Photo contributed

 “Telling LGBT stories of love has been a focus of our music since the beginning.” says Sugarbeach’s lesbian singer / songwriter, Marlee Walchuk. “We feel that although many aspects of our community are represented in the media, not nearly enough give us a glimpse of solid, loving relationships.

The openly out and married music duo, Marlee Walchuk and Tully Callendar reflected upon their own ‘love at first sight’ in their latest single, Led Me To You.

“I am so grateful for all the experiences that I had to have before I could be ready to be in this wonderful relationship,” said Callender. “It always amazes me how many things had to line up to make sure that we met and fell in love. It was no easy feat considering I lived in Australia and Marlee lived in Canada…oh and I was straight!”

Produced by Sugarbeach and Jim Walchuk, the song’s energy and ‘feel good’ message is pure Sugarbeach and is a more personal follow up to their gay anthems, “Living Out Proud’ and their 2011 North American Outgames theme song, “Come On Out.”

Winners of Song of the Year for both 2010 and 2011 on the OutVoice Top 40 Charts and 3 Pride in the Arts Awards from the Stonewall Society, Sugarbeach once again endorse a positive form of activism with their new single, Led Me to You.

“We hope that people take away the message from Led Me to You that our life experiences and choices have led us to where we are supposed to be and who we are supposed to be and there is no room in that for regret,” continued Callender.

• To Listen: http://soundcloud.com/sugarbeach/led-me-to-you
• To Buy: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/led-me-to-you-single/id525354333

CONTEST

Enter for a chance to win one of two Sugarbeach prize packages including a Sugarbeach tshirt, autographed Not Deserted album, and I Just Love Girls EP.

To enter this contest, subscribe to myWebbSite.ca (located in the top right hand corner).

Receive additional entries by doing the following after you have subscribed:

1. Tweet the following about the contest: “I entered for a chance to win an @sugarbeachmusic prize package from @br_webb #LedMeToYou http://ow.ly/aWj1u”
2. Leave a contest on this blog post on how you met your significant other.

Contest closes at 5:00pm PST, Sunday, May 20, 2012. One random drawn winner will be announced on this blog post on or before Monday, May 21, 2012.

Read the complete contest rules.

This summer, some of the hottest acts including Marianas Trench, Joe Jonas, One Republic, Dragonette, Cobra Starship, and Carly Rae Jepson, are coming to perform at Playland from July 6-8, 2012.

The teen-targeted music festival is the first-ever of its kind in North America. All together there will be 21 exciting live concerts, seven each day over the three day event.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer this incredible teen summer music festival and believe it will be a great way for youth to kick-off the summer season,” said Mike McDaniel, President and CEO, Pacific National Exhibition.  “We think it’s a fantastic addition to our summer programming at Playland and will be a great lead in to our 17-day Summer Night Concert Series that happens nightly during the Fair at the PNE.”

The PNE amphitheater stage acts include Dragonette, Carly Rae Jepsen, Marianas Trench, Danny Fernandes, Gym Class Heroes, OneRepublic, Hot Chelle Rae, Joe Jonas and Cobra Starship.

Park Stage acts: DiRTY Radio, Kaylee Johnston, Neverest, The Proper Villains, Jackie Valentine, Eric Solomon, Kristina Maria, Jesse Giddings, Victoria Duffield, and The New Cities.

Single and multi-day concert ticket holders will have full access to all the rides at Playland too.

Tickets are now on sale through Ticket Leader or and the PNE. Single Day tickets are $59 for Bleachers, $89 for Floor and $129 for VIP.  Three day Festival Passes are $159 for Bleachers, $229 for Floor and $329 for VIP.

Three years after winning top prize in the inaugural season of Canada’s biggest LGBT talent competition, Queer Idol, R&B musician, Stacey Tennen, has released her first single, Partner in Crime.

The catchy debut song showcases Stacey’s impressive vocal range and powerful voice. Stacey co-wrote Partner in Crime with Juno award winner Gavin Bradley.

“I wanted to create a song that everyone would enjoy,” Stacey explained. “That’s the beauty of music – you can write a song about a lesbian relationship that a hetrosexual guy in Timmins would relate to. To me, the best way to educate others is by show them we’re really not that different.

Her influences include Mariah Carey, a mainstream musician who has found success even after coming out about her sexuality.

“Nobody should have to hide who they are to be successful,” Stacey said.  “I am very proud of who and what I am but I want to create music that will appeal to masses.”

“The music industry has always had lingering, unspoken rule that artists need to be tight-lipped about their sexual orientation,” explained Spectra Producer, Ralph Hamelmann. “Given the size of Canada’s LGBT community and its infrastructure, I believe there’s a market for LGBT recording artists. But frankly, I’d hate to see Stacey pigeon-holed as a ‘lesbian singer’. She’s a phenomenal talent who can easily become a mega-star.”

Photo contributed

Remember the 80’s when synthesizers pop-music was big? The sounds are back in a new way thanks to the creative talents of Canadian band, What Happened to Grandma, who just released their debut music video, Memories.

Brothers Alex and Matt were separated when they were young kids, but in 2010 they were re-united and they quickly found they had a common bond over music. Their creative juices started to flow and so did their music.

Although the lyrics can be dark, the vocals are filled with attitude and the instrumentals are full of energy.

For a limited time, Memories, is available as a free music download.

Tyrell Withspoon will be competing for over $5,000 in prizes at the BMO Vancouver Marathon Community Music Challenge

Having performed at the Vancouver 2011 North American Outgames and Vancouver Pride, local singer Tyrell Witherspoon is up for any music challenge, including participating in the BMO Vancouver Marathon Community Music Challenge.

This is the first time the BMO Vancouver Marathon has showcased seventeen local, amateur musical groups, choirs and bands to motivate runners as part on-course entertainment. Participants also have an opportunity to win up to $5,000 dollars in prizes.

“I really love the opportunity to showcase my music and be a part of this inaugural event,” Tyrell said with much enthusiasm. “I’m really excited to get the crowd pumped and support the runners, especially the 15 thousand runners making their way towards the finish. I think my music is a good fit for this kind of event.”

Tyrell has appeared on the CW’s hit series “Hellcats” and recently released his debut EP “Dance With Me”.  His upbeat music will keep runners moving and on pace come race day.  He plans to perform some of his new songs including, “One Step Closer” and “Superhero”.

Tyrell performs on Sunday, May 6, 2012, at Second Beach in Stanley Park from 7:30am till 11:30am.

Named after a small gold-rush town from the early 1900’s, the rock band, Hedley, just wrapped up their Canadian tour promoting their latest album, Storm, this past weekend in Vancouver, BC.

The concert was held at Rogers Area in downtown Vancouver. From screaming young girls to couples in their early thirties, and family and friends of the band, the two-hour set was filled with passion and praise from the band members to all their Vancouver fans and supporters.

As the rolled through their four albums going back to 2004, they spanned a variety of music styles. Their chart-topping songs including Cha-Ching, She’s So Sorry, Own My Own, Don’t Talk to Strangers, Invincible, and One Life, all proved to be very popular with the crowd.

Lead singer, Jacob Hoggard, founded the band before his appearance on Canadian Idol, which he dropped out of to focus on the band and not just his own personal music career.

Hedley has toured across North America with Simple Plan, Faber Drive, MxPx, Nickelback and Bon Jovi. Hedley’s next tour starts again on the east coast in May.

Creating an atmosphere of positive energy and motivating the crowd are how musicians and DJ’s work their magic. The organizers of the BMO Vancouver Marathon want to harness the creativity of local amateur musicians to create a festive and exciting race experience. They call it the Community Music Challenge, and like the half and full marathon courses, it is all new for 2012.

On Sunday, May 6, as 15,000 participants of the half and full marathons run through the neighbourhoods of Vancouver on their journey to the finish line. The race organizers want to showcase local music talent, give them a chance to win thousands of dollars in prize money, and the opportunity to receive great exposure through the event.

Along each course there will be designated music stations to inspire and encourage race participants and to entertain event spectators and volunteers.

Applications are now being accepted from amateur music groups, choirs, school and local amateur bands, dance groups, cultural and heritage musicians, and DJ’s to participate in the Community Music Challenge.

All groups selected to participate in the 2012 BMO Vancouver Marathon will be listed on the marathon website, receive up to $100 towards equipment rental (if required), mentions in media and social media, and an invitation to attend the Community Celebration Party.

Groups will be judged in three categories:

• Energy and spirit (35%)
• Uniqueness and creativity (35%)
• Spectator atmosphere (30%)

Prizes include:

• 1^st Place: $1,500
• 2^nd Place: $1,200
• 3^rd Place: 800
• Honourable Mention: 3 winners, $500 each.

The top three winners will be invited to play at the Community Celebration Party, VIP / Volunteer Captain night.

To top it off, each performing group may submit a song for the Community Music Challenge Playlist, which will be made available for all runners and the community.

Most people will remember the famous 2009 campaign by Tourism Queensland,  “The Best Job in the World”, where applicants used social media to apply for the position with the end result of having a full-time job raising awareness of the Great Barrier Reef to increase tourism to the region.

Canadian, Mitchell Moffit, was voted second place in the world-wide competition after receiving over 65,000 votes after he created a mini-musical video expressing why he should win. Watch the Mitchell Moffit Tourism Queensland Musical Video

With his passion for music and new-found knowledge and appreciation for marketing he dedicated the next two years of his life working on his next adventure; creating his first EP.

Mitchell began writing his own music and preparing for his debut solo EP, 01. It is a columniation of is works over a two-year period.

“I grew up in a really musically family – my mom sang, played piano and guitar, and naturally had all us kids enrolled in lessons,” Mitchell said. “While I’ve fiddled around on most instruments throughout my life, piano has always been my bread and butter.”

Mitchell used his keyboard talents to produce the drum sounds tied to specific notes by using patches of programs. He admits it is a bit of a run-around, but it got the job done and he had fun doing it.

“All of the songs were written, recorded and produced by myself,” Mitchell explained. “Since it was my first EP I really wanted to just experiment and see what I could come up with. I had been writing a lot of songs, somewhat struggling to define my sound.”

Mitchell struggled with creating his first EP because there is not one genre that fits is personal style and he wanted to create an album that enveloped a variety of styles.

“The EP is called ‘01’ not only because it’s my first, but it represents the nature of opposites and the duality of life and death,” Mitchell described. “When we strip nature down to it’s core, it tends to be binary on a certain level. The EP goes through not necessarily the physical, but instead the psychological life and death, from the perspective of somebody who is maybe a quarter-way through his life.”

Mitchell’s debut EP, 01, is currently available as a free download on his website.

From Grey’s Anatomy to CSI: New York, the five member indie rock band, Scars on 45, from Bradford, Yorkshire, England, is poised on the brink of success, especially after touring across North America in early 2012 with The Fray.

The band first got together in 2007 and in January 2011 had their first EP,  Give me Something, land in the top 5 of the Adult Alternative Charts and was recognized as one of the “Top 3 Singles of the Year” by Amazon.com. Their second EP, featuring “Heart on Fire”, was released on October 24, 2011.

On April 12, 2012, they will release their self-titled debut album and will start their next tour with Ingrid Michaelson in the following month.

Scars on 45 recently performed in Vancouver, opening for The Fray.

In 1997, the then teen pop-rock band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hanson, hit #1 on the charts in 27 countries with their hit song, MMMbop. The trio, Isaac, Taylor and Zachary, just wrapped up a 13 city Canadian tour from Vancouver to Montreal, promoting their new album, Shout It Out.

Hanson has sold over 16 million albums around the world, have eight top 40 hits in the UK and six in the United States. Throughout their music career they have  raised funds and supported charitable causes, including raising funds for AIDS research and prevention in Africa.

On Sunday, February 26, piano-rock band, The Fray, performed in front of a packed audience at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver. Original band members and best friends, Isaac Slade and Joe King formed the band back in 2002 and by 2005 released their debut album How To Save A Life, featuring the chart topping, hit single by the same title.

Lead singer, Isaac Slade, who was inspired after his experience of mentoring a crack-addicted teenager, wrote the song, How To Save A Life.

“He was a recovering addict, coming out of a really tough teenage life,” Isaac described. “The song is more of a memoir about his slow motion decent and all the relationships he lost along the way. It is the easiest one for me to sing every night.”

Just like Isaac, I was once also a mentor, not for drug-addicted youth, but for youth who were struggling with adversity and coming out. I was a mentor for YouthGlo, a support program for youth in the North Okanagan who were struggling with LGBT issues.

During my time with YouthGlo I met many great teenagers from the area, all with different comfort levels and issues they were combating in their day-to-day lives. Issues like self-acceptance, family dynamics, bullying, coming out, and their own sexuality.

It wasn’t until years later I realized just what an influence I had made on the lives of some of the youth I had mentored. It was particularly apparent when one young man I had previously mentored connected with me through social media.

“I met Brian when I was 14,” said Ryan. “At the time I had no idea the impact he would have on my life. He let me ask him anything and was open to talk about whatever was on my mind. He answered all of my questions without hesitation; without judgment.”

As a mentor, I was able to help Ryan with the challenges he faced at home and in school.

“With Brian’s help, high school became easier,” Ryan explained. “When I came out, Brian was there to support me. He showed me that being gay is not wrong, as some people in school wanted me to believe.”

Five years later after Ryan and I had re-connected as adults, it once again became evident on how I had again become a role model for him.

“He helped me accept myself,” Ryan said. “He has always been there for me, as a mentor and a friend. He taught me that having humility and helping others is an important part of our LGBT community. Thanks to Brian, I am strong and am the man I am today. He taught me never to be afraid.”

Today, I am so proud of Ryan and the strides he has made. Although I might not have saved an individuals life, I find comfort knowing I have helped guide others on their journey to lead healthy, prosperous, and fulfilling lives.

Just as Isaac put it, we all can do our part. In case you need to hear it again… How To Save A Life

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it’s just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
You begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you’ve told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you…

Canadian music producer, Dirty Deeds, is set to release his new album, Let’s Be Friends, on March 6, 2012, and to get people excited he will be releasing a series of seven provocative, “dirty” videos where the models are naked.

Featured on Dirtydeeds.tv, the seven videos (censored and non-censored versions), being released have people playing kids games including Hungry Hungry Hippos and Tetherball.

Videos will be released when the goal of “Likes” and shares over Facebook and Twitter (#letsbefriends and @dirtydeedsdottv) are reached. Considering most people like bouncing, naked people, it’s anticipated that people will share these videos quickly.

Let’s Be Friends, under the label C4ENT, includes a range of music from hip hop to erotic dubstep, better described as “a robot invader kidnapping and seducing this hot chick from a band,” according to beatmaster Didier Tovel, Creative Director at Apolloa Studios Toronto.

Band members include: Maya Killtron (vocals), Harry Knazan (drums, keys), Mark James (keys, programming) and Rene G. (guitar, brass). Additional special guests will be revealed at the launch of the album.

“Call me maybe by Carly Rae Jepson is possibly the catchiest song I’ve ever heard lol” tweeted Canadian music super-star, Justin Bieber.

Juno nominated Carly Rae Jepson has spend the last seven years pursuing her music career in what she terms a rollercoaster ride. After releasing two albums, she’s now on the road on a cross-Canada tour promoting her new album set to release on Valentine’s Day, Curiosity.

The original tweet from Justin Bieber on December 30 was followed up by a second tweet with a video that was filmed on an airplane of two friends who were clearly enjoying Carly’s now famous song.

“Look how happy this song makes people @thatrygood and @ashbenzo call me maybe? www.twitvid.com/AO49T” tweeted Justin Bieber.

Carly Rae Jepson and I after her first top on her Canadian tour in Vancouver on January 23, 2012

So what does Carly think about these tweets sent by Bieber?

“It was great news,” Carly exclaimed. “It’s been exciting. I am grateful to Justin for saying it.”

Justin’s girlfriend, Salena Gomez also shared the love for Carly’s song with this tweet:

“This smile is because of Carly Rae Jepson. We have not stopped listening to your song girl!”

As if that wasn’t enough, not only has “Call Me Maybe?” gone platinum but it has also hit #1 on the digital billboard.

So far 2012 has started off great for Carly Rae Jepson, who lives in Mission, BC. To see if Carly will be in your city on her current cross-Canada tour, visit her website.

Oh, and if you have not seen the Call Me Maybe music video yet, you can check it out here. It’s epic.

Youthink, a Vancouver based youth news publication, is asking for the publics help to find out who you think is BC’s best teen band. From now until February 20, the public is encouraged to go online and cast their vote for one of ten pre-selected BC-based teen bands. The top three finalists will go on to compete in April for the title.

On of the lucky contestants is Canadian singer and songwriter, Hailey Morgan.

“I’ve made it into the BC’s Best Teen Band Contest for the second year running and it feels absolutely awesome to be back in the Top 10!” Hailey explained. “It’s always great to be recognized as an accomplished artist, especially in such a talented music scene as the one we have here in BC.”

Hailey, who is now 17 years old, started her singing career in her early teens. She quickly discovered her unique music style and vocal abilities. The songs Hailey has written and had produced have themes ranging from self-discovery right through true-love and romance.

Hailey has two songs that have been professionally recorded and received significant air-time, You & Me, and Let Go.

“Winning the contest would be fantastic and holding the title of “BC’s Best Teen ‘Artist’ 2012″ would be pretty amazing as well!” Hailey said. “It’s also my last ”teen” year to enter so I’m definitely aiming for Top 3 this time around.”

You can vote for Hailey each day on the YouThink website at http://bandcontest.youthink.ca. Votes goes until February 20, 2012.

Valentines Day 2012 will be a special day for couples, and an extra special day for fans of folk-pop singer, Carly Rae Jepson, as she releases her album, Curiosity.

Produced by 604 Records/Universal Music Canada, the new album features “Call Me Maybe”, which has already been certified Gold and currently sits in the Top 10 at radio. The song has also reached #1 on the iTunes Song Chart and the video is in POWER rotation at MuchMusic. Jepsen co-wrote “Call Me Maybe” with Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench, and Tavish Crowe.

Carly will be on a 13-stop tour from January 23 to February 10 across Canada with Hanson. Complete tour information is available on her website.

In November 2010, hit American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West teamed up to begin recording their album titled, Watch the Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011. The album debuted at number one of the US Billboard 200 chart, selling an outstanding 436,000 copies in its first week.

The album incorporates both orchestral and progressive rock influences, along with over-the-top melodies. The album was certified platinum by the R.I.A.A., and sold 1,144,000 copies in the United States by December 2011.

Jay-Z and Kanye took their Watch the Throne album on tour across the United States and Canada from October to December 2011. It is now considered one of the top-ranked albums of 2011 by many critics and publications.

The Watch the Throne tour was held in Vancouver, BC on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18, 2011 at Rogers Arena. The aggressive, New York City, gangster-rap style concert was well attended. Concert goers were treated to over 2.5 hours of non-stop, action-packed lyrics by the duelling rappers.

The American produced show hit a sore spot with many of the concert attendees when a giant American flag was revealed towards the beginning of the show. Jay-Z also wore an American flag bandana from his back pocket for the entire concert.

It was no wonder these guys were sweating – it wasn’t from their non-stop performances or the head from the lights – each one was covered in gold bling; from rings and bracelets, to chains and watches.

The lighting effects, lasers, and pyrotechnics were all executed with precision and care. The sound system was well tuned and every word was crystal clear.

The theme of the visual effects was very aggressive – often featuring fangs of angry dogs, wolves, leopards and lions. Other symbols including police chases, animal killings and atom bombs were used to set the tone of the show.

The band was carefully tucked away towards the back of the stage so the entire focus would be on Jay-Z and Kanye.

Each artist has their own sets to feature their own music and their unique styles. There was the main stage where they performed together, and separate smaller stages on risers at each the front and centre of the arena floor – bringing the rappers closer to their fans.

Throughout the show the artists kept the well-behaved crowd entertained and with the feeling like two they were listening to their two homie brothers rapping old school style.

Since the age of six, when his mother put him into piano lessons, Jeffery Straker has been into music. The Canadian singer / songwriter / pianist from small town Saskatchewan released his third album in June 2011, Under the Soles of my Shoes.

“I studied classical piano until I was 19,” Jeffery explained. “By then I was practicing 4 hours a day; I was quite obsessed with it, learning big concertos, sonatas and the like.”

Jeffery took a short break from music to study science at university but returned to music to fulfill is passion for pop and folk music , and to begin writing his own music.

“I’m a folk-pop singer-pianist and my music has a cabaret twist,” Jeffery said as he described his music style. “There are a lot of singer-songwriters out there, most play guitar, fewer play piano and even fewer have cabaret as and element in their sound.  Some of my songs are more classically influenced, but still maintain a pop sensibility.”

Jeffery’s biggest personal music achievement was performing an orchestral debut with a full symphony – the Regina Symphony Orchestra.

“We performed to a sold out house of 2000 people and it was a pretty special night for me,” Jeffery explained. “Those things just don’t happen on their own. Someone didn’t just call me one day and say ‘would you play with our orchestra’.”

Jeffery is now focused on finishing his next album set for release in early 2012. It was recorded at the CBC studios in Toronto and it is being produced by singer/songwriter/producer, Danny Michel.

“I’ll be touring all across Canada in 2012, there is talk of more orchestra shows too,” explained Jeffery. “My aim is to have a new album out each year for the next 5 years and hopefully continue to grow my audiences.”

Jeffery’s music is available on iTunes and YouTube. You can follow him on Twitter, Like him on Facebook, and connect with him on MySpace.

Carly Rae Jepsen – Media Club – December 2, 2010

Local singer-songwriter Carly Rae-Jepsen performed for a hometown crowd at The Media Club in Vancouver.
Surrounded by family & friends Carly Rae’s perky demeanor and want personality enhanced the energy of the room.
Performing a selection of hit from her debut album “Tug Of War” as well as tracks from here upcoming second album “Curiosity”. Her casual and angling banter between songs gave glimpses into the story behind the songs. Including a heartwarming story of how the song “Just A Step Away”, written by her father to his new bride ad sung to a young Carly Rae as a bedtime tune, became included on her album.
A small intimate setting with a local supportive audience, this show at The Media Club felt almost like we were almost watching her perform at home for family as I’m sure she did as a young girl. This was truly a treat to be able to feel part of her ‘inner circle’ as she wrapped her audience in the warmth of her fresh and fun pop sound.

Returning to the stage later in the evening for a duet with headliner Andrew Allen gave us another chance to hear her but I’m sure most of the audience will be waiting to see her again as she develops into an even bigger star than she is now.

Saskatchewan Roughriders fans are among the most diehard in the CFL, so what better way to get the parties started that to feature Regina-born Roughrider fan Colin James in concert during the Grey Cup festivities.

Friday night, Molson Canadian House was jam packed with football fans of all teams ready to kick the weekend off with a party.  The Vancouver Convention Centre was home to a number of CFL team booster clubs’ parties and sponsor activities.  Meanwhile downstairs, Molson Canadian had transformed 90,000 square feet of the convention hall into the ultimate tail gate party.

Thousands of fans descended upon the picnic table lined hall and surrounded the stage for the first of three nights of performances. Friday night was headlined by local rocker Colin James.  Although he presently calls Vancouver home, he was born a prairie boy and a Roughrider at heart.  He admitted to being a bit torn, supporting Riderville but also wanting the hometown team to pull through…at least his ‘Riders weren’t playing.

Taking the stage with a full band James tore into the set and revved up the crowd with a set filled with classics from throughout his 25 year career. The multi-coloured fans set aside their team rivalries for a night of good fun, good music and of course Molson Canadian.

Noah & The Whale – Venue – Nov 18, 2011

Lead Singer Charlie Fink

Returning to Vancouver for the second time this year, Noah & The Whale graced the stage at Venue. Suited and booted, the dapper looking quintet performed songs from their 3 albums but the largest applause of the evening was saved for the recent singles like “Tonight’s The Kind Of Night” and “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N”.

Jumping right into the set the Twickenham group’s lead singer Charlie Fink chatted a little between songs, telling the crowd song titles and little insights. The audience was heavily college aged and the youthful excitement of seeing the band in such a small intimate venue spread throughout the crowd.

The only downfall of the evening came after the end of the hour long main set. After ending on a high-energy note the band’s encore of two ballads drained the energy out of the audience and left us wishing we’d left before the encore. However, that won’t stop me from seeing them next time they come to town.