So to start it off, I gotta say, I was a little disappointed that more people didn’t show up for this show. My friends and I actually showed up an hour early to make sure we would get in…. I also gotta say that I liked the venue a lot. I had never been to Sneaky Dee’s before, but I liked it. It’s small and intimate like the Kathedral, minus those poles in the middle of the floor.

So yes, opening band, The Jolly Rogers. From what I understand, they are a newer band who just finished up recording their CD. I think they really do have potential, but not many people were into them. It seemed like everyone who was there wanted to dance and the Jolly Rogers aren’t that laid back skanking type. They would get a better reaction with a more punk/ska crowd. I also gotta say that their saxophonist has balls for doing a couple songs in a skanky Speedo. He can high kick better than I can.

Overall, they definitely have potential and lots of energy.

The Donuts, sex…yes... What can I say? These guys are amazing! They really have that that traditional sound nailed down. As always, I enjoyed their set, however I was a bit bummed that they didn’t cover Married Girl, but really, you can’t complain about their original material. I’ve also perhaps seen a more energetic set from them before, but who cares, they still kicked my ass.

Next were JFK and the Conspirators. Now don’t laugh but I had never actually heard their music before. I’ve heard of them a million times, but never got around to listening to their music. So when they played I was really blown away. They sound like Jamaican natives, not a bunch of Winnepegan Crackers. You can tell they have a lot of talent.

Last were the Makeshift Heroes. Wow, how is it possible that they get better every time I see them?! Some highlights were Branko coming off the stage and playing in the crowd, when the band covered the Slackers, Have the Time and Branko’s freestyling. You know everyone just loves these guys. As soon as they started to play, the dance floor just filled up.

So overall, awesome show. Great bands and not a huge turn-out, so lots of dancing room. Good for me, bad for the promoter.

When I arrived for the show I was a little disappointed by the turn out. Thankfully, the show brought out more people by the time The Makeshift Heroes, and The Johnstones went on. This was apparently the first ska show in about 5 years in the city of Ajax. Which is surprising for the amount of shows that go on in Oshawa and that it is The Johnstones hometown.

Buda Funk Munk wasn't as good as the last time I saw them, and I am convinced it was due to a missing band member. Just had a different sound, and didn't sound as good. They still played a fun set though, and even invited people up on "stage" to dance while they played. Just a bunch of good guys that like to play the ska music.

One Size Fits Most seems to have doubled in size. It is crazy how many people they have. They even had one of their trombone players missing! I really like the addition of 3 more horn players! If you are a regular visitor of my site you know I love the brass section and the more the merrier. Hopefully their lineup will stay this big.

It was good to seeing Keepin' 6 again. They played yet another rockin' set. They are following right in the footsteps of their hometown buddies Ill Scarlett. These guys are a tight band. Only thing I wish they had was a horn section...and a full length cd. Can't wait to hear more from these guys.

The Makeshift Heroes did something that shocked the hell out of me. No Demons!!! That is the only negative thing I can say about their set. People seemed to be really grooving to their sound. It is good to see a band that consistently puts on a stellar show.

It seems like it had been forever since I had seen The Johnstones last. It was only a month, but I had seen them for 4 weeks straight before that. They put quite the show for their hometown. They all even went shirtless, which I sure pleased all the teenage girls there...and a particular photographer ;) I really love Can't Tell and love how they start off with it. You can't help but get into their set.

To close off the night was The Flatliners. I can't even remember the last time I saw them. I'm going to have to make it out to a Caledon show sometime, as I know they have a huge following there. They sounded just as good as the last time I saw them though. They also had many people singing along to through their whole set. I'm always left in awe as to how Chris can sing the lyrics as fast as he does.

This was my third time seeing Frankie Foo and the Yoyo Smugglers, and it was by far the best I had seen them play. I think it helped a lot that I went at the start of the night, instead of at the end like I did on the other two times. The songs they played in their first (of usually three) set was more technical and made you appreciate how talented these guys are. Their sets had many Fishbone songs in them in preparation for Fishbone's actual show on the Sunday. These guys also seemed to have the most fun at this show, although, of all the three times, they always seem to be having an absolute blast playing together. More people should check out this band. You can't go wrong when it is a free show!!!

So after attending 2 great shows on the long weekend, I was onto my third one to wrap up the weekend. This was definitely another stacked line-up.

Angry Agency is a type of band that you like more and more with each concert you see them perform. This was the first show I had seen them with all of their band members present. Unfortunately it was the Alto-sax's second last show since he was getting married (CONGRATS!!!). I think having all their horns present made for a much fuller and rockin' sound. This was the best I had seen them perform and was a little disappointed more of the audience didn't get into their set, especially after plalying so well after travelling all the way from the East Coast for the show. These guys play with a ton of energy and are always moving across the stage. It was quite the sight to see on such a small stage. North American Greed is becoming a favourite of mine.

Josh has returned to The Next Best Thing, which is a good thing. They seemed to have more fun playing together when he is there. MOre of the crowd was out for these guys, but they were grooving to the music instead of dancing. I have said it before and will say it again, these guys are talented, and you should definitely check them out some time.

Next up, all the way from Switzerland I believe, was The Peacocks. A psycobilly band with a slight ska influence made for a very different sound that I'm use to listening to at a ska show. They have been around for 15 years, and actually played Guelph with the Planet Smashers 4 years ago. Just watching the bass player play an upright bass makes you wish all bands had one. It truely was a sight to see. I have never seen anymore move their arm that fast, and then moving the bass around on stage just blew my mind as to how he could keep up. Not many 3-piece bands can pull off such a great sound, but these guys are one of those bands.

The Planet Smashers closed the night nicely. Unfortunately it wasn't as great as I was expecting. They played a lot of new songs (4), and I only really liked 2 of them. I guess the other ones will just have to grow on me. This is another band that has been around forever, and it is not hard to see why. They have tight live performances and have a blast playing. Be sure to check out DJ Skip's review of the cd in the cd review section on this site.

Two sets, three encores, two and a half hours of just The Slackers. How can one band play great music for so long on one night? If you have never been to a Slackers show in Guelph, I'm telling you now, go to at least one. Another amazing thing about this show was that there was only 200 people allowed into the small club which made for a very intimate-type setting. With such a long set list I heard every single song I wanted to hear. I"m sure that is a feeling shared by many, if not everyone who attended the show. It was definitely a treat to see them two nights prior and then for so long on this night. I was a tired, sweaty boy by the end of the night.

These are definitely the best pictures I have ever taken at a show, so please take the time to view them all!

So I hate to admit this, but it had been 6 years since I had seen The Slackers. That is 5 years way too long if you ask me. I am at a loss as to why I hadn't seen The Slackers in recent years, but it wasn't always by choice (university definitely played a part in the past 3 years of missing them).

When I heard The Makeshift Heroes had been added to the bill, I couldn't have been more excited. Probably the only people more excited than myself would have been the band themselves. This was by far the best I had seen them play, or at least the atmosphere made me think so. They got a great response from the crowd and am quite sure pleased the Slackers' fans who showed up for the entire night. Highlight of my night was getting Demons dedicated to me. It really meant a lot to me and makes me want to try even harder not to miss one of their shows. I was proud Makeshift step up to the plate for such a big show for them. Keep up the good work guys.

Watching The Slackers set made me feel really, REALLY stupid for waiting so long to see them again. Like I mentioned above, I'm at a loss as to why I had waited so long. They filled my 5 year craving I have had in seeing them again. The Slackers definitely have the best horn section of any band I have ever seen. The thing is, each musician in the band is good enough to do a solo act; they are that good. They ended up playing for about an hour and a half with two encores. Definitely an amazing night for me.

I attempted to check out this band on one other occasion, but was unable to due to transportation problems. For those of you that don't know, Elora is located pretty much right inbetween Guelph and Kitchener, but north a bit. Who knew such a small town could produce such a talented band? These guys played really well, and my only complaint would be the amount of covers they did. Don't get me wrong though, the covers they choose to perform were good choices, and they did an excellent job with them, but at the same time, for a band that is talent, it is nice to hear what they have come up with themselves. THe PhiloSKAphers were easily able to get the whole floor dancing. One young kid (probably pre-teen), even outdanced yours truly. I had a really good time at this show, and will definitely try and make it back to this wonderful town. It was definitely the best scenery I had encountered on my way to any show I had ever been too.

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had on this night. I was even considering not going to the show, as I had seen The Makeshift Heroes many times and I wasn't feeling 100%. I decided to go anyways, as I was at home, and figured why waste the opportunity. It was such a smart decision, as it has been awhile since I've had THIS much fun at a show. I caught the band before they went on, and just to see the comparison for the amount of people on the floor dancing to Makeshift, compared to the other band was a sight to see on its own. There was some amazing dancers representing the Durham region, that came all the way out just to see them. I have said it before (not recently though), these guys have a loyal following. It was a great show, and thanks guys for making my night.

I’m going to start off this review by quickly mentioning that the Horseshoe Tavern is definitely one of my favourite venues in Toronto. It’s small, dark and dingy but it has one of those home-like atmospheres. It reminds me a lot of Cheers: when you walk in, you feel like everyone should know your name. Athough I only knew about ten people there, it still felt like home. I also shouldn’t forget to mention that they have a two-tone dance floor, which is totally appropriate. Another reason why I love the Horseshoe Tavern is because most of the times I have been there was for a free show…and for a student making only slightly more than minimum wage, this rocks my socks off. I guess the only bad thing about it would be the fact that they only seem to hold 19+ shows, which doesn’t affect me, but definitely decreases (and intoxicates) the crowd.

Anyway, the Cheap Suits played at the Horseshoe Tavern on Wednesday, May 6. What more can I possibly say about this band? They always manage to impress everyone and get the crowd moving, even though they didn’t hit the stage until close to 12:45 in the morning. The time didn’t seem to affect the boys though, as they played with the same amount of energy as ever. However, although I rave about the Horseshoe, the sound quality wasn’t up to par that night, or any night for that matter. For some reason, Chris’ voice doesn’t radiate as it normally does at other venues. My guess is that it is due to the stage setup at the Horseshoe or maybe the lack of acoustics. In any case, they played most of the new songs from the up-and-coming EP (including my new favourite, ‘Judge and Jury’) as well as some older ones that they haven’t played in a long time, such as ‘Maybe Tonight’. They also had time to break out their medley of covers, which they haven’t done at a show in Toronto for quite some time. The show was awesome, the venue is awesome and as always, the band was awesome.

Michael: I just wanted to add that The Spades were really good. They reminded me of a 70's rock band. They played really well, and sounded amazing. I highly recommend checking them out.

It had been 2 months since I had seen the Cheap Suits last. On this night, they did not have their keyboard, which I was a little disappointed to see, as I really enjoy their songs when they use the organ. The Cheap Suits played an equal amount of older songs, along side their newer songs, that are going to be on their upcoming CD. These guys got a great response from the crowd. They haven't played the Kitchener-Waterloo area as much as they have played other cities, but have got a strong following here. I wouldn't be surprised to see them play here relatively soon once their CD comes out.

Kiros closed out the night. I hadn't heard any of their material before, but have heard their name mentioned before many times. I found their music decent, but nothing to get me excited. They too played with a lot of energy.