Interview with Amanda Rheaume, of the Amanda Rheaume Band!!

By: Scott Miller


I was able to catch up with Amanda via email a few days after the show and asked her a few questions:

Scott: Who is your biggest musical influence and why?
Amanda: Alanis (Morissette) is a big one. Just as I was starting to write and perform songs Jagged Little Pill came out and lyrically I was incredibly inspired by her delivery and lyrics.

Scott: I believe you opened for Jeff Martin of the Tea Party, what was that like for you?
Amanda: It was totally fun! My band and I opened for his former band The Tea Party at Tulip Festival two years ago, but this was much different as it was very intimate. I was honored to have been asked to open for him.

Scott: What other bands have you opened for and which of those bands did you enjoy opening for the most?
Amanda: Tea Party, Project Orange, Rocket face, The Trews, Sloan, Ani Difranco, Sue Foley, The Joys.
I was very excited to open for Ani Difranco at Bluesfest in Ottawa this year as she is another HUGE influence for me. Guitar playing and lyrics, she shaped me as a singer/songwriter/performer so it was very inspiring to be on the same bill as her.

Scott: What was it like recording with Nick Blagona, who has worked with some other great bands?
Amanda: We didn’t record with Nick we used him for the mastering of our latest EP "Even When". He was great to work with! Lots of great stories, stuff you wouldn't even believe!!!!

Scott: Do you have any plans to record in the near future?
Amanda: There are plans to record a new demo/EP in the next three months! Stay tuned! I am always posting new material on my myspace.

www.myspace.com/theamandarheaumeband

Amanda Rheaume Rocks out at Royal Oak

By: Scott Miller

Saturday night (November 25th 2006) some friends and I went out to the Royal Oak in Orleans, Ont. Why did we choose this fine establishment for our night of drinks? Well, other than it being crawling distance from most of our homes, there was live entertainment.

And who was this live entertainment? Well it was none other than Amanda Rheaume. She played three acoustic sets throughout the night. Her sets included originals such as “The Story”. She also mixed in some covers of Sublime’s “Santeria”, CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising”, and Lynard Skynard’s “Sweet Home Alabama”. Her performance was one of the better musical experiences I have had in a while. She was very interactive with the crowd stopping briefly between songs to give cheers and see if everyone was having a good time. At one point during a break in her sets she came over to our table and did a shot with us.

The Royal Oak isn’t the only venue Amanda has ever played. Just last Tuesday she opened for Jeff Martin of the Tea Party at Barrymore’s in downtown Ottawa.

If you wish to find any further information about shows, or if you want to check out some of her music check out the link we have set up below.


www.amandarheaume.com

Three Days Grace rocks out with Ottawa fans

Awesome show, Awesome night!

By: Scott Miller

This time around I will be reviewing the evening of Monday, November 13th, 2006 at the Ottawa Civic Centre. The doors for this all ages show opened at 6:30. Performing on this music filled night in performing order were, Idle Sons, Mobile, Theory of a Dead Man and finally Three Days Grace. The overall atmosphere at the show was electric. The crowd was into it from the very beginning with their hands in the air, devil horns pointing at the stage, and singing along word for word with each respective lead singer.

Now to move on to the main event of the evening, Three Days Grace. First to come out on stage was drummer Neil Sanderson who gave a small and obscure drum solo while guitarist Barry Stock and Bassist Brad Walst wandered out on stage playing nothing much more than feedback from the amps until finally lead singer and guitarist Adam Gontier bounced out on stage and jumped right into their first song of the night “Animal I Have Become”, which was also the first single off their new album “One-X”. The crowd was pumped and ready to go as soon as the quartet stepped on stage.

The next hour and a bit were packed with pounding drums, and distorted guitars. They covered a wide variety of their material, new and old. According to event staff I spoke to after the show the entire building was shaking from the fans stomping and jumping up and down.

One of the best songs of the night was definitely “Riot”. As soon as the first chords were struck the devil horns were up, and the moshing and crowd surfing began. They ended the show with the song “Scared” and about three quarters of the way through the song drummer Neil Sanderson busted out a ridiculous ten minute long drum solo which went into a sweet bass, guitar solo then back into the end of the song and the end of the show.

Theory of a Deadman came out rockin’ right from the start, which was a nice surprise because right off the bat they squashed any rumors I had heard of them sucking live.

Lead singer Tyler Connoly belted out lyrics from all of the bands singles including: “Nothing Could Come Between Us”, “Make Up Your Mind”, “Since You’ve Been Gone”, and “Santa Monica”. During a break in between songs Tyler also said Theory of a dead man will be returning to the studio at the end of the tour to record a new album that we can expect to see in stores in the next year and a bit.

Honestly I was late getting into the show because the lineups were huge but I did manage to catch two songs by Idle Sons and I definitely liked what I heard.
They had pounding drums, catchy guitar riffs and solid lyrics. I didn’t see enough of them to go more in depth but they announced they will be playing a show at Mavericks (downtown Ottawa) in early December and I will be there to do a full band bio and review the show, and who knows maybe even get an interview

Alright, I’m going to go ahead and be honest again; you may have noticed that there is no bio for Mobile like I had set-up for the other bands. This is because I don’t particularly like the music made by this group. However, I found myself halfway through their set bouncing my head up and down to one of their songs. So even though I don’t care for their music I will give them this: they put on a great energy packed show and sure know how to get a crowd going. The biggest crowd reaction came when their lead singer announced they where going to play “Montréal calling”.
They are also a very interactive band, at the end of the show along with Idle Sons they went out to the merchandise stand to sign autographs and take pictures with fans.

Quick info about the bands from the Monday show!

By: Scott Miller


Idle Sons
Home town: Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
Music: Alternative/Rock
Musicians: Mike Eastick vocals/ guitar, Sean Kelly guitar, Ryan Barkwell drums, Bruce Nicol bass.
Discography:
1. (1994) Sifter E.
2. (1996) The Sik Whisper
3. (1999) Slurpymundae EP
4. (2001) Hell or High Water (never released)
5. (2006) Sixteen Seasons

Odd fact: Mike and Sean played together for their hockey team and Bruce and Ryan played baseball as a pitcher and catcher together.


Theory of a Deadman
Home town: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Music: Alternative Rock
Musicians: Tyler Connoly (vocals/ guitar), Dave Brenner (guitar), Dean Back (bass), Brent Fitz (drums).
Discography:
1. (2002) Theory of a Deadman.
2. (2002) Theory of a Deadman (clean).
3. (2005) Gasoline
Odd fact: First band to sign with Nickelback lead singer Chad Croeger’s 604 Records imprint in 2001.

Three Days Grace
Home town: Norwood, Ontario, Canada.
Music: Hard rock
Musicians: Adam Gontier (vocals/ guitar), Neil Sanderson (drums), Brad Walst (bass), Barry Stock (guitar).
Discography:
Three Days Grace
Released: July 22nd , 2003 (U.S.)
Label: Jive Records
Chart Positions: #69 (U.S.)
RIAA Certification: Platinum
US Sales: 1,200,000 +
Singles: I Hate Everything About You, Just Like You, Home

One-X
Released: June 13th, 2006.
Label: Jive Records.
Chart Positions: #5 (U.S)
RIAA Certification: -
US Sales: 352,000 +
Singles: Animal I Have Become, Pain

Odd fact: Lead singer Adam Gontier has been raising awareness of drug abuse amongst teens and fellow musicians on their current tour, through question and answer sessions, and other interviews. Including playing free shows at rehab centres across North America. On November 29th, 2006 Adam will be returning to the rehab centre that helped save his life and career.

Emily Hanies

Just Announced

By:Traci Ward
Photo:ilovemetric.com

Emily Haines, singer of the Canadian band Metric, has announced an up-coming show in Ottawa.

The venue is a little strange, where I don't think anyone has played since Henry Rollins did a tell-all show back in 2003. The Bronson Centre.

Tickets are on sale right now for the January 5th show. The tickets are $22.50, all ages, general admission. (Brought to you guys thanks to PRS Concerts)

ticketmaster.ca
prsconcerts.com

Dirty Work-Someone's gotta do it

Buck 65 get's Dirty

By: Traci Ward

You only have until November 26th to download the new Buck 65 album that he made available on myspace in October.

This free EP features 5 songs; that he states were “recorded during an unprecedented creative surge”. He recorded it while working on full length albums. The album was put together completely by Buck 65, with no budget.

The first song that was available for download “Indestructible Sam” is a true story about a man who dug graves around New Orleans after the Civil War. Meanwhile people are trying to kill him.

The EP is a great tie over for the new album that he says will be released sometime in the spring. The songs have great beats, although they are fairly mellow. Days on End is probably the best out of the five. But it’s really hard to choose. I find myself listening to them over and over. His awesome voice is showcased so well in every song.

I suggest downloading them now before he takes them off. And check his blog posts on myspace as well.

He has three upcoming shows in Toronto, London and Hamilton with The Tragically Hip in February.

myspace.com/buck65
buck65.com

Welcome Friends!

Well good day to you all. My name is Scott, and I am the editor in chief of this fine music review and news e-zine.

Our mission here at E-Rock Review is to find local Canadian, or any good music and report about it back to you, the fans. Our main goal however, to shine some light on the local music scenes in Eastern Ontario, and make them better known to the general public.

If you have any information about local or big shows that you think myself or my staff would enjoy; or if there’s a CD being released, let us know and we will see what we can do.

Thanks,
Scott and the E-Rock Review Crew