This past Thursday night Jess Moskaluke blew the doors off the Phoenix. Well, what was left of them anyway.
The night was packed with some of Canada's top emerging country artists along with the reigning CCMA Female Artist of the Year. KX Country put on the first Bright Lights Big Country concert series back in May with the likes of Dani Strong, Tebey and The Eli Young Band playing host to the inaugural event. Well this time around someone got a little smarter and added a few more artists onto the line up. The only real downer of the night was that some of those talented individuals only got 1 song. (Next time it should be a 3 song minimum) there was too much dead time on the stage and could have easily had those acoustic fillers do 3 songs in my personal opinion.
Kicking the night off was Nashville resident Jesse Labelle. Jesse had 30 min on stage to kick the show off in fine form. Having seen Jesse on a couple of the Three's A Party tour stops. I knew that giving Jesse 30 min in a venue with a crowd like this was going to give him an opportunity to win the room over. I think he did just that. A solid set along with a visit from best friend and half of Autumn Hill, Mike Robins joined Jesse on stage for a rousing rendition of Love Somebody by Keith Urban. If you haven't seen or heard Jesse Labelle we suggest you treat your ears to this guys tunes.
Next up was Alberta's own Sykamore lighting the stage up with her amazing new cut Houseboat. For those of you wondering who this young lady is . We are sure you are going to be hearing a lot more from her. With only one song it was tough to get a feeling of how an entire set would sound. I can tell you it left me intrigued and really hoping she comes back to the GTA for a longer set in 2016 and would be an ideal candidate for the very sparse on females Boots and Hearts 2016.
Then we had the very talented Lovelocks take command of the room. Now here is a band that I still don't understand why they aren't being played on the radio a bit more often. If you have seen a live show you will understand why I am puzzled. These girls know how to entertain. And tonight with 30 min they really kept the pace going and definitely won over a few new fans. The ladies have a real command of the stage and put everything into each performance. With the new single Born To Love being the real standout of the set, I can't wait to see the girls again soon.
Newmarket native Dani Strong was next to hit the Thrust stage and with one shot to get the crowd turned onto your music I personally was impressed with what she did on stage. We hope to spend a little time with Dani in the new year catching up on what 2016 has in store for her and we are excited to see what is in the works.
Now it was time for B.C's Madeline Merlo to hit the stage. For those of you tuning into KX Radio on a regular basis will know that Honey Jack, Madelines current single is getting plenty of attention. Tonight was my first chance to catch a real full set from Miss Merlo and boy can she sing. Would love to see this young woman take the stage for 60 min and see what she can do with a full set. Running through a solid set with tracks such as Sinking Like A Stone, Alive and of course Honey Jack had the crowd singing right along. I remember talking to a couple standing beside me asking if Madeline plays often in the GTA as it was their first time seeing such incredible talent. Guess that means we need to bring the West Coast into the GTA a bit more often with acts like JoJo Mason and Washboard Union also on the West Coast. Canada is full of talent and Madeline is proving that her Emerging Artist win at the CCMA's this year that the West Coast has plenty to offer.
The last of the one song sets was Mr. Eric Ethridge. And I have to say this guy was tops on my list for the night for the opening acts. There is just a charisma about him that the crowd seems to be drawn to. Playing a new song for the crowd isn't easy but when it's just you and a guitar sometimes the true feeling of a song comes out. Eric really nailed it on Thursday night and I hope opened some eyes in the industry that this guy is the real deal. Being so caught up in the song we totally missed getting a quick 30 sec glimpse into his set....Next time and don't be shy check out all his amazing YouTube stuff. He really nailed Honey I'm Good as well as his new release as well. Check it out here.
Then it was time for CCMA Female Artist of the Year Jess Moskaluke. Now I might be a little bised on this one, seeing Jess numerous times over the course of the last couple years. I think I said it awhile back but this girl honestly gets better with each performance. To have a crowd this large in Toronto out to see her perform had to feel pretty special. With success happening world-wide for this amazingly talented young woman it's no surprise that the crowd was singing along to Jess's current single Kiss Me Quite along with half the other songs in her set. It wasn't till the last song of the night when the crowd had a bit of a surprise up on stage. Chad Brownlee joined Jess for her encore and to really leave the crowd wanting more. My standout song for Jess had to be what kicked it all all for her, Cheap Wine and Cigarettes is so good live!
What a great night of music..Huge thanks to #KXCountry for having us and as always the amazing hosts at The Phoenix Concert Theatre for being such an amazing venue to shoot at. Check out some more amazing pics of the night below. And a HUGE thanks to Scott Burns Images for snapping some special moments from the night.
More Pics...
Well if your reading this you must really be bored... So I was born and raised in a small town and have a thirst for good Canadian Whiskey and amazing Country Music.
