Toronto area based folk/ rock/ roots duo The Sunparlour Players have always had a fondness for Lethbridge, so they are excited about returning to the Slice, Tuesday, April 22.
“We love Lethbridge. The first time we played there was with Elliott Brood and this great band, the Acorn,” related Andrew Penner, one half of the multi-instrumental duo with Michael “ Rosie” Rosenthal.
“ And six years later, we have a pizza named after ourselves at the Slice. Some of our most bizarre memories have happened in Lethbridge,” he said.
“ I think there ended up being fist fights at the first show,” he said.
“ So this time I’m hoping for a big dance party,” he said.
 They have literally just released their brand new CD “The Living Proof” which was released, April 8. They recorded it over three months last fall with their producer Chris Stinger
They added their Sunparlour Preserve Ginger Butter recipe  from their previous EP “Sunparlour Preserves.”
“I really liked it,” he said adding they recorded it in an old 1860 mansion which had an ancient piano. It features 83-year-old poet Hugh Oliver reading the recipe.
The duo always set out to record something different.
“It’s very playful and very random. It just feels different,” he said.

“ The first song, ‘Soapbox’  is   little bit of folk, but it feels like it is being played by Sabbath. Whole the last songs, ‘Bless this City,” is about two things— Rob Ford and his personal issues and  my hometown,” he said.
“ There is a Heinz plant in my hometown Leamington, which shut down. I grew up on a tomato farm helping grow tomatoes for the Heinz plant. Now it is closed, it is really going to hurt the people of this town. It is something a lot of people in a lot of small towns will be able to identify with,” he continued.
“ This CD is sharper and stronger,” he said.

 They  each play a plethora of different instruments and on their CD.
“If you see something on stage, we’re going to be playing it. It always bugs  the shit out of me when a band has an unusual instrument on stage and they don’t play it,” he said.

This is a great week for big names and tribute bands.
  There are a couple of excellent tribute acts ringing in the long weekend.

 Soundgarden starts things off Thursday, April 17  with Re/Opened: a tribute to the Doors playing at 9:30 p.m. there is only a three dollar cover for the show.
 Average Joes brings in three huge tribute acts, April 18 with the Monsters of Mock.
 The show features Bon Jovi tribute Blaze of Glory, Aerosmith tribute Aerosmith Rocks and  AC DC tribute Who Made Who winds things up.

 Tickets are $30. the shows begin at 9:30  p.m.

If you like modern pop influenced country music, Florida Georgia Line play the Enmax Centre, April 17 with Dallas Smith.
 On the other hand, if you like punk rock music or “puck rock music,” the Hanson Brothers ( not the ’90s pop stars who recorded MMM Bop) play Sidelines in Coaldale. They will be playing high octane hockey and beer inspired songs and will be sharing the stage with Calgary pop punk icons Chixdiggit. Tickets cost $20 in advance with a Pilsner and $25 at the door.

There is an excellent blues / rock show at the Slice this week with Miss Quincy returning with her brand new CD. Miss Quincy and the Showdown play the Slice, April 17. It will begin early at 8 p.m., so don’t miss it by showing up fashionably late.

There are a lot of unusual shows this week.
 Doug Hoyer, Christian Hansen and Mark Mills will be playing weird pop/ synth music at the Slice, April 16.
Saskatchewan band The Faps return to play the Slice, April 18 to add their own, weird twist on psych punk and noise rock  as well.
 And if you want to see a van’s gas tank used as a stand up bass, don't miss Shane Chisholm at Casino Lethbridge, April 18 and 19 where he will be playing his own blend of country, rockabilly and rock and roll music.

Vancouver/ Victoria based puck rockers The Hanson  Brothers are pretty much a quintessentially Canadian band- they  love beer, hockey and loud music.
They are pumped about returning “ to the scene of the crime”—  the Coaldale Hotel, where they recorded their live album  “ It’s a Living” a  few years ago and to promote Hanson’s brand new craft beer Punk Rauch ale, April19 at Sidelines in Coaldale.

“We normally wouldn’t tour because we don’t have a new  album out but we wanted to promote  my new beer and NomeansNo is on hiatus, so  we didn’t have anything else to do,” said Hanson Brothers frontman John Wright, who also plays drums for prog-punkers NoMeansNo.
The Hanson Brothers  formed back in 1984  to do something a little different than the more complex progressive punk rock of NoMeansNo by combining the band members  love of hockey, beer and back to the basics Ramones style punk rock.