or they were our friends and we wanted them on the album because we love them," Mullane explains.

Sahalee is the type of record that brings listeners on an adventure from its opening notes. Rooted in pop, the record is packed with gang vocals, jangly guitars and brims with a positive energy that will keep you tuned in until the final notes of the album ring out.

Being on the road is becoming second nature to the group with them having logged many miles to date with many more to follow. Mullane tells [here] Magazine that their recent tour dates in Atlantic and Central Canada have been wonderful so far, noting:

"We've played in an abandoned theatre in Sackville, NB with a hole in the ceiling that looked like the devil crashed through on a parachute and left a bloody trail down the wall; we embraced a wonderful hometown crowd in Halifax; we played to all our lovely friends old and new in Montreal; ate Sri Lankan buffet in Ottawa, played Hamilton and softly strummed our hearts out at a handmade clothing shop in Toronto. Things are absolutely wonderful."

Once the group's tour dates wrap up at the end of August, Mullane says the group will be headed back into the studio to commit some demos to tape, including some unfinished tracks from the past that need some further refinement.

One thing that is for certain is that there is more music and shows to come from The Got To Get Got. So go on, get yourself some of the group soon.

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In stores now are re-mastered versions of the first four Neil Young records. The re-releases feature nothing in the way of rarities but do offer a somewhat superior sound quality versus the previously available editions that have been on the market since compact discs were first introduced to consumers. 

The songs on Neil Young's self-titled debut record are more than passable, namely the electric guitar fuzz of 'The Loner and I've Been Waiting For You' as well as 'The Old Laughing Lady.' As a stand-alone record, it is alright but there is really nothing that truly jumps out and grabs the listener the way that his next record would... 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' showed how much Young had grown in the short time between the two records. There isn't a bum track on the whole darn thing, starting with rockers like 'Cinnamon Girl,' the title track 'Down By The River' and 'Cowgirl In The Sand.' This record is a perfect 10, in my opinion.

This pair of records foreshadowed the great things that lay in store for the former Buffalo Springfield member, bringing him to the cusp of success that he had been striving to achieve.

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The eighth record from Scott McCaughey's group The Minus 5 starts off on a relatively low-key note with 'Dark Hand Of Contagion,' an acoustic guitar track highlighted by some haunting steel guitar. Backed by members of The Decemberists on the remainder of the record, many of the other tracks retain a certain understated country-pop elegance (think The Beatles) that is well worth checking out. 

Highlights on Killingsworth include 'The Lurking Barrister,' the light-hearted feel of 'It Won't Do You Any Good 'and 'I Would Rather Sacrifice You' as well as the playful 'Your Favorite Mess.'

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On Thursday August 6, Moncton and the Maritimes will bear witness to what will surely be a once-in-a-lifetime visit by legendary Australian rock band AC/DC at the Magnetic Hill Concert Site.

 

Rumours of AC/DC coming to the Hub City started circulating last summer, even prior to the Eagles show at the Hill having been wrapped up. The rumours were just that to start though "" to many, there was nothing substantiated until the official announcement was made earlier this year.

It is rare (though not completely unheard of) for any group just to head to any given city, let alone one on the other side of the world, to play a one-off show. Shows and tours usually coincide with a new record of some sort, whether it is an album of new material or a greatest hits collection.

So when it was announced that the group would be releasing their newest studio album Black Ice on October 20, 2008, it gave fans a shred of hope that the Aussies might eventually find their way to this part of the world before they wrapped up the touring cycle for the record.

Since forming in 1973, AC/DC has become a veritable force in the music industry that bands can only aspire to reach. Working on their own schedule as opposed to a record company's, the group sporadically releases new studio records (prior to Black Ice, their last studio record was 2000's Stiff Upper Lip) and yet their popularity never wanes.

To date, AC/DC have sold more than 71 million records in the United States alone. World-wide, their record sales top out at more than 150 million. Their 1980 album Back In Black is the fifth highest-selling record in US history, accounting for an astounding 22 million of the 71 million records sold in the US.

Only The Beatles, Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Billy Joel and Pink Floyd have sold more records than AC/DC in the United States. AC/DC are truly a part of an elite club.

In Canada, AC/DC's sales numbers are nothing to sneeze at either. Within one month of Black Ice's October release, it had sold more than 300,000 copies. Their total CD catalogue sales tally in our country is well above 2.4 million units.

To be blunt, very few if any bands on the charts nowadays will attain this kind of longevity with their careers. And as they have always done, success has come on their own terms.

AC/DC are one of very few bands holding out from offering their music for legal sale online via iTunes, the popular online music service. In regards to why the band continues to hold off on offering their music via the service, guitarist Angus Young told Rolling Stone Magazine "We don't make singles, we make albums." And while their success with record sales cannot be contested, AC/DC have remained a touring powerhouse on the world stage.

In the first six months of 2009, AC/DC's Black Ice tour had the highest worldwide gross of any group, bringing in an amazing $150.6 million in ticket sales with concert tickets averaging $86.23 each. To help give perspective as to how popular the Black Ice tour is, Tina Turner ranked second on the worldwide scale of touring, grossing $83.5 million in the same period of time with a ticket average of $121.65.

It would be an understatement to say that AC/DC have become one of the highest in-demand bands throughout the world. While some might consider the Thursday show-day for Moncton's AC/DC show to be less than desirable, there would have been 10 cities lined up behind us for this very show on the very same day had the city decided to pass on the show due to the weekday slot.

The fact of the matter is, when you have a chance to snag a band like AC/DC for a show in your city, you take it. Day of the week be damned.

Moncton will be the 98th stop on AC/DC's Black Ice tour. After their show in Moncton, the band heads west through Canada including stops in Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Vancouver before heading into the United States for dates through September and October.

Hub City concertgoers have been admittedly spoiled in the past five years. After seeing very few shows coming our way through the late 90s, this decade has seen a flood of concert activity in Moncton: Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne, Avril Lavigne, The White Stripes, John Fogerty and Michael Buble are among the artists that have blown through the Moncton Coliseum while The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Bon Jovi, Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have all performed at the Magnetic Hill concert site. The site hasn't always been a hub of activity though.

After the Papal visit of Pope John Paul II in 1984, the venue sat largely unused for 14 years until a classic rock festival featuring the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Steppenwolf would grace the stage at the Magnetic Hill venue.

The Rolling Stones show of 2005 was the concert that truly got the ball rolling and the word out on what the city, region and this specific venue had to offer. The show attracted upwards of 85,000 people from all over Atlantic Canada, New England and beyond and showed promoters that if you bring the talent, the people will come out and support the show.

Attendance for past shows held at the Magnetic Hill Concert Site has ranged from a reported 33,000 for the recent Bon Jovi show to over 50,000 for The Eagles in 2008. The last reported ticket count for the AC/DC show stands over the 60,000 mark although many believe it will to be the show that stands the greatest chance of achieving comparable ticket sales to the Rolling Stones show.

The likelihood of AC/DC returning to the region is slim so if you are on the fence about taking in the AC/DC show, I can guarantee it is going to be a show that people are talking about for years to come.

Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see AC/DC in our region.

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania punk outfit Anti-Flag recently released their seventh record, The People Or The Gun, an album that finds the band continuing their tradition of speaking their minds on everything from religion to the state of their country.

Formed in 1994, the band has returned to the world of working with an independent label for their newest album after producing two records for RCA, a major record label. The move to a major label was a surprise to many with some worried that the band's political agenda would be compromised by the influence of a large corporation. Those fears were laid to rest however with their first major label album (2006's For Blood and Empire) as the band was as vocal as ever on the issues that concerned them.

If anything, the time spent on the RCA label helped bring Anti-Flag's message to much a broader audience than they might have reached via an independent label. And according to Anti-Flag bassist/vocalist Chris #2, it was a worthwhile experience, as brief as it was.

"It was a great experiment," he starts. "We definitely got more out of them than they got out of us. It was great to spend their deep pockets on our ideals, however we are very happy that time period is behind us."

As the United Stated emerge from one of the darkest time periods in their history under the presidency of George W Bush, his actions of the previous eight years will continue to provide fuel to the outspoken group for many years to come.

While Chris is happy with the changing of the guard at the top of the political chain, he is wary of the expectations being heaped upon the shoulders of current US president Barack Obama.

"Obama is not the saviour of our souls. He is a part of raising the social conscience of the global political landscape. His triumphs are yet to be seen, but he seems to have the US on a much greater path than McCain would have," he states.

The newest Anti-Flag record was made in the band's own studio, a liberating experience for the group which Chris tells [here] Magazine allowed the record to be completed fairly quickly.

And while the group will continue to be outspoken advocates for the causes important to them, Anti-Flag also have a generous side to them not often seen with musical groups of any genre.

They have created two non-profit organizations with the intent of educating others to find their own voice.

The first organization, the Military Free Zone (www.militaryfreezone.com) aims to educate students that the US government is collecting their personal information via the "No Child Left Behind" bill. The American public school system turns over student's personal information to the government so it can then be used to recruit people into the US Army.

The site offers students the necessary paperwork so that they are able to opt out of the military's info collection while also encouraging visitors to sign petitions against this practice. Also provided on the site is a link to the e-mail contacts for the US congress representatives for any given zip code in the US for people to directly contact their congressional reps to voice opposition against the bill.

Chris states that military recruiters act in a predatory manner and lead potential university students to believe that joining the military is the only way that they will be able to afford a university education. The Military Free Zone website offers a comprehensive breakdown of the exact monies people can earn by joining the military and emphasizes to people to not be lured by the promise of their education being completely covered.

The second organization created by the band is the Underground Action Alliance (www.undergroundactionalliance.org), whose aim is to engage youth to contribute their energy, ideas and excitement to work for equitable social transformation. Activists involved with the UAA are encouraged to speak out against racism, homophobia, sexism, poverty and war among other causes.

Indeed, Anti-Flag are a band who put words into actions rather than just sitting idly by waiting for others to pick up the torch for change.

The People Or The Gun is available for purchase in store as well as online.

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Halifax via Florenceville, New Brunswick band Telfer has a star on the rise in the Atlantic Canadian music scene.

The group was last year's winners of the CBC Galaxie Rising Stars Showcase at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton and recently released their debut full-length record Born This Morning.

The group is performing in Saint John at A Khord on August 7 and in Fredericton at The Capital on August 8.

The members of Telfer started casually playing together in 2002 with the current lineup of the band having been together since 2007. Even with their relatively young tenure in the business, it has been a whirlwind experience for the band thus far; something that Telfer guitarist and vocalist Tommy Green Jr. is quick to admit:

"I find it crazy to think about what we've been through as a band already," Green starts. "Before we had even played a show, we had recorded an EP and then spent a year promoting that.

"And now that our full-length album is done, we're super excited. We feel as though the songs on the record are miles above the quality of songs on the EP. We feel as though we have come so incredibly far in the past two and a half years."

The ball got rolling on the new Telfer record not long after their Rising Star Award win at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in 2008. Ironically, not all band members were initially on board with entering the group for the competition.

"We were on the fence about whether or not to enter Telfer for the Rising Star Award," Green states. "A couple of the guys in the band were hesitant as they didn't think we would be considered to be bluesy enough for the festival. But then to go from being on the fence to actually winning the Rising Star Award was unbelievable; it ended up really boosting our confidence."

The group spent the first three months of 2009 holed up in a practice space in Halifax solely for the purpose of writing new songs.

"We had never booked time off before, so to speak. We had a lot of songs that could have been album worthy but we ultimately wanted to have 10 great songs on the record," Green explains. "We had 15 songs written for the record and then went with what we felt was the strongest 10 for the final cut. We wanted each of the songs on the record to have their own character and shape."

The group spent four weeks at Sonic Temple studios in Halifax making Born This Morning, a record that "delights listeners with funk inspired rhythms and gripping vocals that are cleverly guided by a dazzling blues-rock guitar lead."

And while future touring plans for the group are still being flushed out, Telfer is planning to return to Ontario this fall to help capitalize on a round of shows the group did there last October.

"The Ontario tour dates we did last fall were a blast. We did one round of dates and then had returned in October 2008 for three weeks' worth of shows. And during those most recent shows, we could see the result of the first bunch of shows we had done. We could see that we had carved a nice little path for ourselves and can't wait to get back there this coming October."

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As Levon Helm approaches his 70th birthday, he thankfully shows no sign of slowing down as Electric Dirt is a relatively quick follow-up to 2007's beautiful acoustic record Dirt Farmer.

Upbeat rootsy numbers like Tennesee Jed and When I Go Away blend well with the blues side of his work on You Can't Lose What You Never Had and his cover of Move Along Train. In my opinion, Helm's Bluegrass-country influenced songs like White Dove and Heaven's Pearls is where he really shines with the latter recalling what made Band tracks like The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down so compelling to listen to in the first place.

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In many ways, the latest band from White Stripes / Raconteurs member Jack White is the least commercially accessible of the trio of bands he is a part of. White mans the drumkit with The Dead Weather while Kills vocalist Alison Mosshart assumes the bulk of lead vocal duties on Horehound.

Owing much to heavy blues rock bands like Blue Cheer, The Dead Weather create relentlessly energetic music that is at times intense, albeit in a bleak way. It is definitely an interesting place these songs come from; tracks like Hang You From The Heavens and I Cut Like A Buffalo have an almost hypnotic quality to them while the band brings the energy level up a notch on Treat Me Like Your Mother.

I consider The Dead Weather to be Jack White's most adventurous endeavour yet; Horehound is still growing on me but has the potential to be a force to be reckoned with.

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Def Leppard's 1992 record came an eternal five years after their Hysteria record brought them to new heights of popularity. But by 1992, the popularity of the Leppard's brand of pop-metal was greatly diminished, another genre victimized by the surge of grunge music.

In addition to offering hits Let's Get Rocked, Make Love Like A Man and the ballad Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad on the original record, this deluxe reissue offers a second CD of 12 tracks. Of these bonus tracks, the live version of Photograph simply smokes. The group's pairing with The Hothouse Flowers on the Stones You Can't Always Get What You Want is surprisingly good as is the cover of Queen's Now I'm Here.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the deluxe reissues of Def Leppard's Pyromania and Hysteria records but have to recommend Adrenalize be for hardcore fans of the band only.

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