Wine Lips are a 3 piece garage trio from right here in Toronto. You may recognize singer/guitarist Cam Hilborn who spends most of his time rockin’  in Ol’CD. Wine Lips have 1 single released and its just enough of a teaser to make you want more and more. “Dead Beat” is pure garage punk cut from the cloth that the Ramones invented. It’s fast and hectic. It will inspire you to do nothing except get drunk. Cam rips some wacky solos in there that make your eyes spin to the back of your head. This single from Wine Lips is available on their bandcamp page. They’ll be opening up for Flamingo Báy and Yeomans at the Bovine Sex Club on Saturday. – Kris Gies

Jonesin & The Hurt started off as 2 street musicians who decided to throw together a lil band to complete their Party Folk Rock! Anyone who likes to party is cool with me. They released a record last year called Why Not?….cuz why not right? Right off the bat you can tell they are taking folk tracks and turning the party wayyy up. Duel vocals comin’ at ya nicely in the opening track “Please Give Me”. Up next is “Cucumbers” and as the title would suggest…it’s kind of madness. There is some interesting changes of pace in this tune and the lyrics are a bit goofy too but what would you expect from a track called “Cucumbers”. A Nova Scotian and an Ajaxian (is that right?) started this group and they now call Toronto home. You can catch Jonesin’ & The Hurt at The Central on Saturday along with Bare Claws. – Kris Gies

3 piece indie rock from Toronto…Ready the Prince. They just released their debut self titled EP last August. The EP opens with “Your Way Or Mine”…a good introduction to the band…solid rhythm section and nice guitars laying nicely over top. I catch some Kings of Leon vibes right away. The track has some interesting dynamics which give guitarist Daniel Prada the opportunity to show off his fast fingers…almost throwing in some flamenco licks. The next track is called “Drunk Without A Drug” and I’m not sure if that is supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing. This track is a bit more relaxed to start with a bit of an atmospheric feel to the verses. Again the dynamics in the pre-chorus take you through a sonic tunnel leading to a bit of an epic chorus. It’s a well recorded and well played EP. I would have to think they know what to do live as well. So go see them on Friday February 12th at the Rivoli in Toronto! – Kris Gies

Pete and his crew of blues rockers from Hamilton have been lying in the weeds for the last few months. I started to wonder if they were soon to be relegated to the “Where Are They Now?” category….just kidding…but I havn’t heard much from the Second Hand Band lately. Just last April they released their self titled record. 7 tracks engineered and mixed by bass player/vocalist JD Norwood. The album opens up with “It Just Keeps On Comin’”…a straight ahead rock track setting the tone for what’s to come on this album. The fellas pick up the pace on the next track “Talk Of The Town” which was their lead single of the album and came with a video to boot. They chill out for the chorus though and lead shredder Eddie Van Dyk gets to soothe your weary bones with some sweet licks. I really dig the tune “Bad Scene”. A true blues track that’ll make you head straight for the bar for another whiskey. Pete’s howlin at the moon in this one and it adds a nice spicy mustard to this bluesy rock n’ roll sandwich. The sustain of the guitars will make you weep. By the way this record is available for any price you want at their bandcamp page. Pete Van Dyk & The Second Hand Band return to Homegrown Hamilton on Saturday! -Kris Gies

Their names might not be Depp, Hanks and Costner but they are still Big Name Actors! A power pop trio based in Toronto. They have some nice tunes. Catchy and simplistically sweet. They just recently re-mixed and re-mastered their EP "Morning Sun". It was free until a month ago so you’re going to have to drop a few bucks for it now….it’s clearly worth it. Might just have to skip your Starbucks today but I think you can handle that. Big Name Actors sound very 90’s which is awesome. Singer/guitarist Hugh Wilson has some Craig Northey from the Odds in his voice…I feel a little bit of Gin Blossoms in there too but there’s more of an edge to it still. My top gun picks from their "Morning Sun" EP are "Make It Shine" and "Name Your Price". The former for sure should be spinning on radio stations across the land. That doesn’t matter though…they all can be spinning on your favorite device for just a few bucks. Go get "Morning Sun" from Big Name Actors and see them LIVE on Thursday at The Horseshoe Tavern with the Zoes, Womb and The Lipstick Junkies. – Kris Gies

Last spring Laura Cole and her team absolutely cleaned up at the Hamilton Music Awards. Bringing in almost every award they were nominated for. She has had a fairly quiet winter but that is about to change. Her record "Dirty Cheat" is a great listen front to back. 9 tracks that show off her skills as a vocalist and a song writer. I’ve always been impressed with her band. Everyone playing on the record or live knows their role and unselfishly excel at their positions. Something producer Steve Bigas believes in heavily. Laura has a sultry voice that can soothe the heart (Let It Roll) or grind the teeth (Unworthy). My personal favorite on the record has always been "On My Own". If that don’t get your toes tappin then you have no soul. Much like Amy Winehouse and Tom Waits her music makes me want to smoke cigarettes….in a dimly lit bar preferably. The Laura Cole band returns to the Lula Lounge in Toronto this Thursday! -Kris Gies

Ginger St.James is no stranger to the strange. She was an expert in burlesque before strumming her 6 string on stage. She’s been playing tunes around Ontario for a long time now. Don’t let her small statute fool ya….she’ll out-smoke and out-drink ya….she’ll probably also kick your ass to be honest. Along with her band The Grinders they bring a country/rockabilly show you probably didn’t think existed anymore. A throwback to when country was bad ass music. Her record "Diesel n’ Peas" was released last year and is full of honky tonk goods. Ginger is bringing her country to the city this week. Cherry Cola’s is hosting a surf vs rockabilly event featuring instrumental surf acts King Beez and Luau or Die taking on Brendt Diabo & The Ramblers and of course Ginger St. James. 5 bucks before 10. -Kris Gies

Womb…a 3 piece rock trio originally from the Ajax area and now based in Toronto. They say it nicely themselves "a group of musicians who keep it raw and full of swing." They play some pretty dirty rock but their tunes definitely have some swing and jazz influences running about. Lead singer/guitarist Ragwax is a jazz guy himself…often playing solo gigs all over Ontario when Womb isn’t raising hell. Good news folks, they have a brand new album on the way later this year called "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up". They just released the first single and video from the upcoming album. The track is called "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright". It’s a really groovy track…the verse parts will keep your head bobbing and toes tapping. It has a retro feel to it as well. Something that could be playing at the diner while your grabbing a milk shake with that new girl in town. Really digging Ragwax’s vocals in this track too…kinda lazy singing with just enough rasp in the voice. These fellas will be lighting up the stage at the Horseshoe Tavern on Thursday February 11th along with Big Name Actors, The Lipstick Junkies and the Zoes. Have a listen to this new track from Womb.

Demento blues…ever heard of it? Well it’s time you got a lesson on how it’s done. Frankie & Jimmy are a demento blues duo from Hamilton. They released their album "Scream the Blues" in 2014 and it’s full of traditional blues tracks done in a very original way. Frankie rips the slide guitar while Jimmy wails on the mic and harmonica. It’s in your face and dirty as well as beautiful and unique. More recently these fellas have lined up a full band. They’ve also released some new tracks with music videos such as "My Harley". The best part about Frankie & Jimmy is their own brand of signature hot sauce. It’s called "Burn the Blues Away" and as Jimmy says "it won’t ruin your day but it’ll ruin your next ten minutes." I’ve made my special hot wing sauce with it before and it was unreal. Frankie & Jimmy along with Torque Hound open up for Flamingo Báy at their Tape Release Party Friday Night (February 5th) at the Baltimore House in Hamilton. Sweet venue, sweet tunes and spicy sauce! Go.

 Take the spirit of 80’s glam rock, mixed it with a heaping helping of punk, and add just enough funky rockabilly-alternative, and you get SuXess. Their recently released song, Got Drunk, Fell Down, starts off with some seriously heavy drums and fun guitar riffs, and as it goes on I can’t help but think of bands like Kiss, Def Leppard, and maybe even a hint of Mudhoney, right down to the self-effacing lyrical content. And that chorus is catchy as hell. The B-side, Sleeping in the Street, throws some twangy guitars in that give it a real bluesy-country sound, which works really well here. I’ll definitely be jamming out to both of these tracks for a while, and I recommend you check them out on their Bandcamp page, then catch Suxess at the Silver Dollar Room on January 21st.

Mike B

 I have to give some serious credit to Swillbilly Heroes; first, for having one of the greatest band names I’ve seen in a long while, and second, for playing some great and incredibly catchy country songs, which means a lot coming from a guy who knows very little of the genre. Their latest release, the Dying Stars EP, combines smooth and memorable country melodies, badass guitar riffs and drum fills that defy the country label. It places Swillbilly Heroes in a genre all their own, somewhere between alternative rock and bluesy-country-pop. “Head Shake” in particular caught my attention with its twangy guitars and heavy drums. It’s just got that deep, grungy, backwoods sound. I’m stumped trying to think of what to classify them as, but maybe it’s better you listen to them and figure it out for yourself. Seriously, You’ll thank me later. 

Mike B

 God damn, do I ever love HORMOANS.

I first listened to the Toronto based 3 piece rock band sometime before they released their new album, Slander, earlier this year. Time has only made their sound harder, grungier and overall better than I could have imagined. They combine the sounds of punk with classic alternative and just a hint of upbeat surf to make a sound that truly resonates and makes you want to bop your head to it. If you haven’t already listened to Slander, you absolutely have to at least listen to “Made of Stone” and “Crowbar”, two of my favourite tracks off the album that showcase the variety and smooth mixing of styles of Hormoans that remind me of bands like The Distillers or even Pavement. Punchy drum beats, upbeat and catchy guitar riffs peppered with some really smooth bass lines make this whole album a gem in my books. Make sure to listen to Slander and their 2013 album, Millar.

Mike B