Shelly Rastin

London music scene packing range of emotion at five weekend events

In a London weekend flowing with memories, where profound and sorrowful recollections share time and space with joyful and cheerfully determined thoughts, music is the great unifier.

At the happiest end of that spectrum is an award-winning London-area “rawkin’ country” singer who is at the Purple Hill Country Music Hall on Saturday.

That would be Shelly Rastin who meets new friends in Thorndale-area venue’s terrific house band and rediscovers classic country songs.

“They’re taking me out of my comfort zone,” Rastin said of the band — which has such stars as Lambeth fiddler John P. Allen and K-W area multi-instrumentalist Al Widemeyer who played with the Dixie Flyers and Stompin’ Tom Connors — and Saturday’s songs.

“I know them, I just haven’t sung them,” said Rastin of such classic country hits as Dolly Parton’s Jolene and Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man.

With her own band, Rastin is likely to play contemporary country hits and her own material, which sounds right for someone who has written songs with ex-Guess Who guitarist and singer Randy Bachman.

There are many other events this weekend sharing memories.

A selected guide shows those gatherings ranging from the scholarly and serious — a talk on R&B singers ill-treated by industry weasels who made off with their royalties — to Remembrance Day music to musicians raising their voices against cancer to a band marking a decade of sharing its Christian faith and love of bluegrass.

That’s just five of them.

As always with London music, the best advice is to get out there and make your own memories.

james.reaney@sunmedia.ca

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1. SHELLY AT THE HALL

What: Shelly Rastin and the Purple Hill band play classic country for listening and dancing.

When/where: Today, 8:30 p.m., Purple Hill Country Music Hall, 20903 Purple Hill Rd. ,Thorndale

Love this: Rastin and her band define their genre as “rawkin’ country” — using the rock spelling approved by ’63 Monroe’s Scott Bentley and this columnist.

Details: $15. Visit Facebook.com/ShellyRastin or call 519-461-0538.

In Reaney’s opinion: This remarkable venue would be an excellent choice when London hosts the 2016 Canadian Country Music Association awards. - The London Free Press - James Reaney

Tasty sounds are always part of London Ribfest — and Shelly Rastin is back to help with the country cooking.

“I’m a staple — I’m his country girl,” the London-area singer said this week of Ribfest at Victoria Park and her place in the heart of the man who helms the fest, Family Shows Canada president Doug Hillier.

“I’ve done every one of them — except last year,” Rastin said in looking over her role as a regular.

Her absence in 2015’s edition was due to a shift in programming. Hillier, of London, noticed Rastin and band were not there and a programming shuffle followed, bringing her back.

No ribbing — Rastin said she feels as if she is part of the Family Shows Canada family. After playing the London-based fest promoter’s Chatham show, she has assorted front-and-centre duties at Victoria Park.

The 2016 edition opens Thursday when Rastin will be on anthem singing duties with the fest’s STIHL Timbersports Canadian championship. Rastin also sings O Canada on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

She is in country-rockin’ mode later on Sunday when her band plays Ribfest. After so many years, Rastin and bandmates have a taste for the fest’s signature dish.

“We’re the independent judging panel,” bandmate Darcy Corbett joked as he joined Rastin for an impromptu pre-fest tune as a duo at the park.

Corbett has been in the Shelly Rastin band for 16 years as bassist and band leader.

When they work in an acoustic, duo or trio style, Corbett plays guitar and mandolin.

The band includes guitarist Terry Smith and drummer Greg Weir.

About four years ago, with a longtime time day job outside music, Rastin began to take the foot off the pedal when it came to performing and recording. There is always time for Ribfest and other favourite gigs, like the cruise off Sarnia next month. But the band is not out there every weekend as it used to be.

Thanks to her Randy Bachman-tied anthem High Class Trailer Trash, Rastin can play park-styled gigs forever. “We’re in such demand at all the trailer parks,” Rastin said cheerfully.

This weekend, the band is at Durham on Friday and Bayfield on Saturday before playing London.

In September, look for her during the action around Country Music Week which she predicts will turn London into “a mini-Nashville” for its duration.

Other notable music attractions over Ribfest’s five-day run include former Londoners Doghouse Rose, KISS tribute act Destroyer, country-flavoured London singer and tunesmith Jim Ashby and Kitchener bluesman Douglas Watson who was based in London during the 1990s.

JReaney@postmedia.com

Twitter @JamesatLFPress - The London Free Press - James Reaney

George Canyon’s latest album, I Got This, was two years in the making.

Canyon’s fans have found the wait worthwhile.

“Thanks so much to the fans!! #IGotThis is the #1 Canadian Country album for the 4th week in a row!!” Canyon tweeted on Monday.

Not that the Canadian country superstar had the liberty — or luxury — to hole up in a studio for 24 months to craft his 11th full-length release.

“I have to work,” Canyon says with a laugh. “No, we did everything.”

Everything, of course, included touring — many artists’ bread and butter these days — as well as logging long hours at his home studio, contained in the Canyon family ranch near High River, Alta.

“We didn’t hide out in a cave for two years. I’d love to try that. I don’t think it would work too well.”

The rigours of the road are especially apparent on this day, as Canyon fields media calls from his tour bus.

“It’s a bit crazy out here,” he laughs.

Touring to support the album, Canyon plays the London Music Hall on Wednesday.

Wednesday's bill added local content with the news award-winning London country rocker Shelly Rastin was the opener.

"Today's a great day! I get to open for Georg Canyon at the London Music Hall (later on Wednesday). Really looking forward to working with him again and celebrating his new album 'I Got This' at No. 1 across Canada four weeks straight. Cheers to George and all his hard work. Have an awesome hump day," Rastin told fans on Facebook.

The Nova Scotia native was recently inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame. Canyon has had a busy quarter-century career, but not all of it has been graced with Juno, Canadian Country Music Association and East Coast Music Awards recognition. Glory came after participating in, and nearly winning, the U.S. TV competition, Nashville Star, in 2004; all the while coaxed by an understanding spouse who juggled jobs to keep the Canyons’ heads above water. Several gold-certified albums, including the debut, Classics, and the Richard Marx-produced Better Be Home Soon, followed.

The father of two high-school-aged children knows the trials and tribulations of trying to raise a family while trying to make it in music. He abandoned his musical aspirations at one point to work as a bylaw officer to make ends meet.

Now, he is established as someone who hears from up-and-comers in the business. Some a­rrive with songs of their own to share.

For Canyon to love a song — and maybe use it — the tune must be rich in narrative.

“Country, to me, will always be the people’s music, family, stories,” Canyon said. “It’s a singer-­songwriter music. That’s my choice. That’s the music I like to listen to.”

Not everyone sings from the same hymnbook, a fact Canyon understands and appreciates.

“You can find another country fan and, to them, it’s about, ‘Ain’t goin’ down ’til the sun comes up,’ ” he laughs. “That’s what their country’s all about: barn burners, no ballads. That’s what I always say, and say to my kids: Music is in the ear of the beholder. And it always will be, because music touches each of us in a different way. That’s just how we’re made.”

For Canyon, such classics as George Jones’s He Stopped Loving Her Today and Willie Nelson’s Seven Spanish Angels remain heavenly.

“Oh my gosh. I’ve sang those songs a million times and, still, when I sing them today, there’s something so haunting about them,” he said. “They’re stories. I love it.”

Canyon has not hidden his movie-star looks behind the microphone. He’s appeared in the Trailer Park Boys, as well the CBC-TV series Heartland, and scored a role in the 2012 film, Dawn Rider.

To think Canyon, 45, yearned early on to earn a living sporting a stethoscope, not a six-string.

He laughs when it’s suggested he likely burned as much, if not more, midnight oil coming up than any Dalhousie medical student.

“I’ve paid some serious dues,” he agrees. “And maybe some later nights. But there’s so much work (in medical school). I just don’t know if I have that work ethic.”

The answer to that will likely never be known. But Canyon is fully aware how work prospects in Alberta have been hit by flagging oil prices.

Trouble in Western oil patches has had ripple effects across Canada. Canyon said he hasn’t heard horror stories from down home in Nova Scotia, yet.

“My buddies, they’re just going along with the flow.”

But the sad situation has hit close to Canyon’s current home.

“In Alberta, it’s hard. I’ve had buddies who’ve lost their jobs and it’s like, ‘What do I do now? Where do I go? How do I feed my family?’ ”

Canyon appears appreciative when it’s suggested perhaps his music will serve to soothe those in less fortunate circumstances.

“I hope so. That’s what music is supposed to do, heal people.”

— With files from James Reaney, The London Free Press

If you go

What: London concert by Canadian country star George Canyon.

When: Wednesday, doors at 7 p.m.

Where: London Music Hall, 185 Queens Ave.

Details: $35, price plus applicable charges. Visit londonmusichall.com or call 519-432-1107. - The London Free Press - James Reaney

Randy Bachman is over the Moon about finding a two-fisted drummer from London — and taking care of business with his Orchestra London debut next weekend.

“Here we are in the home stretch,” Bachman said Friday of the first time his Symphonic Overdrive project hits the stage.

“I would suggest if somebody’s coming (Oct. 17), come back (Oct. 18). I’m coming back for two days. I’m hoping one of the two is good,” he said, laughing at the boldness of the adventure.

“It’s going to be amazing anyway. It’s going to be an amazing spectacle.”

A new project, Bachman’s Symphonic Overdrive has hits from The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive such as Let it Ride, These Eyes, American Woman (Bossa Nova), You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, Taking Care of Business and more.

There will also be visits to tunes Bachman loves from The Beatles and guitar star Roy Buchanan when he plays Centennial Hall next weekend.

Toronto-based Bachman is meeting the project’s Canadian arranger and music director Charles T. Cozens early next week for rehearsals. Bachman, his band, and Cozens, as “co-pilot so to speak,” then arrive in London for a day of rehearsing and two concerts.

Truly, you ain’t heard nothing yet.

That’s the quick intro to Symphonic Overdrive.

Just as exciting is another new Bachman project which has London-raised Dale Anne Brendon on drums.

Bachman had worked with the “phenomenal” Brendon in London-area singer Shelly Rastin’s band and met her again when she was in the off-stage band for Tommy at the Stratford Festival.

Bachman instantly pitched the idea of forming a duo with the Oakridge secondary school and Western Don Wright music faculty grad. It could be called “the Canadian Stripes or something,” playing off The White Stripes.

Bachman’s manager nixed the duo idea. But Bachman powered on, looking for another woman to play in the new band.

During the 2014 Junos, in his hometown of Winnipeg, he heard Ladies Of The Canyon.

Their bass player Anna Ruddick turned out to be a McGill music grad. She also knows The Who comes first in certain projects.

“We’re going to do a British power trio,” Bachman told her. Introductions to Brendon and Bachman’s manger were in order.

“She shows up in a John Entwistle T-shirt,” Bachman said. Bachman asked if Ruddick liked Entwistle, the late bass player for The Who.

Like Entwistle? “I love him. He’s my favourite bassman,” Ruddick said.

The ex-Guess Who man realized he had his own take on The Who’s iconic players.

‘Oh my God,” Bachman said. “I’ve got Keith Moon (Brendon) on drums and John Entwistle (Ruddick) on bass and Kevin Shirley producing. All I’ve gotta do is write 12 great blues songs.”

The songs and riffs have arrived. So have guests including guitar heroes such as Joe Bonamassa, Peter Frampton, Neil Young and Luke Doucet.

Jeff Healey’s widow is allowing Bachman to use music he made with the late Canadian blues rocker on the album.

It’s due in the spring of 2015. Touring at blues festivals will follow.

“They’re going nuts over my new rhythm section,” Bachman said of Randyverse response to Brendon and Ruddick.

They still need a name. Maybe it will be something combining the names of the two Who icons whose playing they revere.

Something like Moontwistle.

Truly, we ain’t heard nothing yet.

james.reaney@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/JamesatLFPress - The London Free Press - James Reaney

Country Weekend Lineup

July 17: Tim McGraw with Jason Blaine, Shelly Rastin, and Kira-Jade. Doors open 5:30 p.m.

July 18: Brad Paisley with Doc Walker and Deric Ruttan. Doors open 5:30 p.m. - KATHY RUMLESKI - The London Free Press

Hard to Say No

Shelley Rastin

Producers: Jason Barry, Shelly Rastin, Darcy Corbett

Website: www.shellyrastin.com

Shelly Rastin's upbeat personality and strong voice are all over this album. So are the fingerprints of producer and multi-instrumentalist and hit-maker Jason Barry. I am still sure this is Shelly's album. Hard to Say No has a strong, contemporary country sound and may BX93s across the universe take notice. Looking ahead, Rastin-Darcy Corbett writing team came up with the best songs here -- except for High Class Trailer Trash, which is funny, funky and my favourite. It's written by Rastin, Corbett and Barry and some guy called Randy Bachman, who also has a guitar credit on the album. Tal Bachman has a drum credit and Lorelei Bachman wrote a song. Only good, strong people like Shelly Rastin attract names like that to their projects. - The London Free Press

Two of the hottest country acts around bring their superb vocals and genre-busting appeal to Sarnia's Bayfest, which kicks off its second weekend tomorrow night.

Tim McGraw (above), the three-time Grammy Award winner, hits the stage tomorrow night after opening performances by Jason Blaine, Londoner Shelly Rastin and Kira-Jade.

Brad Paisley, whose album American Saturday Night is currently No. 1 on Billboard's country albums chart, headlines Saturday night. Doc Walker and Deric Ruttan will open.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. both days.

Tickets range from $36.99 to $99.99 and can be purchased online at www.sarniabayfest.com; by phone at 1-866-450-4474; in Sarnia at Stoke's Bay, Stoke's Inland, The Coffee Lodge, Sam the Record Man, Currency Exchange at the Blue Water Bridge; in London, Libro Financial Group locations.

A Bayfest photo gallery is at lfpress.com/festivals - The London Free Press

Southwestern Ontario's country music community is coming together to help an old friend and well-known Canadian artist's battle with cancer.

Award-winning country singer-songwriter Sean Hogan, born and raised in Sarnia, a graduate of Fanshawe College's music industry arts program and now living in the Vancouver Island community of Campbell River, is suffering from tonsil cancer and undergoing a combination of radiation and chemotherapy.

A benefit concert is being held Saturday at the London Music Club on Colborne St. to raise money to help support Hogan and his family.

Ironically, Hogan is the organizer of the annual Canadian Country Christmas tour that goes coast to coast helping communities raise money for food banks, hospital foundations and "other essentials for those in need." He has raised $100,000 to date.

Now, the man once described as the "hardest working man in Canadian country music" is in need of help himself.

So when the call went out, a slew of well-known country artists signed on for the fund-raiser, including London's Shelly Rastin, Jay Allan, Tonya Kennedy, Mati Haskell, JK Gulley, Diane Chase, Libby McGrath, Jason Blaine and Jamie Warren of Kitchener.

"He can't work," said Warren, a long-time friend and admirer of Hogan's, who hinted other familiar names are likely to appear in the lineup before the big night.

"As musicians, we can't go on disability or employment insurance, so we're just trying to put some money in his pocket to get him through these difficult few months."

Hogan's sister, Loretta Hogan-Andrew, said her brother had a sore throat last spring that persisted for several months which a doctor treated with antibiotics before Hogan insisted on seeing an ear, nose and throat specialist who diagnosed the cancer in early summer.

"His spirit is very good," said Hogan-Andrew. "Typical of most musicians, he lives hand-to-mouth and just finished financing his latest album. And every fall, instead of doing concerts and shows and corporate work, he goes across the country to raise money to help others."

In 2003, Hogan won the Roots Artist of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards and the Independent Male Artist of the Year award in 1997. His charity work earned him the 2005 Saskatchewan Country Music Association's Humanitarian of the Year.

Hogan, a married father of three young children, is also a supporter of World Vision and has adopted two children in Africa.

The news came just as Hogan was planning the release of his sixth album, Phoenix, and the single, Travel Plans, which can be heard on Hogan's website, www.seanhogan.net.

Warren describes Hogan's music as "roots" country, coming from his heart.

"He's probably one of the most determined people I've every met," said Warren.

"He doesn't always listen. He follows his heart and his gut. He's very authentic. I'm a big fan of his music. He's a great songwriter and he's got a very unique voice."

E-mail joe.belanger@sunmedia.ca, read Joe's column or follow JoeBatLFPress on Twitter.

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IF YOU GO

Who: Performing artists include Shelly Rastin, Jay Allan, Tonya Kennedy, Mati Haskell, JK Gulley, Diane Chase, Libby McGrath, Jason Blaine, Jamie Warren and others.

What: Benefit concert for country singer-songwriter Sean Hogan.

Where: London Music Club, 470 Colborne St., London (just north of Queens Ave.)

When: Saturday, Nov. 5 7:30 p.m.

Admission: $20. Tickets are available at the London Music Club or by contacting Loretta Hogan-Andrew at 519-871-0205 or by email at lkhoganandrew@yahoo.ca

Donations: Donations can be made to the Sean Hogan trust at any TD Bank branch. - The London Free Press - Joe Belanger

There’s nothing like those end-of-summer-blues and the 2012 Fall Fest at London’s Victoria Park might just be the cure.

The four-day celebration to wrap up the summer and welcome the harvest months gets underway Friday and continues until Monday with lots of music, fun for the kids and culinary delights.

Last year, an estimated 50,000 people attended over the four days.

“It marks the end of the summer season and a reason for one more party,” said organizer Doug Hillier of Family Shows Canada.

“And it’s going to be fun with organic beer (Mill Street Brewery), good food and some mellow music. We’ve got 75 exhibits, a little bit of everything.”

The concept of Fall Fest, explained Hillier, is to bring a little of the “country to the city.”

“There’s a lot of fairs and festivals across the region in small towns and want to capture that hometown feel, kind of like bringing the country to the city,” said Hillier.

That country feeling includes scarecrow making, pumpkin carving, steer roping and lots of hay, including a 600-bale maze.

“It’s about having the straw, the pumpkins and scarecrows around to get the kids talking and asking questions about our rural roots,” said Hillier.

The food should be fun, he said, noting there is the typical festival fare — elephant ears, french fries and hamburgers — along with lots of cultural cuisine from Asia, Europe and Central and South America.

There will be non-mechanical rides this year with several air-filled play areas which cost $15 for the day.

There will also be arts and crafts booth, various community organizations and even a discount book stall with 20 tables of used books.

“That’s about recycling and any little thing we do that helps the environment, we’re proud to do it,” said Hillier.

joe.belanger@sunmedia

JoeBatLFPress on Twitter - Joe Belanger - The London Free Press

Y’all listen up now: I do declare 2016 The Year of Country Music in London.

That’s because we’ve gone country . . . w-a-a-y country.

Let me tell ya ‘bout it.

London is the host city for the 40th annual Country Music Week of the Canadian Country Music Association and its awards show at Budweiser Gardens Sept. 8-11;
The annual four-day Rock the Park festival at Harris Park offers another two days of Gone Country July 13-14 after roping in more than 10,000 fans each day last summer for Lee Brice and superstar Keith Urban. It expects the same this year with Brad Paisley and Jake Owen.
Western Fair District is saddling up this year with a two-day Trackside Music Festival featuring headliners Chris Young July 1 and Florida Georgia Line on July 2.
If that ain’t enough to buck your bronco, how about the lineup at Budweiser Gardens: Brantley Gilbert (Feb. 13), Johnny Reid (March 20), Jason Aldean (May 14) and — now don’t go gittin’ yer britches in a knot — multiple Grammy-winning country superstar Carrie Underwood, who’ll be bringing her wagons to town May 30.

“I think it’s well-deserved,” said Tourism London director John Winston of this declaration for 2016.

“This area has been a hotbed of country music for several years now. A lot of country music’s biggest stars come to Budweiser Gardens and it’s being recognized in Nashville for its fans.”

The stampede to country music in London has spread to the nightclub scene, first with the arrival of Cowboys Ranch on Wharncliffe Road a decade ago, followed last October by the country-themed eatery Bull & Barrel Urban Saloon on Talbot Street, which offers distinctly southern fare such as barbecue (beef brisket, pulled pork, chicken and ribs), burgers, tacos, baked beans and chilli with a country music DJ Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and open mic country on Tuesdays. Like Cowboys Ranch, Bull & Barrell has a mechanical bull.

“It’s an exciting year,” said owner Andrew Corbett, a country music fan who also owns a Bull & Barrel in Windsor.

“Country music has changed drastically from being a sub-genre to a popular mainstream genre. It’s fans are young teens to retirees. It’s a very feel-good style of music that’s just exploded.

“It’s also about all the communities around London where people are living the country lifestyle.

“The songs are all about love, family, happiness and the good, important things in life. Country music brings people together.”

Other nightclubs are taking notice and rustling some fans.

Last year London Music Hall hosted about 12 country acts.

“We had as many country acts here (in 2015) as we did the previous six years,” said Demetri Manuel, general manager of the club owned by his father Mike, who is partnering with Western Fair District and Budweiser Gardens for the Trackside Music Festival.

“Country music fans are a very young demographic and country music sells. These are the people going out and spending money at the bars.”

A country music fan since he was a young teen, Demetri Manuel, now 28, said country artists “are easy to like.”

“They are the most personable of all the artists we bring in,” he said. “And they relate very well to their fans.”

Thorndale’s Purple Hill Country Opry — where country (new and old), roots and bluegrass music are featured — is stepping up its schedule ahead of the CCMAs with a full slate of barn dances, dinner shows and concerts with stars such Marie Bottrell and country rocker Shelly Rastin.

There’s also the Outdoor Bluegrass Reunion Aug. 19-21.

At Aeolian Hall, Country Music Television is taping a concert featuring multiple CCMA and Juno winner Gord Bamford Jan. 27.

Not only is country music having an impact on the bar and food scene, but many fans wouldn’t be caught dead without their cowboy boots and hats.

There are a few stores in the region selling western wear — those fancy shirts, dresses, jeans, hats and boots — such as Caralot Country Clothier in Parkhill, Sprucewood Tack Shop in Arva, TSC stores, and Wilson’s Tack Shop on Dundas Street East.

Gary Coakley is co-owner of Coakleys on York Street, where you can get your shoes repaired, keys cut, watch batteries replaced, custom leather work done and drop off your dry cleaning.

Coakleys is not a big fan of country music, but two years ago he crossed trails with a Boulet boots representative while sourcing leather belts to sell.

He’s glad he did. In fact, over the next few months Coakley will be renovating his shop to expand his displays of cowboy boots, hats and belts.

“It’s going to be a big year for us,” said Coakley, who immigrated here in 2009 to marry a Lucan woman Krisandra and set up a shoe repair business like he operated in England.

Two weeks before Christmas, Coakley sold 15 pairs of cowboy boots, which start at about $235 and climb depending on design. He offers the Boulet line and its affiliate, Rugged Country.

“I don’t know what it is, but the country scene here has just blown up.”

Well, London, I don’t know about you, but I intend to saddle up and ride this pony for a long, long time.

Yee haw!

joe.belanger@sunmedia.ca - Joe Belanger - The London Free Press

In a London weekend flowing with memories, where profound and sorrowful recollections share time and space with joyful and cheerfully determined thoughts, music is the great unifier.

At the happiest end of that spectrum is an award-winning London-area “rawkin’ country” singer who is at the Purple Hill Country Music Hall on Saturday.

That would be Shelly Rastin who meets new friends in Thorndale-area venue’s terrific house band and rediscovers classic country songs.

“They’re taking me out of my comfort zone,” Rastin said of the band — which has such stars as Lambeth fiddler John P. Allen and K-W area multi-instrumentalist Al Widemeyer who played with the Dixie Flyers and Stompin’ Tom Connors — and Saturday’s songs.

“I know them, I just haven’t sung them,” said Rastin of such classic country hits as Dolly Parton’s Jolene and Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man.

With her own band, Rastin is likely to play contemporary country hits and her own material, which sounds right for someone who has written songs with ex-Guess Who guitarist and singer Randy Bachman.

There are many other events this weekend sharing memories.

A selected guide shows those gatherings ranging from the scholarly and serious — a talk on R&B singers ill-treated by industry weasels who made off with their royalties — to Remembrance Day music to musicians raising their voices against cancer to a band marking a decade of sharing its Christian faith and love of bluegrass.

That’s just five of them.

As always with London music, the best advice is to get out there and make your own memories.

james.reaney@sunmedia.ca

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1. SHELLY AT THE HALL

What: Shelly Rastin and the Purple Hill band play classic country for listening and dancing.

When/where: Today, 8:30 p.m., Purple Hill Country Music Hall, 20903 Purple Hill Rd. ,Thorndale

Love this: Rastin and her band define their genre as “rawkin’ country” — using the rock spelling approved by ’63 Monroe’s Scott Bentley and this columnist.

Details: $15. Visit Facebook.com/ShellyRastin or call 519-461-0538.

In Reaney’s opinion: This remarkable venue would be an excellent choice when London hosts the 2016 Canadian Country Music Association awards. - James Reaney, The London Free Press

Award-winning London-region country singer Shelly Rastin shares a personal and powerful song in this week's video hit.

He's Gone is about Rastin's older sister, Cheryl, having to grow up with an alcoholic and drug-addicted father. He died when Shelly Rastin was eight, and her sister was 13.

Heard in an unplugged style, the just-released single was written by Rastin, who supplied the words, London-region country singer Stacey Zegers who brought the music and country artist Steve Fox, who helped shape Rastin's lyrics.

"We both share many great family memories as my Dad loved his family very much and showed us that in many ways. But unfortunately the luring high that alcohol and drugs can create led him to making some poor choices in life, which were not in the best interest for his family or himself; and eventually led to his death at an early age," Rastin says.

"He's Gone is a difficult song for me to sing and even more difficult for my sister to listen to, especially live. There isn't a time when she hasn't cried when I have dedicated this song to her in the audience," Rastin says. "Interestingly enough though, I noticed that she listens to all of my songs off my Hard to Say No album on a regular basis, but this song doesn't come out of the CD case much. I wonder if that's because the truth of her past and reality of some of the choices she's made because of it is difficult for her to face? I'm not sure, but I do know that she thanked me for it when I wrote it and said that it has helped her."

The version of He's Gone out as a single is also available on the JRMA 2009 compilation album.

Will Haas produced, engineered and mixed the song for the Jack Richardson Music Awards winners' compilation CD at his Willyboy Recordings studio in London. The song was recorded at Willyboy on June 22-23, 2009.

Strathroy's Rastin and two Thamesford band members - Darcy Corbett on guitar and Greg Weir on the string cajon, a Latin percussion instrument - are seen and heard in Tuesday's video shoot. They are joined by guest guitarist Jon Zaslow, who has been playing some Rastin Band dates.

Woodstock's Fred Lewis, on guitar and lap steel, and St. Thomas guitarist Dennis Ryckman are the other Shelly Rastin Band members. Corbett plays bass and mandolin with the band at gigs.

Among Rastin's friends and co-writers is Canadian rock icon Randy Bachman. Rastin has been featured on his CBC Radio show Vinyl Tap.

Rastin's recent singles Born in a Barn, Hard to Say No, Be True To You, Country Mile and Confused have figured in the Canadian Country female artist radio chart's Top 20.

As He's Gone bids to join them, Rastin prepares for a solo-style tour alongside her friend and co-writer. Rastin and Zegers begin their tour Sunday at noon in Ottawa, just hours after Rastin steps off the stage at Dorchester.

IF YOU GO

What: Saturday shows for Shelly Rastin Band.

Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church, 3 p.m.: 264 Main St., Exeter (South Huron). Free as part of three-day community Thanksgiving celebration which opens Friday at 5 p.m. Sixth annual celebration's proceeds benefit Royal Canadian Legion branch 167 in Exeter. Most events, are free. Visit www.trivittmemorial.com or call 519-235-2565.

Dorchester Community Centre auditorium 8 p.m (music about 9 p.m.): 2066 Dorchester Rd., Dorchester (Thames Centre). $15 individual, $25 couple. Dance's proceeds benefit Thames Centre recreation expansion fund and LHSC endowment fund in celebration of the life of Kim Wolny. Call 519-269-3539.

Details: Visit www.myspace.com/shellyrastin

E-mail james.reaney@sunmedia.ca, read James's blog or follow Jamesatlfpress on Twitter. - James Reaney - London Free Press

Randy Bachman co-wrote the song and now cameos on Shelly Rastin’s new video for High Class Trailer Trash, culled from the feisty blonde’s long-running debut album Hard To Say No. Strathroy, Ont.’s Country music Queen has racked up a successive string of Top-40 hits from her ’09 LP, including Born In A Barn, Be True To You, Country Mile, and Taken. - The Voice of Canada's Music Media Industries [David Farrell] Sept 6, 2011

The award-winning country artist shares 10 things she can’t live without.

I. My favourite hangout
Our family cottage on the beautiful
shores of Ipperwash. My family often
gets together there and we have a ton
of fun and, of course, eat and drink way
too much. When night falls, we love to sit
around a fire on the beach with guitars,
laugh and build more memories.
II. My favourite piece of clothing
My cowboy boots. Not only are they
comfortable, they go with almost
anything I’m wearing—a fun flirty
sundress, jeans or even a pair of
daisy dukes if I’m feeling daring.
III. What I’ll never give up
Making music. It is so rewarding when someone
tells me that a particular song has made
a difference in their life. The most memorable
was when a girl in her late teens hugged me at
a show and told me that I was the only reason
she was still here today. Apparently life was really
difficult for her, so much so that she tried to end her
life. By coincidence my song Be True to You came on
her computer and the lyrics made her stop—she sat in
the corner of her room and cried, but with hope and
inspiration that she could make things better for herself.
Stories like this make me want to continue to make music
that matters to not only me but others as well.

IV. My favourite workout
BodyPump class. I work at London Life head office and
we are very fortunate to have a great gym in the bottom
of our building. My favourite instructor, Myria, is crazy
fun and pushes me to my limit. Love her!
V. My favourite travel destination
Negril, Jamaica, hands down. I’ve been
to a few islands over the years, but
Jamaica was the best by far.
VI. What I use every day
My BlackBerry. Can’t do anything
without that thing. It keeps me informed,
organized and somewhat
on time—darn snooze button!
VII. My fast-food fix
The Quizno’s prime rib sub accompanied
by sautéed mushrooms,
onions and whatever that awesome
sauce is. Yummy.
VIII. My favourite restaurant
Pretty much anything on or around King
Street. La Casa, Trü, Waldo’s—all incredible.
Then of course there’s Moxie’s. A good place
for me to go and cry in my beer as I reflect on the
days when I was young and looked like that.
IX. My favourite bar
Norma Jean’s or Cowboys. Great places to go
for fun and kicking bands. Norma’s offers a great
selection of local original bands, which is always
a nice treat versus cover bands.
X. My favourite road trip
The road trip to my show in Delhi with the
Cowboys last summer. Great company, many
laughs and crazy memories created a day
that I wish I could tell about, but they’d have
to kill me if I did.
- London City Life Magazine

Issue 2: Top 10 Movers and Shakers in Canadian Music to watch for!
Written by Jaimie Vernon
Sunday, 16 August 2009 22:42

The New Women Of Canadiana
Canada has had a long history of genre and gender defying female singers and singer-songwriters who've elevated their craft to global success. From the First Ladies of Canadian song Anne Murray and Ginette Reno to the folk legendry of Joni Mitchell, Sylvia Tyson and Edith Butler to the power rocking Lee Aaron, Darby Mills, Alannah Myles and Sass Jordan to the angst-in-your-pants Grrrrl Power of Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne and Bif Naked to the soulful R & B stylings of Shawne Jackson, Jackie Richardson, Jully Black and Deborah Cox. Every pop permutation has been explored and celebrated to international success.

So, who are the current women on the horizon to push the boundaries and borders of music in Canada and beyond its shores? Take a look...


Shelly Rastin
If Nashville North were to ever truly exist, Shelly Rastin would lead the charge. Veteran Canadian pop music icon Bob Segarini recently said this of Rastin, "Every time I have seen Shelly play live I am impressed with her presence. She is fearless on stage...has a killer smile, a great voice, (is) a fine songwriter, and owns any stage I’ve ever seen her on."



Shelly Rastin Band claimed the titled of 2009 COUNTRY ARTIST OF THE YEAR at the Jack Richardson Music Awards in London, Ontario. Her new CD, which contains the radio hit "Born In A Barn", is called "Hard To Say No".
- GWNtertainment Magazine - Jamie Vernon

The entertainment field is one with few guarantees, and they say you
have to keep your heart set on solid goals with little distraction in order to make your mark. Shelly Rastin, singer, songwriter, and mother of two is one fine balancing act. There is a quality about this woman that makes people want to root for her, and her uniqueness draws new fans to her side everywhere she goes. Her country tunes come from the heart, and it clearly shows.

The seed started germinating when she kept winning karaoke contests years ago, and was encouraged by strangers to take her singing talents more seriously. Shelly initiated a songwriting and recording relationship with the legendary Randy Bachman (founding member of The Guess Who & Bachman Turner Overdrive) in 2001, and the two have been working closely ever since. Ironically, it was a song written by Bachman’s daughter Lorelei, entitled “One Way Ticket,” that put Shelly’s career into full swing.

This stunning entertainer has more chutzpah than some of the top
legends. Polite, funny and unbelievably talented, she is stirring up the industry on both sides of the border, and has no intention of slowing down. Having
recorded with superstars Mel Shaw in Nashville and rock production icon Dale Penner (who fit Rastin in between working with legends Nickelback and Matthew Good), Rastin has established a firm hold as a studio musician and entertainer.

She’s recently opened for Keith Urban, Emerson Drive, Blake Sheldon as well as Adam Gregory,
Uncle Cracker, Julian Austin, David Wilcox and the Northern Pikes in a myriad f summer concerts across at country. The Hollywood tabloid Star magazine quoted Rastin in regard to a ruffling of feathers caused by Urban’s wife, actress Nicole Kidman. As the story goes, Shelly could not change in her own trailer due to Kidman’s “lock down” around the perimeter of Urban’s trailer.

Rumor has it Nicole was worried someone would take her picture. That inconvenience didn’t phase Shelly, who jumped into the back of a van to change for the next act - true professionalism, Canadian style.

Shelly is currently writing some songs in Nashville to complete her
new album, Born in a Barn. This new CD showcases Rastin’s strong vocals and has a number of cross over pop/rock pieces, as well as a return to her country foundation. Jason Barry, a multi CCMA award-winning producer, songwriter and guitar player, is producing the new CD. He has worked with Jason Blaine, Aaron Lines, Diane Chase, and Charlie Major to name a few.
Gaining momentum by collaborating with her bass player, Darcy Corbett, and her songwriting relationship with Bachman, this songstress is well on her way. - Equistarine Magazine - Kyla Carter

Nicole Kidman is traveling with new hubby Keith Urban on his new North American concert tour, but she is going to great lengths to stay out of the public eye and out of the camera lenses.

One could speculate that Kidman doesn't want to steal Urban's limelight, but indications at his July 13 show in Sarnia, Ontario - his first concert since the June 25 wedding -were that she wants her privacy and will go to great lengths to keep it.

Kidman was so demanding of her personal space that Shelley Rastin, the singer who opened the show for Urban at the 20,000 strong Bayfest outdoor concert in this city that borders the U.S. at Port Huron, Mich.,said she couldn't even get to her trailer to change her clothes before she went on stage. It was too close to the newlyweds black Prevost tour bus. "She won't let us go anywhere near there," complained Shelly. "I had to change in my van."

Hoping for her big break, Rastin desperately wanted to meet Urban and give him a copy of her CD. "I didn't want her to be here because I knew I wouldn't get to talk to Keith." Urban and Kidman arrived in a private jet at 1:20 p.m., eight hours before he was scheduled to play. Their entourage crossed the border in Urbans tourbus earlier that day. Traveling with them was Kidman's personal trainer. Local caterer Tim Robertson sent boiled eggs without the yolk to her and he said "she enjoyed them." Robertson caught a glimpse of Kidman as he wandered backstage. "She's beautiful," he said.

Concert organizer Michele Stokley also saw Kidman very briefly sitting outside the bus where picnic table umbrellas had been set up in a public no-access area to block any view of Kidman. "She looks like a porcelain doll. She's stunning," Stokley said. But Stokley, who didn't even say hello to Kidman when she saw the actress, described the big headache she went through trying to keep Kidman and Urban off limits to everyone. - Star Magazine

Queens of the Industries - The Women of Media, Talk, Rock, and Records

SHELLY RASTIN - HIGH CLASS TRAILER TRASH

Every time I have seen Shelly play live I am impressed with her presence. She is fearless on stage, embodies the easy manner of a confident professional, and oozes a natural sexiness regardless of if she’s in a dress or a pair of jeans and a cowboy hat. A killer smile, a great voice, a fine songwriter, and owns any stage I’ve ever seen her on. On top of that, I’m pretty sure she could match you drink for drink and plays a mean game of Texas Hold ‘Em. Whoa…

SHELLY RASTIN - BORN IN A BARN

Shelly pumps out another crowd favourite and paints the picture of a woman we all wish we knew. Have I mentioned how good this band is? No? Well…her band is really good. Another point in the argument that Canada is truly Nashville North.

- Bob Segarini

All the way from the badlands of London, Ontario, Shelly Rastin brought her form suburban soccer-mom alt-country to the Cameron House on Saturday, putting on a solid set despite some persistent technical difficulties. Strong vocals and a confident stage presence worked in Rastin’s favour, as did her recent collaboration with BTO’s Randy Bachman, giving her music a professional, polished edge. Rastin and her band delivered some solid new-country tunes à la Patti Loveless complete with some great blues guitar. - James Sandham

It's not often you can say you knew someone before she hit the big time. I can, and I shared a cubicle wall with her.

Shelly Rastin didn't teach me to sing during my tenure at London Life. But she did teach me a thing or two about looking beyond the limits of drab brown fabric walls and following your dreams.

The London singer has just released the single, One Way Ticket, and is following it up this week with a trip to Toronto, where she'll work on the rest of her new album with musical legend Randy Bachman (The Guess Who, Bachman Turner Overdrive.)

So how does a technology training consultant for an insurance company's information services division end up working side-by-side with Canadian rock royalty? Simple: her then-manager answered a 2002 newspaper ad in which Bachman offered his songs for other artists. Bachman was so impressed with Rastin's press kit that he stopped in London on his way to his induction to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in Toronto.

He stayed a week. They hammered out 10 songs, and have been working together ever since. Bachman's daughter, Lorelei, wrote the current single, and his company is promoting Rastin's music cross-country.

"At first I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm writing with Randy Bachman,' " Rastin recalls with a laugh. "But after I picked him up at the airport and we drove to London, it immediately became evident that he is just like you and I, so down to Earth and personable."

Even before she crossed Bachman's path, Rastin made waves when she headed to Nashville in 1999 to record a demo CD. Her fresh approach to country music led some to call her Canada's next Shania Twain. It led to sessions with the producer responsible for Nickelback, Holly McNarland and the Matthew Good Band. Just last month, Rastin was named pop singer/songwriter of the year at the 2005 Jack Richardson Music Awards.

That's a pretty good track record for any artist, let alone one who juggles a 9-to-5 career, and has a husband and two children at home.
"The kids at my 12-year-old's school think I'm a celebrity," she chuckles during a chat. "We'll do acoustic concerts for school picnics, and it's just like a Beatles concert with all the screaming."

Family has always been central to Rastin's drive to hit the big time. She credits her husband and sons for keeping everything together when songwriting sessions, band practices, guitar lessons and gigs keep her away from home. "If they weren't there to help with it all, there's no way I could continue to cover the angles and do them well," she says.

As blessed as she's been with talent and opportunity, Rastin would rather focus on the foundation of giving in London's music community.

"Some people don't want to share because they see you as competition," she said. "London's music scene is not about that. We help and take care of each other. It's not a dog eat dog world as much as people make it out to be."
Rastin puts her money where her mouth is: she has been mentoring teenaged country artist Jenn Marino for the past three years, ever since she and her mother approached her after a concert and asked for some direction. Since then, she's had Marino up on stage, and has helped her make appearances.

"You're in this to make a difference in other people's lives, as well as your own," Rastin says. "It needs to help them in some way to . . . get through what they're going through."

As Rastin continues to pursue her dream outside the bounds of her cubicle walls, it's easy to see that the difference she speaks of is already starting to happen.
- London Free Press - Carmey Levy

With all the flurry of July-into-August outdoor music fests fading into the endless summer 2005 haze, there are many memories that refuse to vanish.

In that flurry of fests, Texas superstars ZZ Top and Tracy Byrd made their London debuts -- at Rock the Park and the London Balloon Festival respectively.
Mali's Tinariwen, at Victoria Park's Sunfest, and the Big Easy's Dr. John, at a downtown parking lot's Bluesfest London, provided plenty of high-voltage genius and the deepest rhythms.

There were local heroes, too. Because of other coverage, only a little Home County Folk Festival came my way.

Bless them, London's Ace-Tones and guests twanged their way through a work by that noted folk fest figure, guitarist Duane Eddy.

The rock and roll instrumental star's hits date mostly from 1958 to 1963. Only the Ace-Tones know how to bring them to Victoria Park.

That makes them just as committed to their classic repertoire, from Eddy and other vintage rockers, as Home County icon Jackie Washington is to his ageless Tin Pan Alley tunes.

Harris Park's Rock the Park had now and forever London guitar god Bill Durst -- even if he lives in the St. Marys area -- bringing Thundermug's run to an end "for a long time."

Its London rock roots go back to 1969 and Durst was the only original member carrying on in recent years. So it can't be a bad time for him to stop and concentrate on the Bill Durst Band.

The word on Durst's treatment of the Jimi Hendrix song Little Wing is that he's right in saying his best rock is about to arrive.

Applause, too, for London rockers Bobnoxious, who just won't sully the opening slot by mentioning the headliners for cheap cheers. Also delightful was Bobnoxious frontman Bob Reid, negotiating with an amused Balloonfest president Barry McGonigle about obtaining a guitar to smash onstage at Harris Park.

Victoria Park's 2005 London Rib-Fest served up its moment in London music history, from singer Shelly Rastin, who could be heard thanking ex-Guess Who star Randy Bachman. By coincidence, Bachman had played all those Guess Who and BTO hits at the 2005 edition of Rock the Park on an earlier weekend.

Rastin and Bachman have been working together for more than four years. Now that collaboration has morphed into Rastin's recording of One Way Ticket, a song written by Bachman's daughter, Lorelei. One Way Ticket was co-produced by Randy Bachman and Kitchener-area guitarist Jason Barry. The song is being played on London country station BX93, something else Rastin sounded thrilled about at Rib-Fest.

A lot has changed since those days in 2001 when Bachman and Rastin could be found with rhyming dictionaries and laptops, writing songs in a London backyard.
Bachman is leaner. The Guess Who has had a reunion tour and parted company again. Rastin has won a bunch of awards and played a lot of gigs. Now Bachman's daughter is writing songs, too.

One thing Bachman said back in 2001 is still oh-so-true in the hot summer of 2005. Said the man who had a hand in American Woman, These Eyes, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet and so many other hits: "The song's never done until it's on the radio."
- JAMES REANEY, London Free Press

Canadian rock legend Randy Bachman is plugging into the career of Strathroy-area singer Shelly Rastin.

The Guess Who guitarist and founding member will arrive in London tomorrow and spend several days next week writing with Rastin.

The singer and her manager contacted Bachman after a newspaper reported he was looking for new artists to perform his backlog of about 250 songs and record on his B.C.-based Ranbach Music label.

"It looks like we're going to be joining the Bachman team and kick some booty," said Rastin.

If a deal with Bachman's label is signed, it will confirm Rastin's move to adult contemporary music in a more rock vein. Where Shania Twain has been her career model, it's more likely to be Sheryl Crow these days.

"We're going to spend four days solidly songwriting," says Rastin, a longtime Guess Who fan, who hopes there will be an opportunity to co-write with Bachman.

The guitarist then expects to return to British Columbia and record backing tracks. If all goes well, Rastin will fly out to B.C. to add the vocals.

Any such deal is still in the early stages. "Randy is going to be in London next week for a few days to do some co-writing with a local artist," a Ranbach Music publicist responded via e-mail yesterday. "We haven't publicized this yet, as Randy likes to meet the artists he works with before endorsing them."

Early last year, Rastin estimated she needed four "kick-ass hits" and a professional act to sway investors — but now she hopes Bachman's working visit will help bring the investment to her.

Bachman was in London in September when the Guess Who reunion tour rocked the Western Fair. Work on a new Guess Who album has been delayed, but Bachman has re-released the first three Guess Who albums from their pre-These Eyes days on his Ranbach Music label. He's putting out a collection from Brave Belt (his band, pre-Bachman Turner Overdrive) and has been steadily re-releasing the oeuvre of the late jazz guitarist Lenny Breau.

The Guess Who is being saluted with doctorates from the University of Brandon and induction at Toronto into Canada's Walk of Fame. Then comes a new Guess Who summer tour, a shared bill with Joe Cocker, that will hit 41 U.S. cities.
- JAMES REANEY, London Free Press

It's not often you can say you knew someone before she hit the big time. I can, and I shared a cubicle wall with her.

Shelly Rastin didn't teach me to sing during my tenure at London Life. But she did teach me a thing or two about looking beyond the limits of drab brown fabric walls and following your dreams.

The London singer has just released the single, One Way Ticket, and is following it up this week with a trip to Toronto, where she'll work on the rest of her new album with musical legend Randy Bachman (The Guess Who, Bachman Turner Overdrive.)

So how does a technology training consultant for an insurance company's information services division end up working side-by-side with Canadian rock royalty? Simple: her then-manager answered a 2002 newspaper ad in which Bachman offered his songs for other artists. Bachman was so impressed with Rastin's press kit that he stopped in London on his way to his induction to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in Toronto.

He stayed a week. They hammered out 10 songs, and have been working together ever since. Bachman's daughter, Lorelei, wrote the current single, and his company is promoting Rastin's music cross-country.

"At first I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm writing with Randy Bachman,' " Rastin recalls with a laugh. "But after I picked him up at the airport and we drove to London, it immediately became evident that he is just like you and I, so down to Earth and personable."

Even before she crossed Bachman's path, Rastin made waves when she headed to Nashville in 1999 to record a demo CD. Her fresh approach to country music led some to call her Canada's next Shania Twain. It led to sessions with the producer responsible for Nickelback, Holly McNarland and the Matthew Good Band. Just last month, Rastin was named pop singer/songwriter of the year at the 2005 Jack Richardson Music Awards.

That's a pretty good track record for any artist, let alone one who juggles a 9-to-5 career, and has a husband and two children at home.
"The kids at my 12-year-old's school think I'm a celebrity," she chuckles during a chat. "We'll do acoustic concerts for school picnics, and it's just like a Beatles concert with all the screaming."

Family has always been central to Rastin's drive to hit the big time. She credits her husband and sons for keeping everything together when songwriting sessions, band practices, guitar lessons and gigs keep her away from home. "If they weren't there to help with it all, there's no way I could continue to cover the angles and do them well," she says.

As blessed as she's been with talent and opportunity, Rastin would rather focus on the foundation of giving in London's music community.

"Some people don't want to share because they see you as competition," she said. "London's music scene is not about that. We help and take care of each other. It's not a dog eat dog world as much as people make it out to be."
Rastin puts her money where her mouth is: she has been mentoring teenaged country artist Jenn Marino for the past three years, ever since she and her mother approached her after a concert and asked for some direction. Since then, she's had Marino up on stage, and has helped her make appearances.

"You're in this to make a difference in other people's lives, as well as your own," Rastin says. "It needs to help them in some way to . . . get through what they're going through."

As Rastin continues to pursue her dream outside the bounds of her cubicle walls, it's easy to see that the difference she speaks of is already starting to happen.
- London Free Press - Carmey Levy

Shelly Rastin has the kind of lips music industry executives hope will launch thousands of sales.

If Shania Twain's bare midriff can power a multi-million-dollar country music empire, why not Rastin's trademark lipstick-print kiss?

The red smooch is the logo on her first CD, Am I Dreaming -- a question the 30-year-old Delaware native has been asking herself a lot lately amid signs that her short but eventful singing career may be poised to take off.

Rastin, a vivacious and down-to-earth mother of one, works at London Life by day and morphs into a high-voltage, country rock 'n' roll woman by night.

The signature smooch is part of the Rastin persona that led her from Delaware to Tennessee in search of stardom.

The lipstick logo was created in earlier, more carefree days in her musical career, which is now shifting from the hands of friends to professionals -- a move that has not been without some growing pains.

In January, Rastin signed a one-year deal with Toronto's August Moon Artists, an international music development label. They're helping her with career and business management, pre-production, image consulting, booking and a shot at the ultimate -- a record deal.

"She's passionate about what she does," says Leigh Sand, August Moon's executive director. "I'm tremendously impressed with her singing and she's also a lovable person. Her attitude goes with her talent."

Though she has assured Rastin she won't be pressured to change her style, Sand handles questions about artistic freedom delicately.

"She will need some grooming and direction," says Sand, who insists she will help Rastin grow as an artist, while staying true to her own personality and style.

Rastin's once-orderly lifestyle has been shaken up by the music dream. Typically, she wakes up the morning after a show, puts on her blue suit and hustles to work as a technology training consultant at London Life.

Later, it's home to their rural retreat near Strathroy for a few precious hours of "quality time" with her husband Bill and son Gavin, 7.

She rehearses with her five-member band two nights a week, often playing a local dance or roadhouse as well.

Most summers, the family spends as much time as possible at the family cottage on Lake Huron and favourite pastimes between shows are volleyball and softball.

But last summer was different. In Nashville, Tenn., the hub of the country music world, a nervous Rastin was in the studio recording her first song when producer Mel Shaw gave her a big thumbs-up.

Shaw, a Juno winner and former producer of '70s Canadian hitmakers, the Stampeders, had found Rastin's signature sound, a mix of raw emotion and tender self-revelation, shot through with her Delaware roots.

The musical seed was planted early. When Rastin was four or five and living on her parents' farm, she started singing along to Helen Reddy's Delta Dawn on the radio, her sister Cheryl Maronets recalls. Rastin still knows the song by heart.

"Next it was Olivia Newton-John and Grease, then she sang in the church choir, then the high school choir," Maronets says. Rastin also performed at weddings at the old Delaware Anglican Church and, with a few dance steps added, at family gatherings.

Then, about two years ago, a close-knit team of local friends encouraged her to make a career out of her passion for singing. They sat through the early sets at smoky bars and corporate picnics and helped her ride out early career fumbles.

At work, Rastin's talent was well known -- she even sang on a London Life corporate video -- and a supportive co-worker's chance chat with a local bartender led to her first big break.

That conversation brought her to the notice of local music promoter Nick Panaseiko, who knew Mel Shaw in Nashville. Before long, with cash raised by local supporters, Rastin was jetting to Nashville to record Am I Dreaming, memorizing the words to the disc's five songs en route.

How far has Rastin come in two years? Ask anyone who caught the Dec. 31 show in which she and her band, also called Shelly, rang in the new millennium.

Rastin, her blond hair flying one way as her leather-clad body moved another, strutted, bounded and leapt across the smoke-shrouded Delaware Community Centre stage under brilliant lights and flying rockets.

"Friends tell me everyone is still talking about that concert," Rastin marvels. "They're treating me like a star in Delaware, Komoka, Melbourne, all over.

"A lot are calling me their own Shania Twain. . . . I idolize Shania Twain."

If Twain can light up her home town of Timmins like a firecracker, why can't Rastin do the same in Delaware, where folks still recall the bubbly blond in high school with the gentle personality and a love for roller-skating?

Meanwhile, Am I Dreaming is gaining radio play across Canada in markets from Brandon, Man., to Charlottetown, P.E.I. Local airplay has been harder to come by. London's country station - LOOK London, David Miller

Shelly Rastin, the new songwriting partner of Canadian music legend Randy Bachman, will be back in Sarnia tonight and Saturday performing at the Hiawatha Racetrack Slots, Reflections Lounge.
Rastin, a London –area performer, appears often at the Sarnia Racetrack.

After Bachman, one of the founders of the Guess Who, put out word that his catalogue was open to new artists looking for songs to record, Rastin’s manager John Geddes contacted the artist and his managers.

Geddes encouraged Bachman to give Rastin’s five-song compact disc a listen and he liked what he heard. In May, Bachman travelled to London and spent four days writing with Rastin. They managed to finish eight songs. “ It’s probably the most invigorating experience in my career to date,” Rastin said on the telephone from London where the Fanshawe College graduate holds down a day job in technology at London Life.

"They’re going on the album,” Rastin said about the new songs. In fact, she added Bachman wants to produce the eight songs and has arranged to bring Rastin out to his studio in British Columbia for a couple of weeks later this month. She already has five songs that were recorded with producer Dale Penner who has worked with Matthew Good Band, Holly McNarland and Nickelback.

Shelly Rastin has collaborated with Randy Bachman in songwriting and expects to release an album of their music in 2002.

Rastin is going out to his studio in British Columbia for a couple of weeks later this month. She already has five songs that were recorded with producer Dale Penner who has worked with Matthew Good Band, Holly McNarland and Nickelback.

Rastin said the album should be out by the end of the summer.
“They’re very cool,” Rastin said of the songs she and Bachman wrote, describing them as a cross between Sade and Nelly Furtado.
She’s also planning to record the song “One Way Ticket” that Bachman’s daughter wrote and hopes to put it on the new album.

Later this summer, Bachman and the Guess Who will be back on tour but Rastin has arranged to meet up with her new musical partner on the tours off days to continue songwriting and stockpiling material for future recording projects.

When she was dropping Bachman off after their first writing session, Rastin said he paid her the compliment, “He hasn’t been this inspired in years.”

At this point, the songs she wrote with Bachman are so new they haven’t been added to Rastin’s show yet. She expects to introduce the material to her band later this summer.

After this weekend’s Hiawatha date, Rastin and her band will be busy with shows around the region that include an opening slot for Trooper and a Canada Day performance in London’s Harris Park.

Last month, they opened a Chatham show for Sarnia native, Kim Mitchell.

Singer Shelly Rastin performs Friday, 9 p.m. and Saturday, 10:30 p.m., at Reflections Lounge, Hiawatha Racetrack - PAUL MORDEN, the Observer

Shelly Rastin has the kind of lips music industry executives hope will launch thousands of sales.

If Shania Twain's bare midriff can power a multi-million-dollar country music empire, why not Rastin's trademark lipstick-print kiss?

The red smooch is the logo on her first CD, Am I Dreaming -- a question the 30-year-old Delaware native has been asking herself a lot lately amid signs that her short but eventful singing career may be poised to take off.

Rastin, a vivacious and down-to-earth mother of one, works at London Life by day and morphs into a high-voltage, country rock 'n' roll woman by night.

The signature smooch is part of the Rastin persona that led her from Delaware to Tennessee in search of stardom.

The lipstick logo was created in earlier, more carefree days in her musical career, which is now shifting from the hands of friends to professionals -- a move that has not been without some growing pains.

In January, Rastin signed a one-year deal with Toronto's August Moon Artists, an international music development label. They're helping her with career and business management, pre-production, image consulting, booking and a shot at the ultimate -- a record deal.

"She's passionate about what she does," says Leigh Sand, August Moon's executive director. "I'm tremendously impressed with her singing and she's also a lovable person. Her attitude goes with her talent."

Though she has assured Rastin she won't be pressured to change her style, Sand handles questions about artistic freedom delicately.

"She will need some grooming and direction," says Sand, who insists she will help Rastin grow as an artist, while staying true to her own personality and style.

Rastin's once-orderly lifestyle has been shaken up by the music dream. Typically, she wakes up the morning after a show, puts on her blue suit and hustles to work as a technology training consultant at London Life.

Later, it's home to their rural retreat near Strathroy for a few precious hours of "quality time" with her husband Bill and son Gavin, 7.

She rehearses with her five-member band two nights a week, often playing a local dance or roadhouse as well.

Most summers, the family spends as much time as possible at the family cottage on Lake Huron and favourite pastimes between shows are volleyball and softball.

But last summer was different. In Nashville, Tenn., the hub of the country music world, a nervous Rastin was in the studio recording her first song when producer Mel Shaw gave her a big thumbs-up.

Shaw, a Juno winner and former producer of '70s Canadian hitmakers, the Stampeders, had found Rastin's signature sound, a mix of raw emotion and tender self-revelation, shot through with her Delaware roots.

The musical seed was planted early. When Rastin was four or five and living on her parents' farm, she started singing along to Helen Reddy's Delta Dawn on the radio, her sister Cheryl Maronets recalls. Rastin still knows the song by heart.

"Next it was Olivia Newton-John and Grease, then she sang in the church choir, then the high school choir," Maronets says. Rastin also performed at weddings at the old Delaware Anglican Church and, with a few dance steps added, at family gatherings.

Then, about two years ago, a close-knit team of local friends encouraged her to make a career out of her passion for singing. They sat through the early sets at smoky bars and corporate picnics and helped her ride out early career fumbles.

At work, Rastin's talent was well known -- she even sang on a London Life corporate video -- and a supportive co-worker's chance chat with a local bartender led to her first big break.

That conversation brought her to the notice of local music promoter Nick Panaseiko, who knew Mel Shaw in Nashville. Before long, with cash raised by local supporters, Rastin was jetting to Nashville to record Am I Dreaming, memorizing the words to the disc's five songs en route.

How far has Rastin come in two years? Ask anyone who caught the Dec. 31 show in which she and her band, also called Shelly, rang in the new millennium.

Rastin, her blond hair flying one way as her leather-clad body moved another, strutted, bounded and leapt across the smoke-shrouded Delaware Community Centre stage under brilliant lights and flying rockets.

"Friends tell me everyone is still talking about that concert," Rastin marvels. "They're treating me like a star in Delaware, Komoka, Melbourne, all over.

"A lot are calling me their own Shania Twain. . . . I idolize Shania Twain."

If Twain can light up her home town of Timmins like a firecracker, why can't Rastin do the same in Delaware, where folks still recall the bubbly blond in high school with the gentle personality and a love for roller-skating?

Meanwhile, Am I Dreaming is gaining radio play across Canada in markets from Brandon, Man., to Charlottetown, P.E.I. Local airplay has been harder to come by. London's country station - LOOK London, David Miller

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Tin Pan North Songwriters Festival
Written by Charmaine Costello

London Music Club
May 26-29, 2010

Arriving at the London Music Club is always a treat. Perched on the back step out back was Shelly Rastin rehearsing a good old country song with her guitar player, Darcy Corbett. Her sweet voice filled the air on this very warm evening.

Tin Pan North Songwriters Festival kicked off this evening in London and will weave its way through Oakville and Toronto, ending at Hugh's Room in Toronto on Saturday, May 29. Forty singer-songwriters perform their own songs in small club settings over these four nights. It is truly a celebration of the songwriter.

Tin Pan North's roots are in Nashville. The NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) started the festival 18 years ago in Nashville and 11 years ago, the Tin Pan Festival was expanded to the Greater Toronto area. This is year two for a London venue. Bruce Madole, one of the songwriters who graced us with his fine tunes tonight, was a key player in bringing this festival to this area. He describes the festival as "a celebration of the creation of the song." He and Shelly Rastin played hosts at the beginning of this very fine evening of music.

The evening's opening act was local singer-songwriter, Mac Edwards, who pens his own songs and told the crowd that he often plays the London Music Club but that he "usually hides in the basement and that it was good to see the light of day and real people." He was joined by Andrew Mack who sang a wonderful little song he wrote about Alberta which was warmly received by the audience.

The audience numbers were a little on the lean side for this event. Being that it was only the second year for London to host the festival, I would hope that the word will get out eventually. Also, Wednesday night is not always a good choice for live music in London. The folks who did venture out were energetic, warm and appreciative of the talent on stage. I could have done without the guy who stamped his feet instead of clapping after every song though! The event was billed as "country" music in the online London Music Club posting, but I heard a diverse range of roots, blues and folk styles as well as country. If I had to categorize the music as ‘something,’ I would say it was soulful music. The kind that undeniably finds your heart and holds onto it long after the last note fades away.

The first four of the evening's eight performers were finally ready to go! The performances were set up on stage in the round. Four performers share the stage and play two or three songs each.

Rich Baker opened the round. Rich has returned to music after a 5 year hiatus. He played a beautiful love song which he co-wrote with John Landry. The crowd warmed immediately to Rich and I think it's a given that returning to his love of music was a good decision.

Headliner Cody Prevost hails from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This young man is on a winning streak reaping awards across the country and beyond. He sang a song from his new CD, Real, which will be released in June. The song was called I'm OK and he dedicated it to his Grandpa who had just passed away yesterday.

I miss you but not that much,
Cause I'm still with you,
I'm just not close enough.
This is me, telling you,
That I'm ok.

I don't think I was the only one who was a little choked up after his performance. Cody's stage presence and compelling lyrics are a winning combination.

Bruce Madole was up next performing a song that he created when he was, "fooling around with chord patterns," called November Again. Turns out he mastered the chord patterns on this one. Bruce struck me as someone who writes poetically. He sings from the heart, as well as being an excellent guitarist.

Stacey Zegers decided to "change it up a bit and do a happy song." She delighted the crowd with a song from her debut CD Famous called Livin' the Dream. Stacey says that she is now "living the songs" that she wrote for her CD. This young woman has an energetic appeal and stage presence and she had the audience's full attention.

Rich sang a song he and John Landry wrote about kayaking on the Grand River, a bluesy number called Bit by Bit. He had the audience clapping along. Cody introduced his next song as he reminisced about when his Mom owned a bar and they had "really good Saturday nights but really bad Sunday mornings." The party song Next Weekend had the audience singing along on the chorus. After hearing Cody a second time, and getting to dig his style, I found myself thinking that this guy could sing anything and make it sound good. Bruce's next song You Made Me Drink From the Bottle was lyrically rich and it took the crowd full circle back into a thoughtful mood.

I have attended similar live music events where the artists sang in the round but almost always, the others joined in when the mood struck them. I suppose I was expecting this event - The Beat Magazine - Written by Charmaine Costello

The London Music Club recently hosted Tin Pan North, a music festival in its eleventh year. This is the second year that the LMC has provided a venue for the festival that originated in the greater Toronto area. The festival has strong ties to a similar event organized by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), which has taken place in Nashville, Tennessee for the last 18 years. Most importantly, Tin Pan North celebrates the song writing traditions of Nashville and Tin Pan Alley; musical cultures in which songwriters and production houses compose the music that is performed and sometimes brought to commercial success by more well-known acts. This festival is meant to showcase the oft-overlooked creative talent behind those triple-platinum Garth Brooks or Keith Urban songs you hear on the radio every day.

I arrived about twenty minutes prior to the scheduled 7:30pm start and sat at a table near the back of the club’s “Big Hall.” The London Music Club actually features three venues and often hosts concurrent shows. One might think this has the potential to be disruptive, but it certainly didn’t affect my experience (Morgan Davis was actually performing in their “Front Room” that night). While the “Big Hall” has a 140-person capacity, it still maintains a comfortable, intimate environment. To my right was a table of musicians who were laughing, talking shop, sharing stories, and showing off their guitars. I was immediately struck by the collegial atmosphere. Although some musicians were billed as “headliners,” the camaraderie I overheard at the musicians’ table suggested that nobody was taking that label too seriously. The sense of collegiality extended to the audience as well. Codie Prevost, one of the aforementioned headliners, came over and chatted with me for a few minutes before the first performers began. Shelly Rastlin, serving both as a performer and emcee for the evening, even offered me a drink. The relaxed and friendly air put forth by the musicians along with the cozy and personal space provided by the London Music Club each contributed to the overall sense that the barriers between musicians, songwriters, and the audience were being broken down tonight in order to focus full attention on the craft of songwriting.

The show began with two unbilled performers: Andrew Mack and Mac Edwards (no relation). The emcees introduced Andrew Mack as having some success in a few songwriting competitions; a success that shone through in both songs he performed that evening, revealing his firm grasp of pop-tinged musical formulae and clever lyrics. Mac Edwards, a London songwriter who moonlights as a member of the local alt-country rock band The Woody Allens, also performed two songs. Mac is a seasoned performer who is quite comfortable on stage and has a clear idea of how he wants his musical and lyrical voices to sound.

The billed performers were scheduled to go on stage in two groups of four, with each group including a headliner. The musicians sat in a row and took turns singing songs, again contributing to the egalitarian workshop atmosphere of the festival. The stripped-down nature of the performances – almost all solely accompanied themselves with guitar – further supported the notion that this event was about the song itself; no dressed-up instrumentation necessary. Between songs the musicians bantered back and forth, trading stories and jokes, as if the comfort of their pre-show conversations at the table simply continued on stage. Most humorous of the bunch was Rich Baker, who is perhaps best known as the songwriting collaborator of John Landry. Rich’s humour extended into his lyrics; his well-crafted songs firmly established in the clever wit of the country music tradition. Bruce Madole, also a festival co-ordinator, and Stacey Zegers both made strong contributions to the opening set; Bruce with his sensitive guitar playing and idiosyncratic chord progressions, and Stacey with her charming stage presence. Codie Prevost was included as the headliner for this group. Hailing from small-town Saskatchewan (but now based in Saskatoon), Codie has seen a great deal of recent commercial and critical success, having been awarded several Saskatchewan Country Music Association Awards. Among others, he performed his song, Quicksand, which he noted was recorded and recently performed at the Grand Old Opry by Grammy-award winner Randy Kohrs. Even when armed only with a guitar, Codie’s sound is big, clean, and polished. He has a commanding presence on stage. He communicates clearly with his audience, and is an excellent guitar player. It is obvious that Codie has worked hard to put himself in a position to truly “make it” in the commercial country scene. It was a pleasure to see him perform in such an intimate venue; an event that will likely become rarer as he achieves even greater success.

After a short break that included the late arrival of David Joseph and headliner Steve Leslie - The Beat Magazine - Reviewed by Bryn Hughes

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Tin Pan North Songwriters Festival
Written by Charmaine Costello

London Music Club
May 26-29, 2010

Arriving at the London Music Club is always a treat. Perched on the back step out back was Shelly Rastin rehearsing a good old country song with her guitar player, Darcy Corbett. Her sweet voice filled the air on this very warm evening.

Tin Pan North Songwriters Festival kicked off this evening in London and will weave its way through Oakville and Toronto, ending at Hugh's Room in Toronto on Saturday, May 29. Forty singer-songwriters perform their own songs in small club settings over these four nights. It is truly a celebration of the songwriter.

Tin Pan North's roots are in Nashville. The NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) started the festival 18 years ago in Nashville and 11 years ago, the Tin Pan Festival was expanded to the Greater Toronto area. This is year two for a London venue. Bruce Madole, one of the songwriters who graced us with his fine tunes tonight, was a key player in bringing this festival to this area. He describes the festival as "a celebration of the creation of the song." He and Shelly Rastin played hosts at the beginning of this very fine evening of music.

The evening's opening act was local singer-songwriter, Mac Edwards, who pens his own songs and told the crowd that he often plays the London Music Club but that he "usually hides in the basement and that it was good to see the light of day and real people." He was joined by Andrew Mack who sang a wonderful little song he wrote about Alberta which was warmly received by the audience.

The audience numbers were a little on the lean side for this event. Being that it was only the second year for London to host the festival, I would hope that the word will get out eventually. Also, Wednesday night is not always a good choice for live music in London. The folks who did venture out were energetic, warm and appreciative of the talent on stage. I could have done without the guy who stamped his feet instead of clapping after every song though! The event was billed as "country" music in the online London Music Club posting, but I heard a diverse range of roots, blues and folk styles as well as country. If I had to categorize the music as ‘something,’ I would say it was soulful music. The kind that undeniably finds your heart and holds onto it long after the last note fades away.

The first four of the evening's eight performers were finally ready to go! The performances were set up on stage in the round. Four performers share the stage and play two or three songs each.

Rich Baker opened the round. Rich has returned to music after a 5 year hiatus. He played a beautiful love song which he co-wrote with John Landry. The crowd warmed immediately to Rich and I think it's a given that returning to his love of music was a good decision.

Headliner Cody Prevost hails from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This young man is on a winning streak reaping awards across the country and beyond. He sang a song from his new CD, Real, which will be released in June. The song was called I'm OK and he dedicated it to his Grandpa who had just passed away yesterday.

I miss you but not that much,
Cause I'm still with you,
I'm just not close enough.
This is me, telling you,
That I'm ok.

I don't think I was the only one who was a little choked up after his performance. Cody's stage presence and compelling lyrics are a winning combination.

Bruce Madole was up next performing a song that he created when he was, "fooling around with chord patterns," called November Again. Turns out he mastered the chord patterns on this one. Bruce struck me as someone who writes poetically. He sings from the heart, as well as being an excellent guitarist.

Stacey Zegers decided to "change it up a bit and do a happy song." She delighted the crowd with a song from her debut CD Famous called Livin' the Dream. Stacey says that she is now "living the songs" that she wrote for her CD. This young woman has an energetic appeal and stage presence and she had the audience's full attention.

Rich sang a song he and John Landry wrote about kayaking on the Grand River, a bluesy number called Bit by Bit. He had the audience clapping along. Cody introduced his next song as he reminisced about when his Mom owned a bar and they had "really good Saturday nights but really bad Sunday mornings." The party song Next Weekend had the audience singing along on the chorus. After hearing Cody a second time, and getting to dig his style, I found myself thinking that this guy could sing anything and make it sound good. Bruce's next song You Made Me Drink From the Bottle was lyrically rich and it took the crowd full circle back into a thoughtful mood.

I have attended similar live music events where the artists sang in the round but almost always, the others joined in when the mood struck them. I suppose I was expecting this event - The Beat Magazine - Written by Charmaine Costello

Randy Bachman is over the Moon about finding a two-fisted drummer from London — and taking care of business with his Orchestra London debut next weekend.

“Here we are in the home stretch,” Bachman said Friday of the first time his Symphonic Overdrive project hits the stage.

“I would suggest if somebody’s coming (Oct. 17), come back (Oct. 18). I’m coming back for two days. I’m hoping one of the two is good,” he said, laughing at the boldness of the adventure.

“It’s going to be amazing anyway. It’s going to be an amazing spectacle.”

A new project, Bachman’s Symphonic Overdrive has hits from The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive such as Let it Ride, These Eyes, American Woman (Bossa Nova), You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, Taking Care of Business and more.

There will also be visits to tunes Bachman loves from The Beatles and guitar star Roy Buchanan when he plays Centennial Hall next weekend.

Toronto-based Bachman is meeting the project’s Canadian arranger and music director Charles T. Cozens early next week for rehearsals. Bachman, his band, and Cozens, as “co-pilot so to speak,” then arrive in London for a day of rehearsing and two concerts.

Truly, you ain’t heard nothing yet.

That’s the quick intro to Symphonic Overdrive.

Just as exciting is another new Bachman project which has London-raised Dale Anne Brendon on drums.

Bachman had worked with the “phenomenal” Brendon in London-area singer Shelly Rastin’s band and met her again when she was in the off-stage band for Tommy at the Stratford Festival.

Bachman instantly pitched the idea of forming a duo with the Oakridge secondary school and Western Don Wright music faculty grad. It could be called “the Canadian Stripes or something,” playing off The White Stripes.

Bachman’s manager nixed the duo idea. But Bachman powered on, looking for another woman to play in the new band.

During the 2014 Junos, in his hometown of Winnipeg, he heard Ladies Of The Canyon.

Their bass player Anna Ruddick turned out to be a McGill music grad. She also knows The Who comes first in certain projects.

“We’re going to do a British power trio,” Bachman told her. Introductions to Brendon and Bachman’s manger were in order.

“She shows up in a John Entwistle T-shirt,” Bachman said. Bachman asked if Ruddick liked Entwistle, the late bass player for The Who.

Like Entwistle? “I love him. He’s my favourite bassman,” Ruddick said.

The ex-Guess Who man realized he had his own take on The Who’s iconic players.

‘Oh my God,” Bachman said. “I’ve got Keith Moon (Brendon) on drums and John Entwistle (Ruddick) on bass and Kevin Shirley producing. All I’ve gotta do is write 12 great blues songs.”

The songs and riffs have arrived. So have guests including guitar heroes such as Joe Bonamassa, Peter Frampton, Neil Young and Luke Doucet.

Jeff Healey’s widow is allowing Bachman to use music he made with the late Canadian blues rocker on the album.

It’s due in the spring of 2015. Touring at blues festivals will follow.

“They’re going nuts over my new rhythm section,” Bachman said of Randyverse response to Brendon and Ruddick.

They still need a name. Maybe it will be something combining the names of the two Who icons whose playing they revere.

Something like Moontwistle.

Truly, we ain’t heard nothing yet.

james.reaney@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/JamesatLFPress - By James Reaney, The London Free Press

There would be many reasons for me to cheer at Sunday night's Jack Richardson Music Awards gala.

As a member of the JRMA steering committee, I will always be in awe of the London musical excellence celebrated year after year. Sunday night at the London Music Hall, there was plenty to celebrate.

Once again, the voters picked a group of terrific winners from a ballot full of outstanding London-tied talent.

The organizing committee can be proud of its role in inducting country singer Marie Bottrell into the London Music Hall of Fame and honouring the London Kiwanis music festival's peerless secretary and its board secretary Charlotte Cleland at Sunday night's gala. The hall of fame is still a dream at this stage. Along with previous inductees, such as The Lombardo Family and legendary record producer Jack Richardson, Bottrell deserves a real hall someday soon.

Cleland's role in helping thousands and thousands of participants to the Kiwanis festival during more than three decades is cheer-worthy, too. She is the 2011 Dennis Brown lifetime achievement award recipient. The award is named for Brown, a late London jazz drummer who valued music above all else.

Always a cause for a standing ovation is Richardson, the longtime Londoner who is kind enough to let the JRMA use his name.

Richardson's arrival Sunday and the crowd's response to his presence in the house combine as my personal JRMA 2011 peak.

The Canadian icon was greeted with a standing ovation and acknowledgments from the stage. At the evening's end, he signed many autographs and posed for photos with fans, winners, performers, nominees. On Sunday, everybody wanted to honour Jack Richardson at The Jacks.

Richardson said his daughter Tracy Richardson insisted he attend. Tracy Richardson, a celebrity TV stylist who recently moved back to London from B.C., contacted Jacks founder and London music activista Mario Circelli who arranged details with the JRMA steering committee. Jack Richardson said he was happy to see how The Jacks had grown since its first edition in 2005 while staying true to its roots.

"You've maintained the integrity of what the awards are all about," Richardson said in an interview. "The talent is the most important. This is where - I don't want to rap another show - the Junos have lost it."

Performers at the gala taking home hardware included jazz drummer Sandy MacKay, UWO Don Wright music faculty grad Amber Cunningham, winner of the classical (voice) category and Andy Magoffin, bassist with Raised By Swans. Magoffin's House of Miracles was voted top recording studio on the ballot.

Among the winners who had collected JRMA trophies in other years were country singer Shelly Rastin (fan favourite, original), country band The Rizdales, jazz singer Sonja Gustafson and metal band Baptized in Blood.

The hip-hop award went to 2011 Juno rap-recording-of-the-year winner Shad. Now based in B.C,, Shad is on a tour which brought him to the London Music Hall last week.

The JRMA weekend takes in career seminars and a youth competition. Both were held Saturday.

The Wired, representing Oakridge secondary school, were judged best of the youth bands at Fanshawe College's Forwell Hall Saturday night. Second place went to Amity Beach, of Exeter South Huron secondary school. Earlier on Saturday, Amity Beach had been among the performers to benefit from the advice of expert panel of top London producers, engineers and mixers at the career seminars' demo critique. The panel of Dan Brodbeck, Dean Nelson, Robert Nation and Seigfried Meier were impressed by the song on the band's demo.

"Find out who The Strokes were influenced by," Nelson suggested during the seminar at the London Music Hall Lounge after the U.S band was identified as an Amity Beach influence. Nelson and co-panellists mentioned Television, Blondie and Iggy Pop as other acts which might inspire Amity Beach. Band members thanked South Huron teacher Matt Weston, who is one half of London rock band The Dyadics.

The Jack Richardson Music Awards, in its seventh year, is London's only grassroots, not-for-profit recognition of local music excellence. Richardson was chairperson of the industry advisory board for the Music Industry Arts Program at London's Fanshawe College in the late 1970s. In 1985, he became the audio production instructor for the MIA program at the college.

James Reaney is a London Free Press arts & entertainment columnist and reporter.

E-mail james.reaney@sunmedia.ca, read James's blog or follow Jamesatlfpress on Twitter.

About the Jacks

The JRMA steering committee chooses inductees for the London Music Hall of Fame and the Dennis Brown Lifetime Achievement Award. The committee and other JRMA supporters vote on the Contributor award.

Most other awards are determined by the JRMA academy drawn from the London music community who vote online. Results are confidential. There is no cash value for the awards. Winners receive a trophy. Last year's winners pass up a year of eligibility in that category. Visit jrma.ca for details.

2011 Results

What: Following are winners and honours from the 2010 Jack Richardson Music Awards gala (JRMA or The Jacks) on Sunday night at the London Music Hall. The Jacks are London's only not-for-profit recognition of the city's musical excellence.

London music hall of fame:

Marie Bottrell

Dennis Brown Lifetime Achievement Award:

Charlotte Cleland

Contributor: Clark Bryan

Youth winner: The Wired (Oakridge secondary school)

Youth 2nd place: Amity Beach (Exeter South Huron)

Blues/R & B: Tim Woodcock

Country: The Rizdales

Bluegrass: Foxtail

Traditional Folk/Roots:

Pete Denomme

World Music: The Light

of East Ensemble

Contemporary Singer/Songwriter: Olenka Krakus

Rock: Bobnoxious

Metal: Baptized in Blood

Punk: Black Donnellys

Electronic Artist: Cailen Dye

Club DJ: Kerrie Nation

Hip-Hop: Shad

Jazz (instrumental):

Sandy MacKay

Jazz (vocal): Sonja Gustafson

Classical (voice):

Amber Cunningham

Classical (instrumental):

Fiona Wilkinson, flute

Classical (choir/choral): Amabile Youth Singers (Brenda Zadorsky, conductor)

Classical (group): Encore . . . the Concert Band (Gwyn Beynon, conductor)

Recording studio:

House of Miracles

Live venue: London Music Club

Fan favourite (original):

Shelly Rastin

Fan favourite (tribute):

Sweet Leaf Garrett -

When Ed Bloor was talking about the demise of his beloved club, Maggie's, a shocked and sympathetic bystander asked if there was a message he wanted to get out.

"Please support live music in our community. It's very important to the musicians - and we will return," Bloor said earlier this month.

Two weeks later, the class, goodwill and determination of those words should be an inspiration to go out and listen.

Every weekend around here, there is plenty of choice.

Here are a few suggestions among many to command your attention - and attendance.

There is jazz, the music of choice at Maggie's, at two distinguished venues. Toronto jazz singer Sophie Milman plays Aeolian Hall under the Sunfest banner on Saturday. Sunfest first brought Milman to London under the trees at Victoria Park in 2005. Since then, her albums include the Juno-winning Make Someone Happy in 2007 and the recent In the Moonlight.

"I'm at an age where I'm supposed to like Rihanna and Katy Perry, not jazz classics 50 years old, but I don't," Milman told QMI Agency. "When I lived in Israel, I was Russian. My parents listed to jazz all the time at home. It's what I grew up listening to. Feeling like you don't belong is not a comfortable feeling in real life, but it is a good place for an artist."

On Monday, London pianist Charles "Charlie" Rallo brings a fine London-tied quartet to the Stratford Festival Theatre lobby. The program covers music from 15 piano titans from Fats Waller to Keith Jarrett. "I will give a brief description of the distinctive trademarks and styles of each jazz great with each selection played," Rallo said of the program. Guitarist Chris Norley, drummer Richard Brisco and bassist Kevin Muir join Rallo, who was frequently heard at Maggie's.

Elsewhere, there is music in many styles. Same as every week in London - but this time you want to make sure you support live music, correct?

At the London Music Club on Saturday, Ladyfest London 2012 brings such performers as Orianna, Panic on Pluto and Lonnie in the Garden on Saturday.

"The Panics will play around 10 - come on out and see how hard women can rock," said the band. Bassist Helen Thompson, lead guitarist and vocalist Noele Hall and guitarist/vocalist Linda Bussiere will perform without the band's two men for the gig in keeping with the Ladyfest focus on female talent.

"We have a couple of originals that ladies will like," Thompson said Friday of such blasts as She's Hot and Crazy-Legged Woman.

Downstairs at the club that night is London Beatles' expert Yuri Pool, playing his solo Paul McCartney-themed show.

The International Food Festival continues at Victoria Park with music starting on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. Closing the night at the free fest are two of the biggest voices on the local scene - Shelly Rastin, who plays Saturday, and Sarah Smith, who closes the fest on Sunday.

At APK Live, Artfusion gallery and event-initiator holds its monthly gathering. Closing the night is London-tied DJ Bnutz, who is Jason Beamish off-stage.

"I would like to plug this most of all as Artfusion is a great event I am proud to support," Bnutz/Beamish said of the APK Live gig.

Saturday's shows follows a triumph in Red Bull-sponsored competition for the DJ, who had been close to winning previous years. "I recently took home the title at the 2012 London Red Bull (Thre3Style) DJ battle and am really looking forward to playing showcase shows around the city representing the 519," he said.

Because there shouldn't be a weekend without some blues, Sunday has three London-region bands in Bluesfest London's battle of the bands finale at the Dawghouse.

E-mail james.reaney@sunmedia.ca, read James' Brand New Blog read his column or follow JamesatLFPress on Twitter.

--- --- ---

IF YOU GO

What: Music in and around London over the next few days.

Saturday, 7 p.m. - Ladyfest London; Yuri Pool, 7:30 p.m - London Music Club, 470 Colborne St. Visit ladyfestlondon.com or londonmusicclub.com or call 519-640-6996.

Saturday, 7 p.m. Artfusion 24 event, with the Rockids, Hilary Watson, DJ Freek, DJ Jesney, DJ Cutsmith, DJ Bnutz. APK Live, 340 Wellington St. (at York). Visit apklive.com or call 519-601-5483 or 519-709-7686.

Saturday, 8 p.m. Sophie Milman. Aeolian Hall, 795 Dundas St. $40 advance, $45 at door. Visit sunfest.on.ca or aeolianhall.ca or call 519-672-7950.

Saturday-Sunday. 1 p.m. start each International Food Fest. Kiwanis bandshell Headliners include Shelly Rastin (Saturday, 9 p.m.) and Sarah Smith (Sunday, 8 p.m.) Victoria Park. Free. Visit canadasbiggestparty.com or fscanada.com or call 519-432-5189.

Sunday, 8 p.m. Bluesfest London battle of bands with Saigon Pharmacy, Tutwiler Blues Train and Spoonful. Dawghouse, 699 Wilkins St. No cover. Call 519-685-0640.

Monday, 7:30 p.m. - Charles Rallo Quartet. Stratford Festival Lobby. $20 in advance. Call 1-800-567-1600. - JAMES REANEY, The London Free Press

We won't rib you - some of the hottest cooking at Victoria Park over the next five days isn't found at a smoker.

It'll be on the stages.

Ribfest London opens its 26th edition on Thursday. As always, there is prime music to go with the ribs and other attractions. Most of the music has a London tie, too.

The selected guide here covers only the two main stages - the Kiwanis bandshell and the Mill St. Brewery main stage, which takes up a temporary location on Wellington St. Each day of Ribfest's five-day run also brings such top London performers as Doug Varty, Bobnoxious and Shelly Rastin.

London Ribfest opens Thursday at 11 a.m. at Victoria Park. It ends Monday night.

James Reaney is a London Free Press arts & entertainment columnist and reporter.

E-mail james.reaney@sunmedia.ca, read James' Brand New Blog read his column or follow JamesatLFPress on Twitter. - JAMES REANEY, The London Free Press

An independent film shot in London a year ago is ready for the big screen.

Liminality — a day in the lives of a group of twenty-somethings in London — premieres at Hyland Cinema Thursday.

Co-written by Nick J. Scott and director Darryl Callcott, the coming-of-age comedy/drama explores the lives of a group of young adults as they cross paths over the course of one day in London.

The scenery likely won’t be the only thing that’s familiar to local audiences.

The film’s five storylines include a couple struggling to maintain a long distance relationship while each pursues school separately in London and Toronto.

Another couple, newlyweds, is worried about the future while one deals with unemployment.

A third pair who recently met online struggle to make time for a second date within their busy lives.

Callcott said the film is “raw and down-to-earth” and very “in the moment” in a naturalistic style familiar to indie film fans and relatable to real life that could be found any day in the Forest City or elsewhere.

“I always liked that kind of story where you see more than one character and it’s not necessarily the good guy or the bad guy — it’s just people that you feel like you know,” Callcott said.

“It was a good way to show off the city because all these characters were going about their separate lives . . . so we had a lot of opportunities to explore the city and give these characters a real world to live in.”

This is Callcott’s feature-length debut after beginning his indie filmmaking career with short films.

The cast includes Jake Raymond, Kayla Rock, Brennan Julius, Dominique Kamras, Harrison Stewart, Megan Schroder, David Lahti, Adrienne Masseo, Damon Muma, Dan Balcaban, Kerrie Gee and Steve Gauthier.

Well-known London singer Shelly Rastin makes a cameo appearance.

Callcott plans to send the film to various festivals.

Tickets and a movie trailer are available online at liminalitymovie.com. - Chris Montanini, QMI Agency

There’s a taste of London Ribfest 2014 music online at video.lfpress.com.

London’s Lionel Lodge is heard singing his song Smile with guitarist Jeffy B. in this week’s Reaney’s Pick video.

Lodge and Jeffy B. play on Friday as Ribfest serves up music on two temporary stages at Victoria Park.

The 2014 lineup includes fan favourites from past fests, such as big-voiced country- and rock-styled singer Shelly Rastin.

Among the other returnees are rockers Bobnoxious, pop punkers The Alcohollys and singer-songwriter Jim Ashby.

Organizers said Sunday’s lineup is a bow to the blues, with Windsor’s Black Orchid band headlining at the Wellington and Dufferin beer garden.

Ribfest music starts Thursday and continues to the late hours on the holiday Monday.

james.reaney@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/JamesatLFPress - James Reaney, London Free Press

London singer Shelly Rastin performs Sunday at the Barn Dance Society at Purple Hill Country Music Hall in Thorndale.

A vintage radio show comes back to life Sunday when the Barn Dance Society returns to Purple Hill Country Music Hall.

The society’s band performs with several special guests including London’s Shelly Rastin, singer-artist Lance Russwurm, singer Wendy Lynn Snider, singer/guitarist Paul Weber and singer/ventriloquist John Heaman at the country and bluegrass music mecca in Thorndale.

Rastin, a well-known pop-country rock artist, said she’s never played with the Barn Dance Society, but will reach back to songs from her childhood for the show, covering Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin and others.

“All those songs bring me back to when I was a little girl driving around with my dad (he died when she was eight) scrap metalling (picking up scrap metal) and listening to the radio in his pickup truck,” said Rastin.

“It’s one of the few memories I have of my biological father, but then my stepfather, Richard Acres, picked up the tradition and it continued.”

The Barndance Historical Society is a tribute to the radio show broadcast by CKNX in Wingham for more than 25 years that featured live country music on a weekly show from 1937 until 1963.

Shows would be broadcast from different locations. It became the longest-running live radio show in Canadian radio broadcast history.

More than 30 years after the show was cancelled, in 1996, Blyth Festival produced a play created by the renowned Paul Thompson and company based on the radio show, which inspired the formation of the Barndance Historical Society and development of a touring show featuring old-time artists and newcomers.

The show is led by master of ceremonies and former radio announcer Jim Swan, and it features a roast beef dinner.

jbelanger@postmedia.com

twitter.com/JoeBatLFPress

IF YOU GO

What: The Barn Dance Society, with special guests Shelley Rastin, Wendy Lynn Snider, Lance Russwurm, Paul Weber and singer/ventriloquist John Heaman.

When: Sunday, 2 p.m.

Where: Purple Hill Country Music Hall, 20903 Purple Hill Rd., Thorndale.

Tickets: $40 (includes roast beef dinner) at the door, by email at purplehillcountryhall@gmail.com or by calling 519-461-0538. - Joe Belanger, The London Free Press

The music keeps coming this weekend at Ribfest after Thursday night’s free bill of Kardinal Offishall, Kim Mitchell and the Tea Party.

Friday night’s offerings include local favourites Shelly Rastin and Smokin’ Dave, as well as the Rumblebees and Butch Haller and his Chesterfield Ramblers.

Friday evening’s musical entertainment is free.

Smokin’ Dave, a local guitar hero since the 1980s — he used to play the basement of GT’s on Richmond Street when that bar was popular — has made a name for himself with succeeding generations of students at Western University.

Native Southwestern Ontario daughter Shelly Rastin is known for her high-energy performances.

And remember, there’s plenty of food offerings to choose from at Victoria Park, from burritos to pogo dogs to quesadillas.

You just might want to go on the carnival rides before you satisfy your appetite!

danbrown@postmedia.com - (MORRIS LAMONT, The London Free Press)