Tom Fidgen makes his return to Sydney on Saturday night following up on March’s release of ‘A Boy Named Fish’. The former Sunfish frontman is an exceptional writer and performer armed with over fifteen years of material that moves between folk, rock, and even celtic influences.
The CD release show in March featured Fidgen opening with a solo set of new and old tunes (and even some Sunfish) before moving into a full band set that included Scott Brown (Sunfish, Rock Ranger), Matt Thauvette (Young River), Ed Woodsworth (Gordie Sampson, Realworld), and Dave Mahalik (Tom Fun, Green Eggs and Jam) backing him up on a full set of songs. This Saturday’s show is at the Upstairs Club in the north end and is sure to be show of the summer material.
Thursday sees a number of events across the musical map. At 3pm, Caper Radio will continue with their series of live broadcasts by having Breagh Potter into the station. Potter, who has recently released her Hey There July album and toured across Canada with the Tom Fun Orchestra, will be performing some songs and answering questions over the span of an hour or so. Later in the day, Wentworth Perk will host Jesse Ferguson on the coffeehouse stage while Governors Pub sees the Dingwall sisters fill the night as Rosa takes the stage.
Friday night sees a rare all ages event with Captive Promotions supplying some great local talent at the Sydney River Firehall. Headlined by The Ballroom Massacre, young metal/hardcore boys last seen at December’s Stoked for the Holidays, the lineup features a lot of young music in varying genres. On the bar scene front, Antigonish based/Inverness bred rock group Pioneer Video returns to the north end stage as The Upstairs Club hosts them and local rockers Backpocket Material. Over at Governors Pub, singer-songwriter Aaron MacDonald will be playing solo from 6-9pm and then with guests for the remainder of the evening.
If you are not at The Upstairs Club on Saturday for Tom Fidgen, Governors will be hosting Ol’ Savannah from Montreal, a four piece band that describes themselves as ‘Appalachian Folk-core’. Accompanying them are local darlings The Yarnells, who are in the midst of The Eagle’s yearly talent contest, and new local group Bella Rebellion.
To finish off our seven day lineup, keep in mind that each Tuesday in August will feature Slowcoaster’s Mike LeLievre hosting an open mic at Governors Pub. It’s always a jam with a star studded host of local musicians playing some tunes or participating in open jams with others in attendance. At only $3, it’s a good way to blow off some steam on a Tuesday night.
Track of the Week: “New Rituals” by Orphan Choir. This Windsor, Ontario foursome will be hitting The Upstairs Club on September 2nd and, in searching the internet for some info, I came across a Jono Hunter (ex-One Day Late) produced video for this tune from their self titled release. The song is a stellar example of how much this band has grown from their early shows (including a 2007 stop at the Membertou Trade & Convention Centre in support of Greg MacPherson). Check out the song/video and come see them when they roll into town in a few weeks.
