Altameda Live in Edmonton March 10th 2023

This show that Cuz, Buzzard and I went to at 9910 was part of JUNO Fest. With the JUNO Awards being held in Edmonton there were a lot of shows happening all week. I only got out to one of the shows, and for me this was my choice. Being a big fan of Altameda and having not seen Shaela Miller before, this was going to be a good one.

Opening the nights events was Shaela Miller a country singer hailing from Lethbridge, Alberta. This was my first time seeing her in concert and I have to say I was very impressed. Her 40 minute set went by so quick with her playing songs mostly from her 2021 album Big Hair Small City. A great set and I look forward to seeing her perform again. Shaela Miller.

Next up was an Ontario band I had never heard of before called OMBIIGIZI (pronounced om-BEE-ga-ZAY), meaning this is noisy. And yes they were noisy! I quite enjoed there set as well. This was taken from Wikipedia...OMBIIGIZI is a Canadian musical project, consisting of Adam Sturgeon of Status/Non-Status and Daniel Monkman of Zoon. Their debut album Sewn Back Together was released in 2022, and was longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize. OMBIIGIZI.

Next was Altameda a band formed in Edmonton but now based in Toronto. This would be my 14th time seeing the band in concert. As you can guess,, yes I am a big fan of the band. Altameda were nominated for a JUNO Award in the Adult Alternative Album Of The Year Category (what the hell does that even mean?). for their 2022 album Born Losers, which is fucking awesome by the way! Sadly they didn't win, but they were up again some stiff competition with the likes of Dan Managan, The Sadies and others. The Sadies ended up winning, which was well deserved. As usual Altameda put on a great show. They are a must see band live. Altameda.

What really surprised me was that Altameda didn't headline this show. Last band of the evening was Bullhorn Singers featuring Reuben Bullock of Reuben And The Dark. I payed very little attention to their set as Buzzard and I were hanging with Troy, Erik and the rest of of Altameda guys having beers and catching up, which was a lot of fun. Good times!!!

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Live in Edmonton March 2nd 2023

When this show was first announced I was very excited about seeing Jason Isbell in concert again, that was until I saw the price of tickets. A whopping 150 dollars a ticket, a bit expensive in my opinion, but being a big Isbell fan, I sucked it up and bought tickets for my buddy Buzzard and I. This would be my fourth time seeing Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit in concert. Every other time I had seen him in concert was in a festival setting, so this was going to be nice to see him headline this show at the Jubilee Auditorium playing to his audience. This was also my first show of 2023, three months into the new year and I was finally getting out to a show. Jason and his band opened the show with the song 24 Frames which was a great way to start the show. The band was in great form with Jason sounding great on vocals. Most of the songs played in his almost two hour set were mostly from his last four albums, with one new song called "Death Wish" from his forth coming album Weathervanes, which at the time had not been yet released. Other songs played that I recall were "Dreamsicle", "Hope The High Road", "Alabama Pines" among many others, and even a couple cover songs too. One of them being a Drivin' N' Cryin' song "Honeysuckle Blue" a song and band I am a big fan of. I didn't realize that Sadler Vaden the guitar player in the 400 Unit once played in Drivin' N' Cryin'. So that was cool to see him sing that song with Isbell. The last song of the set was the Fleetwood Mac song "Oh Well". A great show by Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit.

Opening the show was Ottawa native Kathleen Edwards. This would be my fourth time seeing her perform live. Kathleen just recently came out of hiatus after being away from the music scene for five years. It was good to see and hear her back on stage playing live again. Joining her on stage with her band was ex-husband Blue Rodeo member Colin Cripps on guitar. Kathleen's seven song set was strong as were her vocals and band. I really enjoyed her set. All and all a great double bill. Good times!!! Kathleen Edwards.

Ben & Henry Sir at The Underdog December 26th 2022

This is another hard review to do, as it was only 4 months later that Ben passed away (April 2023). This show I believe was the second time that Ben and Henry performed on Boxing Day, making it a tradition that sadly won't be happening anymore. Ben of course is or was the lead singer and guitar player and songwriter of his band Worst Days Down and his brother Henry (Evan) Sir is a comedian. I had never seen Henry perform, so I was looking forward to seeing this show. I've been following Henry on Instagram for a while now and thought I need to see him as all his clips on Instagram are awesome. And Ben, well he is a friend and a very talented musician. The show was only about an hour long with both brothers performing, with Henry starting with a 15 minute set of stand up comedy that was fucking hilarious. He had the crowd in stitches. I had tears rolling down my cheeks I was laughing so hard. Ben then played a couple of songs and then the both of them playing a couple cover songs together. There was some good banter between the two of them. Just a really fun evening, just wish it was longer. A good turnout for the show even on Boxing Day. I got to talk with Ben before and after the show, and of course getting a huge hug and embrace from him, because that's the kind of guy he was. Just an awesome man. He introduced me to his brother whom also is a very nice gentleman. I was hoping this would become part of my Xmas tradition getting to see these guys play together every year on Boxing Day. If you get the chance to see Henry Sir perform, I highly recommend checking him out. This was the last time I got to talk to and see Ben Sir. Miss you Ben. Rest In Peace my friend!