As their name suggests, Tremendous Dynamite are powerful 4 piece musical unit producing sounds that are perfect for blasting from your stereo! Their second release aptly titled “Invitation” happens to be the first full length CD featuring the new line up of the band which includes: Nick Piche (Lead Vocals & Guitar), Mike Posthumus (Lead Guitar & Bkgd Vocals), Kevin Blair (Bass & Backing Vocals) and Paul Roozendaal (Drums). The 11 track disc begins with the title track that packs a powerful 1 – 2 punch combination of raging rock that resembles Radiohead meets the Chilli Peppers. Piche’s vocal phrasing is reminiscent of earlier Bowie on this track that sets a perfect pace for this album packed with guitar heavy tracks.  The tight and powerful interaction of the band is obvious on every track of “Invitation” as drummer extraordinaire Paul Rosenthal and Bassist Kevin Blair add the perfect ingredients to enhance TD’s powerful delivery if not push it right over the top. These two veterans of the Westman music scene provide a solid platform for Posthumus and Piche to consistently let powerful riffs fly from. Indeed this commanding and cohesive group have composed a disc packed full of potent beats and riffs! Turn your stereo up to 10 and have a listen to the riff and roll arrangement of Over the Edge (track 2) for an exceptional example of this. However it’s not all serious business on Invitation as the guys prove how playful yet punchy they can be on the Danko Jones like “Basement Ghost Blues” perfectly placed in the track 3 position of the album. The crunching guitars and bouncy beat combine to create a persistently pulverizing effect that drives home the angst within every word Piche spews during the chorus demanding that he indeed has a mean case of “THE BASEMENT GHOST BLUES”!! This particular selection provides the perfect soundtrack for a killer mosh pit scene! For me it’s one of the many highlights on the album which there are many. There are enough memorable musical moments on “Invitation” that propel the listening experience. The twin guitar interplay is outstanding on several tracks including the outro sections of Drinks are Cheap and Watching The Paint Dry (Tracks 4 & 5). The comical “Style is Everything” (Track 6) displays Piche’s skillful blend of spoken work and singing style that adds the perfect flair for this track. Could it perhaps be aimed at an unsuspecting member of the peanut gallery? Desert Walk (Track 7) is reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine meets Rush with its crushing combination of a plodding section that contains a wall of raunchy riffs and fantastic drum fills that transitions seamlessly into a galloping progressive section. Your Madness (Track 8) the darkest and perhaps heaviest track on the album showcases Piche’s penchant for a spoken word singing style that really paints the gloomy picture this track portrays, the vocal delivery suggest a Grohlesque sneer that helps drive the point home. This selection also displays the band’s ability to effectively punctuate a composition in every section. Get a load of how they set up the guitar solo section. It produces an ass kicking jolt that any hard rock fan would appreciate. Leaves and Whisper (Tracks 9 & 10) are two more prime examples of the guitar heavy riff rockers this band is aptly capable of. Something Red (Track 11) is a perfect way to end this musical journey. It ideally encompasses the efforts which came from the countless hours this band invested during recording sessions in Garageland Studios located in Brandon’s west end. What starts off as a moody mid tempo acoustic track laced with tasty bass and guitar arpeggios, leads into a pleasing chord change complete with a straight ahead riff. The aforementioned change up provides the perfect foundation for the coda of this composition that comes complete with smoldering guitar work and flourish of drum fills overlapped with the vocal refrain of “it’s all the same”! Interestingly enough this is actually the most dissimilar track on the disc but turns out to be the perfect way to wrap things up and it may have you singing along before the final fade out…    Not only does Tremendous Dynamite deliver in the studio, they are also a blast to see live! Your next opportunity to check out their intense riff rock blast to your senses is April 15th & 16th at the 40. They’ll be ripping it up on stage during the official CD release bash for “Invitation”. The evening kicks off with an instrumental set by Brandon’s newest power trio “The Daughters of Creation” lead by guitarist extraordinaire Matt Cory and you are invited to join in on what should prove to be an outstanding live music experience. Invitation track listing: Invitation Over the edge Basement ghost blues Drinks are cheap Watching the paint dry Style is everything Desert walk Your madness Leaves Whisper Something Red

Brandon Troyanda School of Ukrainian Dance 2016 Festival WHEN: Friday, April 15: 9 am – 11 pm Saturday, April 16: 8 am – 10:30 pm Sunday, April 17: 8 am – 5 pm WHERE:    Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium 205-20th Street WHY:         This bi-annual competition is a celebration of Ukrainian dance that showcases the artistic and cultural expressions of this form of dance. This year over 1000 dancers and instructors from 39 clubs throughout Manitoba & Saskatchewan will attend! We will showcase more than 440 dances – this is our biggest competition to date. The club began hosting the event in 2000.       We welcome members of the general public to attend to enjoy the culture (various displays and vendors), the dancing and the music.   Admission Fees: Friday $10 Saturday $10 Sunday $10 Weekend Pass $25 *Children 10 & under are free. http://www.brandontroyanda.com/festival.html

After 15 years and 29 sales at the Park Community Centre Don Burnett has decided to change venues for the popular Brandon event that consistently drew more people with each passing year. Just as the demand for vinyl has grown over the years, the popularity of the sale has grown as well. In fact it has gained so much momentum the sale was renamed “Brandon’s Biggest Record and Music Sale!” According to Burnett the timing was just right, “It  was  finally  time  as  the  years  went  on  more  vendors  came  on  board  and  some  wanted  a second  table. The  last  few  shows  I  had  vendors  in  the  coat  check  room   and  in  the  skating  room of the Park Community Centre so we literally out grew that venue.” Recent stats show vinyl sales are the highest they’ve been since 1988! Many people will remember the handful of albums they may have bought that year but fewer will still own those records as the CD became the dominant music format in the mid-eighties. More and more people are going back to the vinyl format so it’s nice to see things have come full circle (pun intended). What’s even stranger than the impressive stats of vinyl sales these days is the fact that the younger generation are consuming more classic rock than what is passing for music today. Although there are a handful of today’s artists who lead the charge with sales according to some recent eyebrow raising stats here in Canada. The top selling record was Adele’s ’25’, which sold 116,000 copies, followed by Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’, with 74,000. But overall Vinyl sales are up more than 26% than at this point last year. What’s more, bands and artists are making more from vinyl sales than at any time since 1988, with 17 million records sold last year in the US alone. With sales up 28% on 2014, they accounted for 6% of the overall retail music market, and one in five of all ‘physical’ sales. Those numbers are impressive and inspiring to Burnett who thinks they’ll translate into a busy day for the sale come next Sunday, “I  would  like  to  see  400  to  500  through  the doors. With the resurgence of vinyl it is possible.” Burnett says attendance figures at the Park Community Sales over the past few years reached upwards of 200 – 300 people per sale so hitting the 400 mark is doable. Burnett is quite happy about that his love of collecting has grown into a sale that has continued for so long, “I have been collecting for about 33 years. I started when I was 16, got a little more serious about it in 1990 when I met Wayne Russell who used to run the country music center on 10th street.” So how many albums does a collector amass who has been at it for over 30 years? Burnett offers a staggering ballpark figure, “I can't really put a number on it for sure but I would say 4500 to 5000. Keep meaning to count them one of these years I’ll get around to it.” Some of his more prized possessions are impressive batch of oddball titles as well as releases from more popular artists, “oh I have a Japanese pressing of Pink Floyd’s Obscured by Clouds, some colored vinyl and some picture discs of The Beatles, Marc Bolan and The Yarbirds.” Like many collectors do Burnett says he has a wish list of titles, “I am trying to get Rodreguez's albums Cold Facts and Coming back to Reality. Also looking for Porcupine Tree, the Black Angels, Gov't  Mule, Joe Bonnamassa, also Roky Erickson and any Psyche/Garage rock records.” As for what the common consumer is after these days Burnett says from his experience at his various sales, “most people want the standards like Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd or Black Sabbath but you also get people that want Lenny Breau and more obscure albums. However I would say David Bowie will be one of the more popular artists this year, possibly the Eagles and Jefferson Airplane, all because of the recent deaths and a renewed interest in their music.” Vinyl won’t be the only item available at the sale, Burnett says when it comes to music, the list of items will run the gamut, “There will be t-shirts hoodies, music books, CDs and Music DVDs. Maybe some stereos and Musical Instruments, all depends on what the vendors bring it is basically anything musically related as well as records.” The sale runs from 11am – 5pm and there is no admission but the Legion will be taking a silver collection at the door and there will be a non-perishable food item collection for the Samaritan House. The new location is The Royal Canadian Legion Branch # 3 (Banquet Room) at 560-13th Street EAST Brandon. The new venue allows for 40 tables to be set up. To inquire about table rentals call Don at 204-726-0703 tables are $35 each. As of this writing there were only 6 tables available. Sale runs from 11am – 5pm. So just how valuable can some vinyl be to some collectors?

Sean Paul will be performing live this Wednesday night at Houston's.  Without a doubt one of the larger entertainment names to play at this club. Being affiliated with huge names like Beyonce, Akon and Snoop Dogg to name a few Brandon will have their first chance to witness the platinum selling artist in person. Tickets are now available by clicking on this link.  VIP tickets also available. http://www.diyobo.com/events/sean-paul-live-in-brandon-brandon-mb-canada

Johnny Reid Concert: Friday, March the 7th inside the Keystone Centre. Johnny is a country artist with several hit singles in Canada. Nominated for a 2008 Juno award, he has twice been named Male Artist of the Year at the CCMA Awards. Songs include Missing an Angel, A Woman Like You, Dance With Me and Let's Go Higher. With special guests: Natalie MacMaster, Aaron Goodvin and JJ Shiplett. For ticket information click here. 2016 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair: March 28- April 2: Held annually at the Keystone Centre during the Manitoba Spring Break, the fair has tons to do and see for visitors. Scheduled events include a world class equine show, fiddlers contest, Ag competitions, trade show and the ever popular SuperDogs. Early risers may want to take in the traditional Sunrise Breakfast on the first day of the fair to get the festivities started. For more information click here. George Canyon Concert: George Canyon brings his 'Jekyll & Nothing to Hide' Tour” to the WMCA on Wednesday, March the 2nd. George is is a Canadian country music singer who was the runner-up on the second season of Nashville Star in 2004. He grew up in Fox Brook Nova Scotia and later lived in Hopewell, Nova Scotia before moving west. Singles include I Got This, Crazy Love, Slow Dance and others, Besides being an accomplished musician George has also acted in many TV shows including the Trailer Park Boys and Heartland. Ryan Keown is listed as a special guest.  Click here for more information. 2016 CIS Women's Volleyball Nationals: Brandon University will host the nation's best as they compete for the CIS Women's Volleyball National Championship March 11-13, 2016. A total of seven teams will travel to Brandon to join the host lady Bobcats as they get set to throw down inside the BU Healthy Living Centre. Included in the list of activities include an 11 match tournament, an All-Canadian award reception, and an anniversary celebration marking the 10th year of having CIS volleyball at the Brandon University. For tournament schedule please click here. Raise the Woof: Three comedians take the stage at The 40 located inside the Trails West Motor Inn, in support of Funds for Furry Friends. The fourth annual now is scheduled for Saturday, March the 12th and features the comedy workings of Cory Mack, Mike Green, and Dan Glasswick. Advance tickets are only $35 and include a steak sandwich and the comedy show. Get out and support this worthy cause. For more information please visit their Facebook events page.