November 5, 2023

The Tea Party at The Concert Hall

The Tea Party at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Tea Party at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Tea Party at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Tea Party at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Tea Party at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Tea Party at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Tea Party at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
The Tea Party, along with I Mother Earth, played The Concert Hall in Toronto this weekend. 

If memory serves, I've only seen The Tea Party once, back in the 90s, in Peterborough. This Toronto show was a great opportunity to reacquaint myself with the band and their music.

I enjoyed their particular sound and songs, which I haven't heard for many, many years, and how they wove some covers of The Tragically Hip, Daniel Lanois, U2, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie into their tunes. 

Check out my photos of I Mother Earth right here.

Take a listen to "Temptation"

I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall

 I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
I Mother Earth at The Concert Hall on November 4, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Last night, I Mother Earth, along with The Tea Party, played the first of two nights at The Concert Hall in Toronto.

I'm a pretty big fan, so I was happy to see the band perform live, and to grab some shots of the band in action. I Mother Earth simply do not disappoint. The songs are incredible, and some of my all-time favourites, and the musicianship is off the charts. I Mother Earth is one amazing band.

They performed a whole bunch of my favourites from Scenery & Fish including "Used To Be Alright", "Raspberry", "Another Sunday", "One More Astronaut" and more. They pulled out "Levitate" and "Rain Will Fall" from Dig. Brian Byrne joined the band for "Summertime in the Void". Edwin then returned to the stage and they both sang "Levitate".

I haven't been to The Concert Hall for a show in decades. It was very cool to return to the venue where I saw many amazing acts back in the 90s, and to see another venue on the Toronto scene. I look forward to shooting and attending lots of shows here.

I've covered a few IME shows. Check out my photos from their shows at The FirstOntario Concert Hall, The Ex, and The Phoenix Concert Theatre.

My shots of The Tea Party are here.

And here's "Rain Will Fall", which I was introduced to one Saturday night at the Phoenix back in the day.

October 30, 2023

Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Photos

Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Dizzy at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

Oshawa, Ontario indie pop band Dizzy released their third album, the eponymously titled Dizzy, this past summer. I attended the Toronto stop on the tour promoting that album, and it took place at one of my favourite Toronto venues, The Danforth Music Hall. 

Dizzy has become one of my favourite bands ever since I first saw them at Hillside Festival in 2016. This show marks the eleventh time we’ve covered a live Dizzy show here at one in ten words. Links to all of our Dizzy show coverage are below.

Over the course of their set, they played every song on the new Dizzy album. They started their set with "Birthmark" and "Twist", "Roman Candles" and "The Magician". Later on, they shifted into the acoustic portion of the show including their "stupid happy love song" "Stupid 4 U". The set continued, with highlights including "Barking Dog", "Sunflower", "Open Up Wide" and show closer "Close". They only played one song from their debut album, Baby Teeth, the ever-popular “Joshua”. They don't do encores, which is fine with me and I'm sure most of the audience.

Dizzy did a great job performing on the larger stage, with platforms for guitarist, bassist and drummer, and the rest of the stage reserved for Katie to roam. Candles around the stage lent a warm vibe, and the light show brought excitement and drama as needed.

Dizzy are an amazing band with beautiful songs; a band that I will witness live any time I can. 

Ottawa's fanclubwallet opened the show. My pics from their set are right here.

Here’s a tune from Dizzy, “Open Up Wide”

fanclubwallet at The Danforth Music Hall - Concert Photos

fanclubwallet at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
fanclubwallet at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
fanclubwallet at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
fanclubwallet at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
fanclubwallet at The Danforth Music Hall on October 26, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Ottawa indie pop band fanclubwallet opened up for one of my favourite bands, Dizzy, at The Danforth Music Hall last week. 

fanclubwallet are a chill band with easy-going tunes, who seemed to have a great time playing their tunes for us. 

Check out "You Have Got To Be Kidding Me" from their album of the same name below. 

And check out my shots of Dizzy's set right here.

September 17, 2023

Steel Panther at History - Concert Photos

Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Steel Panther at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
It was 1987 at Toronto’s history last week when Steel Panther came through town on their On the Prowl tour. 

The band is a consistent fan favourite and their fans took full advantage of the opportunity to don their favourite 80s metal gear and try to forget for a moment that its 2023 and we’re getting ever increasing amounts of gray hair.

If you’ve ever been to a Steel Panther show -- and there were many, many people in attendance who had been to multiple Steel Panther shows, and also many, many people out at their first Steel Panther show --then you know what you’re going to get: their own brand of 80s hair metal tunes that set the clock back a few decades, hilarious off-colour on-stage banter and interaction with the crowd, and a whole bunch of spandex, wild guitars and lots of hair, all from a band that executes the genre with faithfulness and irony from the clothes to the lyrics to those 80s print, Floyd Rose equipped Charvel guitars. They’re all fantastic musicians, and everyone leaves with a smile on their face. Check out the setlist here.

BRKN Love had the honour of warming up the crowd for Steel Panther. My pics of their set are here.

Check out my pics of Steel Panther from shows in 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014.

BRKN Love at History - Concert Photos

BRKN Love at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

BRKN Love at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

BRKN Love at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

BRKN Love at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

BRKN Love at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

BRKN Love at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

BRKN Love at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

BRKN Love at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

BRKN Love at History on September 14, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer

Los Angeles' hard rock band BRKN Love warmed up the crowd at History before headliners Steel Panther took to the stage. They're led by Toronto's own Justin Benlolo, and play big rock tunes with powerful vocals, heavy guitar riffs, and bass and drums that pound out the beat, bring the low end and drive your bangin' head.

They played a bunch of their tunes and threw in a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" that featured a killer dual guitar solo. If you're a hard rock fan, check out BRKN Love's music. There's lots to love.

In case you missed them, my pics of Steel Panther's set are here.

Here's the song BRKN Love closed their set with, "Shot Down"

August 30, 2023

Spoons at The Ex - Concert Photos

Spoons at The Ex on August 28, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographerSpoons at The Ex on August 28, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Spoons at The Ex on August 28, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Spoons at The Ex on August 28, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Spoons at The Ex on August 28, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Spoons at The Ex on August 28, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Spoons at The Ex on August 28, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Spoons at The Ex on August 28, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Spoons at The Ex on August 28, 2023 Photo by John Ordean at One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Burlington, Ontario 80s new wave legends Spoons performed on the Bandshell stage at this 2023 edition of The Ex. I've covered the band a whole bunch, most recently at this year's Riverfest Elora.

It's always a treat to hear some of my favourite 80s Spoons classics like "Arias & Symphonies", "Old Emotions", "Nova Heart", "Romantic Traffic" and "Tell No Lies", plus some new tunes, like "First and Last Time". The band sounded great and put on a fun, crowd-pleasing performance.

If you like, check out my previous Spoons coverage, at Riverfest Elora 2023, at The Great Hall in 2019The Ex in 2018The Ex in 2016, and The Ex in 2014.

And here's the classic, "Romantic Traffic"

Dominic Fike at Massey Hall - Concert Review

Dominic Fike put on an incredible show in Toronto at Massey Hall for his Don’t Stare at the Sun Tour on Sunday night. He performed many of the songs off his most recent album, “Sunburn”, which was released on July 7, as well as many of his classic hits such as “3 Nights” and “Why”. 

Although he fell ill just two days prior after his previous show in Detroit, he was able to put on an energetic performance thanks to the doctors that helped him recover. He was very engaged with the crowd throughout the show by jumping around different areas of the stage and encouraging the audience to sing along. There was evidence of a true connection between him and his fans. He was willing to sign some fans’ merchandise and put on articles of clothing that fans tossed to him on stage. 

During the second half of the set, Dominic put on an amazing acoustic performance where he showcased his guitar skills through a new unreleased song, as well as the very emotional track “Dark”. Fans were able to connect with him by waving their flashlights during this part of the show, demonstrating their true love and support for him. 

Between songs, Dominic mentioned his love for Canada in general, mentioning his obsession with the country as a child where he collected Canadian coins and anything with polar bears on it. He also shouted out his bassist who is a true Torontonian and had his family at the show. Dominic Fike is a truly talented artist with a real love for his fans, which resulted in a remarkable show that fans will look back on as a great memory.

Take a listen to "3 Nights"

Review by Sarah Ordean

August 25, 2023

Riverfest Elora 2023: A compendium of posts - Concert Photos

Riverfest Elora 2023 on August 18, 19, 20, 2023 One In Ten Words oneintenwords.com toronto indie alternative live music blog concert photography pictures photos nikon d750 camera yyz photographer
Riverfest Elora is my favourite summer music festival. It combines artists I love with new artists that I've never heard of that find a permanent spot in my music library. The vibe of the festival is chill and inviting, friendly and fun.

The 2023 edition of the festival is also their lucky 13th festival, and my sixth. And there wasn't a drop of rain during the festival!

Thanks to the Riverfest Elora team for curating and orchestrating an amazing weekend of music, fun, food and friends. And, of course, for granting me access to capture the images of the festival performers.

Follow the links below to individual posts on each artist that I covered.


Friday, August 18

The Reklaws

Matt Mays

Renforshort

Spoons

Shred Kelly

Adam Baldwin

Myst Milano.


Saturday, August 19

Metric

JJ Wilde

Talk

The Aggrolites

RĆŖve

Aviv

Fake Shark

Maestro Fresh Wes

Boogey the Beat

CJ Wiley

Vince the Messenger

Michael Costantini

Animal Boy


Sunday, August 20

Feist

Charlotte Cardin

Leif Vollebekk

Mobley

Kellie Loder

Skye Wallace

K-Man and the 45s

Shebad

Anna Padock & The Lay Awakes

Jiggity James



This was my sixth time covering Riverfest Elora. You can check out my coverage of previous years' through these links:

2016

2017

2018

2019

2022

I'm already looking forward to next year...