MUSIC PREVIEW: Surf in Turf
Thursday night finds Australia’s Ocean Alley performing at Station On Jasper. The Australian psych-reggae-surf band has gained a lot of popularity and critical acclaim in their home nation, and are now hoping to explore the world, buoyantly looking to expand their sonic reach.
Led by vocalist-guitarist Baden Donegal, the band formed in 2011, and has a catalog of two EPs and two studio albums, including last year’s Chiaroscuro. In this year alone, they’ve had four songs appear in the Triple J Hottest 100 – the who’s who of the Australian rock scene – including Confidence, which reached the very pinnacle of that chart.
Their sound is a glorious mix of indie rock, with hazy shades of psychedelia, and the unmistakable funk influence of reggae. Without a doubt one of the weekend’s can’t-miss gigs.
Show at 7 pm, $20, BUY
Friday 7
Prism – Best known for their songs Spaceship Superstar and Turn On Your Radar, this Vancouver band first got its start in 1977, with that incarnation lasting just seven years. After a brief hiatus, they came back, and have been performing and touring ever since, though they’ve only recorded one album – 2008’s Big Black Sky – since 1993. Their lineup, consisting of vocalist-guitarist Al Harlow, bassist Tad Goddard, drummer Gary Race, and keyboardist Marc Gladstone, has been fairly consistent for the last 10 or so years, though is markedly different from the early years, save for Harlow. Century Casino, 8 pm, $54. BUY
The Cult – This band has taken a pair of hiatuses in their journey, but when recording and touring storied vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy have been with the band throughout. The band’s popularity peaked in the mid 1980s through early ‘90s, with tracks that included She Sells Sanctuary, Love Removal Machine, Wild Flower, and Fire Woman, to name just a few. River Cree, 9 pm, Tickets from $80, BUY
Joshua Hyslop – This Vancouver singer-songwriter with the incredibly soulful voice continues touring to support his 2018 album Echos. Yeh yeh, it should have an ‘e’. Get over it. Aviary, 8 pm, $15. BUY
Saturday 8
Bobby Bazini – This singer-songwriter from northwest of Montreal also has three albums to his credit, as well as a pair of Juno nominations from his 2011 album Better In Time. Station On Jasper, 8 pm, $28. BUY
Monday 10
Night Lovell – This Ontario rapper is starting to make waves in the national scene thanks to a trio of albums, including February’s GOODNIGHTLOVELL. Union Hall, 7 pm, $20+. BUY
Tuesday 11
Judas Priest – Arguably one of the greatest metal bands of all time, this English band has more studio albums than one would care to count – including 2018’s Firepower. Bassist Ian Hill, guitarist Glenn Tipton, and vocalist Rob Halford have been the core since the early days (though Halford was not part of the band for much of the 1990s), and the band has been a primary influence for a plethora of bands since their founding. Uriah Heap opens the show. Rogers Place, 7:30 pm, Tickets from $74, BUY
