Recording: Richard Laviolette

Artist: Richard Laviolette

Songs: Florence and Delilah + Saved By Rock'n'Roll

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 11, 2022.

Richard Laviolette - Florence and Delilah

Richard Laviolette - Saved By Rock'n'Roll

Showing off a full set of new songs, Richard Laviolette surrounded himself (as is his wont) with the happy chaos of a sprawling band — "a little destruction will make you whole," as he'd comment in "Saved By Rock'n'Roll". It was most pleasing to see the group (including old fave Jordan Howard on guitar) bringing some real rock power — wearing a Sappy Fest hat, "Sappy Fest hat" might be the most accurate genre tag for this music. But if you wanted something a bit more concrete to hang on it, you could do worse than to pick up on the hints of Uncle Neil's ragged glory — though not so much Crazy Horse as Stray Gators was the vibe here as Laviolette rocked back and forth and let the sounds flow around his elegantly dark visions.

Recording: Rich Burnett

Artist: Rich Burnett

Song: Crippled Station Blues

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 11, 2022.

Rich Burnett - Crippled Station Blues

Fergus, Ontario's Rich Burnett was on hand to drum in Richard Laviolette's band, which also gave him an opportunity to start the afternoon off with an acoustic set of his own songs. The set drew from some recent tunes, as well as from The Fog (released on the cusp of the pandemic), including this real-life grey-period tale of working in a car rental depot at Union Station.