Tonight at the capitol we had two great Canadian country music acts in Gord Bamford and opening act Hey Romeo. Stacie Roper, Rob Shapiro, and Darren Gusnowsky are the members of Hey Romeo and over almost the past decade, these three very talented musicians have become one of the rising star acts in Canadian country music. Originally, Darren and Rob were playing in Gord Bamford’s band and vocalist Stacie needed some accompaniment at an upcoming gig. Gord was kind enough to give his go for Darren and Rob to join Stacie at her show, and the beginnings of Hey Romeo were born.
Hey Romeo - Capitol Theatre - 03/17/12
Darren Gusnowsky, Stacie Roper, and Rob Shapiro
There style sparks thoughts of a multitude of artists with Roper being able to be soft when need be and belt out a tune with power to spare. Dazzling in her festive green dress for St. Patrick’s day she regaled us with stories of the bands past and the influence of some songs on them, for example before they belted out their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit “Second Hand News” which got them into the Top 50 of Canadian country charts back in 2007.
Hey Romeo - Capital Theatre - 03/17/12
Vocalist Stacie Roper
Hey Romeo moved on into 2008 with a Canadian Country Music Award for Top New Talent of the Year (Group or Duo). This talent is evident in their live performance, with artists like Shapiro who has won the CCMA for best keyboard player the past three years running. A great group that get’s your feet tapping and you can tell that they have a genuinely good time while performing, they played a multitude of songs from their hit CD “That’s What I Am” as well as a few off their upcoming CD out in the next month or so.
Hey Romeo - Capitol Theatre - 03/17/12
Keyboards/Vocalist Rob Shapiro
I wished I could have gotten a better picture of Darren Gusnowsky (sorry Darren) but the lighting was a challenge on this night at the Capitol and he was the farthest away. Having won the CCMA last year for “Group or Duo of the Year”, Hey Romeo shows no signs of slowing down, they provide an entertaining live show, great music, and I highly recommend if you get the chance to see them perform live to do so!
Next up, after a brief intermission and chat with Hey Romeo about Twitter (@heyromeo), thanks for the pic guys! The lights in the lobby dimmed to let us know it was time for headliner Gord Bamford. Bamford was born in Australia but moved to Alberta with his mom at the age of five, which I’d say still classifies him as a “canuck”. Bamford has released four albums since his debut back in 2000 with “God’s Green Earth” sparking such hit’s as “All About Her”, “Heroes” and his first top ten hit on country charts “Blame It On That Red Dress”.
Gord Bamford - Capitol Theatre - 03/17/12
On this night Gord was having a lot of fun it seemed taking us through songs like “Day Job”, “Put Some Alcohol On It”, and “My Daughter’s Father” (which I think I saw a couple of tears in the crowd due to this song) all from his latest album from 2010, “Day Job”. He also had a somber moment when he told a story of the loss of a family member and played a heart felt tribute to the person in question.
Gord Bamford - Capitol Theatre - 03/17/12
Having now seen Gord Bamford twice (the last time with Aaron Pritchett on the “Rowdy Boys tour”) I must say he puts on a great show that is well worth seeing. He plays a mix of old style country with a twinge of twang and throw in some modern country with a guitar rip or two, I definitely recommend his show and his music to fans.
Once again I want to thank PPR, the Capitol Theatre, Hey Romeo and Gord Bamford for a great night of entertainment…until next time!
I was there and it was a fun show!