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mark tonin

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Posts posted by mark tonin

  1. Slip Hamilton

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    I've been swamped with work-related stuff, music-related happenings, family life, etc. ... I'm not complaining or whining, as life is good ... but I must admit, when I read MarcO's post, I thought "damn, I wish I had made the trek to Hamilton for the show" ...

    Peace, Mark

  3. show of hands to who is coming to st.kitts sunday

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    What a great night ... thank you to the St. Catharines crew and to everyone that made it out for this ... loads of people, lots of fun!

    Special thanks to number 2 for putting this show together and for the after-show hospitality, to Dave Kennedy for the after-show crash pad for the mice, and to dark starr & Rose Garland for taking care of the sound and for playing so well ... it was a treat to once again share a stage with you.

    Harvard Mouse would love to make the trek to St. Catharines at some point again in the future ... we had a blast!

    Peace, Mark

  8. nero chasm :(

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    It will be bittersweet for many of us over the next 3 months as this news sinks in and we savour what we can of the soon-to-be-scarce sweet sweet nero candy.

    Although I haven't been to a huge number of nero shows recently and as such have felt a bit "out of the nero loop" of late, this band is without a doubt one of my favourite bands ever. I love the music, and it sounds even better to me given that it's played by three wonderful guys. Add the whole host of awesome people that I have met either directly or indirectly through the band and wow, it gets pretty emotional if I think about it in the grand scheme of my life, especially my life over the last 3.5 years.

    nero is the first band that I ever met via the Internet, back in the days before jambands.ca ... I read about them on this site called phish sanctuary ... helped to get them booked at the May 2001 Come Together Fest, when they played an early afternoon show before blasting back to Ottawa for a show that same night ... I really liked them when I heard them that weekend and the more I heard them, the more I liked them ... booked them to play at the first jam show I ever promoted, the jambands.ca fall music fest in september 2001 ... have brought them to Kitchener a few times since then and it's always been a treat ... they recorded part of their live cd Soon at one of my shows ... they've stayed at my house, met my wife and children, played a show at the school I teach at, and have blown me away many times in the last 3.5 years with their music.

    Thank you nero for the great music, and for being the catalyst for many fantastic times and wonderful friendships. Jay, Dave, Chris, and Todd ... you have built a wonderful thing ... all the best to you as you take a break from the band nero, and may your break lead to bigger, better, and more beautiful things for all of you, both individually and collectively.

    One more show in Kitchener sounds like a mighty fine idea to me ...

    Peace, love, hugs and sweet sweet live music,

    Mark

  13. Mr. Something Something ... two thumbs up!

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    Saw Mr. Something Something last night at the Lancaster Tavern in Kitchener ... second time I've seen them, and wow, what a wonderful band! Organic music with an African tribal feel that makes me want to dance. Great rhythm section, wicked horns, sweet vocals and harmonies that start from deep inside the soul, and lots of fun to watch.

    Thanks for putting this show on Ian ... it was a wonderful birthday party for you and Leslie.

    Only caught the last bit of Contact's opening set, but what I heard sounded really solid.

    Peace, Mark

  18. FIRST ANNUAL TURKEY jAM!!!

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    Looking forward to this gig in a big way ... sharing a stage with Rose Garland is a blast ... I'm confident that a healthy contingent of people from the Niagara Region and St. Catharines will be at the show ... heck, lately there's been a healthy contingent of people from St. Catharines at the Kitchener shows! ;) ::

    Squeak squeak, gobble gobble,

    Mark

  19. moe.down revisited

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    Hey Mike and Sharon ... sweet pics and a great review ... glad to read that your festival season ended with a bang after a few disappointments ... wish I could have shared a festival experience with you this year ... hopefully next summer!

    And on another note ... good luck with the move ... that's awesome that you're moving into your own home!

    Peace, Mark

  20. the nude eel

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    I've only seen the band twice, before the "change in direction" with vocals, and the band just didn't do it for me either time. I saw them at the Hillside festival and at The Lyric in Kitchener, and they definitely got people dancing, myself included, but I was rarely lost in the moment like I am when I am really into a band.

    Having said that, I would go and check them out again for sure. Sometimes it takes a few (or more than a few) listens to get into it, and enough people whose musical tastes I respect are into this band to warrant me seeing them again. Plus they've got a cool road manager and a great lighting guy! :: ;)!

    Peace, Mark

  21. incomplete nero Zedonk review ...

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    I started writing a review of Zedonk when I first listened to the cd, but just never got around to completing it. I was looking through some old files this evening and came across it, and thought I’d post my incomplete thoughts. Here it is … definitely incomplete and a work-in-progress that most likely will never be completed, but may provide food for thought or comment.

    ---------

    When people ask me to describe the band nero with words, I usually say something like “they play intense instrumental progressive trance rock.” After hearing this cd, I feel that my description is apt. These guys crank it up and let it rip … sometimes when I hear this band I need to dance faster and harder than I ever have, and other times I think of the Maxell commercial where the guy is sitting in a chair and is being blown away by the sound.

    Here are some comments about what I’ve heard on the cd, song by song ...

    Breakline

    I love this song ... it makes me feel like dancing oh so hard. It took my 4 listens before I got to track 2 ... I just wanted to hear this one over and over again. I’d love to hear an extended version of this song, with a huge jam on the fast, funky part of the song. And the horns (courtesy of Dave, Ben and Brendan from Addison Groove Project) help to take this song to another level.

    Tonto’s

    lots of great tone on this song

    Zedonk

    some complex changes and transitions in this song ... think progressive rock

    great guitar tone, some of which sounds more like a keyboard than a guitar

    Whispy Mountain Wonder

    ... a perfect example of a song that mixes "King Crimson progressive rock", modern sounds and tone, and techno grooves ...

    At about 44 seconds, after the spacey intro, I am blown away at how much I am reminded of King Crimson. Lots of great guitar tone, super fat bass, and impressive drumming.

    Crabwalk

    some of the biggest, fattest bass tone and the dirtiest, growling guitar tone that I’ve ever heard

    Elvezz

    the intro, with Bob Wiseman’s piano, is wicked

    Downside Up

    nice drumming, and more great guitar work

    Effervescence

    nice build to a climax, and then into a spacey ending that leads into Lemondust

    Lemondust

    a crowd favourite when played live, this studio version has a sweet techno jam in the middle, thanks in part to Aaron Collier’s keyboard playing (he’s from The Jimmy Swift Band)

    Beyond Chance

    a touching song with Dave solo on an acoustic guitar

    ----------

    Peace, Mark

  23. Diesel Dog

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    A "festival express" road trip to Ottawa would be a blast ... it's been far too long since I made the journey to our nation's capital. Hmmm, now I'm thinking about it!

    A Toronto gig would definitely be a blast as well. So would a 2 night Vegas run!::!

    Hopefully all of this will materialize in the not-too-distant future (ok, maybe not the Vegas run) ... if only there were more hours in each day!

    Peace, Mark

  24. Thank-you Kitchener

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    Sorry I couldn't make this one Mike. I agree, the boathouse in Victoria Park is a sweet little venue.

    Hopefully you'll play there again soon.

    Thanks for the heads up on Shannon Lyon booking ... I'm sure there will be some great talent playing in the room.

    Peace, Mark

  25. Diesel Dog

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    It would be a blast to bring the show that we do sometimes up at the Lanc in Kitchener to Ottawa ... Diesel Dog, with Harvard Mouse opening and a raging drum circle between bands.

    Hmmm.....

    Peace, Mark

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