One tempestuous weekend in March 1979 was not only the date of the Three Mile Island nuclear incident, but also, in Birmingham, England, the very first show by a nascent band known as The Beat. Introduced as "the hottest thing since the Pennsylvania meltdown", the band had a sense that the next few years could well be explosive! The Beat hailed from working class, industrial Birmingham, England. When The Beat rushed on to the music scene in 1979, it was a time of social, political and musical upheaval. Into this storm came The Beat, trying to calm the waters with their simple message of love and unity set to a great dance beat.

The Beat are all about inclusion, rather than exclusion, and this showed in their personnel and their music influences. The six member band consisted of Dave Wakeling on vocals and guitar, Andy Cox on guitar, David Steele on bass, Everett Morton on drums, Ranking Roger on vocals and toasting, and foundational first wave ska legend Saxa on saxophone. The band crossed over fluidly between soul, reggae, pop and punk, and from these disparate pieces they created an infectious dance rhythm. Along with their contemporaries The Specials, The Selecter, and Madness, The Beat became an overnight sensation and one of the most popular and influential bands of the British ska movement.

Robin Trower (born March 9, 1945 in Catford, England) is a legendary British rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum during the 1960's, and then again as the leader of his own power trio.

In 1977, feeling he had already proven himself as a performer, Trower ventured into new musical realms, as demonstrated by the release of the jaded In City Dreams album. The 1978 release of Caravan to Midnight was in a different style to the rest of his earlier work, symbolising a change in direction for him. "I am spending much more time and energy and effort on writing and arranging the material," he said at the time, adding "I think music today is suffering greatly from a cleanness. It's too set, too pat, too clever, there's not enough spontaneity."

Foghat began their career in 1971 as a bunch of rather unpretentious young Brits with an affection for American blues and '50s rock 'n' roll. By the middle of the decade, they had evolved into a major touring and recording act, playing a pumped-up brand of boogie-rock to arena-size audiences. Their looks grew flashier, their sound fattened and filled out, yet the roots-rock core of the band remained ever-present under the surface.

From the viewpoint of certain critics, Foghat unduly compromised their early blues-based approach in order to reap commercial rewards. Certainly, their mid-'70s hits ("Slow Ride," "Drivin' Wheel," "Stone Blue") were not aimed at the rock purists of the world. But it's also true that they continued to record traditional blues and R&B material throughout their years with Bearsville Records. In fact, Foghat's final albums on Bearsville reaffirmed their love for unadulterated, primal American music.

This energetic trio Trick Pony got its start when guitarist Keith Burns called his friend Ira Dean. Burns was touring with Joe Diffie at the time, and Dean was working with Tanya Tucker. When Burns heard Heidi Newfield's demo tape, he knew he'd found the band's third vocalist. The trio landed a steady gig at Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon and later signed to Warner Bros. Nashville. Gaining a foothold in early 2001, Trick Pony's upbeat hits include "Pour Me," "On a Night Like This" and "Just What I Do." Despite their newcomer status, both Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson have sung on their albums. Trick Pony's second album, On a Mission, released in 2002, produced a hit single by the same name.

Lowest of the Low is identified as one of the groups responsible for Toronto’s independent music explosion of the early ’90s. They quickly established themselves as one of Canada’s finest bands, blending literate, astute lyrics with a sound that effortlessly ranged from folk to punk. All too soon it came to an end, however, as the band called it quits shortly after the release of their sophomore album Hallucigenia.

The legendary Canadian rock group Lowest of the Low is back with a vengeance. Freshly signed to MapleMusic Recordings in Canada, the group has finished work on their first studio album in 10 years. Entitled Sordid Fiction, the CD is slated for release on September 21st of this year. The album was produced by Canadian rock legend Ian Blurton (The Weakerthans, From Fiction, C’mon) at Chemical Sound in Toronto and mixed by Seattle uber-producer Adam Kasper (Nirvana, The Tragically Hip, Foo Fighters).

On February 7, 2005, Blue Rodeo celebrated the twentieth anniversary of their first gig by returning to the scene of the crime (The Rivoli in Toronto) and gathering together the original five band members for one unforgettable night of nostalgia. In the twenty years since their first gig at The Rivoli, Blue Rodeo have sold millions of records, won countless awards and traveled the world time and time again while Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor have gained notoriety as two of Canada’s greatest songwriters (their names fit comfortably alongside those of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot). That night in February was a celebration of a band that has not only endured but flourished. Blue Rodeo are a band never afraid to embrace their past as they continue to forge a path towards their future.

Twenty years on and Blue Rodeo are set to release their tenth studio album, Are You Ready. The album title says it all and asks it all. If you take too much time to ask yourself “am I ready for what,” then the record might just hit you squarely between the eyes. Are You Ready delivers fans just what they are looking for, great songs with memorable melodies and remarkable musicianship.

Although Tesla emerged during the glory days of hair metal, they never completely fit the spirit of the times. Their music was well-produced pop-metal, to be sure, but they never indulged in the glammed-up excess that made cartoons out of many of their peers. Instead, Tesla's music was bluesy, no-frills, '70s-style hard rock; it concentrated more on solid musicianship than enormous, arena-ready choruses (or hairdos), and it had a noticeable grit -- not so much the urban sleaze of Guns N' Roses, but a grounded attitude and a genuine affection for old school hard rock. Despite their refreshing lack of posturing, Tesla was just as hard-hit as the rest of the pop-metal world when grunge wiped out classic-style hard rock, but they did produce one of the more respectable bodies of work of the era.

"A song is an organism that has a history and has different meanings to many different people," says Rusted Root lead vocalist-guitarist-songwriter Michael Glabicki. "Those people attach themselves to this organism and because of that, it's a ritual, a way to jointly go places." It's funny; the same can be said for Rusted Root.

The Pittsburgh sextet evolved from a single cellæGlabickiæinto a musical organism of quintessential essence, monumental substance and vast appeal. Its fourth record, Welcome To My Party, is a further, astonishing progression; a distillation of chops and songwriting finesse revealing a distinct musical force.

And what is that essence? After a long pause, Glabicki says, "For me, it really comes down to the songs. At this stage of the game, I knew some faults we had in the past. It was a conscious decision to make sure the songs were kept in the forefront and that the band could still do what they do in and around those songs at the right moment."