Singing and playing David Bowie isn’t much of a stretch for Jon Martin of the New Weather Machine, who wears his Bowie influences on his sleeve and in his voice. So he is pretty much the perfect choice to do a tribute to Bowie’s 1972 rock opera The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Martin’s band, the New Weather Machine played David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust in it's entirety from beginning to end, ending with smoking versions of the title track and Suffragette City, my absolute favourite David Bowie song.

Martin, dressed in a  late 60s poncho with just a touch of Bowiesque make-up switched between acoustic and electric guitar and sang in his inimitable piecing yelp.

Bassist Jesse Northey, dressed in the leather trenchcoat with collar upturned went with full on white and orange make-up while guitarist Jason Oakes went with alien antennae.

 The good sized crowd also took the Bowie masquerade theme to heart, sporting an array of David Bowie outfits and/ or theatre masques.

I don’t know every note of  the album, but the band seemed to hit most of them, alternating between acoustic and electric guitars for all the necessary textures. The songs ranged from the classic rock roar of “Suffragette City,” to more pre-punk inspired rockers to more laid back, outer space influenced, ethereal, textured songs off the album.

 For something a little more laid back than the upbeat modern rock at Backstreet South, Winnipeg roots band Hollerin’ Pines provided the perfect foil.
They sang beautiful vocal harmonies s they added guitar, ukulele and a little more.

Their fiddle player sat behind the band, a s they stepped aside to let him solo, his artificial leg tapping along the the beat of the drummer who sat behind them all, seated on a a cajon as he crashed on a couple cymbals.

They sang folksy melodies with a touch of Celtic music, sounding like a jug band from Newfoundland.
 Their second last song, “Please Don’t Bury Me,” sounded a little like Elliott Brood.

It’s great to see live music at a different venue.

 Backstreet South, who have toyed with live music in the past and featured Dated Delay and Billie Vegas play during Street Wheelers, brought in Vancouver bands Quit the City and My Mother the Carjacker, Aug. 17. Quit the City Backstreet South combined elements of Queens of the Stone Age with Weezer and the Jefferson Airplane for about 30 people, Aug. 17.

 The laid down a solid groove in their tight set and features, of all things, a steel guitar screaming out the occasional wailing guitar solo.

They ran the gamut from Weezerish, catchy pop punk, songs, to more extended psychedelic jams reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane, a touch of the Rolling Stones and by the end of their set were in a Queens of the Stone Age mood.

Their  two guitarists and bassist took turns singing lead and bobbed their heads to the bet.
 Unfortunately I missed My Mother the Carjacker.

 I love a good blues rock show, even if only 15 people show up.

 The Todd Wolfe band started right on time at the Slice, Aug. 16, but I only caught the end of his long first set as Wolfe, who used to play with Sheryl Crow, struggled to make his beautiful old resonator sing the blues with some sinister slide. He succeeded. The show was full of big riffs and Wolfe gave his wah wah pedal a workout, especially in his second set.

 A lot of the second set featured extended jams on tracks from his latest CD “ The Todd Wolfe Band Live.” But he began with a slide powered version of Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” which inadvertently sounded inspired by “Travelin’ Riverside Blues.”

Some of the cuts including “Crowded In my Soul,” “Beg Forgiveness.” A sweet version of the Rolling Stones’ “All over Now,” meandered into the drop D tuned, country tinged “Tripping through the Gates of Heaven,” included a few bars of “One Way Out,” were among the highlights.

The latter segued into a big, loud version of Neil Young’s Cinnamon Girl.” He didn’t talk much between songs, preferring to let his guitar do the talking. His crack rhythm section, drummer Roger Voss and bassist Justine Gardener easily kept step with all of his time changes and extended solos.