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You can capsulize most pop music acts by reciting how many hits they’ve had and how many millions of albums they’ve sold. But these conventional measurements fall short when you’re assessing the impact of The Beach Boys. This band has birthed a torrent of hit singles and sold albums by the tens of millions. But its greater significance lies in the fact that it changed the musical landscape so profoundly that every pop act since has been in its debt.
The Beach Boys are led by Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, who along with Jeffrey Foskett, Brian Eichenburger, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill and Scott Totten continue the legacy of the iconic American band. Grammy-winning songwriter Bruce Johnston, joined The Beach Boys in 1965, replacing Glenn Campbell, who filled-in for Brian Wilson, on vocals/bass, when he retired from touring. Highly regarded in his field, Johnston’s vocal work with such legendary artists as Elton John and Pink Floyd firmly established him among rock’s elite artists.
Captained by Mike Love, The Beach Boys play an astoundingly busy schedule of concerts, averaging 150 shows a year, ranging from sundrenched summer festivals to gala New Year’s celebrations and special events across the globe.
Most recently, The Beach Boys celebrated the 50th anniversary of the hit “Good Vibrations,” which is widely considered one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of rock and roll. The band commemorated this prolific time in the life of the Beach Boys with a 50 Years of Good Vibrations tour. Additionally, front man Mike Love released his highly-anticipated memoir titled GOOD VIBRATIONS: My Life as a Beach Boy, in September 2016.
The Beach Boys have continued to create and perform with the same bold imagination and style that marked their explosive debut over 50 years ago. In 2013, their Capitol Records release, Sounds of Summer (RIAA certified triple platinum with over three million in sales and climbing), and its companion The Warmth of the Sun marked a resurgence in Beach Boys interest that again rocked the world.
Even more than the Beatles, The Beach Boys found through their music the key to unfading youth— and they made copies for everyone. To these guys, the beach isn’t just a place where the surf comes to play— it’s where life is renewed and made whole again.
Had this remarkable band been less committed to its art and its fans, it could have retired from the field with honor at dozens of points along the way, confident that it had made a lasting contribution to world culture. It could have rested on the success of the epoch-shifting Pet Sounds masterpiece in 1966… or after Mike Love’s concept album Endless Summer ignited a second generation of Beach Boys fans and stirred a tempest that rocked the music world… or after recording Love’s co-written Golden Globe nominated “Kokomo” in 1988 and seeing it become its best selling single ever… or after being inducted that same year into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame… or after watching its worldwide album sales blow past l00 million… or after winning the NARAS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 [along with The Who, Bob Marley, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr. and Les Paul]. And still, The Beach Boys continue to have fun, fun, fun, with no end in sight. In 2012, The Beach Boys scheduled a 74 concert date limited 50th
Anniversary Reunion Tour which was scheduled as a limited run reunion tour and ended in the U.S. July 15th and internationally on Sept 28th in which the original members reunited and released "That's Why God Made the Radio." The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts, their highest chart position in 37 years and an unprecedented milestone.
Few, if any, acts can match The Beach Boys’ concert presence, spirit and performance. They were center-stage at Live Aid, multiple Farm Aids, the Statue of Liberty’s 100th Anniversary Salute, the Super Bowl and the White House. On one day alone—
July 4, 1985— they played to nearly 2 million fans at shows in Philadelphia and Washington, D. C.
Love’s role as the band’s front man sometimes overshadows his stature as one of rock’s foremost songwriters. “Surfin’,” The Beach Boys’ first hit came from his pen. With his cousin, Brian Wilson, Love wrote the classics “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “I Get Around,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “California Girls” and the Grammy nominated “Good Vibrations.” Years later, he showed he still had the lyrical chops by co-writing the irresistible and chart-topping “Kokomo.”
On The Beach Boys’ horizon is a continued national/world tour and charity activities through Mike Love’s Love Foundation, which supports national environmental and educational initiatives. Love and The Beach Boys’ recent efforts raised over a quarter of a million dollars for the Red Cross to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina and made additional contributions to the disaster relief in Haiti.
The band has appeared on countless worldwide TV shows throughout the years including: The Ed Sullivan Show, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and The Tonight Show. Other television appearances include performances on Don Imus’ MSNBC show Imus In The Morning, TNT’s NBA All-Star Game, NBC’s Macy’s Day Parade, The Today Show, PBS’ A Capitol Fourth, Good Morning America, Weekend Today, The O’Reilly Factor.
Kemptville native Rod Baird, has been a singer/songwriter for over three decades.
He has recorded under various band names & contributed to compilation cds though the 90's.
His first original release Wound (pronounced Wow-nd) was in 2000.
He released an acoustic album digitally in 2012 entitled 'live at studio 106', and he has continued to write & record to this day.
If your taste in music leans to hard driving southern rock, then Southbound is the band for you. Formed 6 years ago, Southbound have been entertaining audiences all around the Ottawa region with their renditions of the best in southern rock n' roll. Performing hits from greats like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, The Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Blackberry Smoke and more, they're sure to play your favorites. Southbound are regulars headlining many of Ottawa's annual festivals and have also opened locally for The Killer Dwarfs and The Box, plus played most of the top Ottawa bar scene venues. A mix of experienced talented musicians, Southbound are Rob Balsillie (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Pat Dugas (drums and vocals), Rob Sands (bass) and Luke Jones (lead guitar).
Reviewers have described Wicked Grin as stripped-down blues-rockers with the distinctive and winning voice of Murray Kinsley, biting guitar-work, awesome harmonica, and a rhythm section that swings with reckless, casual precision. On the road roughly 200 days a year, the band brings their “hellaciously rockin’ set of get-up-off-your-butt-and-dance blues” to venues and festivals across Canada, the US, England, and Germany.
Based in Ottawa, Canada, this multi-Maple Blues Award-winning band has recorded three discs since 2011, two of which were named Blues Rock Album of the Year by Western Canada’s Blues Underground Network (2013’s Shame On Me and 2015’s Stormy Water).
On top of their packed touring schedule, in 2018 Wicked Grin will be recording a new album, with renowned engineer/producer Nick Blagona (Cat Stevens, Deep Purple, The Sheepdogs). Look for it in late summer!
To the journey
The story of RedFox is as unique as the sound they produce. The group was formed when folk duo Jono Townsend and Tim Loten relocated to Montreal and joined up with vocalist/fiddle virtuoso Daphnee Vandal. After months of honing their sound and rehearsing in apartment living rooms, the band had a vision, but was having difficulty finding their missing piece. Determined, they decided it was time to expand. Hoping to achieve a broader, more dynamic sound, the trio reached out to experienced metal drummer and longtime university friend, Sam Neumann, to join on drums, as well as prog-rock bassist Sam Robinson to complete the outfit. Their sound was transformed into the folky, ambient, high-energy experience that we come to know as RedFox, retaining their acoustic roots while also exploring and blending more electric sounds. The group can trace their influences back to bands such as Coldplay, Half Moon Run, and Paramore.
Since its birth, the band has released two EPs and three singles. The first self-titled EP features two popular songs, "Calling Out" and "Song for the Little Ones". The second, titled 'Recovery', was released in 2019, featuring "Hurry Up" and finishing with their powerful and emotional track "Stay". Despite the difficulties in 2020 for musicians, RedFox has pushed forward releasing three new singles, while writing and recording new material leading up to their debut full-length album that was released in October 2021 entitled 'Stranger Love'. Kicking off the album's release with a new single and music video for the first track entitled 'Play' off of the album, the band was over the moon with excitement in releasing their most important and comprehensive project to date, elevating the music of RedFox in the Canadian indie-folk music scene. Notable past performances include Kemptville Live Music Festival for two consecutive years (2018-2019). Opinicon Music Festival (2019) and Stewart Park Music Festival (2019).
Trooper's ten studio albums have earned multiple gold and platinum awards and their 6 X Platinum greatest hits, Hot Shots, continues to be one of Universal Music Canada's best selling catalog CDs and one of the country's most enduring party soundtracks. Their most recent release,"Hits From 10 Albums", an updated and re-mastered collection of hit songs spanning the entirety of their recording career was dubbed, by John Kereiff, writing in Gonzo Magazine, the summer album of the year. Trooper songwriters Ra McGuire and Brian Smith have recently been awarded SOCAN's prestigious 'National Achievement Award' to acknowledge their significant and lasting contribution to Canada's songwriting legacy. "We're Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time)", "Raise a Little Hell", "The Boys in the Bright White Sportscar", "Two For the Show", "Pretty Lady" "Good Ol' General Hand Grenade", "Round, Round We Go", "Santa Maria", "Janine" - just a few of the Trooper hits that, according to writer Ryan Sparks, "have woven their way into the fabric of this country like no other bands have been able to do. Tune into any radio station from Vancouver to St John's and you're bound to encounter one of their dozen hit radio anthems that are still featured in heavy rotation to this day."
It goes like this: millions of records, a couple dozen hits, a Juno Award (Canada's Grammy) for Band of the Year and ongoing sold-out shows across Canada. Universal Music acknowledges them as "one of Canada's top five selling bands of all time" and the Vancouver Sun has called them "Canadian rock heroes of the first order ... the best performing band in Canada".
“I’m just doing my Rock N Roll duty, Creating a buzz, buzz, buzz, Some say I’m in it for the money, But I’m in it for the love, love, love.”
Canadian Rock icon Kim Mitchell has sung those lines from his personal mission statement, “Rock N Roll Duty” for decades now and he’s still doing exactly that, creative energy and enthusiasm fully intact. For Mitchell, that’s what it’s all about, not the money, not the fame nor the gold and platinum on the wall...
Kim Mitchell has achieved gold and multiplatinum sales status over a long and storied career, starting early on as leader of the musically influential and eclectic Max Webster ( 5 albums), a band who in the late 70’s defined “alternative” and “independent” long before the words became clichés.. Mitchell left Max to pursue a long and very successful solo career that continues to this day.
He has won three Juno Awards and a SOCAN 100,000 Radio Plays Award for his certified hit, “Patio Lanterns”. He is a gifted and peer-respected guitar player as well as an acclaimed songwriter, having penned (in partnership with Pye Dubois) and recorded numerous classic hits including “Go For Soda”, “Rock N Roll Duty”, “Patio Lanterns”, “I am a Wild Party”, “Easy To Tame” and “All We Are”, all songs that have become part of the Canadian musical genome.
In the early 2000’s while maintaining a busy touring schedule, Mitchell was invited to join the on-air staff at the CORUS flagship station Q107 in Toronto. He left Q107 in 2014 but not before he had become one of the most popular and most listened to afternoon drive DJs in the country.
Recently Mitchell has started on his first solo recording in half a dozen years. He has been working with producer and friend, Greg Wells (multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer for artists such as Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Twenty-One Pilots, and Adele.) They are working towards a full new album release for spring time 2018.
With a career of more than 30 years and 10 albums, Angel Forrest, recipient of the Maple Blues Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year for the last six years and finalist at the International Blues Challenge 2018 in Memphis, strikes again with Electric Love, a double live album, 1 111 limited numbered and signed edition where we find various sounds ranging from blues to rock through the original compositions of the artist and great classics that you will certainly recognize.
Well known in the Canadian blues scene, Angel has performed at major festivals all around the globe (International Jazz Festival of Montreal, Tremblant Blues Festival, Blues sur Seine, Blues UK, USA, Switzerland. She also had the chance to share the stage with many artists including The Beach Boys, Dennis DeYoung, Mellissa Ethridge, Burton Cummings, Eric Burdon and more.
In 1996, she began her musical career with her first album Secondhand Blues, which featured several blues classics. Forrest?s work gained positive attention from critics as well as fans. It was her tribute show to the legendary Janis Joplin that brought Angel Forrest to the public. Her spot on tribute to Janis Joplin was another unique signature on blues takes. She decided to immortalize her interpretations of the songs on an album called Angel Sings Janis Live. Then, she recorded her first album with her own compositions, Here For You, which has sold over 30,000 copies, followed by three other albums including her Christmas album called Wonderland, the award-winning Come Alive and Mother Tongue Blues, which won blues album of the year in Quebec and nominated for Recording of the Year at the 2014 Maple Blues Awards. Next came a live acoustic album titled Live Love. The following project made some big waves as 11 of the guitar players were asked to play on 11 original songs written by Angel and Denis Columbus. This album gave Forrest and Columbus the award for songwriter of the year at the prestigious Maple Blues Awards. Electric Love is the last opus and is topping the charts all over the planet.
There is no question that Angel Forrest is one of the most powerful singers on the contemporary blues scene today. The strength of her performances, her distinctive voice and fiery personality has allowed her to conquer the hearts of thousands of fans around the world.