Review Centre: Festival Themed Bands

"March 26, 2017 Last night (March 25, 2017) the legendary Presley & Cash Highway Road Show pulled into Windsor for a night of fun, frolics and fundraising through the experience and dedication of two skilled local tribute artists. Paying Cash – The Johnny Cash Show and a Elvis brought the music of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley to the Olde Walkerville Theatre for a fundraising event for the Miracle League of Amherstburg. The show began with Harrow, Ontario tribute artist who brought the post-war Elvis to life in a vibrant and highly entertaining set. The music selection was unique, as was his leg-shaking performance. This was a true tribute and not really an over-the-top impersonation as we so often see. There were no jumpsuits, no giant belts and no overweight wig-wearing phonies – this was the cool suit-jacket wearing Elvis that the world loved in 1956 and 1957. He had enough looks and moves to pull it off and present a believable reproduction of the way Elvis moved, sang and even interacted at the peak of his musical return. The song selection resembled the King’s 1957 performance at the PNE in Vancouver with such non-traditional tracks like Blueberry Hill, That’s When Your Heartaches Begin and Peace in the Valley. In many ways the lead singer reminded me of an early Michael Buble, with just enough Elvis in the mix to make it plausible and entertaining, but also enough of himself to keep it fresh and lively. He nailed Elvis’ voice from the early years, as well as the swagger and personality we would expect in an early Elvis tribute. The Silvertones mastered the musical presentation and were the perfect band to backup the energetic Elvis show. After a lengthy set, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of incredible music could bring to the table if he decided to record some original music. It took a leap of faith to bring Buble his first recording contract, let’s hope someone does the same for him. Headliners Paying Cash captured the essence of 1968 Johnny Cash in both attitude and skill, pairing perfectly with 57-58 Elvis – these were the “attitude” years for both superstars, and although a decade apart, they seemed musically aligned at these specific intervals. The lead singers 12-year old daughter joined him on stage for three June Carter duets, and later when he acoustically took on Cash’s death-bed hit Hurt with guitar and piano accompaniment. The singer looked exactly like Cash at various times when he was at the mic, but he was always perfect when it came to the movements and nuances that Cash had on stage. You could actually see the fire in his eyes during such attitude anthems as Cocaine Blues, Folsom Prison Blues and Cry, Cry, Cry. That fire and his voice were right on par with Joaquin Phoenix’s movie adaptation of Cash, The band itself was so close to the original backup band that they should change their name to The Windsor Three. The guitarist handled the lead guitar as if he invented those licks himself, bassist injected some humour when he wasn’t playing his stand-up bass and drummer provided a solid drum beat throughout. The only thing missing was that they weren’t dressed in full black suits like The Tennesee Three probably would have been.The superstar of the show was his daughter, who charmed the audience with her stunning voice and light-hearted personality – a combination that played out in a fun and charming take on June Carter Cash for three songs, including the infamous relationship-song Jackson. Her personality and voice matched well with her fathers and the duets were a standout moment, much as they were in the movie Walk The Line. Paying Cash is a well put together band that captures the young and rebellious Johnny Cash like none other. This was the era of Johnny Cash that fans love the most and rarely get to see on its own in a tribute show. Should The lead singer and Paying Cash ever decide to hit the studio, I wouldn’t be surprised if the results sounded much like early Blue Rodeo, mixed with some good old Johnny Cash.If these two bands do play together again, the Presley-Cash combination is a sure fire knock-out not to be missed."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Have seen this band twice now at Telfords wharehouse in Chester. They create a brilliant atmosphere that just gets the crowd dancing, you just can’t stand still. They are superb musicians and can’t wait to see them again when they’re back in Chester in May!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Absolutely brilliant band with a unique sound which provided the perfect ambience for our party! Highly recommended!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The band were great and our guests really didn't want to leave the dance floor at the end of the evening! What bigger praise can anyone give? Many thanks and we will be sure to book you again."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Nick and the boys did a fantastic job, the dance floor was full all night! Thank you soooo much!!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We have booked Leader twice now, once for our engagement party and then our wedding. Both occasions, they were great at helping us feel relaxed and knew exactly what they were doing as well as getting the crowd to move on the dancefloor. Most recently, at our wedding, it was so nice to fully relax as the evening came round and really enjoy it all. This was due to Leader and their complete trustworthy setlist. Each song, there was someone dancing, and the music flowed so well between their set list and the playlist in their breaks! Everyone complimented them to us at both occasions and they’ll be the first people we’ll recommend if people want a live band for their event. Thank you, again, for giving us beautiful memories and helping us all have a great night."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"NuPhamlee is a touch of class and big talent. They move and Grove until you just have to get up and dance. Very refreshing considering what today's music has come to. I wish them all the success."

Rating: 9 / 10 Share this review:

"Nick and the band are very very capable musicians of ensuring a good evening or day of music. Great group too. Would recommend getting them in to your pubs clubs gigs of all sorts for some fun and of course "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Cold Weather Company is an excellent band! We hired them for our downtown music series and received rave reviews. They're fun to listen to and engage well with the audience. Some people came specifically to hear them after discovering them on Spotify! They're also very professional and easy to deal with. Highly recommend!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We saw this band by chance when on holiday in Saint Jean de Luz: brilliant! Lots of Blues Brothers and classic soul for us oldies, smattered with newer numbers that the kids knew, but the combination worked for everybody. There was a group dancing rock and roll who appeared to have come just to boogie. The singers are young and dynamic, great energy and harmonies, and four horns for the full soul band effect. They kept if up for more than two hours, with the singers coming down into the crowd at the end to get people singing along and dancing. Fabulous evening and a great discovery."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Cheers Band were absolutely incredible. They offer different numbers of band members to cater to different styles (trio, quintet etc...) and the whole booking process was quick and simplistic. They also provide a clear list of songs that they have in their repertoire, with the option to specifically include/exclude favourites on the night. Their performance on the day itself was fantastic. They have great energy that encouraged many people to be on the dancefloor to enjoy the evening right until the end. They also handled our father/daughter and first dances very well, introducing each one respectively. My wife and I would totally recommend. Cheers Band are great value for money as well as being excellent performers required for an excellent party. Thankyou for an awesome evening!! Dom & Mere"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Das Brass was a blast at the Manchester city Fans zone at Wembley stadium. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"These guys were awesome! They played hits from different styles of music with an emphasis on classic rock, country and pop. They were in time and professional. I highly recommend them! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We booked The Cheers band for our wedding reception after hearing them at a friends wedding a few years back. The atmosphere the band provides is electric and keeps your guests on the dance floor the entire night, which was exactly what we wanted for our wedding. Ben Thornton, the band manager, is approachable and super helpful in accommodating all your requests no matter how difficult they may be. We asked to swap one of the Dj sets for some Greek music which was no trouble for them to do. On the night the band were happy even though our food had been delayed which sadly ate into their first set of playing time. The band took this in their stride and played so amazingly to get our guests up on the dance floor for all the remaining time we had left! Absolutely incredible and I would 100% recommend them and book them again🥂🍻"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We can’t thank you enough for helping to make the whole weekend so special, from Friday night outside the pub, to the beautiful songs in the quarry during the ceremony, to the fantastic performance in the tipi! Your energy and enjoyment was infectious and you went way beyond what we had requested with the numerous encores! We can’t tell you how many of our guests have commented how good you were and how they had never seen a band like you in terms of musicianship and the way you engaged. We will be sure to spread the word, but would also like to leave you some proper feedback – please let us know if there is somewhere particular you would prefer us to do that. We hope your pneumonia has cleared up or you are at least on the road to full recovery. Please pass on our gratitude to Matteo, Ollie and Kelpie. Very best wishes"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: