IT’S YOUR FESTIVAL
June 28th to July 1st
Gage Park - Main Stage and Stage 4
It’s Your Festival is held every Canada Weekend in Gage Park. This festival is run by Hamilton Folk Arts Heritage Council and celebrates all Canadians. It used to be called It’s Your Bag when my dad took us as kids. Then, as now, the festival celebrates our commonalities of being Canadian, and also our heritages, particularly around food and folk culture. You can have Greek, German or Jamaican food for example, put on by various cultural organizations, not just food trucks. Or perhaps a Serbian folkloric dance group might be something you’d like to see (Alex I’m looking at you). But as always, music is always a big part of this festival. There are 4 stages, but the two that have the music focus are the New Music Stage and the Bandshell. I've always liked the multiple ethnic foods I could sample, and always try to expand my palate, but this goes for music as well. The independent stage 4 new music stage is located at the south end of the park, on the other side of the road, but has numerous local, independent bands perform…and in a shady area so it’s not too hot. I’ll be checking out a few of the acts for sure. And this year has headliners that include GODDO, with locals Tommy Gunn and Green Harbour opening up for them, and for Canada Day the classic sounds of the NORTHERN PIKES. Happy Canada Day!!
BROTT MUSIC FESTIVAL
Throughout Summer - Various Venues
The BMF starts in June every year, but kicks into high gear in July with some great performances at a number of local venues. The late Boris Brott created the National Academy Orchestra based here in Hamilton and launched the Brott Music Festival in the 80’s. The NAO is a collection of some of the finest young classical musicians in Canada and throughout the summer they put on concerts mostly around Hamilton and Burlington. There are a number of shows in July and August but here are some of the shows that you might not want to miss.
| July 3rd | Romeo and Juliet | LR Wilson Hall (McMaster) |
| July 17th | Bizet’s Carmen | Theatre Aquarius |
| July 19th | Jeans and Classics: Motown and Disco | Theatre Aquarius |
Motown is the heartbeat of ‘60s soul and R&B. Disco is what happens when you take that heartbeat, dress it in sequins, and throw it on a light-up dance floor. The Jeans and Classic show is all about the hits: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Dancing Queen, I Want You Back, Stayin’ Alive, and more. Feel the groove of the era that gave us glitter and funk and unforgettable music from The Supremes to The Bee Gees. Performed by the Jeans and Classics Band and the National Academy Orchestra, it promises to be a great performance. Dress to dazzle, bring your sparkle, and enjoy the ultimate throwback party.
BECAUSE BEER
July 11th & 12th
Pier 4 Park
If you're looking to get some good beer into you, and at the same time hear some good music, look no further than Because Beer Festival put on by our friends at Super crawl/Sonic Union . Because Beer brings together many local breweries including some of our favourites like Clifford and Nickel Brook. The musical headliners this year include Down With Webster and the Dirty Nil on Friday and The Sheepdogs and Matthew Good on Saturday, along with numerous other local favourites.
And the party continues afterwards with late night After parties on both Friday and Saturday night at Bridgeworks. The after parties start at midnight, and can be added on to your Because Beer tickets, or purchased independently. Both bands are sure to keep you moving and dancing with The Commandos on July 11th and Big Shiny Goons on July 12th. Cheers!
CROWN & PRESS GALLERY LIVE MUSIC
303 Ottawa St. North
JACOB MOON
July 11th @ 7:30pm
LO & THE HI ROAD
July 18th @ 7pm
The Crown and Press Gallery is a great gallery on Ottawa St. They have a nice café and working space at the front, with the gallery at the back. And now they’re putting on a couple of shows.
The ever-popular Jacob Moon brings his sound to the gallery on July 11th. Regularly performing at The Westdale, Jacob is a talented musician who is sure to put on a fantastic performance in this intimate space. I’d highly recommend checking this show out to see both the gallery and Jacob.
Lo & The High Road are a band I don’t know; they are made up of two musicians, Lauren Halász (vocals, bass, bodhrán) and Colin McMahon (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki). They do a collection of original songs from their album Jackalope Tales (& Other Stories) as well as traditional … as they say it “Folk music for your woodland high tea”. Sounds like perfect fit for a gallery show.
KENNY THOR CORKE’s 50th BIRTHDAY PARTY
Saturday July 12th - Stonewalls
Lo-Fi, The Killin' Time Band, Dirt Star
Another great party night is coming up on Saturday July 12th to celebrate Kenny Thor Corke's 50th birthday party. You get a few of the loudest, partiest bands I know, and they’ll be lots of drinks served and it is bound to be a great high energy show and night. You get some of the best party bands in the area all performing in the same night including Lo-Fi and The Killing Time Band together. I will be there … and won’t be driving to this one.
TAPESTRY: THE CAROL KING SONGBOOK
Saturday July 19th - Ancaster Memorial Arts
Experience the soulful songs of Carole King live on stage. Tapestry: The Carole King Songbook pays tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter behind hits like “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Acclaimed performer Suzanne O. Davis and her band bring Carole’s timeless 1970s sound to our stage. It’s a heartfelt, nostalgic night of music – like reconnecting with an old friend. This will be an intimate concert experience that will have you singing along and reminiscing. You don’t get many chances to see a Carol King Tribute show so this is one you’ll want to catch.
FESTIVAL OF FRIENDS
August 1st - 3rd - Gage Park
This Festival takes place at the end of the month, starting on Friday August 1st to Sunday August 3rd. This is considered to be THE music festival in Hamilton and has been running since the 1970s. It always has a mixture of great headliners and numerous local and independent musicians, whether folk, indie, rock, dance bands or country. The music is throughout the park and uses multiple stages including 2 bigger stages: the bandshell and the large Main Stage put up for the weekend. The headliners usually draw thousands of people to the park. This year at the main stage are some fantastic performances including the following headliners:
| August 1st | Dan Mangan and The Trews |
| August 2nd | Sister Sledge and The Sugar Hill Gang |
| August 3rd | Brett Kissel |
But it’s also the other acts that people come to see. August 1st also sees yours truly, The Brown Notes, performing on the Main Stage at 5:15 before Dan Mangan and the Trews, with Peter Elkas in between. We’ll be playing our original tunes to kick off the evening. I’m also excited to see Dan Mangan, a fantastic folk-rock singer who I last saw at the rained out RBG show. With songs like Robots, Row of Houses and Cold in Summer he’s bound to put on a fantastic show. And last time the Trews played there were about 15000 people in the park. See you on the August long weekend.
CAPITOL turns 8
Wed. July 16th, Sat. July 19th & Sun. July 20th
If you know this bar, you know it. If you haven’t been to this bar, you should check it out. Located on King near Barnsedale, the Capitol is arguably one of the funkiest bars in Hamilton. They have an extensive liquor selection and fantastic cocktails and food. The venue also has a warm, comfortable vibe and have some of the best musicians play the small, intimate bar. They are turning 8 and are celebrating with a 2-day, all-day music party on Saturday July 19th and Sunday July 20th. The actual anniversary date is Wednesday July 16th and for that Wednesday they will also have a live band. the always good Harmolodics. See you there for music, for drinks and sometimes before Forge games (close to the stadium). Get there and raise a glass to The Capitol!
BOB LOG
Wed. July 16th, Sat. July 19th & Sun. July 20th
Brodie is now booking shows in this space, doing what he did so well at The Casbah. When I ask Brodie what shows he has coming up he always mentions many of them, as they are all good as he says. When I asked this question last month, he quickly said Bob Log. This show is put on by The Friends of Casbah & Lou Molinaro and is bound to fill this small space. This is how the show is described:
The legendary Tom Waits once said: “And then there’s this guy named Bob Log, you ever heard of him? He’s this little kid — nobody ever knows how old he is — wears a motorcycle helmet and he has a microphone inside of it and he puts the glass over the front so you can’t see his face, and plays slide guitar. It’s just the loudest strangest stuff you’ve ever heard. You don’t understand one word he’s saying. I like people who glue macaroni on to a piece of cardboard and paint it gold. That’s what I aspire to basically.”
Bob Log III in his blue full-body Fonzie suit and a face-shield wired with a headset microphone is one of the best, fastest and strangest American Delta Blues Slide Guitar player of today. He acquired a kick-drum and a homemade foot cymbal which he custom-outfitted with a kick pedal of its own. These instruments, combined with his slide guitar work, distorted telephone microphone vocals, and Boom-Chik-a-Boom drum machine accompaniment, form the framework on which Bob Log constructs his songs. Log describes his on-stage setup in the song “One Man Band Boom,” introducing himself to the audience as, “I’m Bob Log the third, one-man band, Tucson, Arizona. Heyeeeh! Lemme introduce the band to ya. On cymbals, left foot. Over here on the bass drum we got right foot. Shut up! This is my left hand that does all the slide work, right hand does the pickin’. My mouth hole does most o’ the talkin’. And you’re looking at my finger.”
Now I ask you….why would you miss this show?
