Barrence Whitfield and The Savages deliver in studio and on stage

Barrence Whitfield made a great return to the music scene in 2013 with Dig Thy Savage Soul, his first album in two decades, which became my favourite album of the year.

The new Barrence Whitfield and the Savages album, Under The Savage Sky, was just released by Bloodshot Records. While it won't top my 2015 faves list, it will certainly be on it.

The 12-song album, featuring eight originals and four covers, is brimming with short, straight to the gut tunes that blend vintage '60s soul and garage rock and combine to form a damn near irresistible package.

The 60-year-old Whitfield is a bona fide belter, guitarist Peter Greenberg (The Lyres, DMZ) pulls off licks that stick with you, the rhythm section of drummer Andy Jody and bassist Phil Lenker (The Lyres) propel things at a spirited clip, and saxophonist Tom Quartulli plays a more noticeable role than on the last album.

"Bad News Perfume" stops just short of becoming unhinged while down and dirty ballad "Adjunct Street" provides a nice change of pace. Timmy Willis’ “I’m a Full Grown Man,” Kid Thomas’ “The Wolf Pack,” Eddie Snow’s “I’m a Good Man” and Mercy Baby’s “Rock and Roll Baby” blend seamlessly with Whitfield's own songs.

But as good as Whitfield and the Savages are on record, things kick into an even higher gear on stage. They played Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern on Friday night, which he said was his first appearance in the city since the Blue Jays won the World Series. Local baseball fans are hoping that lightning will strike again but, even if the Jays fall short, Friday's electrifying performance was of championship quality.

The 22-song set kicked off with "The Wolf Pack" and the vintage "Bip Bop Bip" and included lots of songs from the two most recent albums while also reaching back farther into the catalogue several times. While I definitely liked Under The Savage Sky, hearing several of its songs live added to my appreciation of it, and the soul element of Whitifield's music came across even stronger in person.

Whitfield threw air punches through much of "Willie Meehan," a song about a relatively unheralded boxer who knocked out the legendary Jack Dempsey twice in their five bouts in 1917 and 1918. And since I was standing in the front row for much of the show, I was hit a few times by the beads of sweat that flew off his face and prompted him to wring out his shirt towards the end of the gig.

Whitfield lied down on the stage with his head resting on the monitor at the conclusion of "Walkin' With Barrence" and stayed there until rising like a phoenix from the ashes to ask the crowd if it wanted to hear more music as the rest of the band members who had left the stage made their return.

Folks weren't disappointed as the encore kicked off with "Ramblin' Rose." It had less punch and more soul than the proto-punk MC5 version and while it may not have been played as fast, it remained a powerful force. The audience clapped along to "Georgia Slop," which was followed by "I'm A Good Man." The high-energy 80-minute performance came to a too-soon conclusion with oldie and goodie "Dig Yourself."

Whitfield promised that it won't be another 22 years before he returns to Toronto, which is great news for the people who were there to see him and all of those who weren't but should. I don't think it will have quite the same impact when the man is 82.

A taste of Irish at Toronto's Festival of Beer

When you think of Irish beers, Guinness is the first thing that comes to mind for most people -- and for good reason. It's a great stout that has stood the test of time.

Some stout drinkers may prefer Beamish or Murphy's, while ale drinkers typically go for Smithwick's or Kilkenny, and Harp is probably Ireland's best known lager. But there have been some newer breweries that have come on to the scene in recent years and, while their market share may pale in comparison to the aforementioned old standbys, some of them are making quality stuff.

The Irish Pavilion at Toronto's Festival of Beer was a great place to sample several of them, accompanied by some decent music and good conversations with brewers and servers.

The first beer I had, Trouble Brewing's Graffiti Pale Ale, may have remained my favourite through the seven hours spent at Exhibition Place on July 24. It's made with five grains and three hops, with the Citra standing out from the rest and giving the beer a surprisingly hoppy aroma and fruit aspect. It's fairly complex and packs much more flavour than expected into a brew with an alcohol content of just 3.6 per cent, making it a great session beer.

Unfortunately none of Trouble's beers are available in Canada at this point, but that still didn't stop me from exploring the three other beers it had on tap at the festival.

Equinox S.M.A.S.H. is made using just Maris Otter barley and Equinox hops, and this pale gold, 4.8-per-cent pale ale consequently isn't as complex as the Graffiti. It's slightly resinous and a bit toasty and grows on you a bit with a decent finish.

Vietnow IPA is a 5.5-per-cent, amber, unfiltered ale made with six hops and two grains, including the subtle use of crystal rye. It has a gently citrus aroma without a lot of hops and a relatively simple but noticeable malt profile. Bitterness is definitely evident in the finish.

The last Trouble Brewing product I had was its heavy-hitting Hop Priority Triple IPA. It uses pale ale malt, cane sugar and four hops to create a gold beer with a decent white head. It has an 11.1-percent alcohol content, and it's evident, which turned me off a bit -- especially on the rather bitter finish.

The Dingle Brewing Company's Crean's Irish Lager was rich gold and poured with little head. It uses fresh spring water from County Kerry and, while it's a rather clean and refreshing 4.2-per-cent alcohol summer beer with a noticeable biscuit element, there's nothing exceptional about it.

Finbarra Novohal Cidery's Stonewall Craft Cider from County Cork is a pale straw-coloured, medium dry cider made with a variety of apples. It has a lovely apple nose with a crisp and fruity taste that's not too sweet, and it closes with a pleasing aftertaste. I enjoyed this more than a few of the Canadian ciders I tried later in the evening, including some from Ironwood Hard Cider, Thornbury and Shiny.

The White Hag Black Boar Imperial Oatmeal Stout was my second high-octane beer at 10.2 per cent alcohol by volume and 60 on the IBU scale,  and I preferred it over the Hop Priority Triple IPA as the alcohol didn't overpower the rest of the flavour profile. It provides a good blend of malt and bitterness with tastes of dark chocolate and a hint of coffee. I could probably only drink one of these, but I'd enjoy it.

I've never been a big fan of rye beers, but I liked the two on offer from Donegal's Kinnegar Brewing.

Rustbucket Rye Ale had a rich head and a fruity aroma with a hint of spice accompanied by 5.1 per cent alcohol.

Another farmhouse ale from the brewery, Black Bucket Black Rye IPA, didn't have an overpowering rye flavour, which I appreciated. It pours a very dark brown with a small tan head. Roasted malt, a hint of fruit and biscuit, a pleasant hop aroma and 6.5 per cent alcohol made me enjoy this more than I expected.

Bru Rua Irish Red Ale is dark amber and poured with a small white head. I don't drink a lot of red ales these days, but the tangerine and citrus flavour it offered made it quite drinkable, if nothing special.

McGargles Cousin Rosie's Pale Ale uses mostly German malts and, while this 4.5-per-cent alcohol beer was easy drinking and had a clean finish, I would have liked more hops from the bouquet and flavour.

McGargles Granny Mary's Red Ale was dark red and very malt-driven with a pleasant finish and 4.4 per cent alcohol by volume.

McGargles Fancy Frank's Lager is a crisp, gold-coloured, 4.5-per-cent alcohol beer with a slight floral bouquet and a slightly bitter finish.

O'Hara's Stout is fairly robust and the roasted malts provide a dark coffee profile with a tinge of liquorice. It was pretty smooth, but I'll still take one of the traditional Irish stouts that I'm more familiar with over this one.

Eight Degrees Brewing's Howling Gale Irish Pale Ale poured a medium dark gold with a small white head. It's made with three hops, which gives it a decent hoppiness with a bit of a fruity citrus nose, but the malty sweetness also evident took it down a notch for me.

Dublin's Porterhouse Brewing Co.'s five-per-cent alcohol Hop Head IPA had a hoppy aroma with a hint of pine. Four malts and four hops, including Cascade and Centennial, give this five-per-cent beer some complexity.

Porterhouse's award-winning Plain Porter poured dark brown but didn't have as much body as I would  have liked. Its composition includes three malts, two barleys and three hops. This 4.2-per-cent beer has a nice coffee-influenced flavour that goes down well.

My final beer at the Irish Pavilion was Porterhouse's Oyster Stout, which uses the same ingredients as the Plain Porter minus Crystal malt and with the addition of fresh oysters in the conditioning tank. It's smooth, well-balanced and slightly sweet with an alcohol percentage of 4.6.

Nick Waterhouse rules Friday at NXNE

 

San Marina

My Friday's North by Northeast activities got off to a somewhat slow start at the Horseshoe Tavern at 8 p.m. with young quartet San Marina, which played with slow-fast and quiet-loud dynamics but wasn't a particularly dynamic act to watch.

Orange O'Clock

I got my first glimpse of temporary venue NXNE Hub next to see young Sherbrooke, Que. pop trio Orange O'Clock, which recently won out over a few thousand other acts to capture the CBC Searchlight talent contest title. The sound was a bit more slick than I would have liked, but this is a keyboard and guitar-driven group of talented musicians with a singer who has a voice a bit reminiscent of David Bowie that seems to have a good shot at achieving commercial success.

The Sour Notes

Austin, Texas quintet The Sour Notes were staying at my friend Michael's place during the fest and his recommendation led me to the Bovine Sex Club at 10 p.m. There was a heavy '60s psychedelic rock element going on and at times it was a bit spacey for me, but the shorter songs definitely hit the spot.

Shark Week

I stayed around for Washington, D.C. quartet Shark Week, whose drummer had a broken arm but kept the beat surprisingly well to drive the group's indie, garage, surf and psych material. I was optimistic going in, but my expectations were exceeded.

Nick Waterhouse

Nick Waterhouse provided my favourite set of NXNE at midnight at the Horseshoe, where I'd seen him with a larger band blow me away about 15 months earlier. This performance drew Toronto mayor John Tory, who watched from the club's office. Saxophone added a lot to the singer/guitarist's vintage rock and soul sounds. There was lots of energy, the sound was great and Waterhouse is an amiable frontman who has his niche nailed.

Tijuana Panthers

I'd seen Tijuana Panthers in Austin, Texas during the South by Southwest Music Festival a few years ago, but the band seemed more confident this time and delivered a much better show of stoner surf that had elements of retro indie rock, power pop and punk, and occasionally left me hearing elements of The Gun Club and Joy Division.

American Wrestlers

American Wrestlers closed things off at the Shoe at 2:15 a.m. and, while I ended up paying more attention to conversations with friends than what was happening on stage, I liked the melodic indie rock that I heard from the quartet.

Surprisingly good NXNE Thursday

I had schedule holes to fill and I wasn't sure about all of the bands on my North by Northeast Music Festival to-see list when Thursday started. But despite a couple of missteps, things turned out much better than I was expecting.

Heaters

I got an earlier start and arrived at The Garrison's front bar just in time to see Michigan trio Heaters take the stage at 4:20 p.m. There wasn't a lot to set it apart from other psych/drone bands, but I enjoyed its mix of instrumentals and vocal songs delivered with a '60s vibe.

EZTV

Free Panago pizza was offered after the set, and a couple of small slices hit the spot before EZTV came on. When I saw the drummer wearing a Dwight Twilley T-shirt, I was pretty sure I had made a good choice -- and I did, particularly since there were few alternatives at this hour. The New York City quartet was relatively EZ on the ears with its chiming guitar-driven power pop, but I started noticing the lack of big hooks as the set went on. The group was solid but not that exciting.

Mick Futures

Moss Lime was supposed to play next, but was a no-show, and I found out that Naomi Punk had been moved from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., so I figured my best option was to have another pint and wait for a 7 p.m. set by Mick Futures, which I hadn't planned on seeing. The quartet delivered short, snappy and energetic punk and post-punk songs with indecipherable lyrics. This proved to be the first of a few acts that I ended up catching on Thursday that weren't in my original plans.

The Garrison has the best selection of craft beers of any music venue in Toronto and, during my time there on Wednesday and Thursday, I tried five that were new to me. Here's how they rated:

Good: Great Lakes Brewery Thrust IPA, Duggan's Raspberry Hefe
OK: Cruiser Pale Ale, Spearhead Wheat
No thanks: Old Woody Alt

I had time to kill and a void to fill so I got a steak and cheese sandwich at Subway and a tall boy of Double Trouble Kickin' Ginger Red IPA at the LCBO and had them while watching softball in Trinity Bellwoods Park. The beer was disappointing.

Wave of Terror

My friend David told me that The Comfort Zone was a late venue addition to the NXNE schedule, and he recommended a few acts playing there that weren't on my radar. The first, at 9 p.m., was Wave of Terror. The trio was high on all surf, garage and indie rock quotients and, while its short songs were nothing that I hadn't heard before, I'm a fan of those genres and was satisfied.

Unlike The Garrsion, The Comfort Zone ranks down there with Virgin Mod Club and Revival for having the worst beer selection of any live music venue in Toronto, and tall cans of Pilsner were the best I could do.

The Muscadettes

Montreal's Muscadettes were on my agenda for Friday, but I took the opportunity to see the blonde twin-fronted group at The Comfort Zone. The sisterly connection was evident in their vocal interplay and their guitar and bass contributions were backed by members of one of my favourite Montreal bands, Les Breastfeeders, and a drummer who Grant Lawrence told me was from The Stills. The nine-song set of '60s garage-inspired indie rock was as inspired as that pedigree suggested it would be.

Needles//Pins

Like at 9 p.m., I had an empty time slot at 11 p.m., so I stuck around for Needles//Pins, a Vancouver trio that played short, melodic punk songs. They were pretty good, but far from great.

I had planned on seeing Gen Gorman at Coaltion at midnight, but was told by the NXNE volunteer working the Comfort Zone door that the club had reached its capacity of 25 for badge and wristband holders, even though there were only 50 people in the club, since people who left and came back were counted twice. If I left and come back like I had planned, I would have to pay to get back in despite my badge. I wasn't informed of this when I first entered the club, and the door person agreed with me that it was a stupid policy, but she had to follow the orders she was given.

Tranzmitors

I stayed, and it turned out to be a good decision after all. Vancouver's Tranzmitors came on stage wearing suits and played a very high tempo 11-song set. The group follows in the footsteps of Vancouver's Pointed Sticks,  but with more of an emphasis on punk than power pop. Things ended on a high with "Weekend."

Guantanamo Baywatch

The group that I most wanted to see was on last. I missed catching Guantanamo Baywatch in Austin, Texas during the South by Southwest Music Festival in March, but the band with the best name of NXNE also turned out to be one of the best bands with an explosively enjoyable mix of instrumental and vocal tunes. There was nothing but good times included in the group's first Canadian performance, which included a nod to our country via an amazing cover of Paul Anka's "Diana."

The music made me dance, or whatever it is I do when my feet and arms are moving, and moshing broke out during the encore that the appreciative audience demanded. There were minimal jiggling breasts and no torture, just a lot of fun courtesy of Guantanamo Baywatch. I purchased its new Darling … It's Too Late album as I left the club and then hit the pavement for the walk home.

NXNE off to great start on Wednesday

The opening night of the North by Northeast Music Festival was so good that I'm afraid it will only go downhill from here.

Twist

My night began at The Garrison with Twist, a four-piece band fronted by BB Guns' singer/guitarist Laura Hermiston. Don't expect the more garage rock-oriented material of her other band, but a larger and more expansive rock sound with atmospheric moments and occasional tinges of psychedelia. Effects are used and things get loud. While I wish Hermiston had a stronger voice, the blend of different elements was quite effective and left me impressed. 

Wreckless Eric

The night's guest of honour was no doubt Wreckless Eric, a 61-year-old, self-described "bubblegum with dementia" artist from England who apparently hadn't played Toronto since 1979. I was lucky to see him in Austin several years ago, but for most of the people I knew in the too-small crowd, this solo performance was their first time.

I consider Amy Rigby's husband's early albums for Stiff Records near classics and was hoping to hear lots of songs from them, but the man born Eric Goulden focused on more recent and unfamiliar-to-me repertoire. The lyrics and between-song banter were very reminiscent of Robyn Hitchcock, which can never be a negative in my book. The underrated wordsmith ended the set with his signature song, the much-covered "(I'd Go the) Whole Wide World," which had the whole wide crowd singing along. 

Blaire Alise & The Bombshells

I left with a big smile on my face and that didn't leave when I arrived at the Bovine Sex Club to see Blaire Alise & The Bombshells. The trio's combination of '50s pop and garage rock, presented with an old school girl group feel and a modern edge, hit the spot perfectly. It makes sense that the band is from Detroit, a city close enough that welcomed return visits should be in order.

Les Chausettes

I really wanted to stay for the entire set, but another similar group was playing its only set of the festival down the street in The Cameron House's back room and I wanted to see a bit of it as well. Les Chausettes also combine elements of '60s surf and garage rock with girl group pop, but include male/female lead vocals and harmonies. The band wasn't as polished or proficient as Blaire Alise & The Bombshells and I didn't like it as much, but it was still enjoyable and I'd like to see more than the 20 minutes I caught.

Johnson Crook, a roots rock band not affiliated with NXNE, was in the front bar and provided a great intermission soundtrack during the changeover in the back.

LuxDeluxe

Young Massachusetts quintet LuxDeluxe ended my night and was the most eclectic band of it. One song was indie rock with a vague Guess Who influence, some incorporated reggae, ska and wore rhythmic elements, while others were more straight-up rockers. But all of them were good, except perhaps one in which three keyboards were used. This was another act that deserved a bigger crowd than the 25 folks it had at the beginning, and which dwindled as things went on.

CMW Saturday starts with seafood and ends with old punks

The Music Nova Scotia Tiki party hosted by Mike Campbell is a Canadian Music Week tradition for me and, right on schedule, Cam Carpenter gave me a couple of drink tickets as soon as I walked in the back room of the Rivoli at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. The always delicious seafood chowder was gone by the time I arrived, but I was still able to avail myself of several tasty scallops, three oysters and some cucumbers, onions and dill pickles.

In addition to the food and drinks, and talking to people I sometimes just see once a year, I also caught three- or four-song sets by Alana Yorke, Don Brownrigg and Gianna Lauren. I preferred the two women, but none of them will have me rushing to hear more of their music.

The Bends

I moved on to The Hideout to see The Bends, a St. Catharines, Ont. quintet that was supported by several parents in the small audience that was on hand to hear its melodic indie pop. "Bikini Atoll" is an ear worm and is on the four-song CD I was given, and a faithful version of The Smiths' "This Charming Man" was appreciated. The rest of the songs were nice, though nothing exceptional, but at least The Bends wasn't a Radiohead cover band.

The Pinholes

I left midway through The Bends' set to catch the end of The Pinholes, who I thoroughly enjoyed the night before at The Paddock. Three young women who were dancing up a storm in front of the stage on Friday were back on Saturday at Cherry Cola's Rock 'N Rolla Cabaret for what was apparently purple and black-striped trouser night for the band. The group's vintage rock-and-roll was just as much fun this time and the lead singer/guitarist unfurled the Singapore flag at the conclusion of the set. A band member gave me a download card and a Pinholes bottle opener at the end of the set, which was a nice touch.

Steve Lane and The Autocrats

Australia's Steve Lane and The Autocrats were up next. The band has been around for several years and while its last four songs were the best of the night, most of their mid-tempo rock songs just seemed to blend into one another and didn't jump out at me.

Red Mass

I strolled up Bathurst Street to Sneaky Dee's to see Montreal quintet Red Mass. Lead guitarist and group founder Roy Vucino and a female keyboardist shared lead vocals in a set of pretty aggressive indie rock and proto-punk songs. It was OK, but I was hoping for more in some way that I'm not exactly sure of.

James O-L and The Villains

I dropped down to Dundas Street to the inexplicably named Magpie Taproom, which has no beers on tap. But luckily it had tall cans of delectable Nickel Brook Headstock IPA. Windsor, Ont. roots rock quintet James O-L and The Villains played in front of the fifth straight small audience I was part of. The performance was a bit unassuming and could have used more of the edge delivered in the band's lone instrumental track. The music was solid, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

Dead Ships

I returned to Cherry Cola's to see Dead Ships, where Barenaked Ladies' Kevin Hearn and Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning were also on hand. Canning produced the Los Angeles group's new EP, and the up-tempo indie rockers from it were played fervently. I wasn't blown away as I'd hoped to be, but I liked it. Bonus points are assigned for the belly dancer in the window ledge, although there were other women in the club that I would have rather seen shaking it up.

The Meatmen

My night of music ended at Hard Luck Bar with 36-year-old Detroit punk band The Meatmen. "We're the Meatmen … and You Suck!" is the rallying cry of the Tesco Vee-fronted group, and that aggressive attitude was on display throughout the set, which spawned lots of moshing at the foot of the stage and some jerk dumping a beer on me. It was straight-ahead punk rock, augmented with a cover of Johnny Rivers' "Secret Agent Man," and was pretty much what I expected it would be after seeing the group for the first time.

The OBGMs, The Pinholes and Rusty on CMW Friday

My time spent seeing bands for Canadian Music Week on Friday night was abbreviated due to another commitment, but three late night shows sufficed.

The OBGMs

High-energy punk band The OBGMs took the Velvet Underground stage at midnight amidst black and white balloons and in front of a very decent-sized crowd. Lead singer/guitarist Densil McFarlane demanded that the audience members raise their hands above their heads, jump, clap, sit on the floor and sing along when he wasn't tossing balloons or mini lights at them, and most obeyed his commands. The Toronto quartet certainly doesn't lack enthusiasm, but it has a shortage of real songs.

Hunger struck and I got a donair at Falafel Queen in the middle of a police investigation. A woman had apparently just peed in the doorway and a man had swung a knife at the restaurant proprietor, so the cops were checking security cameras and looking for the miscreants. Hockey Night in Canada host George Stroumboulopoulos was also on hand for the adventure, and it was good to get caught up with him since we hadn't seen each other for several months.

The Pinholes

I moved southwest to The Paddock to see The Pinholes, and the five-piece band crowded on to a tiny stage where three musicians might uncomfortably fit. I was struck by the group members' matching black and red striped slacks, red shirts and black suit jackets while they were setting up, and once they started playing it didn't take long to figure out that I had just discovered my favourite Singaporean surf/power pop/garage rock band of all time. There were only about 30 of us on hand, but everyone was totally into it with a lot of folks dancing and some of them lifting the lead singer/guitarist above their heads near the end of the 40-minute set. Fun throwback sounds abounded and I highly recommend catching The Pinholes if you get a chance.

Rusty

There was a lineup outside the Bovine Sex Club for Rusty's 2 a.m. show, but it was worth the relatively short wait. I was a fan of the Toronto alt.rock outfit in the late '90s (and wore a vintage Rusty T-shirt on Friday to prove it), but hadn't seen the band since it broke up in 2000. I'd missed a couple of reunion shows over the past year, but I'm happy to say that Ken MacNeil and company aren't showing any rust. They had the crowd eating up everything they did, which included such past favourites as "Soul for Sale," "California," "Empty Cell," "Wake Me" and others. It brought back fond memories and was a good way to cap off the night.

WOMPS, Les Marinellis, Bad Girls, Broncho, Twin Guns and Gateway Drugs at CMW on Thursday

WOMPS

Glasgow, Scotland trio WOMPS played a set of punk-fuelled indie rock to less than 10 people at Cherry Cola's Rock N' Rolla Cabaret on Thursday night and, while they seemed like nice lads, you didn't miss much if you weren't part of that small audience. The singer/guitarist's T-shirt and hair hanging over his face reminded me of Kurt Cobain, but his music didn't. While things picked up as the set went on, several songs were more atonal than anticipated and the band didn't live up to my expectations.

Les Marinellis

Things picked up significantly when I ventured north on Bathurst Street to Sneaky Dee's, where Montreal's Burger Records-signed act Les Marinellis played a set that reminded me of Black Lips. I wasn't able to see the quintet in Austin, Texas at the South by Southwest Music Festival in March as I had hoped and was happy to catch it in my hometown. It was another small crowd, but this is a band deserving of a significant fan base with its melodic, retro rock and roll sound and a charismatic, barefoot and bare-chested frontman who spent significant amounts of time on the floor and sitting on the front of the stage while delivering nasally vocals that suited the garage-y tunes to a tee.

Bad Girls

Toronto trio Bad Girls was up next at Sneaky Dee's and was just as entertaining. There was nothing fancy or unique about its rock and roll, but well-crafted, hook-laden songs floated effortlessly from the stage. The band covered Hall & Oates' "You Make My Dreams," and its original tunes were even better. The only negative I can think of is that, at 25 minutes, the set just wasn't long enough.

Broncho

I caught Broncho at SXSW and liked the Norman, Okla. group well enough to see it again at the Horseshoe Tavern. As with Bad Girls, catchy indie rock songs abounded. If you like King Tuff, Weezer, power pop and '80s new wave, you should enjoy this hook-happy band. Two free shots of Jim Beam from company representatives didn't hurt either.

Twin Guns

I headed west to the Bovine Sex Club to take in Twin Guns, a Brooklyn, N.Y. band with three black leather-clad, dark sunglasses-wearing bad-asses -- including female bassist Kristin. Drummer Jungle Jim used to play with The Cramps, and that element was definitely evident in the sound along with strains of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Jesus and Mary Chain. It was dark, brooding and great.

Gateway Drugs

I stayed at the Bovine for Gateway Drugs, which opened for Jesus and Mary Chain's Toronto show last Friday. The Los Angeles band wasn't as drone-drenched live as it is on its solid new album, Magick Spells. The group rocked hard while performing its dark, psychedelic-influenced songs and a cover of The Count Five's 1965 garage rock classic, "Psychotic Reaction."

Sean Lennon, who will perform at the Horseshoe Tavern tonight with his band Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, dropped by the Bovine briefly and I had a chance to have a short conversation with him and shake his hand. 

I had George Harrison's phone number after surreptitiously jotting it down when I saw it sitting on a desk at Jeff Healey's house several years ago, but he never picked up whenever I called him. And since I don't think Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr will be coming over for dinner anytime soon, my brush with Lennon is probably as close a personal connection to The Beatles as I'll ever have.

Swervedriver headlines Wednesday night's Canadian Music Week lineup

The Flying Museum Band

My Canadian Music Week began on Wednesday night at The Cameron House seeing  talented Toronto outfit The Flying Museum Band. There were only about 20 people on hand, most of whom seemed to be friends of the group members, but this is a lineup deserving of more attention with a musical style that at times reminded me of Blue Rodeo and The Band -- though with lesser vocals and harmonies. The playing was tight, the songs were solid and the keyboardist/saxophone player added depth to the material with his contributions.

The Marvelous Beauhunks

There was an even smaller audience at the Bovine Sex Club for The Marvelous Beauhunks, an Oshawa, Ont. quintet featuring two Rickenbacker guitars and a bass from the same company. There wasn't as much of a chiming guitar sound as you'd expect from that instrumental lineup, but the group's mix of power pop and '60s garage rock was well-executed -- if not exceptional. It was enjoyable, but I'd seen and heard it done better.

The Cocksure Lads

The Cocksure Lads -- featuring former Moxy Fruvous members Murray Foster and Mike Ford along with guitarist Tim Bovaconti and drummer Blake Manning -- provided another '60s throwback with a sound straight from the British Invasion at the Rivoli. There were lots of pop hooks and the band rocks harder than Moxy Fruvous could ever have dreamed of, even without rocking that hard. A cover of The Who's "The Kids Are Alright" provided a fitting end to the set. The Cocksure Lads Movie, written and directed by Foster, premiered at the Whistler Film Festival in December and will get a wider release this summer.

Swervedriver didn't have to pretend to be British, as it was a big part of England's shoegaze music movement of the early '90s. I think I saw the band back then, but the memory is foggy and I can't be sure, so I jumped at the opportunity to see it at the Horseshoe Tavern. Big guitars and psychedelic influences are the group's hallmark, and the band provided both during an extended set played in front of a pretty packed house. I'm not particularly enamoured with the new I Wasn't Born To Lose You album, Swervedriver's first since 1998, but the group still packs a punch on stage.

The Steady Rebels

It was then back to the Bovine for a nightcap and The Steady Rebels, a Mississauga, Ont. eight-piece alternative reggae group with a blend of horns, keyboards, drums, guitar and bass that had folks skanking to its rhythmic tunes.

The best from Ontario brewers

I've covered awards events that have honoured a variety of recipients over the course of my journalism career -- from rock stars to real estate tycoons, and from high school students to heroic dogs -- but it's hard to top what's on tap every year at The Ontario Brewing Awards.

Not only do you get to pay your respects to the gold, silver and bronze winners, you get to taste what got them -- and other worthy competitors that didn't make the podium -- there.

The 2015 edition was held on April 9 at Toronto's Corus Quay, which presented great views of Lake Ontario as a backdrop to sample a wide variety of brews, nibble on some appetizers and toast the victors.

It wasn't that long ago that it sometimes wasn't easy to find an Ontario beer that you hadn't tried before, even when attending a beer event. Those days are now thankfully behind us, and there were dozens of beers that I wasn't familiar with both in the winners' circle and at the numerous bars all serving different things set up around the venue.

So without the benefit of trying everything in every category, I'm going to assume that the judges made wise decisions and will only mention a few quibbles. I apologize if these breweries didn't submit entries, but I think that beers from Duggan's Brewery, Collective Arts Brewing, Black Swan Brewing Co. and Barnstormer Brewing were all deserving of trophies, and Innocente Brewing Company was good for more than one. And I have a real soft spot for Mill Street Vanilla Porter and can't figure out how it didn't crack the top three in the flavoured porters and stouts category.  

Okay, one more: I'm not sure how Trafalgar Brewing. Co. qualifies as newcomer of the year since it's been around since 1993.

Brewer Brad Clifford shows off the gold award he won for his porter.

I drank 17 beers and stayed away from those I'd had before, with the exception being Clifford Brewing Co. Porter, which deserved its gold award. The extremely unfortunate thing for me was that I'm suffering through a nasty cold that has affected my senses of smell and taste to the point that I don't particularly trust them. And that's where I place the blame when I say that, while I enjoyed many of the beers I tried, nothing totally grabbed me.

Of the new things I sampled, my favourites were Summit Lollihop and Chinook Lollihop from a brewery with a name I liked as much as its beers: Manantler Craft Brewing Co. from Bowmanville. I'm sure I would have had a bigger appreciation of Flying Monkeys Acadian Groove Canadian Maple Porter if I'd been at full strength.

My least favourite: 5 Paddles Brewing's Heroine of Niagara.

Here are the others: Big Rig Black IPA, Forked River Blackbeerd Stout, Quick Brown Fox ESB, Flying Monkeys Genius Suburbia, Amsterdam Vicar's Vice Olde Style, Liberty Village Brewing Co. Black Blessing, Collingwood Brewery Fireside ESB, Kichesippi Beer Co. Donny's Dort, Nita Beer Company Perfectum, Longslice Brewery Hopsta La Vista, Haliburton Highlands Brewing Honey Brown Ale and Trafalgar Brewing. Co. The Mighty Oak.

Here are this year's award winners:

Beer of the Year

Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Double Tempest

Newcomer of the Year

Trafalgar Brewing Co.

North American Light Lager

Gold: Cool Beer Brewing Co. - Stonewall Light
Silver: Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery - Antigravity
Bronze: Laker Brewing Company - Laker Light

North American Lager

Gold: Triple Bogey Brewing Co. - Premium Lager
Silver: Laker Brewing Company - Laker Lager
Bronze: Sleeman Breweries - Original Draught

Pilsner

Gold: Steam Whistle - Pilsner
Silver: Creemore Springs Brewery Ltd - Lot 9
Bronze: Kichesippi Beer Co. - Donny's Dort

Amber Lager

Gold: Old Flame Brewing Co. - Red
Silver: Hop City Brewing Co. - Barking Squirrel
Bronze: Cool Beer Brewing Co. - Millennium Buzz

Dark Lager

Gold: Silversmith Brewing Company - Black Lager
Silver: Hop City Brewing Co. - 8th Sin Black Lager  
Bronze: F&M Brewery- StoneHammer Dunkel 

Bock

Gold: Lake of Bays Brewing Company - Crazy Eyes Darcy Tucker
Silver: Creemore Springs Brewery Ltd - UrBock
Bronze: Cameron's Brewing Co. - Rye Pale Ale

Honey/Maple Beers

Gold: Haliburton Highlands Brewing - Honey Brown Ale
Silver: Railway City Brewing Co. - Shambock          
Bronze: The 3 Brewers - Maple Ale

Hefeweizen

Gold: Side Launch Brewing Company - Wheat
Silver: Smithworks Brewing Company - Hefeweizen
Bronze: Muskoka Brewery - Summer Weiss

Witbier

Gold: Mill St. Brewery - Belgian Wit
Silver: Northwinds Brewhouse - Moonlit Wit
Bronze: Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery - Solstice Saison

Flavoured Beer

Gold: Wellington Brewery - 2014: A Spice Odyssey          
Silver: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Ginger Beer  
Bronze: Mill St. Brewery - Lemon Tea

Farmhouse Ales

Gold: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Le Paysan Saison
Silver: Cameron's Brewing Co. - Into the Shade Saison       
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Howl

Lagered Ales

Gold: Sawdust City Brewing Co. - Gateway Kolsch
Silver: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Cause and Effect           
Bronze: Sleeman Breweries - Cream Ale

  

British Pale/Bitter

Gold: Big Rig Brewery - ESB
Silver: Wellington Brewery - Arkell Best Bitter
No bronze awarded

American Pale Ale

Gold: Great Lakes Brewery - Canuck Pale Ale
Silver: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Naughty Neighbour
Bronze: Liberty Village Brewing Co. - 504 Pale Ale

British IPA

Gold: Longslice Brewery - Hopsta La Vista
Silver: Railway City Brewing Co. - Dead Elephant Ale
Bronze: Sleeman Breweries - India Pale Ale

West Coast IPA

Gold: Sawdust City Brewing Co. - Twin Pines IIPA
Silver: Stone City Ales - Green Goddess Imperial IPA
Bronze: Stone City Ales - Uncharted IPA

Dark IPA

Gold: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Malevolent Black Imperial Ale
Silver: Manantler Brewing Co. - Dark Prince
Bronze: Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery - Netherworld

Amber Ale

Gold: Kilannen Brewing Co. - New Zealand Red Ale
Silver: Orange Snail Brewers - Rattle N' Nemo
Bronze: Old Tomorrow Brewing - Canadian Pale Ale

Dark Ale

Gold: Wellington Brewery - County Dark Ale
Silver: Clocktower Brew Pub - Bytown Brown
Bronze: Wellington Brewery - Iron Duke Strong Ale

Porter

Gold: Clifford Brewing Co. - Porter
Silver: Innocente Brewing Company - Charcoal Porter
Bronze: Block Three Brewing Co. - Pushbroom Porter

Stout

Gold: Trafalgar Brewing Co.- Schwartzy
Silver: Liberty Village Brewing Company - Black Blessing
Bronze: Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery - Cadillac Graveyard

Imperial Stout/Baltic Porter

Gold: Wellington Brewery - Imperial Russian Stout
Silver: Big Rig Brewery - Cherry Bomb Imperial Chocolate Cherry Milk Stout
Bronze: 5 Paddles Brewing Co. - Midnight Paddler

Fruit Beer

Gold: Mill St. Brewery - Frambozen
Silver: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Raspberry Mint
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - KLB Raspberry Wheat

Vegetable Beer

Gold: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Pumpkin Ale
Silver: Wellington Brewery - Farmers' Market Rhubarb Saison
Bronze: Garden Brewers - Green Thumb IPA

Flavoured Porters/Stouts

Gold: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Schwartzy Xpresso
Silver: Barley Days Brewery - Scrimshaw Oyster Stout
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Full City Double Tempest

Strong Beer

Gold: Smithworks Brewing Company - Blonde
Silver: Side Launch Brewing Company - Belgian Hat Trick
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Vicars Vice

Gluten-Free

Gold: Snowman Brewing Co. - The Rambam
Silver: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Ginger Mead
No bronze awarded

Barrel-Aged - Whisky

Gold: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Double Tempest
Silver: Cameron's Brewing Co. - Deviator Doppelbock
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Recidivist

Barrel-Aged - Wine

Gold: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Winey Bastard
Silver: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Sour Cherry Imperial Stout
Bronze: Sawdust City Brewing Co. - ODB

Smoked Beer

Gold: Black Oak Brewing Co. - Nox Aeterna
Silver: Covered Bridge Brewing - La CabaneàSucre
Bronze: Mill St. Brewery - Rauchbier