Tis the season

Off to the Rainbow Feb. 22 for a some singer-songwriter action, courtesy of Shannon Rose and the sole Thorn not laid low by seasonal fevers. The last time I saw Rose and company was at Zaphod's in November 2007. She was pretty sharp then and has even progressed a bit, particularly in the vocal department. Playing as a duo with husband Steve Matylewicz heightened her music's folky flavour.

Steve and Shannon.



The denim look is very popular this year in Canada (and every year, come to think of it).



Hollowbody action!



Shannon hands off the guitar!



Fretful action!



And a few photos with flash to round things out ...



Tis the season for wearing winter boots on stage.



And some final psychedelic Steve action.



As mentioned earlier, they've released the first EP in a series of four seasonally themed releases. Their next show is at the Elmdale March 16.

• Show reminder: Hello Terror, A Darker Day and Greta Knights are at The Rainbow; The Dreadnoughts, The Resignators, Nummies and Dry River Caravan play Mavericks; Acorn Train, Jean Paul De Roover and Liam Epps; Ashley Newall, Marie-Josée Houle, Ray Harris and Lefty McRighty fill out the Elmdale's singer-songwriter circle.

Thorns and weeds

Back to The Rainbow, this time for a less eclectic line, since both The Jimmyriggers and Shannon Rose and The Thorns could be loosely described as Americana acts.

Last time I saw Shannon Rose and The Thorns was in November 2007, when she performed a strong folk-influenced set. This time around she was missing a couple of Thorns due to stomach flu. "But Steve is my husband, so he had to come," she told the audience. "It was this or the couch," Steve noted. The band's plan this year is to release four EPs, one per season. Winter is already out, and rehearsals for Spring begin in short order.


Shannon Rose and The Thorns at The Rainbow, February 22, 2011

When I heard The Jimmyriggers online I thought they sounded like The Cash Brothers. The vocals were a bit more roughhewn live, mostly due to a case of bronchitis striking lead singer Andre Kirchhoff. Otherwise, very strong country rock for folks who like the Jayhawks and suchlike. They were releasing their new CD I Stand In The Weeds, and stretched out a bit with a reconfigured cover of The Rolling Stones' Connection, which also features on the album.


The Jimmyriggers at The Rainbow, February 22, 2011

A nice way to spend a Tuesday night.

• Show reminder: The Sam Ferguson Band and Edison's Art perform at The Rainbow; The Sean Kemp band plays The Elmdale.

Prickly business

Shannon Rose was a capable follow to Rebekah Higgs; she's got a good voice and an excellent backing band in The Thorns. It's singer-songwriter stuff with a lot of folk in it.



Shannon, with guitar and without.





Guitarist Steve Matylewicz, last seen at The Avant-Garde backing Damo Suzuki.



Drummer Tim Watson.



Bassist Ashley Newall.



Thorny action!









The whole lot!



They play Zaphod's again on Nov. 23.

• Show reminder: The Acorn, Bruce Peninsula and Male Nurse play Barrymore's; Robyn Hitchcock and Sean Nelson perform at Zaphod Beeblebrox; Ladymilk, Good2Go and Andrea Warren rock Irene's; The Ethics release their new CD at Babylon with The Soiree.

The new Thursday

A rainy Monday sounds like a good day to spend indoors, so I did: Specifically indoor at Zaphod's watching a quartet of bands.

First on stage was the cleverly but regrettably named TBA. Some heavy sounds with a slight singer/songwriter infusion and a bit of hand-drumming.



Rebekah Higgs was the sole out-of-towner, and she sounded really sharp; it was quite impressive watching her meld the electronic bits into her folk-rock stuff.



Then came Shannon Rose and The Thorns. I've seen most of the Thorns before: Bassist Ashley Newall guest-singing with elbeejay, drummer Tim Watson with Sarah Hallman at Irene's and guitarist Steve Matelywicz backing Damo Suzuki at the Avant-Garde. Newall thanked folks for coming out on a Monday, prompting someone in the audience to dub it "the new Thursday."



I saw F's Jim McDowell playing with Fourth at Irene's back in April (that's him at right in the snap below) . He invited me to an earlier gig at the Bytown Tavern which I missed, but second time's the charm (or something like that). F is a funk-rock combo with a songs about papercuts and bad bologna.



That was a very solid evening of entertainment. Good thing I remembered to bring my umbrella though.