Local band HoverKraft are starting to make some waves this year, not the least was laying Bigwood 10 this year. and placing second in a battle of the Bands in November. They played the Owl Acoustic lounge, Friday, Dec. 21, which was the first time I actually got to hear them.

 Other than dealing with a few technical issues , they played an excellent show which included the Silkstones opening up, so they already had a pretty decent sized crowd.

 HoverKraft played up beat female fronted pop rock music along the lines of Avril Lavigne.
 They played a tight set and had a solid groove.

Out with the  old, in with the new.
It’s been a busy year in Lethbridge, but things are looking to be even busier in the new year with concerts already announced by country star Paul Brandt plus High Valley and guests at the Enmax Centre, Jan. 28, the Trews coming up Feb. 5 at Average Joes, Dan Mangan at the Geomatic Attic Feb. 10, and John Wort Hannam starting the new year for the Lethbridge Folk Club at the Lethbridge College Cave, Jan. 12.

 There are a couple bigger concerts already scheduled for later this year. Classic metal band Judas Priest roar into the Enmax Centre with Uriah Heap, June 10. And also on June 10, Classic rock trio the Stampeders play the Yates Centre.
 

This week is a little slower though with Chief Mountain playing the Slice, Friday, Jan. 4 with jam band Rainbow Patrol and Face Cut. Admission is $10.

 One Bad Son always being a lot of people out , no matter what day of the week. So, as expected, they had a good sized and excited crowd at Average Joes, Thursday, Dec. 20.
The Saskatoon based rock band capped off a busy year including tours with Shinedown and Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach, by bringing their hometown holiday show on the road to some of their favourite cities including Lethbridge.

 That meant, in addition to their big hits like “Scarecrows,” and a few tracks from their most recent CD “ Made in the Name of Rock and Roll,” they also dug deep into their back catalogue to play some of their earlier songs.
 But  they opened their set around 9:30 p.m. with a powerful newer detuned song “ Hurricane,” which was all the more appropriate considering the amount of strong winds we get here.

 They are made for a big stage, but always blow their audiences away with huge riffs and thunderous rhythms, and anthemic rockers.
 Frenetic frontman Shane Volk bounded all over the stage bellowing like a young Sebastian Bach mixed with a touch of Jon Bon Jovi.

They released their first single back in 2005,  ”Alive In Texas” so they have a lot of material to draw from. They played that and many others. Volk reflected on the band’s busy year and their tour with Sebastian Bach.

“It was a grind, but when we look at you guys, we remember why we do this, ” he told the screaming crowd.

 Volk introduced “Alive In Texas” by noting the band didn’t know how to write songs then. The older songs they played definitely had a more classic rock feel, than their newer, more alternative rock sounds. Kurt Dahl beamed as he pounded away at his drum kit and guitarist Adam Hicks even took centre stage in between Volk’s leaping about, to take an extended guitar solo on a 10 minute jam on “It Ain’t Right,” one of their bigger hits before playing “one more deep cut, ‘Moneytrain.’”

 After that it was back to familiar ground as they blasted into another newer song “ Scream For You” then their crowd pleasing cover of  the Talking Heads’ “ Psycho Killer.”

 Of course, they were called back for an encore.
“You aren’t ready to leave yet are you,” Volk shouted.
 Audience members where shouting out for “Scarecrows” so they played that and “Retribution Blues,  another of their earlier hit singles.
 They were called back for one last encore, an exceptional cover of Led Zeppelin’s “ Rock and Roll.”

Local singer songwriter Daylan Delaney opened the show with a long set of original alternative rock style music, which he sang, accompanying himself on guitar. He also added a cover of Hawksley Workman’s “ Smoke baby,” and a medley of ’90s rap and hip hop.

I stopped by the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Saturday, Dec. 15 expecting to hear country music  from local country/pop band the Cody Hall Band, but instead heard country versions of pop hits.

The Cody Hall trio were playing the afterparty for a private shindig at the Owl and the pretty girls were in the mood to dance.

So Cody Hall was happy to supply the ’90s style soundtrack  for the afterparty, breaking out the Backstreet Boys and “OI Want You That Way and Britany spears “Baby Hit Me One More Time.”