To say that 2015 has started with a bang is a major understatement. It took the independent Sound Check over a year to hit 100,000 readers and we hit 200,000 in just the first month and a half of 2015.
Our top stories of Q1 2015 included breaking the news of Luke Bryan in Ottawa and the 2015 Ottawa Bluesfest line-up as well as our coast to coast coverage of Dallas Smith's Tippin' Point Tour and Chad Brownlee's When the Lights Go Down tour not to mention our unprecedented concert coverage from New Country 94's welcome to Ottawa party with Dallas Smith to Florida Georgia Line and ZZ Top in Kingston. All of this and only in the first 3 months of 2015.
Here's a look at what's ahead from April to June 2015
April 2015
The concerts start early with the Moody Blues taking to the stage at Fallsview Casino at Niagara Falls for two nights April 1 and 2nd.
On April 2nd Neil Diamond takes to the stage at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto
If you are interested in singer/songwriter shows then the Joshua Bates Centre in Athens is the place for you on April 10 & 11th. Wynn Varble (Writer of Garth Brooks' song "Mom"), Max T Barnes (Writer of Colin Raye's #1 Hit "Love Me") and Kendell Marvel (Writer of Gary Allan's "Right Where I Need to Be") join local export Craig Curtis for two shows! (you may not know their names but I guarantee you'll know the songs!
Kenny Rogers makes an appearance in Ontario on April 10 and 11th with performances at Casino Rama
Kacey Musgraves comes to Ontario with her "Same Trailer Different Tour" for a couple of stops (Ottawa Centerpointe Theatre April 10 and Danforth Music Hall in Toronto on April 11)
Dan and Shay bring their "Where it All Began" Tour with Canaan Smith to the Mod Club in Toronto on April 14
Also on April 14, Gord Downie and the boys of the Tragically Hip play home ice with a show in Kingston at the K-Rock Centre
Emerson Drive Drive and Jordan McIntosh bring their hugely successful Tilt-A-Whirl Tour to Ontario for 3 stops in April (Barrie April 18, Oshawa April 19 and London April 20)
For all you fans of modern pop music out there, OneRepublic comes to Ontario with Lights in April starting with Ottawa on April 21 (London April 22, Toronto April 24, Sudbury April 25)
Art Garfunkel will be at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls for two nights starting April 24May 2015
May kicks off with a mix of classic and new. First up John McDermott kicks off his Southern Ontario run at the Brockville Arts Centre on May 1 and continues to shows in Barrie (May 2), Owen Sound (May 3), Sarnia May 4), Belleville (May 7), Cornwall (May 8), Kingston (May 9) and Peterborough (May 10)
Also on May 1 Brea Lawrenson releases her latest CD with a special show featuring Adrienne Taylor at the Algonquin Common Theatre at Algonquin College
And continuing the party on May 1 you may have heard here first that Luke Bryan was coming to Ontario, he brings with him Randy Houser and Dustin Lynch. He kicks off his Ontario run with a show in Hamilton on May 1 and then has shows in Ottawa (May 2) and London (May 3) before heading to Winnipeg for a show on May 4.
Also on May 1 and 2nd if you are in the GTA you can catch John Mellencamp at the Sony Theatre for Performing Arts
On May 2nd catch Ron Sexsmith live at Massey Hall in Toronto followed by a show at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on May 9
On May 4th rock and roll comes to Ottawa as 80's rockers Def Leopard roll into an open air concert at TD Place at Landsdowne Park if you live in South Western Ontario you'll be able to catch them in London on May 5th with Toronto dates coming later in the summer
On May 12th metal rockers VolBeat with guests Anthrax and Crobot make a stop in Oshawa followed by another open air concert at TD Place in Ottawa on May 13th
On May 12th the Counting Crows start an Ontario run in Hamilton that will also see them stop in Toronto (May 14) and Ottawa (May 17)
June 2015
June starts off with the first few visits to Ontario by Ed Sheeran - Ottawa June 3, London June 4 and Toronto June 6 (he returns to Toronto in the fall for a second show)
Also June 3 classic rock fans won't want to miss Boston live at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, they'll be there for two nights (June 3 & 4)
On June 6 Darius Rucker brings his Southern Style tour to Toronto with guests Brett Eldredge, Brothers Osborne and A Thousand Horses
June 12-13 sees the debut of Bestival Toronto with headliners Florence and the Machine
Also starting June 12th the tour that took Western Canada by storm earlier this year is coming to Ontario! Outlaws and Outsiders featuring Aaron Pritchette, Cory Marquardt and introducing King and Cash will play 6 shows in Ontario starting with Tweed June 12. The other dates are Oshawa June 13, Peterborough June 15, London June 16, Kingston June 17 and Barrie June 19
Fall Out Boy makes a stop at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto on June 17
Lady Antebellum along with Hunter Hayes and Sam Hunt visit the Amphitheatre on June 18 as part of their "Wheels Up Tour"
Also kicking off on June 18 is Amnesia Rockfest in Montebello, QC (just east of Ottawa), the event runs until June 21 and features System of a Down, Linkin Park, The Offspring, Slayer, Snoop Dogg, Rob Zombie and more
If Rockfest is a bit to heavy for you the annual TD Ottawa Jazz Festival runs June 18 - July 1 featuring performances from Steve Miller, Bruce Cockburn, Huey Lewis and the News, Beruit and more...
Shania Twain is coming back to Ontario this June starting June 19 and 20th for two nights in London Ontario. Other stops include Hamilton (June 22), Toronto (June 24 & 25) and Ottawa (June 27)
Also in Ottawa on June 25-28 is the annual Tim Horton's Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. One of the best FREE events of the summer takes place on beautiful Mooney's Bay Beach on the Rideau in Ottawa. The event features free performances by Tokyo Police Club, Hey Rosetta!, Craig Cardiff and more...
As you can see it's going to be a busy 3 months. We won't be able to cover all of the shows above but you can bet that we'll do our best to hit up most of them, especially the ones we are directly invited to cover.
To add to that list of shows watch for interviews with artists coming to Bestival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Dragonboat Festival, Ottawa Bluesfest and many more...
Here's to the next 100K! See you on the road!