Happy Birthday Dave "DJ" Bingham of the Ugly Ducklings!

Raising a glass to Dave Bingham with some clips accompanied by The Screwed feat. Steve Koch, Cleave Anderson, John Borra and Gordie Lewis.

Steve Koch's He Mistook Her For A Swan backed by Trick Bag @ Handlebar, Saturday

He Mistook Her For A Swan's Steve Koch & Colleen Hodgson will be backed by Grier Coppins' Trick Bag at Handlebar on Saturday from 3 pm to 6 pm. 

Here's the scoop from Steve...

"Some cool news for the weekend - Grier Coppins has invited He Mistook Her For A Swan (Colleen Hodgson and myself) to do a set of tunes at his monthly gig at the Handlebar (159 Augusta) in Kensington Market this Saturday (January 17) from 3 to 6 pm. And dig this, we've got the incredible Trick Bag band with Grier, Chris Staig and Larry Graves backing us up! Will there be harmonium? Hell yes! Will there be bagpipes? You know it! Will there be any murderous behaviour in the songs. Wait and see. This is going to be super fun and as you know we don't get out much so come on down or you'll miss it."

You can get a copy of He Mistook Her For A Swan's fantastic album "Lady Isobel" via Bandcamp right here. Listen to "Voodoo Blues," "Pretty Saro," "Who Knows Where The Time Goes," "Katie Cruel" and "Wedding Dress" below. 

John Borra Band feat. Steve Koch @ The Cameron House, Saturday

Guitarist Steve Koch (Demics, Handsome Neds, One-Eyed Jacks) joins John Borra and crew in the front room today from 6-8 pm. 

Get a copy of John Borra's great new album "Last Dance at The E Room" via Bandcamp right here.

Handsome Ned doc "You Left Me Blue" screens at Paradise Theatre, January 10

Chris Terry & Ross Edmunds' 2010 film about T.O. rockabilly icon Handsome Ned gets a rare screening at the Paradise Saturday.

Here's the scoop...

Handsome Ned Masyk (June 4, 1957 – January 10, 1987) was a Canadian country singer and songwriter. Although he only released a small number of singles during his lifetime, he was one of the key figures in the transformation of the city’s Queen Street West district into a cultural hotspot. 

You Left Me Blue is a detailed portrait of an emerging artist and music scene. Ned’s been credited as the catalyst for an early-1980s country music and roots rock revival in Toronto which paved the way for acts such as Blue Rodeo, Skydiggers and Cowboy Junkies. The reverence for Ned held by so many of the musicians interviewed, from Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor to Steve Koch of (The Demics, The Ugly), is clear.  All share a deep admiration for him and an appreciation for what he stood for.On the anniversary of his passing, this screening is a fitting tribute to his legacy. 

You Left Me Blue: The Handsome Ned Story screens at the Paradise Theatre (1006 Bloor St. West) on Saturday (January 10) at 3:00 pm. Doors at 2:15 pm. Get advance tickets right here. Watch the trailer below.

 

John Borra launches Last Dance at the E-Room @ The Horseshoe, Wednesday

John Borra will be joined by Steve Koch, Cleave Anderson and pals. Check out the new video for "Magnolia Bloom" and more.

Get a copy of John Borra's latest album "Last Dance at The E-Room" – out now – right here.

Frank Nevada, Steve Koch & John Borra play The Boneheads @ Bell & Beacon, Saturday

Frank Nevada and Steve Koch get back together with John Borra to play a few of their Boneheads faves on Saturday from 4 pm to 6 pm. Check the clips. 

Writes Steve Koch...

"Is there life on Mars?  Not sure you'll find out but just in case, you may want to drop by the Bell and Beacon (1648 Queen St. West) next Saturday from 4 to 6 where John Borra Frank Nevada and myself play the greatest hits of our old band the Boneheads.  

"The Boneheads existed with a few lineup changes from 1987 into the early 90's and were part of the Queen West music explosion of that time along with Groovy Religion, the Lawn, Scott B Sympathy, Saturnalia and so many other cool bands.   

"We did short, sharp, sarcastic and perfect pop songs (think Nick Lowe) along with a few sprawling loosely structured jams where Frank could expound clever stream of consciousness thoughts about pretty much anything.   

"It was alot of fun and these songs are too good to be forgotten, so as the song says - why not try again?"

Adds Steve...

"A few people have been asking about who were the Boneheads so let's give credit where it's due:  Frank Nevada - our fearless leader through the whole sordid affair. Rene Frattura (Herald Nix, Handsome Neds), Pete Richards and Glen Bidmore (Cads) in the first lineup. Don Kerr, Marty Lake (One Free Fall) and yours truly in the next round. John Borra (A Neon Rome) stepped up when Marty left.  

"Ron Duffy (Change of Heart) took over the drum duties when Don moved on to other projects.  Drew Atkins totally rocked the bass for a period while John was away.  And lets not forget our great friends 'Echo' Dave Richards and Walter Sobczak who were involved in the first two recordings. On Saturday (July 26), it's Borra/Koch/Nevada at the Bell and Beacon.  Come on down!"

Check out some vintage Boneheads footage below along with this recent performance clip.

He Mistook Her For A Swan plays songs from Lady Isobel @ The Mezz, Sunday

HMHFAS's Colleen Hodgson & Steve Koch revisit songs from their great new Lady Isobel LP at The Mezz on Sunday from 3-6 pm.

Writes Steve...

"And now for the forecast for the He Mistook Her For a Swan matinee gig at the Mezz.

"Sunday, January 26 from 3 to 6 pm, expect periods of murder ballads interspersed with occasional icy cold draft beer and other refreshing liquids.  It will be mostly gloomy punctuated by periods of indescribable happiness.  There will be scattered penny whistles and perhaps even a saxophone as we approach the 6 o'clock hour.  Chance of bagpipes.  Expect a beautiful harmonium and angelic singing around sunset.

"Hope you can make it out.   All your friends are gonna be there - maybe you should be too!"

You can get a digital download of He Mistook Her For A Swan's new album Lady Isobel via Bandcamp right here. Check out a few songs below. 

Whaddya mean you don't know the One-Eyed Jacks

Forgotten Rebels' bassist Chris Houston joined Demics' guitarist Steve Koch in T.O. rockabilly crew One-Eyed Jacks. 

Here's the scoop...

During the Toronto rockabilly scare of the early 80s – when Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor were done as The Hi Fi's and trying to make it in NYC for three years prior to forming Blue Rodeo – Demics guitar ace Steve Koch formed a short-lived band with Forgotten Rebels bassist Chris Houston called the One-Eyed Jacks which I saw tearin' it up at various clubs on the Queen West circuit like the Beverly Tavern, Cabana Room and the Cameron House. There was one particularly memorable gathering of the tribes at Ontario College of Art  – where Chris was momentarily seeking higher education – involving The Sidewinders (featuring Handsome Ned with pals Ronny Azzopardi of The Next and J. D. Weatherstone of The Demics), The Paladins and The Bopcats with Teddy Fury. 

Check out a rare audio clip of the One-Eyed Jacks' song "24 Hour Cafe" right here. And watch the video for "Someone's Gonna Get Kissed" below. Seems like some sharp archival label owner should get in touch with Steve Koch & Chris Houston about releasing a 4-song EP of One-Eyed Jacks recordings from their 1982 session. 

Writes Chris Houston: "When the One-eyed jacks formed, it was radical statement – a rejection of what was the norm. We felt punk rock was a spent force and we wanted to be what's next. To us that meant clean guitars so you could hear the voicing of the chords. We were picking up on that great swing of the bands of the 1950s. How could you top The Demics, The Viletones, Forgotten Rebels and Crash Kills Five? We had to move ahead in different direction by embracing what had been done by the musical gods who invented this shit called 'rock n' roll.' There were others on the Queen St scene who embraced this too but this would be our own scene because the other scenes were collapsing in their own self-importance. After the original punk explosion, the survival of Queen St scene was tenuous. 

"The One-Eyed Jacks rehearsed continuously in a basement space on Queen St. West near Bellwoods that was so small – about the size of six telephone booths – if I leaned too far forward I would fall into Alex's cymbals. When the new TTC street cars came rolling by, they would rattle our brains but we kept playing. We knew we had to work hard but it was fun learning a whole new style of music. I think what makes '24 Hour Cafe' so great was that it was about a real place on  Peter St. along with our joy in learning to play a classic form of rock 'n' roll.  Steve Koch is a great musician and composer. Each year he's grown better and better. His latest work with He Mistook Her For A Swan is fantastic! 

"The One-Eyed Jacks recorded four songs at studio called The Grange. Back in 1982, it was not cheap to record in a real studio and it was a crap shoot if the engineer got what you're doing. We were lucky it stands the test of time. We played once in London, Ontario opening for Carl Perkins. The guy behind the bar at the venue treated us like shit. This upset Mr. Perkins who demanded we be treated the same as him – right down to making the same dramatic gestures when serving us drinks. If the pour wasn't just right, Mr. Perkins would make him do it again. WOW! I learned a lot being in his presence of Mr. Perkins. His guitar playing was mind blowingly great. I always knew he was a hot picker but seeing him up close was incredible – like the Charlie Parker of rockabilly!  For some reason, each member of the band was wearing a different cologne with a very distinct scent. It seemed kinda odd but when they got on stage, you could easily pinpoint where each player was at any given moment so I guess it worked for them. The next night, Mr. Perkins didn't go to Toronto to play The Horseshoe as scheduled because the paper work for immigration wasn't done properly. Mr. Perkins spent an hour telling us he would never do anything that could put his sons in jail and wanted us to convey that message to the people of Toronto when we got back. 

"There was also one freezing night that The One-Eyed Jacks opened for the Legendary Blues Band at the Club Without A Name... and with no heat either! I still remember seeing these Muddy Waters' sidemen in the manager's office all standing around the one heater in the place. They said, 'it gets cold in Chicago too – but not like this! Willie "Big Eyes" Smith drumming that night was pure voodoo with Pinetop Perkins on piano! Yow! – boy, they made us feel very white!"

Those interested in further listening can hear Jim Cuddy discussing The Hi-Fi's, playing ska, reggae and funk in New York and the early 80s Queen West scene on the Turned Out A Punk podcast right here. 

Steve Koch & Colleen Hodgson aka He Mistook Her For A Swan will be playing songs from their latest album Lady Isobel at The Mezz (1546 Queen St. West) on Sunday (January 26) from 3pm to 6 pm. Adds Steve: "We're going to be doing an acoustic set and then we'll be joined by Derrick Brady and Larry Graves Grier Coppins Musica and Brian Stillar for a more electric eclectic set. Come on down for your fill of murder ballads!" 

 

Chris Houston confronts Hamilton on One Mania To The Next

Chris Houston presents the Hamilton he knows on his new album, One Mania To The Next. Listen to a couple of tracks below. 

Here's the scoop...
Chris Houston's new album, One Mania to the Next – out now – is the official follow up to Hazards of Glitter. A few of the songs first appeared in demo form on 2018’s Today’s Temperature mini-album, (Now deleted at Chris’s request – ‘These are better versions’). Everything on One Mania to the Next is 100% Houston standard full-on.

Acting as a companion piece to Houston’s acclaimed guided tour of home town Hamilton, Ontario’s punk-rock landmarks, his credentials are that not only was he there, but he remembers it all.

From the opening (I Need) Lloyd D Jackson Square Energy, the album documents, celebrates and immerses the listener in an era when a town that didn’t have a musical identity first strapped on a guitar and walked out into the world, unashamed and entirely unafraid.

Get a copy of Chris Houston's One Mania to the Next via DW Recordings right here. Check out a few tracks below.





Chris Houston – One Mania to the Next
1: (I Need) Lloyd D Jackson Square Energy
2. Complaint Department
3: This Ain’t Hollywood
4: Too Nervous for Kung Fu
5: People Food
6: Her Book of Evil
7: Toronto AuGoGo
8: Beverly Tavern
9: Doing Nothing
10: Hamtronic Brain Virus
11: Leaving Mapleside

Those involved:
Chris Houston – lead vocals, bass guitar, drum machine
Michael Fonfara – keyboards
Danny Weis – guitar
Jack Peddler – drums
Mickey DeSadist – guitar, vocals on "This Ain’t Hollywood"
Cleave Anderson – drums
Steve Koch – guitar
Larry Electrician – drums, congas, tambourine
Lori Yates – vocals on "This Ain’t Hollywood"
Cover – Fuzzy Mall
Dedicated to Allan Caperol Houston – The coolest man in the World