If I had an opinion on the Toronto music scene today, one of those thoughts would be we are way too conservative about going out and enjoying every day of the week.  Toronto has amazing music everyday of the week and yet we wait until the weekend to see live music. Well, you missed another great night of music and this band came all the way from , Wausau, Wisconsin.

You may laugh and think, nothing comes out of Wisconsin. Well lately I have witnessed bands come that state and are proving this is a place where great music can come from. Bourbon House is one such band.

They hit the Horseshoe stage on a Wednesday night and within the first few notes, I felt I was inside a Led Zeppelin vibe. They are hard and heavy and scream that 70’s sound with absolute intensity.

The second song, they introduced us to was  their brand new single- “Unholy Roller”. This one had a Jimi Hendrix vibe to it. Lead guitarist Jason Clark is a riff monster with a big sound and a willingness to prove it. Each song they did drips with raw enthusiasm and innovation from a rich time period in music. Jason is still leading the charge.

The other leader is Lacey Crowe, a petite woman with a big voice. Her vocals are both smoky and piercing at the same time. In fact this is a band with a big sound and they will push it down your throat. The entire set consisted of high energy Rock and Blues songs that had a real grittiness to it. Even though they spoke about the Chicago blues scene, they had that southern rock heat to it.

They tried to lay a couple of cover songs on us with the Beatles Helter Skelter. It was a solid cover, but I wish they would have lost more control of this crazy song. After all it is a song about an out of control ride. They came back and did a passionate version of “Oh Darling”.

In fact, since the opening song, I was wondering how they would handle a Led Zeppelin song. Well, they had the answer for me in the shape of a “Heartbreaker” and slid into “Living Loving Maid”. That was extremely satisfying. I would like to see them mix it up the next time they come to Toronto and try another Zeppelin classic. Toronto is known to be a huge Led Zeppelin town.

By the time they were coming in for a landing, the last three songs were meant to hit you with a sense of darkness and clear your mind of reality.  “Resonate” really resonates. “Runnin’ Hot” could really burn up a roomful of bourbon filled patrons. “Devil on my heels”, is a perfect song to finish the evening with what felt like a full on jam session.

What can I say; this is the kind of music Toronto is missing on Hump day! I will try and warn you next time Bourbon House are in town. This is the kind of band that our town would adopt and help grow.

Here are some shots of Bourbon House:

Our own hometown girl Emily Mac who is no stranger to gritty Rock and Roll was a perfect opener for Bourbon House. In fact, these two should do a tour together. That is how perfectly matched these two bands are.

Emily came out loud and proud. She was powerful and ready to grab the audience by the Kaunas and not let go.

“Dark Black River” was her opener and she let us know that sometimes the moon doesn’t shine. By her third song, she had us all drinking with her song, “Whiskey like me”. It seemed appropriate at a Bourbon House concert.

Emily’s music is steamy and sultry and is always looking for something to quench its thirst.  In fact, her persona is that of a woman you should never piss off. With song titles like, “Lone Wolf”, “Animal”, and “Independent kind of Bitch”, she will eat you alive.

She is the kind of person that is chasing her dreams and sometimes chases her nightmares. That was proven with her cover of “Sweet dreams are made of these”.

She simply is a powerhouse with a lot of smoldering sediments in her soul that can also soar when she needs it to.

Here are some shots of Emily Mac:

You can follow Emily Mac at Home — EmilyMacMusic

You can watch out for Bourbon House at Bourbon House | band (bourbonhouserocks.com)