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FYI

HOROJO Trio: Hard As I Can

Soulful vocals and virile guitar drive this R&B-inflected rocker.

HOROJO Trio: Hard As I Can

By Kerry Doole

HOROJO Trio  - Hard As I Can (Stony Plain): Not many acts win awards before putting out an album, but that has been the case with this Ottawa-based soulful blues-rock threesome. Since forming spontaneously at a jam session, HOROJO Trio won Best Band at the 2020 International Blues Challenge and was recently nominated for Music Group of the Year’ at the 2022 Ottawa Awards.  A keenly-anticipated debut release, Set The Record, comes out on the prestigious Stony Plain label on April 1, preceded by this new single and video.


The band comprises drummer Jamie Holmes, singer/keyboardist Jeff Rogers, and guitarist JW-Jones, the latter a prominent solo artist who has reached Top 10 on the Billboard Blues charts and received multiple Juno and Maple Blues Award nominations.

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Hard As I Can has a retro sound, headed by soulful vocals and backup harmonies and fluent guitar work from Jones. Halfway through, he lets loose with a high-energy guitar solo that injects extra life. This is the kind of tune you'd have heard on '70s FM radio, but sadly may be thought too old-school for commercial radio play now.

In case you're wondering, the trio's name is derived from the surnames of the members: HO (Holmes), RO (Rogers), and JO (Jones). Look for HOROJO Trio to make a splash on the blues/roots scene in 2022, especially if they're able to play the festivals. The group has an album release show at Ottawa's Rainbow Bistro on April 1.

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Publicity: Eric Alper

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Blue Rodeo at The Kee To Bala.
Courtesy Photo

Blue Rodeo at The Kee To Bala.

Concerts

Nelly, Cypress Hill, Billy Talent, The Beaches Highlight Muskoka Venue The KEE To Bala's  2025 Lineup

A musically diverse group of major international and Canadian stars will take to the historic stage in Ontario cottage country this summer, including Billy Corgan, Shaggy, The Reklaws, Down With Webster and more.

A historic and popular music venue in the Muskoka cottage country region of Ontario for the past eight decades, The KEE To Bala was taken over by Live Nation in 2023, and the clout of the international concert behemoth has upped the ante.

That's evident in the bookings. Today (May 5), this season's lineup was announced, and it again features major international and Canadian artists as headliners. Heading the international names are R&B superstar Nelly, fast-rising young American country star Dylan Gossett, alt-rockers Billy Corgan and The Machines of God with Collective Soul, reggae hitmaker Shaggy, rock veterans The Wallflowers and hip-hop stars Cypress Hill & Ja Rule.

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