Barber Shop Podcast

It's summertime and the living is easy. Nothing better on a warm summers day than sitting back, pouring a cool beverage and soaking up an hour or so of some beautiful Hamilton music courtesy Barber Shop Podcast - Episode #37 Kev and Ryan feature some of the esteemed guests that have been part of the podcast since it began in November, building a killer playlist in the process. The chat is at a minimum in this one, the two of us happy to just revisit some of the world class music on hand. We settled quickly on these ones, well aware that there is so much more available for future shows. So, without further waiting, here are the featured artists on this episode of Kevin's Barber Shop Podcast. Alex MacDougall Sonny Del Rio Blacknd' Red Steve Negus Ray Materick Blind Mule Spin Dizzy Steve Foster Steve Sinnicks Pretty Archie Good stuff for sure.

We are blessed in this town with a wealth of musical goodness and it is no exaggeration to say the talent we are see week to week is the equal of any around. Once again we bring you some Hamilton brand rock n roll with the power and handling it takes to make your name in the game. Top Dead Centre is where your timing is referenced and your machine runs best. It is also the name of one of Hamilton’s best original rock outfits, reaching back over a decade. The current line up of David Russ on guitar and lead vocals, Jim McLean on lead guitar and vocals, Ian Nielsen on bass and drummer Mike Cotton are playing some big shows in support of their latest CD Take Another Breath with the likes of Blue Coupe (BOC & Alice Cooper) as well as metal icons UFO. A nice mix of chat, live and choice album cuts await in the next 90 minutes as Kevin and Ryan sit down with local boys made good n’ loud,… TOP DEAD CENTRE

If you think great music is comprised of passion and tension, then PERENNIALS have the key to greatness. Husband and wife team Christopher and Monica Wilson make sparks fly and the sublime bass work of Pete Grove frames the drama that unfolds. This latest version of veteran Hamilton rockers PERENNIALS is a lean, mean, stripped down version of the kind of metallic metal that touches many great faces in music. Find out a few new things about these folks in episode #35 of Kevin and Ryan's good ol Barber Shop Podcast. It's a goodie

A young, hard driving, hard working band with a lot to offer, Monkeys With Machetes have the right attitude to make a serious mark on the tough music crowd in Hamilton. If you like loud guitars, screaming in key and a homogeneous blend of classic rock, metal and hard blues - then these lads have the tonic for what ails ya. Straight from the heart of Hamilton, a group of four musicians have put together something crazy and dangerous, fun and smartly tuned. So drop in for an hour or so of music and stories featuring some new and old live in - studio selections as well as three tracks from their upcoming self titled EP. Monkeys With Machetes. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Wax Mannequin is a one man storybook - tome teller, melody maker and definitely not "on the nose". Unique, refreshing, fragile yet steely - this is an individual who has made himself a solid reputation by being able to transcend the mortal coil. Darkly positive, his songs are familiar and hypnotic, deep and absolutely unique. Check out the strange and wonderful world of Wax Mannequin as he slips into the chair at Barber Shop Podcast

Dennis Grasley is quite possibly the best damn sax player you have ever heard. Better known as Sonny Del Rio, "Gramps" Grasley has been the go-to sax man for literally half a century. From the sock hops to the night clubs of 1950's Hamilton, Sonny has brought his own style to dozens of recordings and scores of performances over the years. Not one to stay still for long, the boundless energy that the music has bestowed upon him makes Sonny Del Rio not only a local hero, but also a real honest-to-goodness legend. Tune in to episode #32 as Kevin and Ryan get a chance to hang out with the saxiest man, hands down, Sonny Del Rio.

Steve Foster grew up in the thick of it, and it shows. A neighbourhood child to those early rock icons, Steve had the likes of Teenage Head, The Shakers, Tim Gibbons, Dave Rave all in the hood. Gigging early and often, he has managed to work with pretty well everyone one way or another. Guitar slinger,singer, songwriter, producer, engineer, all in a day's work for him, a Hamilton boy through and through. Join us as we look at the work of Steve Foster and his contributions to such great acts as Crawlin Kingsnakes, Stoked, Simply Saucer - and much more from Barber Shop Podcast

Pretty Archie hails from the fertile grounds of Cape Breton, these boys have the kind of cool ease and earnest music that makes them a Canadian Classic. Brian Cathcart, Matt McNeil, Colin Gillis and Redmond McDougall have the kind of chemistry that makes feet tap and taps fill glasses. From the get-go this quartet have blended tradition and originality to create an infectious sound with a heart of gold. Together for just over a year, the boys have come by the Barber Shop to play and sing sweet harmonies as well as letting us hear some tracks from their new CD Steel City - recorded at Grant Avenue Studios in Hamilton. Tireless work and fierce friendships shine thru as we get to hang with the lads in Pretty Archie - at Barber Shop Podcast

There are many sides to the music business and Steven Dall has been on pretty well all of them. From the mercurial Water Can formed during his halcyon days at Carleton University in Ottawa, to his present role as Nashville songwriter, he has paid his dues and learned his lessons well. If you've ever wondered how a germ of an idea forms into a finished, recorded, published song, this is a good one to hunker down to. Steve is not only an accomplished musician but he's also one hell of a funny, interesting, smart, cynical, sarcastic sweetheart of an individual. Join us as we are privileged to have Steven Dall looking and sounding so damn good - at the Barber Shop Podcast

It's not often when a lady stops by the barber shop for a visit, but when so blessed, the place lights up with class and confidence. Multiple media artist Lynne "Buckshot" Bebee has had a place in the hearts and minds of music lovers thru her evolution in this genre from the early days of the Sapphire Fly Band to the acclaimed Poisoned Aeros, The Evelyn Dycks and now to her present ensemble Buckshot Bebee and the Secret Boyfriends. To be sure, she has put up - and shut them up. Hot off the presses we're pleased to play a couple of tracks from her new release Merchants Of Youth and catch a couple live numbers along with stories and memories and laughs galore. Take a bit if time to get to know a great piece of Hamilton music history past and present.

If there is a brand of rock and roll that's as strong as a Chevy and as slick as a fresh jar of Dax jumping to real rock n roll. If you've ever wondered what the fuck happened after Teenage Head and the Shakers, I got a 25 year story of straight up Hamilton rock roll that still thrives today. Picture the dance floor heaving with inked ladies and every Joe as the infectious groove incites a coil of energy that leaves the crowd wanting more. And more, and more. Check out this awesome time talking and drinking and laughing and listening to over 90 minutes of some of the greatest guys who ever rocked this town so good, for so long. Ladies and Gentlemen, Burnin' Ethyl

Style is timeless, for in time the truly classic reappear on the horizon. Given time, the songs that spoke to generations will once again be heard and influence the next generation. Sebastian Paige and the Virginia Wolves are about a year into a journey that will take them on a journey both real and metaphysical. Formed from an East Mountain high school scene, the VW have managed to play homage to the classics with a reverence and style that belies their musical chops. Music school and mischief gave the boys an excuse to bring to life some truly great tunes with a unique turn, not owning it but certainly branding if. Sit down and see how the talent in Hamilton treats some of the tunes that made magic moments. Truly a great treat with live banter and acoustic renditions mixed with some very cool recordings of Sebastian Paige and the Virginia Wolves.

Looking good and sounding incredible, Hamilton's Blacken'd Red is a certified, hard core, full on rock n roll sensation. Serious as fuck about having a good time, this band has been turning heads since its inception. A rebirth of sorts when Iggy hooked up with Brian, Jack and Dave, Blacken'd Red has been grabbing huge respect and accolades as perhaps the last, and first great LA rock sound to hybrid itself with this meaty music market. There are lessons to be learned at The Barber Shop and all it takes is for you to come in and sit down while the conversation and music flow with Iggy and Brian in studio. It's a great time with two of our ambassadors of rock talking it up at BOXO Studio as Kevin and Ryan get cracking with the boys from Blacken'd Red.

Hell or high water, SPIN DIZZY is sure to be there. If Hamilton rock includes the balls-to-the-walls styling a of KISS, Pretty Boy Floyd, Poison and the Crüe, then SPIN DIZZY is Hamilton as it gets. The 4some of Tyson Meloche, Eric Famous, P.J. and Mitch Payment make up one of the Hammer's most gritty rock n roll entities. Make no mistake about it, these guys work hard at the job of rock, and tell a story of who, when, and why the rubber hit the road in this storied outfit. Sit back, relax and soak in the SPIN DIZZY story on episode #23 of Barber Shop Podcast.

Alex MacDougall, or LX as he's often known, is a musician's musician with 40 some odd years playing alongside some of the truly great artists to come out of Hamilton and from the very earliest of days, Alex has honed his chops on the kind of guitar licks that could melt a lollipop. Both a world class guitar player and engineer/producer, he is someone who has traded licks and cut records with the likes of Harrison Kennedy, King Biscuit Boy, Kelly Jay and Crowbar as well as many many others too numerous to mention. This episode of Kevin's Barber Shop Podcast plays 16 tracks featuring the work of Alex MacDougall with gems from a long career including Harrison Kennedy and the Rocking Hurricanes, Blackwood Point, True Spirit with Ray Marerick, Trailblazers, LX solo work as well as some brand-new-never-been-played-on-air material from his present powerhouse outfit, Groove Corporation. It's a history, a legacy. Sit down, take your spot and listen in as Kevin has a good two hours with one of the major players in

Episode 21 of Barber Shop Podcast finds the Alec Baldwin of the show Mike Holler along with guitar slinger and fellow Hamilton soldier Craig Gory take the next step in our relationship with The VAPORIZER - recording a demo. There are 1,000 ways to record a song, and this is not one of them. Well, unless you're us that is. Two weeks ago a few nuggets were born from a writing session two weeks earlier and one was chosen to record online live for all to see. It's a relaxed night at BOXO Studio as Kevin, Ryan, Mike and Craig take the bare bones of a tune and multiple-track it old school. Shits and giggles ensue as an anthem to a obelisk of group worship, The VAPORIZER. It takes balls and talent to pull this kind of shit off and you're about to be chin deep in both on part 2 of our version of the birth of a song. Now sit down.

Shit happens. And she a shit is what you make it, Scheduled guest Steve Foster was struck down but Kev and Ryan are more than willing to step up to the plate with an impromptu show for the ages. 2003 was a year of fire and fury, perhaps the last great year of in your face, balls to the wall, bar rock n roll on a regular basis. Smoking and snorting and drinking and screwing was the order of the day and the boys were there to set the fuse. Listen in as Ryan and Kevin tell the Captain Easy story like you were there. Cuz you are there.

Well.... It could have been worse, much worse. The idea was to try out the new uploading speed with a video podcast streamed live to You Tube. To risk a band's reputation with untried technology would be risky - but not as risky as what we decided to try to pull off on Barber Shop Podcast Episode 19. Why not put three musicians, the two of us, and a whole lotta booze in one room and try to create something from scratch. None of these guys have ever sat down with each other before now, and the task of setting up and sitting down was one we relished. Join us as Mike Holler, Craig Gory and Mike Rittenhouse see if there is any truth to the story that songs are just waiting there to be written. The boys talk about what makes a good song then try to actually risk tragedy by mixing music and alcohol in a mission to see what the hell happens when universes collide. It could have been much worse..

No look at Hamilton rock n roll can be complete without taking a long hard look at Mr. Dave DeRoches, aka, Dave Rave. The Raver has been singing and playing since he was a child, and when a 15 yr. old Frankie Kerr (Venom) asked him to jam in high school, a career that spans 40 years began in earnest. A founding member of The Shakers, Dave's involvement in the Hamilton punk/power pop scene included a long relationship playing with Teenage Head and then launched him to New York City to become a force that grew in chops and influence. Working relationships with Coyote Shivers and Lauren Agnelli began projects that still bear fruit today. Dave is home in Hamilton for a bit and he's here at Kevin's Barber Shop to play some history, new and old, live and recorded. Tickled pink to be hanging out with one if the truly great ones. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Dave Rave!

Fifty years as a top-flite drummer will bestow upon you all the wisdom and chops required to make yourself a name in the Canadian landscape of musical legends. In the case of Steve Negus, playing relentlessly in the Toronto club scene in the 70's with bands like Shelter, proved just the education needed to answer the call to sit behind the kit for the group Pockets, soon to change their name to SAGA. Pioneering a brand of R&B infused prog rock, SAGA was a Canadian phenomenon into the 80's and retains a huge following with their seminal release Worlds Apart recently going platinum in the U.S. (1,000,000 copies). A multiple gold record and Juno recipient, Steve Negus is also a Hamilton based producer and engineer who makes great recordings at Blue Room Studio where he works his craft to perfection - like he always has. This show in smokin as we play three cuts from Steve's solo album Dare to Dream, one from Jerry Johnson's Barber's Chair and a surprise slice of vinyl from Selina Martin. Steve Negus is in t