STENCH RADIO AND REVERBNATION
February 17, 2014
This Monday I’ll be the special guest on Stench Radio out of Illinois. I’m pretty excited to talk about some new stuff like upcoming Cactus shows, The Class Assassins, Whiskey Hearts, Pouzzafest, the new Anxiety Attack Recording, the Toronto scene, and more. I’ll also be making a very special announcement…. The show airs Monday Feb 17th at 10pm on stenchradio.com
Just a reminder for all of you who use ReverbNation to check out my page. I have songs and videos posted, as well all of my show listings are kept up to date. I’ve also created some cool tshirts that you can order directly from the site. Click here to check out my page and become a ‘fan’.
KING X KING WEST AND MORE
December 11, 2013
I recently was asked to play the King X King West 2013 Music Festival at Bar Hop.The Music Festival is already in its 4th year I shared the stage with my friends The Deforesters as well as Joan Smith (Little Foot Long Foot). The night was sponsored by Beau’s Beer, and if you ever get the chance to play an event with beer sponsorship chances are you’ll be drinking for free! I stage-tested some new material that night and some of it went over very well. Some not so much…. Ha!
I also recently played a great show with my friends Jesse Lebourdais and Jon Creeden who just released a split inch. Jesse and Jon were making their way across Canada on tour and I booked us a gig at the Bovine Sex Club. Those two dudes are some of the hardest working Canadian folk-punkers I know!Be sure to check out their split 7inch here.
And lastly, I forgot to share this a few months ago. I’m really honored to have been included in the most recent Toronto Scene Report in Maximum Rock And Roll Magazine. The report incuded Sinkin’ Ships, The Class Assassins, Whiskey Hearts and my solo stuff! I’ve been reading MRNR since 1991 and it always makes me happy to get any kind of mention.
WHISKEY HEARTS 7INCH, NEW SOLO MATERIAL AND MORE
October 26, 2013
Summer is over, and it was a great one! I was fortunate enough to play 4 festivals including CMW, NXNE, SceneFest and Envol Et Macadam. But more important than that, The debut 7inch from Whiskey Hearts was released! The good people at Stereo Dynamite Recordings have released this limited edition record in 4 colors. It’s available for purchase at all shows I play, as well you can order it directly from Stereo Dynamite at this link.
I have been writing away for my next solo album. I have about 4 completed songs and 6 half finished songs. My goal is to get to about 15 songs and choose the 8 or 9 strongest for my next release. I am also thinking about releasing a covers EP in the meantime.
And finally, The Class Assassins filmed some live footage for a music video recently while we were opening up for The Dropkick Murphys. The footage was shot by our good friend JDM of Rubber Factory Records. Hopefully we’ll have something to show everyone later this winter.
G33KPRON 5 QUESTIONS W/ CACTUS VELLA
July 26, 2013
Published on July 24th, 2013 | by MISTY
5 Questions with Whiskey Hearts
Toronto’s Whiskey Hearts are proof that punk rockers don’t just get old and get put out to pasture. Instead, they get together with some of their best friends and make music that is every bit as rebellious, without rules but including a few new instruments. Gone are the distorted, electric guitars and heavy drums, replaced with acoustics; stand up bass, banjo, fiddle and whatever else is part of their collective that day.
G33KPRON were present for Whiskey Hearts’ NXNE show with Saint Alvia at the Hard Luck Bar last month, and couldn’t leave without wanting to know more so we spoke to one of the band’s founders, Toronto musician Cactus Vella to ask him our famous five questions.
EXCLAIM TV PERFORMANCE
June 5, 2013
Posted by http://exclaim.ca Tue June 4, 2013
Over the past two decades, Toronto rocker Cactus Vella has been spreading his passionate brand of punk, but has recently shifted his focus to acoustic music. He has merged this newfound passion with his old one, and accordingly, labeled it “acoustic punk.”
The term fits his new music perfectly, as we learned when he came by our back patio to record a session. The song, “Ship Wreck,” has yet to appear on an album, but its full of Vella’s trademarks, including a strong nautical theme, gruff vocals, and a simple-yet-effective chord pattern. Watch the video below. Read the rest of this entry »
SCENEFEST AND NXNE
June 3, 2013
This Sunday in St. Catharines, I’ll be doing double duty at SCENEFEST as I play a show with The Class Assassins, as well as a solo set later that evening. It’s not the first time this has happened. Two years ago I was booked with both The Class Assassins and Sinkin’ Ships at SCENEFEST.
For those unfamiliar with the music festival, SCENEFEST is in it’s 18th year, and takes place in downtown St. Catharines Ontario on Sunday June 9th. The festival will feature over 160 performers across multiple stages and venues.
I’m pretty stoked about the punk stage this year. It’s presented by Punknews.org and features Careers In Science, Brutal Youth, Teenage X and of course The Class Assassins. I’m also really excited about my solo set, as it will be my first solo gig in St. Catharines.
Less than a week later will be NXNE. Probably the coolest fest we get here in Toronto every year. The quality of touring acts really has improved over the years. We’ve had Iggy, Bad Religion, Off, The Descendants, Hot Water Music, and so many others. And this year is no exception. I’m very honored to be a part of the Stereo Dynamite Recordings and Riot Rock Management NXNE Showcase. I’ll be performing with The Whiskey Hearts Collective at 10pm at the Hard Luck Bar. You can bet your ass that I’ll be running to the Opera House shortly after our set to catch (Black) Flag.
BLOG: Exclaim shoot & Whiskey Hearts music video
April 29, 2013
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Exclaim headquarters to film a few songs. The shoot took place on the back patio in the same spot where Chuck Ragan was filmed a year earlier. I performed “Summer Nights” and my newest song “Ship Wreck”. It was pretty cool playing back there, and the neighbors seemed to enjoy it. The two-man crew were great to work with, and I’m very thankful for the experience. Exclaim will post one of these videos on their website in the near future.
Whiskey Hearts recently filmed our debut music video with director Brendan Coutts. Brendan was the guitarist in the Ontario based punk band The Heatskores. But more than that he is an exceptionally talented director.
The video was shot at The Press Club during a Whiskey Hearts event. The crowd was unaware of the video shoot for the most part. The end result is a very honest music video. The video also features our good friend and part-time Whiskey Heart Lionel Stanley on the Mandolin.
The good folk at Exclaim were kind enough to premier our debut music video for us!
Check it out the article here. Or go straight to the video here.
Cactus Vella Music 
