Shaela Miller always has a great ear for music, so  I knew Edmonton’s  “Give Em’ Hell boys, would be a success at this month’s Windy City Opry, Wednesday, June 12 at the Slice.
 As usual, I only caught the end of the early show. But I was impressed to hear a variety of different music during a solid set of toe tapping honky tonk and country music, plus a few choice covers.

 The quartet has a strong Bakersfield sound similar to Dwight Yoakam and featured pleasing multi- part harmonies, and lots of Telecaster twang from the hirsute Quinn Clark, lead guitarist Charlie Scream, bassist  Lindsay “Bootsy” Cline also adding sweet female harmonies and Eric The Drummer.

They put their own stamp on Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” brought out the rock on “ Bring It Back To You,” and ended with a mash up of a couple Waylon Jennings songs including “ Good Hearted Woman.” But showed off some substantial blues chops on Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile.”

And just because they could,they turned Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades, into a pretty decent twangy country song before being called back for an encore of a sweet  amped up bluegrass song.
 The next Windy City Opry is July 10 featuring Carolyn Mark and Sean Burns at the Slice.

 Though the bassist  is the only  original member and the voice himself, Rob Halford, I had to check out  Judas Priest at the Enmax Centre, Monday, June 10 playing one of the loudest shows I have heard.
 They brought the metal, the duelling lead guitars, big riffs and Halford’s eardrum piercing shrieks, which were all the more impressive considering he’s 70 years old and was just recovering from  bronchitis. Unfortunately Uriah Heep had to cancel due to  a serious  illness  requiring their singer to be hospitalized.
 I  feel I should be listening for more Judas Priest. I didn’t  recognize most of their songs. They opened with a new song “Necromancer,”  from the new CD “Firepower,” featuring Halford dressed in a vibrant purple cloak and wielding a staff. One of the guitarists sported reflective aviator sunglasses, which I wished I’d brought to block out seizure  inducing strobe lights and which were really starting to annoy me.
“The Sentinel,” was an early highlight as was  “Heading Out To the Highway.”

 Halford stalked up and down the stage and off to don a variety of different leather studded trench coats and jackets.
 Despite the strobes, they had an impressive multi-media show featuring  graphics of Robocops, planets and asteroids for one of the few slower songs, Viking war ships and even some old images of the original band members and fans. There was also a disturbing one featuring medieval torture images  interspersed with a cawing raven which made me want to track down the inventor of the strobe light. That song, “Traitor’s Gate,” from their latest CD “Firepower” was a highlight as was the catchy as hell “No Surrender” also from “Firepower.”

 They saved the classics until the end of the night. Halford, with a shaved head and silver goatee,  left the stage during one of many duelling lead guitar breaks from  Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap and returned with his flame embossed  motorcycle for “Hell Bent  For Leather,” which he bestrode as he sang.  Above him flashed images of an array of motorcycles , bikers and bike races.
 They followed that up with arguable their best known song “ Breaking the Law,” and wound up the encore with “Living After Midnight.” I was surprised they didn’t play “Turbo Lover,” but especially surprised not to hear “You Got Another Thing Coming.”
 They had a decent crowd, but I wasn’t expecting to see as many empty seats. But the ones who were there were into it, banging their heads and singing along.
 Halford’s voice was all the more impressive as he not only hit those excruciating high notes, but also tempered it for some really impressive melodies.

I wasn’t able to catch a lot of Lethbridge Jazz and Blues Festival due to other commitments, but made a point of stopping by Galt Gardens, Saturday afternoon, June 8 for the Lethbridge Jazz and Blues Festival’s Jazz in the Park.
 I arrived near the beginning of a long Latin jam from Montuno West, which included members from Cumako and Bomba.

 Everybody soloed a lot. The bassist laid down funky grooves, and the percussionist pounded his djembe drums with steadfast glee.

Velle Weitman and Kootenay Soul blended jazz music with roots music on an excellent set, including songs like the Zutons/Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie,” a beautiful version of Aretha Franklin’s “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman,” which  soared through the park as the rain clouds parted.

Velle Weitman showed off her beautifully heartfelt voice throughout, but busted out her fiddle for a spirited version of “Orange Blossom Special,” which was a great contrast to the horn powered jazz and R and B music of the rest of their set.

I had to cut Jazz in the Park short as I had volunteered to play in a band for the Lethbridge Girls Rock Camp Band Swap at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, June 8, which was in the afternoon this time, following the LGRC family jam.
The event mirrored what the Lethbridge Girls Rock Campers do in that they get together, usually learn an instrument, form a band and rehearse a set to be played at the end of the week, which is what we did.
 Organizer SIl Campus and her band played a quick set of alternative rock, with Campus playing bass as usual.

 My band included Chris Hibbard on vocals and the rest of Sil Camus]s usual band MomBod aka drummer Amberlea Parker and guitarist Mandy Fox. I played Cigar box guitar to open and was joined  by my bandmates for a quick set of punk and ska music by the Interrupters, Social Distortion and Bikini Kill. We also tackled the Rolling Stones “Paint It Black.”

 The “professionals” were next with  Gabe Thaine playing guitar and keyboards and Megan Brown playing fiddle and  singing.

They played a set of mostly original blues and roots music, featuring and original from brown and another from Thaine.