Dropkick Murphys at The Kool Haus photo by clint gilders- staff photographer Dropkick Murphys at The Kool Haus photo by clint gilders- staff photographer

by james "trash" sampson - contributing writer

Dropkick Murphys
http://www.dropkickmurphys.com/
Dropkick Murphys photos
November 16, 2007
The Kool Haus (Toronto, Ontario)

Dropkick Murphys are a group that have flown under the radar for far to long. You can't watch the Boston Red Sox play in a World Series without hearing one of their songs and DKM were all over Martin Scorsese's Oscar winning The Departed, so everyone has heard their music they just don't know who they are!

This is a band that can't be labeled Punk or Folk because they are a combination of both!

I have had the experience of watching the band grow over the years, having seen them in concert at least 5 times since 1998 on The Warped Tour as well as opening a show for Motorhead. This time was different, everything was perfect. The sold-out show never slowed down, kicking out songs like "God Willing" and "The State Of Massachusetts" from there 6th and newest CD The Meanest of Times as well as playing the classic "Skinhead on the MTBA", "The Gang's All Here" and "Tessie". I even had a chance to shoot the sh*t with The Mahones' (a band that DKM knows all too well) lead singer Finny McConnell who was checking out the show before they played The Hide Out later on in the night.

If you ever wanted to see a band with two lead singers and three more singing back-up, a volley of instruments such as Mandolins, Accordions, Banjos, Tin Whistle, Acoustic & Electric Guitars and the ever famous Bag Pipes DKM is the band. It was also one of the loudest shows I've seen….it took me 3 days to get the hearing back. All in all I would have to say that the latest DKM show will go down in history as one of the best shows I have ever seen!!!

I can't wait to see where the "Boys From Boston" take us next.

The Mahones at S.C.E.N.E. Fest more photos... photo by clint gilders- staff photographer I Hate Sally at S.C.E.N.E. Fest more photos... photo by clint gilders- staff photographer Cancer Bats at S.C.E.N.E. Fest more photos... photo by clint gilders- staff photographer

by james "trash" sampson - contributing writer

S.C.E.N.E. Fest
http://www.scenemusicfestival.com/
S.C.E.N.E. Fest photos
Sunday July 22, 2007.
Downtown St. Catherines, Ontario

So, was the S.C.E.N.E. Fest in Ontario going to be complete and utter chaos, with 147 band descending on fifteen downtown stages in St Catherines? No. It was well-organized and great to cover.

Having heard nothing but good buzz about the Underground Operations label, their booth was the first place I hit. After being introduced to the folks from Underground -- whose founder, Mark Spicoluk, used to have a pretty popular band called Closet Monster -- I checked out the first band.

The Mohones opened the main stage, and what a band; a touch of folk (flutes and accordions) mixed with punk. Next, I went down to a pub/bar (where most of the bands played) and checked out These Silhouettes. All in their teens and playing like they've been together for ten years, they started kicking out the jams with their fans singing along. After their show I had a chance to talk to lead singer Stuart Aiken about how, with no CD released (drops this fall), did their fans know all the songs? He replied that the band's MySpace site get thousands of hits daily.

These Silhouettes at S.C.E.N.E. Fest 2007 more photos... photo by clint gilders- staff photographer CLUB KINGSNAKE Exclusive: Dee Prescott of I Hate Sally at SCENE Fest 2007

I Hate Sally was next and their lead singer Dee can belt it out in a way that would put most guys to shame. She interacted with the crowd showing no fear of the security, who seemed unsure how to handle a mosh pit and a singer who feeds off the energy of the crowd. The crazier the crowd became, the more intense I Hate Sally became. I'd hate to see the equipment repair/replacement bills look like! If they could have gotten away with it, they would have torn the stage apart. Later when talking to Dee, I told her that if I were the band to go on after I Hate Sally I would have packed up and gone home because who could top that energy. Their album Don't Worry Lady has been recently been released in the USA with great sales and it also hits Europe in Sept/Oct.

Machete Avenue was a nice change, very mellow and clean, the singer and keyboard player harmonized well together -- great radio play presence and should be a huge band of the future.

The only reason I wanted to check out Cancer Bats was because every third person there seemed to be wearing a Cancer Bats t-shirt. So off I went. Not you average Hardcore band. There was just something about them that made you keep on watching. I couldn't put my finger on it but the crowd sure did, and wow did it get crazy. The inexperienced security were kicking kids out left right and center with little or no explanation.

All in all, a great fest, but these were the bands I think we'll be hearing more from in the future.