News

Canada Shines in the Park: The Shiners Put On Explosive Pre-Fireworks Show in Cornwall
(Cornwall, ON - July 2, 2008)

Great weather, great crowds and great music, all ingredients were present for a tremendous salute to this nation. The conditions for Canada Day celebrations in Cornwall were stunning and with a reported 20,000+ in attendance at Lamoureux Park, headlining musical group The Shiners proved to be the perfect spark leading up the city's annual all-day entertainment and fireworks event. The band took the stage at 8:30 pm and performed a dynamic 60 minute set including selections from their highly praised debut CD, Happy Now. Other songs included tributes to Canadian acts Great Big Sea and Blue Rodeo, as well as East-Coast classic "Sonny's Dream" which singer/guitarist Eric Willison dedicated to guest fiddler Greg T. Brown's hometown of St. John's. The band notched the energy up again as they cranked out their two-steppin' version of the AC/DC classic "You Shook Me All Night Long", a tribute to the forthcoming fireworks display. "A little DC/AC.....Shiner's style!" belted Willison as he, bassist Joel Labrosse, drummer Jason Collis and multi-instrumentalist Greg Brown bounced, shook, played and sang their way to the grand finale skyward explosions. "Nothing but positive feedback on the show," commented event organizer David Runions. "Both Guy (Lauzon, MP) and I really enjoyed the Shiners performance, and we even did a little side stage dancing ourselves!"

Two-Steppin' Revelers Kick Off Summer: Shiners Rock in Glengarry
(Glengarry County, ON - June 28, 2008)

You know it's summer when The Shiners kick off their hectic performance schedule. Four years running, the Maxville Fair has marked the beginning of summer for roots-rockers the Shiners. A record crowd joined the band for a kick off like no other. "The energy in the Metcalfe Centre was hot...literally," commented drummer Jason Collis, "and it was definitely one of the largest audiences we've seen in Maxville in years." A week later, the band was found winding up hundreds at the Williamstown Street dance. This night introduced Shiner's fans to multi-instrumentalist Greg T. Brown. "I mentioned Greg was from St. John's (Newfoundland) and the place went wild!" laughed singer/guitarist Eric Willison. Greg's fiddle, accordion and banjo talents will be added to a number of Shiner's sets this summer including Canada Day in Cornwall and the Bainesville Street Dance.

Shiners Take the Stage: Roots-Rockin' This Summer at Fairs, Street Dances
(May 30, 2008)

Popular roots-rock trio, The Shiners, announced their summer schedule this past week. If you're into country fairs and outdoor festivals/events, you're sure to enjoy a night of energetic live music when you cross paths with Jay, Eric and Joel. The Shiners have gained the reputation for entertaining to the max. Paul Villeneuve, president of the Maxville Fair, says, "I don't know how these boys do it, but every year they come to play hard and they get us all wound up - it's awesome!" The Shiners will make their fourth annual stop at the Maxville Fair on June 20th. The Maxville show launches The Shiners into 'summer' mode making appearances at the Williamstown Street Dance, headlining Canada Day in Cornwall, the Bainesville Street Dance, Arts in the Park (Lamoureux Park, Cornwall), the Merrickville Fair, the Williamstown Fair, the Riceville Fair and the Stormont (Newington) Fair among other celebrations and special events. Check out The Shiners site for all the details: www.theShiners.com

 

Articles

OUT & ABOUT: Get a shine on this week: Shiners are busy

Posted By KATHLEEN HAY

Saturday June 28, 2008

Well, it's certainly nice to be popular.
That's about the size of it when you look at the entertainment listing this week and see The Shiners are in Long Sault, The Shiners are in Alexandria, The Shiners are at Lamoureux Park. And that's just this week.
Sheesh.
But it's well-deserved.
These guys -Eric Willison, Joel Labrosse and Jay Collis -put on an excellent show and are guaranteed to get you up and dancing, so if you're in the neighbourhood for any of these shows, get yourself there for a fun time.
In fact, this past Christmas party for the Freeholder, we went live music with the fellows over at the Ramada. Not only did our people love it, but the band was attracting "drop-ins" from other ongoing parties, all anxious to get on the dance floor.
As a special attraction, too, Martha and the Mulletts also performed that evening . . . maybe it was them that drew the extras . . . no, it was definitely the Shiners.
Eric and his buds formed the band in 2003, basically to perform in pubs. However, it didn't take long for their reputation to grow and they suddenly found themselves being booked for private functions (like our Christmas party, or wedding receptions).
That says a lot right there, especially when they play some original material, too.
Usually, the moment someone dares utter "original" it's enough to make the most open music fan cringe.
But not these boys.
Original Shiners material? No problemo, amigo.
Their music -as well as others' they play -is fun, danceable and energetic. Okay, so I'm plagiarizing from their website now ( www.theshiners.com), but I tried to get Eric on the horn and only got voice mail -obviously out booking more show dates, no doubt.
So I'll tell you what I heard.
Last year, I first saw them at Don Cherry's. We were a little skeptical -it was St. Paddy's, it was packed and we were sitting near the stage. We thought we'd be blown away, literally, by the speakers. But they were impeccably tuned and absolutely the right volume. The vocals were great, the musicianship was excellent and the stage banter just right. It was a two-thumbs up performance.
Same deal every other time I've seen them, including Xmas.
Two thumbs up again. Martha and the Mulletts? Definitely an "A" for effort.

	Saturday January 12, 2008 Shiners working their game plan Posted By Kathleen Hay ~The Standard Freeholder~ Want to perk up your winter doldrums? Then head west, well, if you're coming from C-dot tonight and catch the Shiners at Grumpy's, in Long Sault. Okay, I lie. It's Shiners minus one. "It is a bit of a rare occasion," notes lead singer, Eric Willison, who will be performing with drummer, Jason Collis, at the bar. "Usually, we just do duo shows on weeknights, but January's a bit quiet. "We'll pretty much be doing our regular material, and a few things a little bit different." One of the most popular bands around the area, the Shiners are often booked out-of-town, in places like Mother McGinty's or The Pour House, in Ottawa. Failing that, you'll occasionally catch them doing their thing at local fairs, or - if you were lucky enough to attend the Standard-Freeholder Christmas party this past year - see them at private parties. Each of the band members brings a lot of experience to the stage. Bassist Joel Labrosse, as well as Collis, are former Ritual players, while Willison has "always" played in bands. Although Willison doesn't particularly like labels, he defines their style as a "roots-rock" mix that combines Celtic, folk, a little rock and a little country. Their first CD Happy Now has enjoyed good success, and plans are in the works to begin work on a new one in the near future. "Joel and I were talking about this last night," says Eric. "I think now that the Christmas season is done, we're going to get back to doing some writing. "I think our game plan this time will be to get the songs ready, then road test them before we head into the recording studio." The road testing is the fun part. I don't know if you've ever been to a Shiners show, but if you haven't you're missing something. Especially if you enjoy kicking up your heels. I first caught the band live last St. Paddy's Day, at Don Cherry's. There with my pal, Scarlet Cathy O'Hara, no slouch when it comes to conquering the dance floor, we were more than suitably impressed. This year the band is already booked for two days - March 14 and 15 - for St. Paddy's fun at the Atlantic Pub, in Alexandria, then on The Day Itself, they're playing the Tartan Pub, in Orleans. "Yeah, it'll be a busy weekend," admits Eric. Uh huh. But think of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And that's no blarney.
	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
	October 2006 ROOTS ROCKERS HAPPY NOW:  THE SHINERS DEBUT CD SOMETHING TO REVEL ABOUT Cornwall Area Band Launches New Music:  Accessible Songs Delight Audience Previewers;  Album Guest Musician Graham Greer To Perform At Release Concert. Cornwall area roots-rock group, the Shiners, are celebrating the release of their debut CD Happy Now with a concert being held November 11th at Jazz Magnolia's (1541 Vincent Massey Drive, Cornwall).  The 12 song CD of new music is scheduled for official release on October 31st, marking the Shiner’s third year anniversary. The band’s singer/guitarist Eric Willison, bassist Joel Labrosse and drummer Jason Collis will be joined by guest musicians for their 2 hour set.  Graham Greer will play an opening set at 8:30 pm with the Shiners on at 10 pm.  Tickets are $6 per person.  Capacity is limited.  Advance tickets can be purchased from band members or at www.theShiners.com. As their website proclaims, you too can become a Roots Rock Reveler simply by attending their energetic live shows, and now the Shiners hope their fans will revel in the group's songs beyond the music venues with the release of their debut CD titled Happy Now.  "We've been road testing this material at shows and the response has been very encouraging," explains singer Eric Willison.  On October 5th of 2005, the band sat down with local producer Glenn Forrester to begin the pre-production process.  Forrester, well known as the bassist for Cornwall's Barstool Prophets, has engineered successful projects for Sarah Sleen, the Glengarry Bhoys, Hadrian's Wall and most recently, Celtic-folk-popsters, Greenwich Meantime.  "I've known these guys for years and it was a lot of fun getting them into the studio," laughs Forrester.  "We focused on a rootsier, folk-country-rock sound which complimented these great songs.” Celebrity morning show radio host Sue Stewart (Wayne & Sue, Variety104 FM, Corus Entertainment) is a fan and supporter of the band.  "The Shiners are a lot of fun to see and play a great set of tunes," says Stewart.  "Their quick wit always gets me laughing."The Shiners played their first live show on October 31st, 2003 after Willison had moved back to the Cornwall area and looked to start a band.  Recent disbanding of Cornwall-based metal staple, Ritual, had left Jason Collis and Joel Labrosse eyeing new musical ventures.  Starting out playing classic rock, country and Celtic cover material, their collective influences soon forged their roots-rock direction.  The acoustic-based trio has performed nearly 250 shows since their debut gig at the Glengarrian Pub in Cornwall on Halloween night 2003.  The Shiners were invited to perform on the main stage opening for Glass Tiger at Kinsmen Cornwall Lift-Off 2005.  In 2006 this same event saw the band play an opening set for Colin James in front of an enthusiastic 8000+ music fans.  Besides many main stage fair and festival shows, regular venue stops in Ottawa, Kingston, Alexandria, Montreal and Cornwall have helped their grass-roots approach to cultivating a loyal fan base.  The Shiners hope the release of their debut CD Happy Now will bring their music to new listeners, both regionally and nationally.