YOUR LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE
519
Issue 8 - Feb. 2019
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Celebrating Music, Theatre, Fashion, Arts and Events
Keeping it ‘Hot Blooded’ on ‘Cold As Ice’ Canadian Nights MORGAN JAMES | PAUL BRANDT | THE TREWS DJ REV | JAMES GIBB | ED THE SOCK Guys and Dolls | No Exit | CKSS’ Newsies | Windsor Express
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February 2019
Dan Savoie Publisher / Editor dan@519magazine.com April Savoie General Manager april@519magazine.com Matt Cave Sales Manager matt@519magazine.com
JAMES GIBB
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Kim Cushington Art Director Melissa Arditti Assistant Editor Writers and Photographers: Travis Conant John Liviero Kirk Harris / Maureen Stewart 341 Parent Ave. , Windsor, ON N9A 2B7 519magazine.com / YQGrocks.com Office: 519-974-6611 Award of Excellence 2019 & 2018 Canadian Web Awards
519 Magazine is published monthly and available at various locations around the Southwestern Ontario region.
Printed in Canada on recycled paper using vegetable oil-based inks.
ISSN 2561-9640 (Print) ISSN 2561-9659 (Online)
MORGAN JAMES
10 THE TREWS
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FOREIGNER
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Morgan James Gives The Beatles White Album a Female Touch
By Dan and April Savoie Morgan James has one of those voices that you fall in love with right from the moment you hear it. It’s almost as if there’s something in her voice for everyone. Whether she’s belting out fusions of pop, funk or R&B or just diving head first into her heart with a touching classic, it’s pretty evident why she’s accumulated more than 75 million online views. She hits the 519 this month for shows in London and Sarnia and she sat down with us ahead of her winter tour to chat about music. You put your own touch on your cover songs. Is reworking a cover harder to do than working on original songs? I’m not really one of these people that likes to reinvent a song. If a song is great and I choose to cover it, it’s because it’s a great song. So I definitely don’t want to reinvent the wheel. I want to pay homage. And that’s really my first goal - to not try to say look what I can do better, but rather say look how great this song is. I think that writing music is
definitely harder than covering music and I find that writing music is a great challenge and I really love the art of it. I want to talk a little bit about The Beatles. Your White Album just came out in the fall. When did you know that the Beatles was going to be your next subject for your next cover album? I’ve done four other full album covers and so it’s become a little bit of a trademark for me to do. I did Black Messiah by D’Angelo, Joni Mitchell’s Blue, Continuum by John Mayer and Grace by Jeff Buckley. All of them were made for a specific or special anniversary. We’re still in the midst of writing my next album, so it’s not quite ready to record yet. I thought a cover of the entire White Album would be challenging, creative and fun and we immediately stumbled upon the 50th anniversary, so we thought we should do this for that occasion. I know it’s really, really ambitious. It’s gigantic and its 30 songs. It was a tremendous challenge. The Beatles affect us in so many different ways. What are the Beatles to you and how does the
music affect you? I grew up on my parents music collection and recommendations and I am such a devotee of music from the 50s, 60s and 70s and some of the first albums I ever got on my own were Beatles albums. I think John and Paul’s pursuit for the perfect two minute pop song is such a study. And who couldn’t love their incredible melodies. I love so much of what they did as solo artists as well. Ironically the White Album wasn’t my favorite Beatles album before, but that’s the beauty of really getting inside something - you fall in love with it and you find things about it you didn’t even know you loved. I wanted to ask about Call My Name from your Hunter album. Did you ever hear from Prince about your take on his song? Prince approving that song is the only reason it got released. I had to get Prince’s personal approval, which I did. L.A. Reid sent it to him. It took many, many years for anybody to even get it in front of Prince. That’s the first thing I ever arranged in my career and I sang it at every single show. And when it did finally
get in front of Prince, he loved it. He sent a couple of cryptic messages with it and ultimately when we got the approval, we went into overdrive to release it because it was a favorite of the staff at Epic and of my fans. I would say this is a great gift that I received because knowing that an artist likes what you’ve done with their music, I mean there can be no bigger honor than that. I heard that you were rejected by Juilliard, but you never gave up. You kept going. I was waitlisted at Juilliard so I got a taste of both the rejection and the acceptance and ultimately did go there. I’m very, very stubborn and I’m very tenacious and I would have to be. Everybody has to be in this business because there’s definitely more rejection than there is success. Definitely. And I tell that to kids all the time whether they want to pursue theatre or music. Often people will talk about that Juilliard experience for me and how hard that must have been to taste that. I’ve tasted so much rejection. It took me 10 years to get on Broadway.
I can recall it at any moment and it keeps me very very humble, but it also drives me. It makes the fortitude of what I want much stronger and I’m very driven by proving people wrong and rising to the next challenge and all those things. Somehow you have to get used to the rejection and the pitfalls of the business, and if you still love it after all that, then you know you’re in the right place. And I have to say you’re a great role model for young girls today. Thanks for saying that. I try. You know a lot of times it’s hard to see when you’re inside of it. I feel I still get very discouraged and I still get very sad, but sometimes you have to step back and say: “Look at where you’ve come from, look at when you didn’t give up and look at how strong you can be. That is something that I hope for all the young women wanting to be in the business. Morgan James performs at the Imperial Theatre in Sarnia on Friday, Feb. 8 and at London Music Hall on Sunday, Feb. 10. For more on Morgan or her albums, visit morganjamesonline.com.
Cast, Crew and CKSS Teachers Ready For Newsies By Travis Conant
Christine Baribeau has been a teacher at Chatham Kent Secondary School (CKSS) since September 2008 teaching music, instrumental band, guitar and directing the school’s theatre productions. As she gears up for Newsies, the school’s next production, she took some time to chat with 519 Magazine. “I’ve been directing the school musicals since 2010,” she says. “I’m also happy to say that I’m not the only music teacher here. Since joining the CKSS music program, a second qualified teacher has also been working alongside me. Veronika Refern, a horn player with the Chatham Concert Band, has been with us since 2015.” Baribeau found her passion for music when she was a student at W.D Lowe High School and honed those skills at University. For nearly 40 years CKSS has been performing musicals. They began as original productions written by teachers and meant for the students to perform in the school’s gym, but eventually the school raised the bar and switched venues. “When Bruce Nelson started directing Broadway musicals, the shows went from the gym to the Kiwanis Theatre,” she added. “Now the shows are held on the Chatham
Capitol Theatre stage. All of the shows are produced extracurricularly and there are many CKSS staff members, community members, community musicians and parents who work hard to help with the shows.” According to Baribeau, the school’s music department and annual musical productions make CKSS stand out in the crowd. “The students cast in the shows get to experience a show that gives them the opportunity to work with professionals,” she said. “The bar has been set high by our longstanding tradition. Each production is worked on outside of school hours and is performed for the community.” Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, this new Disney musical tells the story of Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city. After publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. With help from the beautiful female reporter Katherine Plumber, all of New York City soon recognizes the power of the little man. Featuring the now-classic songs Carrying the Banner, Seize the Day and Santa Fe, Newsies is packed with no-stop thrills and a timeless message, perfect for the entire family.
“The story is timeless, Baribeau added. It encourages us all to stand up against injustice, even when the instigator seems to have all of the power. Newsies is a new classic in the world of musical theatre and Disney, once again, brings magic, history and an inspiring message to the stage. Our hope is to urge one and all to Seize the Day.” Baribeau quickly pointed out that the show stands out more than some of their past productions because the main choreographer for this show is a Grade
“That night we packed out the whole alley,” DJ Rev added. “We played Christian music and they shut all the lights off and had strobe lights set up,” Along with his Christian ambitions, DJ Rev is also a wedding DJ and his goal is to see mainstream music lovers and Christian music fans come together to enjoy both genres of music and without judgement. From the ashes of his churchly objections, Club Eternal was formed. It’s a Christian night club experience with Christian and mainstream bands and music, including Christian, EDM, hip hop, metal, pop, house, techno, rave and dance music. DJ Rev said he doesn’t think his style of music helps him stand out, he believes it helps him relate and be on the same level as other club DJs. “I’ve seen other mainstream DJs, and other shows, but everyone is all about competition,” he noted. “I’m more about networking with other DJs and how we can help each other, no matter what genre of music we play,” His goal is to help people who are broken and make sure they do not feel as though they are being judged when they go to one of his shows. DJ Rev pointed to Biblical character
Zacchaeus, the chief tax-collector of Jericho, mentioned only in the Gospel of Luke. At the time, tax collectors were despised as traitors and for being corrupt. Zacchaeus, who was short, climbed a tree to be able to see Jesus when he arrived in Jericho. Jesus pointed to Zacchaeus and asked him to come to him. He was an example of Jesus’ personal, earthly mission to bring salvation to the lost. “As a Christian, I’ve been judged by other Christians because of my tattoos and the dark places I’ll go to bring light to people in need,” DJ Re said. “No matter how broken we are, whether we’ve been judged or not, whatever our background is or whatever we’ve been through - flaws and all - Jesus loves you just the way you are without any judgement.” DJ Rev wants everyone to “Experience Heavens Ultimate Dance Floor” at Club Eternal. With the closing of the Windsor Beer Exchange, DJ Rev and Club Eternal have moved to Windsor’s Rockstar Music Hall. The next show is Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. For a closer view into who DJ Rev is and what Club Eternal is visit both of his Facebook pages: DJ Rev Christian DJ and DJ Rev WORD On The Street.
12 student. “Ceiti MacDonald has brought masterful choreography to Newsies,” she explains. “The show is one that demands great dance and Ceiti has brought the best out of our cast. Along with Jocelyn Dowdall, the assistant choreographer, the two students have worked as professionals with our cast. I’m very proud to say that the dance is what makes Newsies a very special show.” Baribeau encourages parents and theatre lovers to come out and see what
the young cast and crew are capable of: “These kids put on an amazing show and get rave reviews year after year and the audiences that keep coming back are a testament to how good these shows are.” Newsies runs at the Chatham Capitol Theatre from Friday, Feb, 15 to Sunday, Feb. 17. Evening shows are at 7pm on Friday and Saturday and 2pm matinees are being staged on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $16 for Early Bird children’s seats. For more visit chathamcapitoltheatre.com.
DJ Rev Opens Up Heaven’s Ultimate Dance Floor By Travis Conant
There are some big ideas behind Club Eternal, Windsor’s only alternative Christian night club. Founder David Marton, who goes by the name DJ Rev, wanted to give the beat up and broken people in Windsor a place to call home - a place where they wouldn’t be judged or compared. In fact, Club Eternal was actually founded out of DJ Rev’s own frustrations from being judged by churches for not trying to fit into their molds. “Just by talking to different people at different churches I found myself being judged because they were saying things like, you shouldn’t be playing Christian music at bars, it’s not a place for Christians to be,” Rev told 519 magazine. “But in all reality that’s where Jesus would be today if he was here in human form. He would be chilling with everyone showing unconditional love one conversation at a time. I came across a lot of judgemental religious minds, but that made me want to go even further into the nightlife scene.” DJ Rev got his start in 1999 at a rock and bowl in Windsor where he played his first gig.
Photo by Kirk Harris (K&M Photography)
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Guitarist and producer Robert Berry creates Swan Song for his friend Keith Emerson By April Savoie
A Little Bit of Elvis Resides in Harrow By Dan Savoie There’s a little bit of Elvis Presley tucked away in the community of Harrow, located just outside of Windsor. Award-winning Elvis tribute artist James Gibb has been performing an early years version of The King for more than 13 years in a lively and entertaining show that has toured around North America, winning awards at Elvis festivals everywhere he goes. From the famous sneer, flashy clothes and wild dance moves, James faithfully recreates the magic of Elvis in his early years, recreating the shows as they were actually performed by Elvis himself. James joins his longtime band The Silvertones for a special Valentine’s themed version of the show at Olde Walkerville Theatre on Feb. 9. We had a chat with James about Elvis and his original tribute show. What is it about Elvis that makes you want to pay tribute to him? I really think that he was such a different kind of performer. I really enjoy showing people what he was like; showing them how different he really was - especially when he first started out. Nobody was doing the things he was doing. I don’t want people to forget how special he really was. When did you first discover Elvis? Did you ever see him in concert yourself? I was 12 years old, it was January 8. I was at home sick from school watching television and the movie “Elvis” starring Kurt Russell came on. I had never seen anybody that cool in my life. Later that evening the same station ran Elvis - Aloha From Hawaii and that did it. Elvis drew me in. From that point on, I pretty much immersed myself in anything Elvis. Is there a certain Elvis moment that sticks out for you? (For me, it’s the Comeback Special) I have to say it’s the 1956-57 television programs that he was on. He’s just so natural, untamed and rather primal. You watch that stuff now, 63 years later, and you still can’t look away from him. He has that undefinable thing - that charisma x100. I bet you remember the exact moment when you heard he passed away? I sure do. We had been staying with some friends of my parents at their cottage up north. We were driving back home and the announcement came over the radio that he had died. My parents at the time weren’t big fans of his, just casual fans and I remember them being in shock hearing the news. I was only seven at the time, but I can remember that vividly.
The early years is a pretty iconic look. It must be hard to capture that vintage and classic look? Ha!...Yes. It is a very iconic look. But I love that. I’m pretty sure I was born in the wrong era. I think I would’ve fit in very well in the 1950s. I actually try to make sure my look is as authentic as possible, which is sometimes difficult just because most of the photos of him in action are in black and white, and it’s tough to see the colours. For example, in our upcoming show at the Old Walkerville Theatre on February 9. I’ll be wearing a sports coat that was made in 1955 and is exactly the same one he would wear quite often on and off stage. He wore it on his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and he also wore it the day he was drafted into the Army. I bet you had to study The King extensively. You probably know more about him than most fans would. Anybody who knows me Dan..knows that I don’t brag at all. I hate bragging....but I do know a lot about Elvis and I’m very proud of that. It’s always great when you play with a live band. You don’t always get to play with one, so you must enjoy the vibe and feel when you join The Silvertones for a show? Well if I had my way Dan, all the shows I do would be with The Silvertones. I think an audience gets so much more out of a live band show than a track show. It’s a whole different feeling...a great one. I was asked to participate in an Elvis Birthday show in 2006 here in Windsor and the band that was put together for that was made up of a variety of local musicians, including Joel Mayville on lead guitar. I’d like to mention them all: Joel is still on lead Gibson guitar, his brother Chris Mayville is on rhythm guitar and vocals, Ryan Fontaine is on bass, Ian Smith is on keyboard duties, Lex Lambert is my backing vocals as well as percussion and Adam Thomson drives the whole train on drums. It must be fun having a voice like Elvis. Do you ever tease or surprise people unexpectedly with it? Well, I’m not saying I have a voice like Elvis, but I sure do my best to get there. I think I’m more surprised by the power of Elvis’ voice than the audience. I normally don’t like to make people cry, but if I’m doing a ballad for instance, or a spiritual, and I look and there and a few of them are crying, I know I’m doing it right. That’s the power of the Elvis voice. Join James and The Silvertones for a Valentine’s themed version of the show called Loving You, at Olde Walkerville Theatre on Feb. 9.
Three years ago, the world lost legendary Emerson Lake and Palmer keyboardist Keith Emerson when he took his own life admist depression and anxiety. At the time, he was working on a new album with his friend Robert Berry. The project was shelved following Emerson’s death in March 2016, but Berry would finish the project himself and release it in 2018 under the 3.2 moniker as The Rules Have Changed. We spoke with Berry about creating the posthumous album he started with his close friend. It must have been hard to dive in and make the album after his death. I actually wasn’t going to do it. We had spent three months working on it and we had the plan mapped out. We had five of the eight songs written and I had some of his parts already done. I just couldn’t really figure a good reason to finish it up and it wasn’t for about six months that I sort of left him behind. Then I wondered if his son Aaron would want to do it with me. He plays keyboards. So I called Aaron and he said well sing me a song and I’ll see if I want to do it. That was my first mistake because I sent him a really hard song. That was the problem. He called me back and said “whoa whoa, that’s my dad and I don’t play like that.” What was I thinking? Nobody plays like Keith and so Aaron said no. But that got me to revisit the material and rekindle the spark of what we had already laid out. At that point I knew I must get in and finish it, so I spent another year working on it. I can’t imagine losing such a close friend like that and then going back and listening to an unfinished album. Can you talk about the emotions and the struggles that it created? The main thing when it first happened, I not only lost a good friend, but I lost my most famous friend. I lost the guy I had a Top 10 single with and a band that I toured with. These are guys that I worship when I was younger - Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I lost so much and he was just a really great and friendly guy. He was a funny guy, but so dedicated to the craft, He always knew that to come up with something really great, he was going to work on it until it was perfect. And not everybody in music does that, but Keith was such a professional.
Was it hard to complete the unfinished music and trying to keep the context that you guys originally had in mind for it? You know it’s funny. I thought it was going to be very difficult, but because I had the Emerson bits on the first album we did in 1988, we had songs we brought to the band. We were a new band and Keith would arrange those songs, work on the rehearsal room and we’d make them into what we thought the band 3 was going to be. On the new album, Keith and I sort of laid out the plan of what was going to be on it and how we wanted every song to go. He fed me the musical bits and I wrote the songs and around them. It was the same process almost exactly in reverse. So I had that great Emerson stuff, I just had to glue it all together. I thought it was going to be difficult, but it actually turned out to be, not easy, but doable because I had him to launch from and I knew so much about the way he played. Sometimes I’m a keyboard player also and I did play keyboards with him back on tour in 88 at times. I knew what I thought he would do and how he would do it. I have these conversations basically with myself, but as if Keith was there. I would work it and work it until I thought he would be cool with his part of it and then I’d be cool with my part. It all blended together and it’s hard to explain how the process really ended the way it did, but it seemed like the continuity for the whole album came out much better than the first album. Progressive rock really is your thing isn’t it? There are classical influences, rock influences, some jazz and there’s everything but the kitchen sink going in progressive rock. The key is to blend it into something musical that is memorable and that’s what a lot of progressive rock today isn’t. Not everybody’s a Yes or a Genesis - you know the grand-daddies of the progressive rock stuff - or even ELP and I just think that it’s so musical and challenging. In a lot of ways, it’s kind of special. That’s why I started my first band Hush. It was a progressive rock cover band doing Yes, Genesis and ELP covers. Then my career brought me to places where I was working with people like Steve Allen of GTR and Keith and Carl from ELP, and even bands like Ambrosia. It just became part of my path.
Country Superstar Paul Brandt Looks Back on His Journey with New EPs and Tour By Dan and April Savoie Canadian country music superstar, humanitarian and Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Paul Brandt is on the road with a special tour to support his dual-EP collection called The Journey. The first one, YYC: Vol. 1, is a collection of songs about his time in Calgary and the second, BNA: Vol. 2, tells of his years in Nashville. Brandt assumes location identifiers to ponder over his travels from his hometown of Calgary to Nashville, the capital of country music, on “YYC BNA.” It cleverly uses the airport codes of those cities (YYC-Calgary, BNANashville) to tell the stories. Brandt took some time on the day before his tour kicked off to give us the lowdown on where he’s been and what’s new in his world. You’ve been all about the journey lately. Where did the idea of a dual EP and the concept come from? I always had this feeling that my career had sort of two different eras to it to this point, and I think that spending a decade in Nashville and then deciding to make the move back to Alberta is sort of part A and Part B. I was taking a road trip with some friends and we were in some pretty inspirational settings driving up the Pacific Coast Highway and just really enjoying that and I was thinking about what I was going to write next and I thought about Alberta Bound and how so many people have come to know my artistry through that song. Then I started thinking more, what if I wrote that song in reverse, what would happen? I’ve spent a lot of time going from Calgary to Nashville. I still have a lot of friends down there and there’ve been a lot of great things that have happened because of my connection to Nashville. And so that’s sorta the idea for YYC and BNA was born. I thought it would be cool if I could put that out in two different ways to sort of tell the story about the first era and the second era. That’s basically where it all came from, and you know, I don’t think YYC/BNA will ever necessarily be a single on the radio, but when we play it live, we get the same reaction as when I play Albert Bound. It’s been really cool to see people make that connection with it. After 20 years of traveling back and forth between Calgary and Nashville, you must have earned a lot of Air Miles. Yeah I got a few. We’ve taken some trips and spent some of those, probably more in the early days before kids. A lot of times when I’m touring now we’re usually traveling by bus. When we were starting in the early days, Liz was on the road with me and she was singing in the band as well. She’s sung on every project that I’ve done and we were doing 180 shows a year for a good three years or so. I think I was probably a platinum or diamond on about three or four different
airlines at that time. We really enjoyed taking trips to the Caribbean when we lived in Nashville - that was one of our favorite things to do. I imagine some of those Air Miles got spent that way. How did your family deal with all that traveling with you at the beginning? Yeah, I think this is sort of the grand experiment phase for us. This and the previous tour, two and a half years ago when I was out with Dean Brody, are really the first tours that I’ve taken where the family is not with me. It was pretty tough, but technology makes it a lot easier than it could be. It’s always tough for me if I’m playing a song like Rich Man and someone from the crew holds up a FaceTime Ipad on the side stage and I see my two little kids watching me sing. Here I am singing a song about the most important things in life and how I want to be around my family, and they’re not there - that that can be emotional you know. We just try and find time during the day to keep caught up with each other. If the tour does swing through the Calgary area, we always make sure that we spend that time together if we happen to have an off-day or if the kids come to the show with Liz. One of the funniest things happened the last time was on the road. We were about to break into Convoy and we had this giant 15 foot inflatable rubber duck that hovers out over the audience. At that point I’ve got this bright shinny chrome CB mic and I break into the song: “breaker one nine this is the rubber duck” and I look over to the side of the stage and think my kids are going to think I am so cool - this is so awesome. And they’re both on their devices playing video games like they couldn’t care less. It was like, really nice Dad, you’re such a rock star - we’re getting back to our games now. One of more special moments, at least for me, was when I first heard Small Towns and Big Dreams when I was living in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. No one has ever had a song or sung about Weyburn and I just want to say thank you. You know it was so wonderful. When I think back to that time, I’d left the record company and for about a year, Liz and I lived in a rental in Nashville. I had a back bedroom that sort of served as my little studio and office and I spent a lot of time thinking about how I used to have a record deal and now I didn’t. Does that mean I’m still an artist? What’s my identity? Now I’m just this guy sitting around in Nashville writing songs. What if I never make another penny from doing this? What if I had to pay to do this? I was asking myself if I would still do it or not, and the answer was always yes. I feel so driven to make a connection through music that I literally would pay to do this. I love it and I love the connection that I can make with people.
I remember calling my agent and saying “look I’ve written this album I’m gonna do a live acoustic record” and she’s rolling her eyes at me because radio never plays live acoustic music. I also told her I wanted to play small towns. I want to go places nobody goes only 900 seats or less - and we’re gonna record this project and see what happens. I was coming off of selling a million records at that time on my first project and we went out and did the small towns tour and we hit Morden, Yorkton, Weyburn and all these different places. I pre-sold the albums too. I said they can pre-purchase it, I’ll sign it and we’ll send it to you when it’s done. I was coming up with a million seller and I only sold a thousand copies on that tour and thought to myself, I’m dead, like this is it, this is my worst nightmare. Then a bunch of stuff that shouldn’t have happened, started to happen. A radio station played it. They never do that. I got asked to host the Canadian Country Music Awards that year as an unsigned artist and that never happens It was aired in Australia, the United States and Canada that year. That never happens. And then as an unsigned artist, they called my name for Album of the year at the end of that show and Small Towns and Big Dreams went on to sell thousands of copies after that and do really really well. The thing that is the most moving for me is it was the people in those small towns who packed out those places right to the rafters and because they knew what I was risking for it. They knew if it didn’t work, I was done... and they showed up. I get emotional thinking about it. I will never be able to thank those people for the support that they’ve given me, and Weyburn was one of those special places for me. Your philanthropy is in full swing. Tell me a bit about the black hat campaign. I have to get myself a black hat on this tour. I think it might have been my son Joe who pointed out that I wear a black hat and it’s always the bad guy who wears the black hat. So I sat there and said “oh man, I gotta figure this out.” We did a partnership with Smithbilt Hats. For over 100 years they have built hats. In Calgary they are known as the official stampede white hat. You know when people come to Calgary you get white hated. Those are the people that wanted to work with me on an official Paul Brandt signature hat. We did a straw hat and a black hat and we called the project the black hat that does good things. So every year we pick a different charity to raise awareness for. The inside of the hats have a liner or a stamp on the inside of them. Every year we change that out or give people the opportunity to choose which cause they want to support through “The Black Hat that does good things” and this year we’re supporting MusiCounts for music
and schools. The year before it was for concussion awareness and rodeo. We just identified different causes that we want to use the black hat to support and it’s been well received. It’s just a cool thing. Brandt fans will be able to catch the country star during his only stop in
Southwestern Ontario when he hits the Start.ca Performance Stage at Budweiser Gardens on Feb. 23. He’ll be joined by multi-CCMA Group or Duo of the Year winners High Valley and special guest Jess Moskaluke and Hunter Brothers.
Keeping it ‘Hot Blooded’ on ‘Cold As Ice’ Canadian Nights
Photo byJohn Liviero
With over 50 million albums sold, Stone Temple Pilots roared on to the scene in 1992 with their raucous debut, Core. A breakout success, the album peaked #3 on the Billboard 200 chart, and dominated radio waves with hits like “Sex Type Thing,” “Wicked Garden,” and the GrammyAward winning, “Plush.” STP founding members Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz, along with new lead vocalist, Detroit singer Jeff Gutt, released their seventh studio
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album, Stone Temple Pilots this year.
Detroit in Windsor and around the
After about a year of silence, Jeff officially joined the band in November 2017 and played his first concert with the band at the infamous Troudabour in Los Angeles. During the year prior to his debut, Jeff was spending time getting to know his new role in the band and to write and record songs for the new album. Jeff is no stranger to the 519, having spent some time on the other side of
He loves his hometown and is a big fan of the Detroit Tigers. The band is currently on the road across Canada with Seether and Default and will make an appearance twice in the 519 - Nov. 7 at Budweiser gardens in London and Nov. 10 in Kitchener at Centre in the Square. We spent a little time with Jeff to chat about his new gig and the mighty D.
Story by Dan and April Savoie area.
Foreigner, the band behind “I Want To Know What Love Is,” “Cold As Ice,” “Juke Box Hero,” and so many others of rock’s most enduring anthems, are out on the road across Canada this month with a trip they’re calling the Winter 2019 Cold As Ice tour. The legendary rock band will heat up the cold Canadian nights with a series of “hot blooded” tour dates, riding high on the heels of the Toronto world-premiere of the new musical, “Juke Box Hero” at the iconic Ed Mirvish Theatre. The band is also readying for the DVD and Blu-ray release of the concert film, Foreigner Live At The Rainbow ‘78, which comes out March 15 on Eagle Vision. Forty years after this definitive performance by the original band, fans can watch iconic performances as the band toured on the success of their debut album. The band hits its only 519 date of the tour at Caesars Windsor on March 10. Bassist Jeff Pilson called the 519 Magazine office ahead of the tour to chat about the band, his instruments and some of his favourite records. Did you think this Foreigner gig would last all these years? Absolutely not. Not in the least. In fact, when I first joined, the plan was just to do mostly Weekend Warrior work because I was still doing a lot of production work with other bands - that was back when record labels were still signing bands – although, as well all know, that was about to end quickly. But I really didn’t think about it. I knew Foreigner was great. I knew Foreigner had a great legacy with great songs, so I guess in the back of my mind you always have to entertain the possibility of something when it’s that level of quality. But I did not see 15 years later being on the road like this with these guys. Around the time you joined, Kelly Hansen (vocals) also came on board. You guys must be pretty good friends? Well sure. We’re an important part of the reformation of a Foreigner. Mick was really the tie in with the past and
we’ve certainly bonded well with each other – all of us. I think there was a bond between Mick and Kelly and Tom Gimbel and I absolutely felt it right away when I was there. That bond is still there today That’s a bit of the nucleus I guess you could say. I mean everybody’s really valuable in this band, but that bond that we formed at the beginning helped a lot. We actually struggled together when we first joined Foreigner. We had to build it back up and there’s something that happens to a band when they experience that together. There’s no question the first couple of years we struggled, but it was a struggle with a lot of enthusiasm behind it and we were highly motivated and we believed in it. Very quickly it became apparent we were a great band when we played together and so I think that spirit is really what initially has propelled us to still be here today. Other than of course the greatness of the music, which doesn’t hurt. How did you originally hook up with them? In 2001 I did a movie called Rockstar, which had Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston in it. But from a musical perspective Jason Bonham was there and that was a cool thing. Jason and I played the bass player and drummer of the fictional band Steel Dragon, so in the shooting of that movie we actually recorded the soundtrack together. We worked musically and we became friends during that movie and recording process. So, when Jason started working with Mick Jones in 2004, they called me up to see if I wanted to be involved. They weren’t exactly sure it was even going to be Foreigner right away, but we wanted to see if it clicked. When I went down to play with them the chemistry was there immediately and I’ve been there ever since. When was the first time you saw Foreigner live? It was in August of 1978. I saw them at Memorial Stadium in Seattle and it’s a funny story because there’s a device called a Mellotron which
was the electronic keyboard before synthesizers. It was a device that played back tapes and it would play tapes of orchestras or choirs or whatever, and there’d be a tape for each note so you’d play the keyboard. When you hit the keys, the notes you were playing on the keyboard would simultaneously play the tapes as you were playing. It was very primitive, but was a very cool instrument that became a huge part of progressive rock – The Beatles, Moody Blues and the Yes all used it. Foreigner used them as well back then. Actually, they used something else, but when they when they got to Seattle, I got a call. I just bought one of these Mellotrons and at the time I was 20 years old, so it was a big deal for me to buy one. I was making payments on it and it was still at a music store in Seattle, but the music store called me and they said ‘hey that Mellotron that you have that you’re making payments on, Foreigner just got into town and their Mellotron broke so they need one. You want to rent it to them?’ I said, well of course I will. So, they rented my Mellotron that night and as I’m walking into Memorial Stadium in Seattle, Cold As Ice is playing with the Mellotron part going on in the middle. So here I am I walking into the stadium hearing my Mellotron. I still have that very Mellotron to this day and it’s in my studio. Mick Jones loves that story. That was the first time I saw Foreigner. You’re a multi-instrumentalist, so is your home filled with instruments? Yes, (laughter) absolutely filled with instruments. I love music. I have a great studio and most of my instruments stand there. I have a delightful 1908 Steinway grand piano in the living room and most of my guitars and basses, mandolin, a sitar, my old Mellotron and keyboards all hang out in or near my studio. Is it hard to be creative with an instrument like the bass that’s so essential providing the backbone of the music? Well that’s an interesting question because part of the challenge of bass is that you don’t want to be creative at the expense of the groove. It has to flow in order to work. My view of the bass is that its fundamental purpose is to move and propel the song with the groove to enhance the overall song. I think there’s places for creativity and I do I love it when you hear somebody do something really interesting, but for me it’s really about the groove more than anything else. I believe that’s the everyday challenge a bass player faces. And it’s one I really enjoy. How is the Foreigner experience different from say Dokken or Dio? Well, less than you might think. A lot of people assume that it’s like apples and oranges. It’s really not. A band like Dokken looked up to bands like Foreigner when we started because, as you know, the early Foreigner was
hard rock with great melody and big choruses. That sound was something we aspired to in Dokken’s formative years. Songs like Feel Like The First Time were seminal. When I play with Foreigner, I’m kind of approaching it like I always did as a fan, which is a little bit heavier than the original version. As a live band we’re kind of heavier anyways. Even Mick Jones can let loose. I always laugh because Mick is a closet rocker. He really is. When he plays guitar, he rocks. He does more than people realize. So yeah, I guess I just don’t find it all that different. You had a good run with Dokken and you reunited with them for a short tour in 2016. What was it like getting back into that situation after all those years? It was actually very pleasant. We got along better than expected, which was nice. Most of the tour was in Japan where we have a delightful fan base that was really wonderful. The music was very comfortable because we all know each other and all those songs are a humongous part of our past. What I was really surprised at was how well we actually got along and that was a real positive for me. There’s a new Dokken CD that’s out of the shows from that tour. I believe at this point it’s the latest recording of Dokken. There was one new song, It’s Just Another Day, that we managed to do which was really a shock and really fun because it’s probably the most painless recording Dokken has ever made. And the reaction to it was so incredibly positive. Dokken records used to be really difficult to make. There was a lot of back and forth and it was a difficult process when we made all those albums. This one just flowed. It was easy and we collaborated nicely together. It was encouraging. It’s a live album, but we also have brand new material on it, which helps us by keeping it vital and feeling relevant. Just knowing that a whole new record just isn’t a practical thing at this point in time, it was a great release that captured a fun time for the band. There’s something else that you guys are doing that not many bands can actually say is that you have a musical. (Laughter) That’s right, us and Queen. (Laughter) Can you tell me about that Jukebox Hero musical? I’m actually the music supervisor on it, so I know a lot about it. It’s just this wonderful play written by two very well-known writers Dick and Ian. That’s all I know them as. They’re friends of Mick’s and they’ve written a lot of big stuff and it’s basically about how rock can save a small town from the problems that a lot of small towns are facing today - automation and employment going out the window and all this stuff. It’s the classic music saves the day kind of thing, but it’s
done in a really nice way. There are 23 Foreigner songs in the show and it’s only Foreigner music in the show. It opened to amazing reviews in Canada. It’s just in Canada for the time being. I know that the plan is to take it elsewhere perhaps on the road in the future. We’ll see, but I know that there’s another opening in Canada coming very soon. The Canadian promoter is a guy by the name of Jeff Perry who’s a big Canadian promoter of music as well. Jeff has just been absolutely wonderful in this whole endeavor. He’s really supportive. He wanted to have this musical have more integrity than most musical productions out there. We wanted the music to be spoton and the idea was to really make it as close to the original. You have to do certain things different when you have a script and when you have actors doing the lines in context of a story, but for the most part the kids are doing an amazing job. It’s just been exciting and I know for Mick Jones, it’s been a real turning point in his life. What a fabulous thing for a writer like him to have - a musical based around his music. Other than the big three: Foreigner, Dokken and Dio, is there an album out there of all the ones that you’ve recorded that’s your favorite and why? I’ve got this record coming out in March called The End Machine that I just did recently with George Lynch and Mick Brown from Dokken and a singer by the name of Robert Mason who’s from Warrant. We just put a video out for Alive Today a few weeks ago and got a tremendous reception to it. I’m really proud of that record. That record is just phenomenal and I’m very excited about it. You know you’re always kind of excited about the things you did, so maybe that’s part of it but it is I’m really proud of the effort that we put it on that record and it just really came out amazing. I was very proud of the new Dokken song we came up with It’s Just Another Day. I was really excited about some of the stuff that we did on the Foreigner 40 record. We did a version of The Flame Still Burns, which was a song that Mick originally wrote for a movie called Still Crazy, but we revamped it completely. He changed a lot of the lyrics, made them better and then we did a version with this band where we start off acoustic and then we end up full on blasting out electric. I thought the Can’t Slow Down album we did 10 years ago was a great record and I wish we could do more for records, but I understand why we can’t – it’s just not the same environment anymore. You’re bringing the tour Cold As Ice to Canada in February & March. I have to say it’s a perfect name for a tour at the coldest time of the year. (Laughter) Yeah well if the shoe fits. Tickets for the Caesars Windsor show are on sale now starting at $36.
The Trews Ready to Take New Music on the Road
just gung ho and when we started playing it for our label and trusted friends and family, The Trews released their sixth full-length it’s something that people were like “oh this studio album Civilianaires in the fall and the is a really different sound for you guys”, and band is currently on the road bringing these I guess it is. I would mostly attribute that to brand new songs out for a test drive. The tour the influence of Derek the producer. He did will take them across the country, with stops two interesting things - like all the guitars, in the 519 in Waterloo and London later this there’s no guitar amplifiers on the record that month. everything is being played through studio Civilianaires is the band’s most fearless EQ’s that have been blown out. On a lot of record yet with personal and political lyrics songs, we programmed the drums first and driven by a refreshing new sound. The Trews then went back and we recorded actual drums approached Civilianaires the way a contractor over top of them so we took a pretty radical tackles a kitchen reno: tearing things down to shift in approach to how we make records. the studs, then building it back up piece by Normally we would just rehearse and then piece. go in and play them in the studio and I think We had a chat with guitarist/songwriter having made five or six albums that way, we John-Angus MacDonald about the tour, the were ready to try something different. new album and the change in sound. Serena Ryder is on the new album. You’re playing out in this area in Well she’s my brother’s fiancée. You know Waterloo and London. Do you have Colin the singer of the band. They’ve been any fond memories of the Southwestern together for about three years. So she’s kind Ontario area? of part of the family and she’s been out on the We’ve been playing that sort of region like road with us. She’s been in the writing room Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo, London with us and she’s been in the studio with us. and Windsor. I mean Windsor’s a little far, So, those kind of collaborations were just but yeah we’ve been playing all over Ontario really effortless. I guess the first example was for 15, 16 years now. We’ve played what in the morning on our last album where feels like every nook and cranny she sang the verse and the chorus - you know, from the biggest with Colin. Then after that I think festivals and arenas down to the Colin and Serena started seeing The Trews smallest little dive bars - over each other shortly after that and Waterloo - Feb. 15 the course of our career. So yeah we’ve been really tight ever London - Feb. 22 there’s plenty of fond memories. since. I met my wife in Cambridge, that So on Civilianaires the song, certainly means something, but we once again had a song that we’ve had lots of good times over started out as something small and the years, played lots of great shows and grew into something much larger. On met lots of good people. one writing session it was Colin, Serena Civilianaires is your new album and sixth and I working on that tune, and it grew into overall. It took a little longer than your something that we were really excited about. average Trews album. What happened? So it ended up on the record and she ends up Part of it was for the reasons I just stated. as a co-writer on it. We had a lot of shakeups in the ranks, I find that there’s a little bit more politics between Shawn the drummer leaving and we kind of creeping into the album than usual. also parted with the management who we’d What politically moves you? been with for 15 years. We changed the labels I think we just respond to issues that speak and then we had to hire new management. to us. I mean I’ve never shied away from it. And then I had two kids as well, so there Our third record which came out 2008 we was just a lot of life happening and a lot of had a song called Gun Control which we shakeups and a lot of change. So it just took took heaps of blowback for. But it was just us a minute. We wrote a lot of songs in that in response to the Virginia Tech shooting at gap between 2014 and 2018. We probably the time. have enough songs to do another record I mean it’s been you know hundreds since tomorrow. We didn’t find the right team, like then. Like literally. So it could be about the whole team wasn’t quite right between any of these insane mass shootings. And so management and label. We also had Chris on that’s an issue that got our blood boiling and drums so we had to make some adjustments we react to it on the new album. That was a before we were ready to push the button on direct blowback to the Trump insanity which the next album. we’re all subjected to 24/7, which is literally You merged into a new sound on the rammed down our throats for the sake of album. Were you a little nervous with the selling advertising, which is the cynical part change? about it. That was a response to that mania No, we never really considered it all that and insanity, and that’s where that came from. crazy until we started playing it for people. So that’s like any issue that gets under our We were just very excited because we got skin that we feel we want to say something with this young producer named Derek about. Hoffmann and we went to his home studio You’ve been in Hamilton for quite a and started churning out these songs and while now. Is there still any of that Nova sounds that we were just really excited by. So Scotia boy still kicking around? for us as long as the music is happening we’re Yeah you know I think it’s in there in great spirits. His new songs are coming somewhere. I’m always excited to get back and it feels effortless and inspired and we’re out. I haven’t lived in Nova Scotia since
By Dan and April Savoie
2001. That was the last time I actually lived there. But my mom, sister and dad is back out East. So there’s a million reasons to go back and I do a couple of times a year at least. And so yeah I miss it, but you know we’re both firmly rooted where we’re at in Hamilton and happy with things there too, so it’s one
of those places I hope to have a cottage out East at some point and then kind of split my time up between Southern Ontario and Nova Scotia. Catch The Trews on tour in Southwestern Ontario at Maxwell’s Concert & Events in Waterloo on Feb. 15 and London Music Hall
You Can’t Escape Yourself – Or Your Roommates – in No Exit By Michael K Potter Imagine you enter a tiny room only to discover it will be your new home – forever. There are no windows. The door is locked. There’s a bell you can ring for help, but it doesn’t work. The lights are always on. And you have roommates. They’ve been chosen specifically for you by the folks in charge, who have examined your preferences, your personality, your hopes and fears, your irritations and everything about you to make the best choice about who you’ll live with for eternity. And what makes them the best roommates for you is the fact that they’re your ideal torturers because you’re in Hell. That’s the premise of Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit, a simple Odd Couple premise that wouldn’t be out of place in a TV sitcom. But this is Sartre we’re dealing with – the philosopher, playwright, and novelist who famously refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature as a matter of principle. He’s telling a story that addresses some of our deepest insecurities, using characters more monstrous – surely! – than ourselves, yet perhaps more like us than we care to admit.
When Cradeau, a journalist, arrives the way we want to be seen ... is a lie? in the room, one of the first things Think of it this way: what makes he notices is the lack of a mirror. someone beautiful? Maybe it’s Another resident, wealthy socialite something inside us – or maybe Estelle, is practically obsessed with it’s just that other people consider mirrors – back home she’s set up her us beautiful. What makes someone bedroom so she can always see herself courageous? Is it based on how you in a mirror, whichever direction feel and behave – or is it just that she faces. Only the secretary, Inez, some people say you’re courageous? seems unconcerned about the lack of Maybe you just look like the a mirror in the room. stereotype of a courageous person. Why? The answer has And if you’re a monster, is it something to do with how because other people say honest we are with you’re a monster – or do ourselves, how reliant you know this fact about No Exit we are on the opinions yourself so intimately Shadowbox Theatre of others, and whether that the opinions of Windsor we’re secure enough not others don’t matter at Feb. 1 - 16 to require the reassurance all? of our own gazes looking Maybe the best among at our own faces. us are the monsters who see In the age of social media, themselves as they truly are. our egos have become especially Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit, dependent on the opinions of others – produced by Post Productions, runs how they see us, what they say about Feb 1, 2, 1, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 at The us, how vast the gulf is between their Shadowbox Theatre (103b – 1501 perception of us and our perception Howard Ave, the corner of Howard of ourselves. Can you maintain your and Shepherd). Doors open at 7:30 own individuality, your own selfand the show begins at 8:00. Tickets image, without checking it against are $20 at postproductionswindsor. the opinions of others? ca – or by cash at the door if seats What are we willing to do to remain. convince others to see us the way we want to be seen – because we know
Guys and Dolls Bringing New York City to Kingsville
Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys and Dolls ran for 1,200 performances when it opened on Broadway in 1950 and became a popular movie in 1955 with Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine. Now, the show of shows is making its way to Kingsville’s Migration Hall for a short run from February 22 to March 3. Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls is an oddball romantic comedy. Gambler, Nathan Detroit, tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they’ve been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result. Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually everyone ends up right where they belong. “The show has been on the Migration Hall wish list several times,” says Migration Hall’s Stephanie Allen Santos. “It’s that Golden Age of Broadway with memorable tunes written by Frank Loesser, funny storylines with an underlying reality to it all, a large adult cast and a score fit for a live orchestra. The show selection committee felt it was a good time to offer a more adult production and with our demographic in Kingsville, ‘Guys and Dolls’ seemed to be the perfect fit.” Tickets are $25 each, with tables of eight available for $160. For more visit migrationhall.com.
Music & Sports Collide in New Concert Series 519 Magazine and the Windsor Express basketball team are merging music and sport in a new and exciting way. Together, the two local organizations are introducing the 519 Premium Concert Series, featuring eight-exclusive performances held in the Crown Royal Club Lounge at Windsor’s WFCU Centre, the city’s premiere sports arena, before every Windsor Express home game starting February 6, 2019. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Downtown Mission of Windsor. These exclusive ticketed events feature a stellar line-up of some of the city’s best entertainers, including pop/soul singer Crissi Cochrane, who was voted among the Top 10 Best New Artists nationwide in CBC’s 2014 Searchlight contest, local teen, Alexa Carroccia who sold out the Crown Royal Club Lounge last year on her own, the awardwinning team who perform the music on the annual Windsor Rum Runners tours and the highly skilled rap sounds of local recording artists R.Y.O.T with featured guest – local young teen, Krisalyn Bell. Unlike many of the “perform-for-free” opportunities throughout the city, the 519 Premium Concert Series gives the performers a chance to get paid for their performances and perform in the executive lounge of one of the city’s premium venues. “We were approached by the Windsor Express to see if there was any interest in creating an event that could benefit the team, the artists performing and make a rarely used premium room at the WFCU Centre,” says 519 Magazine publisher Dan Savoie. “We loved the idea and created an entire series around the concept. The 519 Premium Concert Series will give Windsorites a chance to catch a great local artist in a premium setting and they’ll also get to enjoy a professional basketball game right here in the city.” Tickets for all 519 Premium Concert Series events are $20 each and can be purchased directly from the artists themselves. Each ticket includes admission to the concert and basketball game. A portion of every ticket sold will go directly to The Downtown Mission of Windsor. Dates for the series are: Wed., Feb 6 Kelcom Revolution IP Presents R.Y.O.T w/Krisalyn Bell (Hip Hop, Rap) Wed., Feb 13 Tiffany Taylor, Nikki Knight & Benjamin Doncom (Pop, Rock and R&B) Wed, Feb 20 Rum Runners Roaring 20s Musical Review (20s) Wed., Mar 6 Kaila Delarmente (R&B, Soul and Indie) Wed., Mar 13 Victoria Yorke (Christian, Gospel) Fri., Mar 22 Alexa Carroccia (pop) Sun., Mar 24 DTB with Flower Face (Experimental Music) Fri., Mar 29 Crissi Cochrane (Pop and Soul)
Ed The Sock Touring Southwestern Ontario in the Name of Sanity
By Dan and April Savoie
Canada’s original mouthpiece Ed The Sock is back and he’s hitting the road to help Canada recover its lost salvation, including shows in London, Brantford, Waterloo, Windsor and Tillsonburg Along with his companion Liana, the duo are hoping to bring back a little of that old City TV and Much Music charm of Canada’s early 1990s with a new online television network called The FU Network, which has a fun lineup of classic styled bits from the glory days of Much Music. The days when the station really mattered to its viewers. We sat down with Ed and Liana for a chat about where they’ve been and where they’re going. Holy Shit Ed and Red are back and you’re calling your tour The War on Stupid. Is it really that stupid out there? ED Yes we are back because the public demand for sanity was just overwhelming. And so we heard the call of the people and we stepped forward to once again shine light on reason and intelligence using humor. Was there one thing in particular that pushed you over the edge that made you realize that Canada needs Ed and Red again? LIANA I think it was the other way around. I think Canada was the one that said it. This whole thing just kind of happened. It was sort of - all right, you want us to come. I think people want to get back to a place where conversations
happen - not online, because it’s very different. There’s this series of echo chambers on the Internet and then in our hyper connected world people lose sight of the fact that there are other people out there who have opinions that aren’t raving lunatics or paranoid partisans. And I think people are desperate for that sort of human contact. Along with London, you’re getting to other Communities like Bradford, Waterloo and even Tillsonburg. My God, somebody must really mean business hitting Tillsonburg. LIANA What is it about Tillsonburg that everybody goes Oh My God. Well I guess we’ll find out. I used to go to a cottage outside Tillsonburg and it wasn’t all that bad, but there must be something about it that we aren’t seeing. ED I’m getting this impression that it’s like that X-Files episode with that small community where they had Chico’s chicken where they were putting out that brand of chicken and there was a cult. And it didn’t turn out that well. I don’t want to be a spoiler to a show that’s been off the air for 20 years, but it turned out they were like eating people. I’m not sure if that’s what’s happening, but that would be cool as long as we get out of town in time. It’s been years since you guys have been in the spotlight. Liana, where have you been hiding Ed? LIANA That sounds a bit like oppression. I have not been hiding him anywhere. I have not been oppressing Ed.
ED I actually went to my mansion in Anguilla and I sort of became a recluse writing my memoirs. It turned out a lot like The Shining. I just kept typing the same words over and over and realized it was time to come back. I was doing stuff online for an American service because in Canada I was told by one network that my brand was too strong. It’s like television is supposed to be some kind of small myopic group. Television is a popularity contest. How can you be too popular and too strong for a popularity contest doesn’t make sense? Liana, you’re big into video games you’ve mentioned a couple of times. cosplay and just being sexy. How does that all fit into the touring show and the new network. LIANA It’s really a catch 22 because my attitude is when you’re an entertainer you use every tool you have. I don’t think it’s fair that men are allowed to be as sexy as they want and their intelligence isn’t necessarily questioned. Nobody assumes George Clooney is a dummy just because he has a lot of charisma and sex appeal. I think one of the things I am really trying to change the paradigm with is how restricted women are regarding entertainment. How you know a woman who isn’t afraid to use those tools is either dismissed with words like sluts and a whore or we’re just written off as dumb. One thing I do know is that I need to wear pants of some kind - or at least a skirt. I know that I need to cover my
FEBRUARY EVENTS IN THE 519 Brantford
Feb – 08 Brantford Music Club presents Young Artists Recital, Sanderson Centre (7:30pm) Feb - 11 Karen Thornton, Sanderson Centre (8pm) Feb - 13 Rumble the Concert, Sanderson Centre (7pm) Feb – 15 2019 Heritage Day Workshop, The Sanderson Centre (8:30am) Feb-16 National Ballet Theatre of Odessa: P. Tchaikovsky Swan Lake, Sanderson Centre (7pm) Feb – 21 Carl Dixon stories and song, Sanderson Centre (7pm)
Chatham
Feb – 08 The Bombsquad!, Fortresss Tavern (9:30pm) Feb – 09 Rob Kirkham and Neon Rain, Fortresss Tavern (9:30pm) Feb – 15, 16, 17 Newsies: The Musical, Chatham Capitol Theatre (7pm) Feb – 16 Continuum live, Fortresss Tavern (9:30pm)
Kitchener – Waterloo
Feb – 07 Artist Showcase, Maxwell’s Concerts & Events (7pm) Feb – 07 Classic Albums Live: Queen, Night at the Opera, Centre In The Square (8pm) February 07, 08, 09, 14, 15, 16 Sister Cities, Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre (8pm) Feb – 11 Aaron Pritchett wsg Kira Isabella, Maxwell’s Concerts & Events (7:30pm) Feb – 13 Masters Of Illusion Believe the Impossible, Centre In The Square (8pm) Feb – 14 Arkells Rally Cry Tour, The Aud (7:30pm) Feb – 15, 16 Pictures At An Exhibition, Centre In The Square (8pm) Feb – 15 The Trews, Maxwell’s Concerts & Events (7:30pm)
Feb - 21, 22, 23, 24 Chelsea’s Story, The Registry Theatre (2pm, 7:30pm) Feb – 22 Monster Truck, Maxwell’s Concerts & Events (7:30pm)
Monster Truck will perform at Maxwell’s Concerts and Evenets on Feb. 22.
Feb – 26 D’capella, Centre In The Square (7:30pm) Feb – 27 A Bowie Celebration: The David Bowie Alumni Tour, Centre In The Square (8pm) Feb – 28 KW Comedy Festival Opening Gala feat. Shaun Majumder, Centre In The Square (8pm)
London
Feb - 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 the Nerd by Larry Shue, Palace Theatre (2pm, 8pm) Feb – 07, 08, 09, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16 Surrender, Dorothy by Liz Best, Palace Theatre (2pm,8pm) Feb – 07 Father & Son Dueling Pianos, The Aeolian (7pm) Feb – 08 Andrea Ramolo, The Aeolian (7pm) Feb – 08 The Longest Road Show, London Music Hall (6pm) Feb – 09 Monika Wall, The Pairs and Marty Kolls, London Music Club (8:30pm) Feb – 09 The Strictly Hip, The Aeolian (7pm) Feb – 10 Incase We Crash, Corbin Giroux, Steinbecks & Molly Roach, Old East 765 (8pm) Feb – 10 Morgan James, London Music Hall (6:30pm)
nether regions. That’s for sure. ED Why? There’s no law against you having that uncovered. LIANA You can go topless, you can go Mickey Mouse, but not Donald Duck in the province of Ontario. ED You can wear underwear - you don’t have to be fully clothed. LIANA It’s February Ed, it’s cold. ED We’re going to places that are
heated. We’re not doing it in an igloo. LIANA It’s fricken freezing in those clubs. One person opens the door and everybody has to zip their coats. No, I’m wearing pants! Ed and Liana perform in London on Feb. 16, Brantford on March8, Waterloo on March 9, Windsor on March 15 and Tillsonburg on March 16. For more visit edthesock.com or funetwork.tv.
SUBMIT YOUR EVENTS AT 519MAGAZINE.COM Feb - 13 Aaron Pritchett w/ Kira Isabella and David James, London Music Hall (7pm) Feb – 14 Little Big Town w/ Midland and Ashley McBryde, Budweiser Gardens (7:30pm) Feb – 14 The Breakers Tour: Canada, Budweiser Gardens (7pm) Feb – 14 Valentine’s Day with Terry Barber, The Aeolian (7pm) Feb – 15 Luv, London Music Hall (9pm) Feb – 15 Rising Phoenix 2, Old East 765 (7pm) Feb – 15 Uptown Affair, The Aeolian (7pm) Feb – 16 Emm Gryner , London Music Club (6:30pm) Feb – 16 Ed the Sock, London Music Hall (7pm) Feb – 16 Magoffins Epic Metal Bday Bash, Old East 765 (7pm) Feb – 16 My Funny Valentine, The Aeolian (7pm) Feb – 17 Lord Huron, London Music Hall (7pm) Feb – 20 Don Ross: Louder Than Usual wsg Pipo Romero , The Aeolian (7pm) Feb – 21 August Burns Red, London Music Hall (6:30pm) Feb – 22 Prime Time Big Band, The Aeolian (8pm) Feb – 22 The Trews, London Music Hall (7pm) Feb – 23 A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks, London Music Club (7:30pm) Feb – 23 Mother Mother , London Music Hall (7pm) Feb – 23 Paul Brandt and High Valley, Budweiser Gardens (7pm) Feb – 23 The Memphis Jam, The Aeolian (7:30pm) Feb – 24 Buddy Holly’s Rockin & Dance Party, The Aeolian (2pm) Feb – 24 Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y :2009 Tour, London Music Hall(8pm) Feb – 28 Donovan Woods and the Opposition, London Music Hall (7pm) Feb - 28, March - 01, 02, 03 Disney On Ice 100 Years of Magic, Budweiser Gardens (10:30am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm)
Sarnia Feb – 08 Morgan James, Imperial Theatre (8pm) Feb – 09 Holy Cole, Imperial Theatre (8pm) Feb – 23 International Symphony Orchestra: Night Dreams and Dances, Imperial Theatre (7:30pm) Feb – 23 Name that Tune 2.0, Bottoms Up Bar & Grill (7pm) Feb – 23 Night Dreams and Dances, Imperial Theatre (7:30pm) Feb – 27 Matthew Good, Imperial Theatre (7pm) Feb – 27 Shoplifters, Imperial Theatre (7:30pm)
Windsor - Essex
Feb – 06 519 Premium Concert Series With RYOT featuring Krisalyn Bell, WFCU Centre (6pm) Feb – 06, 13, 20 & 27 Retro Ladies Dance Party with DJ Josh Powers, The Thirsty Butler (8pm) Feb – 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 The Penelopiad, University Players (2pm, 8pm) Feb – 07 Ian Smith, The Thirsty Butler (7:30pm) Feb – 08 Bloody Valentine, Rockstar Music Hall (8pm) Feb – 08 Jody Rafoul, The Thirsty Butler (8pm) Feb – 08 Keith Ruff, Haddon’s Comedy Club (9pm) Feb – 09 British Beat 66, The Thirsty Butler (9pm) Feb – 09 Stranger Daze, Fire, ABTF, RYOT, Rockstar Music Hall (8pm) Feb – 10 Cognitive-Monotheist-The Machinist-Devilz By Definition, The Back Stage(7pm) Feb – 10 WSO/SoCA Concert featuring Alumni Choir, Capitol Theatre Windsor (2:30pm) Feb – 13 519 Premium Concert Series w/ T Taylor, N Knight & B Doncom, WFCU Centre (6pm) Feb – 14 Old Dominion, Caesars Windsor (8pm) Feb – 14 Tom Hogarth - Kelly Hoppe- Chris Borshuk, The Thirsty Butler (7:30pm) Feb -14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 28, March - 01, 02 Cabaret , Kordazone Theatre (2pm, 6pm, 8pm) Feb -15, 16 The Price Is Right: Live On Stage,
Caesars Windsor (8pm) Feb – 15 Dusty D’Annunzio, The Thirsty Butler (8pm) Feb – 15 SPICE Queens: Windsor, Rockstar Music Hall (8pm) Feb – 16 Jody Raffoul Band, Rockstar Music Hall (8pm) Feb – 16 Ryan Yoker Duo, The Thirsty Butler (8pm) Feb – 20 519 Premium Concert Series with The Rum Runners 20s Review, WFCU Centre (6pm) Feb – 21 Dean Haddad Trio, The Thirsty Butler (7:30pm) Feb – 21 Khari Wendell McCelland, Phog Lounge (8pm) Feb – 22 Bowie & Prince, The Chrysler Theatre (8pm) Feb – 22 Chris D’Elia: Follow The Leader, Caesars Windsor (9pm) Feb – 22 Guitar Army, The Thirsty Butler (8pm) Feb – 22 Symphony 121: Bowie & Prince, Phog Lounge (6:30pm) Feb – 22, 23, 24 Where There’s a Will, Olde Walkerville Theatre(2pm, 7pm) Feb – 22, 23, 24, March - 01, 02, 03 Guys and Dolls, Migration Hall (2pm, 8pm) Feb – 23 80s GONE WILD, Rockstar Music Hall (9pm) Feb – 23 DESTROYER Canada/KISS Tribute, The Back Stage (10pm) Feb – 23 Music in the Dark, Capitol Theatre Windsor(7pm) Feb – 23 The 519 Band, The Thirsty Butler (8pm) Feb – 24 Celebrating Black Composers, Capitol Theatre Windsor (4pm) Feb – 24 Pete the Cat, The Chrysler Theatre (2pm) Feb – 28 Jimmy’s Comedy Nights, Jimmy G’s Bar and Grill (9pm) Feb – 28 Madeline Doornaert, The Thirsty Butler (8pm)
10 FUN QUESTIONs w ith dartis willis sr. from the windsor expres s... Without using the word fun, what’s your definition of fun? Having a great time. What’s the most fun you’ve had in the last 24 hours? Working on some exciting projects for the Express What is more fun chocolate or whipped cream? Whipped cream on chocolate What was the most fun you’ve ever had watching a movie? Watching a movie at the drive-in movie theatre with my family When was the last time you were made Fun of? All of time. Especially about my height Have you ever had Fun in church? Of course! Singing and dancing.
What is more fun a mother in law or going to the dentist? Going to the dentist because they make me smile all day. What is the most fun you’ve ever had with your clothes on? Playing basketball with the students at the school visits. In a fun way, what is the most fun you’ve ever had with your clothes off? Swimming in the ocean in Florida Has working with the Windsor Express made you a more fun person? I have been having a great time with the team so far and looking forward to making more memories with the fans and the community.
Dartis Willis Sr. is the President and CEO of the Windsor Express professional basketball team.
RESTAURANTS OF THE 519
Nola’s Vito’s Pizzeria Motor Burger Mamo Burger Bar Spago The Goat LA Town Grill Riccardo’s Crave Family Grill Speck’s
Gilligan’s Bud’s Diner On The Docks Drifter’s Inn Chuckwagon Vernon’s Ian’s Wrap Shack Grove Brew House Eat What’s Good Chilled Cork
Hungry Man Five Guys Stubby Goat Bad Dog Crossroads Village Teapot Barracuda Johnny’s Bella Jacks