Review and photos by Mike Bax Things I learned tonight: 1. Dirty Heads have a huge, dedicated following. 2. The band’s young, prominently female fan-base are all lookers and seem to enjoy copious amounts of liquor. 3. The band can indeed perform really well live, many of their songs sounding better and heavier than their…
Author: mikebax2015
Creative Director - CultureWorks ESL • Music Buff
Interview with Jason Rockman – Slaves On Dope – October 17th, 2016
By Mike Bax Photo by Tim Snow A heavy rock / metal mainstay for over two decades now, Slaves On Dope have recently released a new album, Horse, enlisting the likes of Darryl McDaniels (RUN DMC), Bill Kelliher (Mastodon), H.R. (Bad Brains) and Lee La Baum (The Damn Truth) to help round out the albums…
Gojira – Rebel, Toronto – October 20th, 2016
Review and photos by Mike Bax Earlier this year, Gojira unleashed their heaviest, and best album to date – a beast of a disc entitled Magma. This evening’s performance at Rebel (formerly Sound Academy) was Gojira’s first stop in Toronto showcasing this new material live, the band playing 50% of the album this evening. There’s an…
Anders Fridén of In Flames Interview – October 3rd, 2016
Interview by Mike Bax In November, In Flames will unleash their 12th studio album entitled Battles, their first recording in the United States, and their first with producer Howard Benson. Battles is a natural progression from Siren Charms, boasting 14 new songs that take the band into some very familiar and equally different soundscapes. There…
Tomi Swick – The Yukon Motel album review
Slaight Music Review by Mike Bax Is It Worth it? Whatever you wanna do. Guaranteed. I’m leaving it up to you. It’s opportunity. These are lyrics from ‘Opportunity’, one of 14 low-fi, straight-up roots-rock tracks on Tomi Swick’s wonderful third album, released today on Slaight Music. An album of addictive introspection, The Yukon Motel is…
An interview with Tomi Swick – Toronto – October 13th, 2016
Tomi Swick The Rootdown Studio, Toronto – October 13th, 2016 Interview by Mike Bax http://www.tomiswickmusic.com http://www.facebook.com/tomiswick twitter.com/tomiswick
The Balconies – Rhonda album review
Self Released Review by Mike Bax Taking elements of pop sensibilities from the 1980s and blending them with their own modern musicality, The Balconies have created something truly special with Rhonda, their followup to 2014’s Fast Motions. The new album is a thematic story of hope, self-discovery, and the struggle for authenticity carried through eleven…
Interview with Steve Vai – October 4th, 2016
By Mike Bax Photo by Larry DiMarzio A few days ago, the inimitable Steve Vai began an ambitious 21 date North American tour showcasing the entirety of his 1990 Passion and Warfare album – rehearsed to perfection and pushed out on the road for the masses. Already showcased over two months in Europe, this tour…
Interview with Ben Weinman – Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – September 29th, 2016
By Mike Bax Lead image: Johnny Buzzerio I think it’s safe to say that everyone in Giraffe Tongue Orchestra (GTO) would quickly dismiss being addressed as a super group. Comprised of 5 very competent musicians, GTO is a project that has taken years to fully gestate into the recently released Broken Lines (Party Smasher Inc. /…
An Interview with Chasms – October 5th, 2016
By Mike Bax The descriptor for Chasms that steered me to their Soundcloud a few weeks ago was “a duo crafting percussive dirges that are at once beautiful and menacing”. I can’t really spin-doctor anything better than that, so I’m not even going to try as it’s fully accurate. When I listen to On the…
Mike Bax 