4 bands you've most likely never heard of and why you should listen to them now.

My favourite part of being a huge music fan is discovering new music. As life gets busier it can become harder and harder to make time to listen to new music. Keep in mind that ‘new’ music is oftentimes old music. I find it just as exciting to discover new bands like Royal Blood as I do to uncover and rediscover bands of that past, like The 13th Floor Elevators.
As our four Sonic Collective members all have amazing taste in music, obviously, I thought it would be fun to ask the group who they thought was a recording artist that other music fans should listen to. We each picked these artists independently so many of these picks are new to the group as well.
On November 1st our show will be available on the website. Each of our Collective members will educate the listeners about the band they chose, tell you which albums and songs to listen to and give you some cool facts about these bands.
Here are the the bands picked by our expert panel.
Artist: Ron Gallo
Chosen by: Darren Scott
Artist: The Kills
Chosen by: Scott Coates
Artist: Greta Van Fleet
Chosen by: Alain Dupuis
Artist: Jenny Lewis
Chosen by: Scott Gregory

Review of Blink-182: The Mark, Tom and Travis Show 

Please read and listen to Scott Gregory’s pick for Blink-182: The Mark, Tom and Travis Show  before reading and listening to our reviews below.

Quick Summary: 

Our Individual Review Scores
Scott Gregory:
Overall opinion: 4
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 4
Alain DuPuis:
Overall opinion: 3
Would I recommend?: 3
Influenced my tastes: 3
Scott Coates:
Overall opinion: 2
Would I recommend?: 2
Influenced my tastes: 3
Darren Scott:
Overall opinion: 3
Would I recommend?: This album 2, others 4
Influenced my tastes: 3.5

Review of Eric Clapton: Unplugged

Please read and listen to Alain DuPuis’s pick for Eric Clapton: Unplugged  before reading and listening to our reviews below.

Quick Summary: 

  • Would we recommend?
  • Influence us and our tastes?
  • Overall
3.8

Review of Eric Clapton: Unplugged

Alain DuPuis, the best at back-flipping of all The Sonic Collective members, decide that it was time to pay respect to legendary blues/rock guitarist Eric Clapton. Unplugged was all the rage in the early 90s and this album along with Nirvana: Unplugged really catapulted the genre forward.
An album full of blues standards as well as some epic Clapton hits made this the best selling live album of all time. Listen to The Sonic Collective members as they let you know how this album stands up.
Here is a few things you’ll find out by listening this month:
• Pro: Everyone loves this album Con: Everyone loves this album
• What other world famous guitarist almost joined Clapton’s band
• How much Clapton sold one of the 2 guitars he used to record this
Listen up and please leave us a comment.
The Sonic Collective


Our Individual Review Scores
Alain DuPuis:
Overall opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 5
Influenced my tastes: 4.5
Scott Coates:
Overall opinion: 3
Would I recommend?: 3
Influenced my tastes: 3
Darren Scott:
Overall opinion: 3.5
Would I recommend?: 3
Influenced my tastes: 2
Scott Gregory:
Overall opinion: 4
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 4

Blink-182: The Mark, Tom and Travis Show


Blink-182: The Mark, Tom and Travis Show
Scott Gregory, September 2018
Hello everyone I’m Scott G and welcome to The Sonic Collective’s pick for September 2018. As you know, we’re in the middle of a round of live albums. We’ve had some New Wave with the Talking Heads, some Southern Bluesy Rock with the Alman Brothers and some acoustic Blues from across the pond from Eric Clapton unplugged.
This month, I wanted to find a seam in the picks and go in a completely different direction. We’re going to fast forward to the 2000s, we’re going to get loud, and we’re going to get a little crazy.
Blink-182 is well-known for putting on electrifying live shows full of crazy banter with the audience in between songs played way faster than on the studio albums. In 2000, between hit records Enema of the State and Take Off your Pants and Jacket, Mark, Tom and Travis recorded a show over two nights and aptly called it “The Mark, Tom and Travis Show”.
Looking at the track list, I think what I’ll enjoy most is everyone getting a deeper look at the band. Much Music (MTV for Canadians basically) only played the videos for their singles, and the band got a bit of a bum rap as some sort of prank group. It got them a lot of publicity so I’m sure they played it up a bit, but no joke, this is a band with tight lyrics and playing. This album isn’t just a greatest hits, so you’re going to get a deep look at their full playlist.
HISTORY WILL EXONERATE BLINK-182 as the greatest punk pop band of the 2000s. I’m staring right at you Green Day.
So yeah. The show’s supposed to capture lot of the live banter between Mark Tom and Travis and a crazy audience coming in loudly over the vocals, so I’m really looking forward to a great audio recording of a frenetic live rock show.
Without further ado, I’d like to once again invite you to join us here at the Sonic Collective for our September pick: The Mark, Tom and Travis Show by Blink 182, and check in at the end of the month to see how your thoughts match up with ours. Cheers.
Album on Wikipedia
The Mark Tom & Travis Show on Youtube

Best Blink-182 Video

Sad Clown covering the same song:

Review of The Allman Brothers Band: Live at Fillmore East

Please read and listen to Scott Coates’s pick for The Allman Brothers Band: Live at Fillmore East  before reading and listening to our reviews below.

Quick Summary: 

  • Would we recommend?
  • Influence us and our tastes?
  • Overall
3.1

Review of The Allman Brothers Band: Live at Fillmore East

The second pick of our second live album round was made by member Scott Coates for this July 2018. We were definitely all over the place on this selection and how we felt about it. We definitely dig agree that the sound quality of the album as well as the musicianship was incredible. Duane Allman at the age of only 25 had a mastery of his guitar like no other. As this album was historically touted as one of the best live rock albums of all time we had to see how it stood up in 2018.
We discovered many interesting things about this album so listen to our stories and opinions and be sure to listen along with us as we relive classic albums just like this.
Here is a few things you’ll find out by listening this month:
• 2 Sonic Collective members really liked it and the other 2…? Not so much.
• Which other great guitarist almost had Duane Allman join his band.
• How this album tied into the movie Almost Famous.
Listen up and please leave us a comment.
The Sonic Collective


Our Individual Review Scores
Scott Coates:
Overall opinion: 4
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 4
Darren Scott:
Overall opinion: 3
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 2
Scott Gregory:
Overall opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 4
Alain DuPuis:
Overall opinion: 1
Would I recommend?: 1
Influenced my tastes: 1

Eric Clapton: Unplugged


Eric Clapton – Unplugged
Alain DuPuis, July 2018
This month’s pick is Eric Clapton’s album Unplugged.
Recorded in front of a live audience in the winter of 1992 in England, Unplugged represented a stripped down version of Clapton’s music. Bluesy and soulful, the album went on to receive nine Grammy award nominations, ultimately winning six, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. Not a bad haul for one performance.
Eric Clapton was a musical giant long before he recorded Unplugged, lending his talent as a guitarist to such notable musical acts as the Yardbirds, and Cream.
Born in Surrey, England, Eric first picked up a guitar at age thirteen, but within three short years, he managed to achieve a large amount of notoriety for possessing advanced prowess with the guitar. As he continued to play around the country in a number of different musical outfits, Clapton forged a distinctive style and rapidly became one of the most talked-about guitarists in the British music scene, an accolade that would dog him – for better or worse – for decades.
Despite professional success, Clapton’s personal life has been troubled. At various times he has faced tragedies, loss, and heartache, battled depression, and fought a crippling addition to drugs and alcohol, but he has always managed to overcome – a feat he attributes to his music, stating: “I almost subconsciously used music for myself as a healing agent, and lo and behold, it worked … I have got a great deal of happiness and a great deal of healing from music.”
His music has undoubtedly also brought happiness and strength to millions of fans around the world.
Let’s dive in to Unplugged.
Eric Clapton – Wikipedia
Unplugged – Wikipedia
iTunes
Amazon

The Allman Brothers Band: At Fillmore East


The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East
Scott Coates, July 2018
I’ve known of the Allman Brothers my entire life but until recently had never listened to one of their albums. A few years ago while searching ‘best live albums’ online, their At Fillmore East album was listed; I was intrigued but didn’t listen to it. Fast-forward a couple years and I came back to it.
The double album, featuring just seven songs, was recorded at New York’s Fillmore East theatre on March 12th and 13th, 1971. They were the opening, opening act for Johnny Winter and Elvin Bishop Group the first two nights, but gained so much momentum, they closed the third show as the headliner. The band was paid $1,250 each show. This was the band’s third album and the one that made them a commercial success, being released in July 1971.
It’s interesting to note just how regarded Duane Allman was at the time, regularly jamming with Eric Clapton, and he was invited to join Clapton’s band Derek and the Dominos but declined. Find a comfy chair, nice drink and settle in to what many publications have listed as one of the best live rock albums of all time.
Other Albums Considered
Rolling Stones: Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!
MC5: Kick Out the Jams
Motorhead: No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith
Kiss: Alive!
Bob Seger: ‘Live’ Bullet
Wikipedia Page
On iTunes
On Amazon

Review of Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense

Please read and listen to Darren Scott’s pick for Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense  before reading and listening to our reviews below.

Quick Summary: 

  • Would we recommend?
  • Influence us and our tastes?
  • Overall
4.4

Review of Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense

Let the live album round begin! I (Darren) was quite excited to pick The Talking Heads to start us off on our live album round. In 1984 the Talking Heads were really starting to attract a large audience after collaborating with Brian Eno on the 3 previous albums leading up to this concert. The movie was shot, and the album recorded, over the course of three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983, as the group was touring to promote their new album Speaking in Tongues.
We discovered many interesting things about this album so listen to our stories and opinions and be sure to listen along with us as we relive classic albums just like this.
Here is a few things you’ll find out by listening this month:
• Why the Tom Tom Club songs are played on this album.
• Brian Eno is not Canadian!
• Typical books don’t talk.
Listen up and please leave us a comment.
The Sonic Collective


Our Individual Review Scores
Darren Scott:
Overall opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 5
Influenced my tastes: 4
Scott Coates:
Overall opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 5
Influenced my tastes: 4.5
Scott Gregory:
Overall opinion: 4
Would I recommend?: (3 album  / 5 Movie)
Influenced my tastes: 4
Alain DuPuis:
Overall opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 5

Review of Ashley McIsaac: Hi™ How Are You Today?

Please read and listen to Scott Gregory’s pick for Ashley McIsaac: Hi™ How Are You Today?  before reading and listening to our reviews below.

Quick Summary: 

  • Would we recommend?
  • Influence us and our tastes?
  • Overall
3.8

Review of Ashley McIsaac: Hi™ How Are You Today?

For May 2018 we take a leap across Canada to the East Coast where people and music strongly influenced by their Scottish, Irish, Engligh and French heritage. Combining Celtic and Scottish sounds with folk, rock and pop, Ashley McIsaac from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia showed what a motivated fiddle player could do. His hit song from this album, and a must-listen, Sleepy Maggie was a smash hit in Canada and showed that East-Coasters have what it takes musically to occupy a world stage.
Ok, that sounds all good. However, we forgot to mention that Ashley McIsaac was also one of the most controversial artists and has struggled with serious addiction issues and anger issues. Join us for this crazy ride and review.
Here is a few things you’ll find out:
• How much you’d sell a fiddle for to feed a crack habit.
• Which Sonic Collective member plays a mean set of spoons.
• What’s the difference between McIsaac and MacIsaac anyway?
Listen up and please leave us a comment.
The Sonic Collective


Our Individual Review Scores
Scott Coates:
Overall opinion: 2
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 1
Darren Scott:
Overall opinion: 4
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 3
Scott Gregory:
Overall opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 5
Alain DuPuis:
Overall opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 4.5
Influenced my tastes: 5

Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense


Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense Live Album Selection
By Darren Scott, June 2018
This month we decided to resurrect our round of live albums that proved to be a very popular–at least with our group anyway–genre of albums. Besides, what is better than live music to show just how great a band is?
Though I had originally intended to pick a more obscure album, I have always loved the Talking Heads and David Byrne. After chatting with a few good friends about the recent David Byrne concert in Calgary I completely knew I had to pick this legendary band.
I had never listened to this soundtrack, nor have a seen the Stop Making Sense movie so I was excited to make this pick.
Listen to my selection audio, watch the video clips or the movie if you can find a copy, read up on this classic live movie and then join us at the beginning of July to hear our thoughts, what we learned, and if this movie/soundtrack are still worth having in your collection.
Enjoy Stop Making Sense by The Talking Heads.
Stop Making Sense on Wikipedia
Stop Making Sense on Spotify
Stop Making Sense Trailer

First 30 Minutes of Stop Making Sense