It was a packed Friday night in Vaudeville Mews as Canadian rock duo The Blue Stones with special guest J.J. Wilde took the stage in this wonderful, seedy intimate venue. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect so here goes nothing. Luckily we made our way up to the very front for this show.
At Fong’s Pizza, which from what I hear is delicious gourmet pizza by the way, Tarek and Justin of The Blue Stones told me to buckle my seatbelt and get ready for the ride that is J.J. Wilde. Little did I know that the ride that she offered was packed full of emotions that one would feel on an emotional rollercoaster. Canada’s own J.J. Wilde took the stage as I was hyped up to see her(hyped up thanks to The Blue Stones).
J.J Wilde oozed of a charisma that is rarely seen in today’s frontwomen. She is full of sex appeal and just radiates of confidence yet there is a sense of vulnerability and emotion when she sings, yet she sounds so empowered when she sings. You’ll have to immerse yourself in her music to completely grasp what I’m talking about here. The backing band was incredibly on point, as each band member, whether it was the bassist/keyboardist or the guitarists or drummer put on a clinic when it comes to serving the song. J.J. Wilde was clearly the highlight of this while the band provided that beautiful canvas for her to paint her wild and vibrant colors with her voice. She made you feel, dance and empathize with her all in one breath. Case in point, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when she sang “Funeral For A Lover”, you felt the hurt and vulnerability in the song after she gave a beautiful speech on mental health awareness, which captured my heart. It was a rare time when I didn’t want the set to end, so I kept my phone in my pocket, thanked my lucky stars that I discovered her and thanked the heavens for the moments that I was given with her in the same room singing to us. This woman has the IT factor. She set the bar ridiculously high for The Blue Stones.
Tarek and Justin of The Blue Stones took the stage! I only heard the one song entitled “Shakin’ Off The Rust”, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just remember them being so gracious to me during the interview. INTERVIEW COMING THIS WEEK! You will love it I promise you! They opened with the one song I knew “Shakin’ Off The Rust”. Immediately hands were clapping and the crowd was singing to this song. Tarek is just a god of a frontman in terms of the way he played, the way he engaged the audience and you could feel every word he sang and every note that he played on the guitar. I must say that HE RIPS on the guitar. Justin compliments Tarek’s crazy energy well with his groovy style of drum playing with the drum fills. I remember someone shouting “now that’s a real drummer”, and I agreed with that man. A real drummer to me serves the song instead of tries to take over the song and Justin has that down to a science. Their harmony was ridiculous during the chorus of “Grim” and it got louder than I ever heard for a two-piece band during “Black Holes”. They closed the night with “Rolling With The Punches”. The Blue Stones are just so groovy, so infectious and just make their audience feel light on their feet.
Again, interview coming soon and The Blue Stones and J.J. Wilde remind me of why I love intimate shows so much more than the arena concerts! Soon enough, both will be packing auditoriums and arenas and I can’t wait for that day.
Check out The Blue Stones on tour:
Tue. 2/11- Schubas in Chicago, Illinois
Thu. 2/13- Top Cats in Cincinnati, Ohio
Fri. 2/14- Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sat. 2/15- The Hollow Bar & Kitchen in Albany, New York
Sun. 2/16- Chameleon Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Tue. 2/18- Milkboy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wed. 2/19- Rough Trade NYC in Brooklyn, New York
Thu. 2/20- Mohawk Place in Buffalo, New York
Fri. 2/21- The Basement in Columbus, Ohio
Sat. 2/22- Grog Shop in Cleveland, Ohio
Thu. 3/12- Park Theatre in Winnipeg, Canada
Fri. 3/13- The Exchange in Regina, Canada
Wed. 3/18- Better Than Fred’s in Grande Prairie, Canada
Thu. 3/19- Bo’s Bar & Grill in Red Deer, Canada
Fri. 3/20- Starlite Room in Edmonton, Canada
Sat. 3/21- The Gateway in Calgary, Canada
Mon. 3/23- The Blue Grotto in Kamloops, Canada
Tue 3/24- Sapphire Nightclub in Kelowna, Canada
Wed. 3/25- Capital Ballroom in Victoria, Canada
Thu. 3/26- Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, Canada
Fri. 6/5- Saint Louis Music Park in Maryland Heights, Missouri
For tickets and further information on any of the gigs listed above, click here.
Fans can check out The Blue Stones at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/thebluestonesmusic
www.instagram.com/thebluestones
