FRIDAY, APRIL 12th UPDATE... One more sleep!!! A few reminders to everyone... We are open regular hours on RSD - open at 9:30 am until 5:30 pm. We know everyone is excited to find the exclusives, but keep in mind this is a perfect day to make new friends that are as passionate as you are about music and movies, so remember your manners. In the spirit of fair play, there is a limit of ONE of each RSD title with a total of 8 RSD items per person. The numbered, limited editions of Kevin Hearn's : The Superhero Suite EP that are a fundraiser for MusiCounts are in. Minimum donations is $15. Wait until you see it - it is soooo cool you will definitely want to own one. Also, remember to watch your email in box after we close tonight for the Special Edition of our e-newsletter with the list of exclusives ...
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London based, well technically Mount Bridges based, rock band Brother Leeds proved to be even better than anticipated. The 4 piece normally hard rock group brought it down a notch for the Cheeky Monkey audience doing an array of mostly original songs acoustically. They had hoped to have CD's to sell, but they are not quite ready yet, but will be soon. If you are a new fan after seeing them at Cheeky Monkey or missed them and want to check them out, we will be selling their CD's once released. Watch for details to come. CLICK HERE for photos taken during the April First Friday. Note the painting by Bill Walters in the background. His current exhibit is available for viewed & buying for a few more weeks. An entirely new work will displayed in time for the May 3rd First Friday. Photo ...
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Noise Pollution at the Cheeky Monkey for March First Friday: Young Band Gives Crowd a Great Time by Brian Hay Musically this band is on solid footing. Ammon Chaikram provides the grounding needed from the bass but adds some jump as well. He’s also a decent drummer, a point that probably strengthens his skills as a timekeeper. Maxx Cabajar does more than just play a guitar. He strives to make the instrument do things that are out of the ordinary and often succeeds beautifully. Chloe Kendel is a superb young drummer, literally one of the best this writer’s seen in some time. Her technical skills are excellent and she’s an imaginative player but that’s only part of what she offers. Her work has a graceful fluidity that can’t be taught. Transitions from beat to fills and back again are so smooth and so natural it’s almost as if she’s a conduit for ...
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Friday March 8th (exact time to be announced soon) SPECIAL IN-STORE performance by ALTAMEDA PLUS chance to win 2 tickets to full show Saturday, March 9th at The Refined Fool & copy of LP. Draw to be held at Cheeky Monkey day of in-store. For chance to win send an email to [email protected] with Altameda as the subject or stop in to Cheeky Monkey and fill out a ballot. ABOUT ALTIMEDA... Edmonton based Altameda (æl-tah-MEE-da) have evolved into a band with a bold, and unrelenting sound. It’s the culmination of experience, both musical and rawly human, that makes Altameda the band they are. Hitting festival circuits and stages across Canada and the UK, they’ve toured extensively since releasing their much-celebrated debut album, Dirty Rain. Full and resounding, cutting and dynamic, Altameda’s sophomore record, Time Hasn’t Changed You, is full of all that makes life a beautiful mess. Brought along by warm bass lines, bluesy rhythms and ...
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Strum n Drum at the Cheeky Monkey: Crowds Miss a Gem on a Cold First Friday by Brian Hay Walking into a nearly empty shop on a First Friday wasn’t the most promising thing but the music coming from the far end of the room carried a better message. With fewer bodies to absorb the volume the sounds of the instruments landed on the ear as either an invitation or a seductive caress — take your pick. Given that one of the instruments was an acoustic guitar being played with a touch that bordered on the sublime it could easily have been the latter. The intricate percussion work, rhythm guitar playing and singing that were coming across were tasty and what formed among the trio was something that became far more than the sum of its parts. The sublime work on the guitar was coming from the hands and soul of Cameron Milne. ...
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Sarnia First Friday: Notes by Me and Mr. Smith Settle in an Exquisite Zone at the Cheeky Monkey by Brian Hay From the start this gig conveyed the sense that all was right with the world. Or at least it was in the Cheeky Monkey. Transparently clear notes from the guitar of Nick Swan and silky tones from the voice of Lise Michaud were as much a caress as they were a delivery of sounds that transported listeners to a place where harmonious tranquility was dominant. It was a lovely space, the perfect answer to the bustle of the holidays, a trying day at work or just a day of the blahs that typifies the winter season. (For this writer it was the last one but that’s not important). From any perspective it’s clear this duo is on to something. Nick Swan is a deeply sensitive guitarist who combines impeccable rhythmic timing with ...
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The Forest Pioneers Live at the Cheeky Monkey: Diamonds in the Rough Brighten a Slow First Friday by Brian Hay The first thing that hit the ear was the doubling from a pair of acoustic guitars. There was nothing lightweight — this stuff was being played with a chop. The next thing coming in was some crystal clear singing. Then a sweet bit of harmony vocals filled the air. Things might have been slow outside and the crowd in the store smaller than usual, but the music seemed like it was going to be fine. It was too. The guitars were played by Andy Genovy and Frank Kirkey with Kirkey delivering the lead vocal. The harmony work was done by the full group, which was rounded out by vocalist Shannon Kelly keyboard player Lauren Ihrig. Their timing was solid and the voices of both ladies were distinct enough to stand out individually. That ...
MoreWhat does BLACK FRIDAY mean at record stores like Cheeky Monkey? And what does it mean for our customers? Black Friday is traditionally the kick off of the gift giving season. Black Friday at record stores are the PERFECT place to find the PERFECT gift for everyone on your list - or for yourself. In honour of Black Friday, Record Store Day organizers have been working tirelessly with artists, labels, managers and distributors to create special releases to come out on November 23rd exclusively at independent record stores like Cheeky Monkey. As we do for Record Store Day, Roland orders virtually every one of the exclusive, but because they are limited editions, we do not know what we will have to sell until all the deliveries are in. We do not take orders in advance (that's not fair or allowed) but we will be sending out a SPECIAL EDITION email to all our ...
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Sarnia’s First Friday, October 2018: Missy Burgess, Dwayne Cloes and Wulf Von Waldow at the Cheeky Monkey by Brian Hay The great thing about live music is the opportunity for spontaneous combustion is always there. It's the ability to find concerts nearby and be enraptured by them. When it happens, it’s felt as much as heard and it produces a moment in time that can never be duplicated. It’s a one-time thing and it’s glorious. When Missy Burgess and Dwayne Cloes came together with Wulf Von Waldow there hadn’t been a lot of time for them to “prep” themselves. Missy and Dwayne had played together a few times but the rest fell to each being able to follow what they heard and invent things on the fly without drifting away from each other or the songs. It’s risky. Playing “wrong bits” or showboating creates a train wreck. Paying attention and supporting each other to ...
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El Camino Rocks the Cheeky Monkey: Sarnia’s First Friday Celebration, September 2018 by Brian Hay The addition of bassist Glen Perry and keyboard player Lise Jordan changes the face of this band immensely. That Glen provides an excellent rhythm partner for drummer Steve Bird is a factor of huge importance. They listen to each other closely, slide lock-step into whatever the other does with (seemingly) no effort and it spins off to the rest of the band. Guitarist Marvin Eskritt slides in with lead or rhythm parts according to the needs of the songs. Lise Jordan reinforces Glen’s bass lines and injects ornamentation in the same manner while lead singer and guitarist Scott Whyte doubles rhythm lines or weaves with lead passages delivered by Eskritt. All of it is very tasteful. More on that later … The area that shows the most obvious difference stems from Lise and Glen both being solid vocalists. Having ...
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