Through no fault of my own, I’ve been logging many an hour pulling out tinsel in preparation for the season of giving. My quest for holiday cheer came to a standstill however when I dusted off the boom box and hit play on the cassette deck, curious to hear what had been waiting for me since I put my 13 watt Emerson ghetto blaster in storage. While I’ve got nothing against Helix and consequently still stroke the back of my neck where the mullet used to hang whenever I hear ‘Rock You’, I was a fan of Canadian rock then and while the DippityDo-to-hair ratio has changed, my love for rock hasn’t. Possibly there’s been an alignment of maple syrup or a surplus of toques this fall but there’s never been a better time to invest into some rock and roll of the red and white kind.

Matt Mays – Coyote

He likes beer, bikes and once told me he’s always been influenced by Gordon Lightfoot; three very solid reasons to pick up the latest album by Matt Mays. If you’re searching for actual reasons to buy his album that relate to his music, you won’t be disappointed either. Great for those reflective moments on the highway or when you’re sitting around a fall campfire, ‘Coyote’ follows in the vein of his previous work where ebb and flow play a big part in the construction of his new album, should you listen to it from beginning to end.

Danko Jones – Rock and Roll is Black and Blue

Professional, industrial grade attitude is what you get with Danko’s new album and you wouldn’t expect anything less from the man with a tongue longer than Gene Simmon’s. There’s no solving of all the world’s problems with these tracks and we can all use an escape every so often. This is decadence at its finest so park the Topaz in the driveway, lock the doors, turn it up until those factory speakers are slightly distorted and then throw away the volume knob.

Sheepdogs – The Sheepdogs

Hailing from Saskatoon, I’ll assume these bearded dudes are Roughrider fans but I can’t even hold that against them; their latest album is that good. Heavy on the Hammond Organ at times and a serious throwback to that sound we loved when rock was perfected in the 1970’s, even us aging, crotchety older rockers can’t help but fly the devil horns. Pull out the Bic lighters and dry-clean those dingoballs, it’s the return of raw and simple rock in its purest form. Sorry, not available on 8-track.