Favorite Concerts of 2014

First off, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and thank you for checking out my blog. I want to wish all a healthy, safe and rocking 2015. Keep going to shows and supporting your local record shop and music scene.

Now to get on with my favorite shows of 2014. I got to see quite a few shows this year and as usual it's hard to pick my top ten, therefore I will list my favorite shows of the year in order by date. All shows were in Edmonton unless otherwise noted.

* Mike McDonald at the Blue Chair Café January 18th. This show was recorded for Mike's solo album that was released in November. It was my first show of the year and a great way to start the year.

* Against Me! at the Starlite Room March 28th. This was my first time seeing the band. A great show by Laura Jane Grace and band, touring for their awesome album Transgender Dysphoria Blues.

* Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks at the Starlite Room April 8th.

* Black Sabbath and Reignwolf at Rexall Place April 22nd. Ozzy and band sounded way better then I was expecting. Openers Reignwolf were decent too. An incredible show.

* Blitzen Trapper at the Starlite Room June 18th.

* Joel Plaskett Emergency with Blitzen Trapper and Bry Webb at Olympic Plaza in Calgary June 20th as part of Sled Island. Joel Plaskett stepped up to headline this show after Neko Case cancelled. A great bill, and what's more fun then standing in a down pour of rain and then standing in ankle deep water for a couple of hours. All worth it to see these bands.

* Joel Plaskett Emergency with Elliott BROOD at Flames Central in Calgary June 20th, also part of Sled Island. A great double bill. Watched Joel play the outdoor show, then ran to Flames Central in time to catch openers Elliott BROOD play. So double whammy of Joel and then got to meet Joel and band after the show. Only bummer about this show was my brother breaking his arm at the show. Damn steps.

* War Baby and Gaytheist at the Bamboo Tiki Room in Calgary June 21st, also part of Sled Island. I just took a chance on this show and was blown away by these two bands. A small room with loud music, good vibes, good times!!!

* Rocket From The Crypt with The Blind Shake at Olympic Plaza in Calgary June 21st. I was looking forward to seeing RFTC again as it had been years since I last saw them. But what really blew me away were openers The Blind Shake, a band I had never heard of before and have to say they were probably the best live performance I saw all year. Incredible energy and music from this three piece band. A must see live.

* Steve Earle and the Dukes at Myer Horowitz Theatre June 27th. A great performance by Steve Earle.

* Jason Isbell at the Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park July 27th as part of the Interstellar Rodeo Festival. A performer I have been wanting to see for some time. A great show, class act festival in a great outdoor venue. Saw so may good acts during this festival.

* The Lone Bellow July 27th, a band I had never heard before but became a fan of instantly. Great harmonies, well wrote songs and great energy.

* Gord Downie with The Sadies July 27th. Gord being his usual weird self and with a great backing band The Sadies.

* The Hold Steady July 27th, as you can tell, this day was the best of the three day festival. Such a fun day full of great performances.

* Misery Signals at the Starlite Room August 15th. Nice to see the original band together again after ten years performing their album Of Malice and the Magnum Heart in its entirety. A great metal/hardcore show.

* Leeroy Stagger at The Artery September 11th. Always good to see Leeroy play live, especially with full band and in a great intimate venue.

* Ryan Adams with opener Butch Walker at the Winspear Centre October 9th. First time seeing both performers in concert. I had never heard Butch Walker before, but very impressed and Ryan Adams was spectacular. One of my very favorite shows of the year.

* The smalls at the Starlite Room November 14th. An old Edmonton metal band back together after thirteen years apart. I saw them earlier in the summer at the Sonic Boom Festival. They were good there, but this show blew that one away. The band was way tighter, longer set, and their crowd. One of four sold out shows at the Starlite Room.

* Mark Mills at the Buckingham December 13th. Mark is such a fun performer you can't help but have fun at one of his shows, as well a great venue.

* Chuck Ragan at the Pawn Shop December 19th. An incredible show, what I would imagine The Boss was like seeing when he first started. Chuck played with such emotion and dedication to his music you couldn't help but get wrapped up in his lyrics and music, just him and his guitar. Awesome.

Not a bad year for shows. A shout out to all those that came out to some of the shows with me this year, Janis (Love You),Cuz, Captain Citrus, Hurl, A-Bomb and Buzzard. Good times!!!

Looking forward to what 2015 brings for concerts.

I highly recommend the Sled Island Fest in Calgary and the Interstellar Rodeo Festival in Edmonton. If you want to discover new music, these festivals will do it.

Favorite Box Sets of 2014 (Bob Dylan/Wilco)

Not that I bought a lot of box sets this year, but the two I liked most are the Bob Dylan and The Band - The Basement Tapes Raw The Bootleg Series Volume 11. This box sets is pretty much everything that was recorded when Dylan and The Band jammed in the basement of the Big Pink back in 1967.

And the Wilco - Alpha Mike Foxtrot Rare Tracks 1994-2014 box set is awesome too. This set has lots of demo versions of songs, some live tracks and unreleased stuff. All and all I believe there is 77 songs on this set. Good stuff!!!

Favorite Records of 2014 (Easton Stagger Phillips)

This album by Easton Stagger Phillips called Resolution Road is a collaboration by Tim Easton from Nashville, Leeroy Stagger from Alberta and Evan Phillips from Alaska. It is a great folk, country, rock record with each member writing and singing. Great songs and harmonies between all of them, and the album only gets better with each repeated listen. Good stuff!!!

Favorite Records of 2014 (Weezer)

Nice to see Weezer get back on track with this album Everything Will Be Alright In The End. Produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars who also produced Weezer gems like the Blue Album and the Green album.

Favorite Records of 2014 (Freeman)

While it's no Ween album, it is good to see Aaron Freeman (aka Gene Ween) release an album finally, under the name Freeman. Unlike the last one he put out which was horrible, at least this one has a little something you can get into. It is a very self reflecting album, now that Aaron is a clean man, he has no problem singing about it. There are a few songs in which you can hear the old Ween come out. It's an album that will grow on you after a few spins.

Please please Ween won't you get back together!!!!

Favorite Records of 2014 (Steve Earle)

This record by Steve Earle called Townes: The Basics was an exclusive vinyl release for Record Store Day in April of this year. Steve had released an album in 2009 of Townes Van Zandt songs, the album originally started as just him and his guitar, but there were more instruments added to it before the official release. This here album The Basics, is exactly as titled. I actually enjoy this album much more then the official release. Good stuff!!!

Favorite Records of 2014 (Jack White)

Jack White's second solo album Lazaretto is a solid rock n' roll album. I quite enjoyed it.

Favorite Records of 2014 (Drive-By Truckers)

The Drive-By Truckers released two albums this year, both of which made my favorites list for the year. The first was the studio album English Oceans, a great southern rock n' roll album that saw members Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley share song writing duties through-out the whole album. Mike's songs really rule this release.

Then in November the Drive-By Truckers released a live album called Black Ice Verite recorded at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia. This live recording is eight songs from the English Oceans album and also sounds great. The vinyl came with a DVD of the performance too, though I found the DVD to be hard to watch, not a fan of how it was filmed. Nonetheless, two great releases by the DBT this year. Now if only they would come play Edmonton.

Favorite Records of 2014 (Old 97's)

This record by the Old 97's "Most Messed Up" is without a doubt my favorite record of 2014. One great song after another from start to finish. You want an album to drink and smoke too, this is the one. A country punk sound with all the lyrics reading like an autobiography of this band. So fucking good!!!

Really hope these guys will come to Edmonton in 2015.

Favorite Records of 2014 (Ryan Adams)

This album makes me top five of the year without a doubt. It is the latest release by Ryan Adams, it's self titled and probably his best of his career. I don't know what it is about this album, but I love every song on it. Awesome!!!

Favorite Records of 2014 (Gaslight Anthem)

Here is a record I had almost forgotten about as it came out early this year. It is the Gaslight Anthem album The B-Sides. This is a compilation album of, well B-Sides, some acoustic songs of theirs, and a couple of covers, a Rolling Stones song, a live version of a Pearl Jam song and a Fake Problems cover. Not a bad album.

In concert news...The Gaslight Anthem will be playing Edmonton on Monday March 16th at Union Hall.

Favorite Records of 2014 (The Hold Steady)

This sixth album Teeth Dreams by Brooklyn, New York's The Hold Steady is a return to form. Much better then there previous release. A great rock n' roll album with great lyrics and storytelling by lead singer Craig Finn. Good stuff.

Favorite Records of 2014 (Scott H. Biram)

Another artist I had never heard before til I picked up this album. The album being Nothin' But Blood by Scott H. Biram released on Bloodshot Records. Scott is one man band and sings some great drinking songs with titles like Alcohol Blues, Only Whiskey, Nam Weed and Backdoor Man, kind of gives you an idea what this outlaw cowboy is all about. His music is a mix of country, blues, punk and rock n' roll. A fun album, not every song is great, but overall not too bad. A fun album to drink to.

Favorite Records of 2014 (Mike McDonald)

Today's pick is by local artist Mike McDonald of Jr.Gone Wild. This is his first solo album. It is a live album titled Live at The Blue Chair Café. It is an independent release and was recorded earlier this year. A great album, my only complaint is that it isn't available on vinyl.

Tragically Hip Wine

I finally received my two bottles of Tragically Hip wine that I ordered a while ago. I'm not a wine drinker, but had to have me a bottle of this red wine that was c-created by the members of The Hip. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, which means nothing to me, lol. But from what I am reading, it should be a nice drink. The label is an exact replication of the original artwork that first appeared on the Fully Completely album cover from 1992. The wine was produced and distributed by Stoney Ridge Estate Winery out of Vineland, Ontario.

Chuck Ragan Live in Edmonton Dec.19th 2014

On Friday night I went to the sold out show at the Pawn Shop of Chuck Ragan, Seth Anderson and Kandle and the Crooks. This was my first time seeing all of these bands.

First up on the night was Kandle & The Crooks. The band is fronted by Kandle Osborne whi hails from Victoria, B.C. but now based in Montreal. I wasn't fond of the band. I found their music to be slow and depressing. Not a fan.

Kandle and the Krooks.

Next up was Seth Anderson who is based in Toronto now. His brand of folk rock was really good. I quite enjoyed his set and would definitely go see him again. A great choice for an opener on this bill. Chuck Ragan came out and played harmonica on one song with Seth. Good stuff.

Seth Anderson.

Headliner of the evening was Chuck Ragan who also plays in the hardcore band Hot Water Music. This was my first time seeing him play solo. This leg of the tour the Winter Haul Canadian Tour were his last shows of the year, the Edmonton show being the second last. He is out touring in support of his fourth and latest solo album Till Midnight.

His two hour show was amazing. I thought I knew his music good, I had nothing on this crowd. I would say at least seventy percent of the crowd were singing along word for word with him and sometimes with Chuck even letting the audience just sing the song for him. Chuck Ragan has a rough whiskey soaked kind of voice which suit his songs great. He makes me think of what it would have been like to see Bruce Springsteen when he first started and played solo shows in New Jersey in dingy bars and such. An absolute killer show. Good times!!!

Chuck Ragan.

T-shirt.

Favorite Records of 2014 (Against Me!)

This record by Against Me! Transgender Dysphoria Blues is absolutely in my top five of the year. An amazing record by Laura Jane Grace and her band. A very powerful album with lots of attitude and energy. This being the first release since Laura came out as being transgender. Love this record.

Favorite Records of 2014 (Tweedy)

A great album by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco with his son Spencer on drums. Going by the name Tweedy, the album being Sukierae. A heart felt album, kind of hit and miss, but overall a decent album.

Favorite Records of 2014 (The Black Keys)

Today's pick is the latest from The Black Keys, the album Turn Blue. A great modern blues psychedelic album. The more I have listened to this the more I have got into it. Great stuff!!!