Kasador with The Beach Bats + Misty Blue + Lydia Stephen

Name: Kasador with The Beach Bats + Misty Blue + Lydia Stephen
Start: 2025-04-11T12:00:00-04:00
Location: 95 King St. E., Hamilton, ON, Canada, Ontario L8N 1A9

Schedule

Fri, 11 Apr, 2025 at 12:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

95 King St. E., Hamilton, ON, Canada, Ontario L8N 1A9 | Hamilton, ON

Kasador has been busy. Over the past two years, the Kingston, Ontario band released their second full-length, 2023’s Youth, toured across Canada and the U.S., and went from a three-piece to a four-piece outfit. They hit major streaming milestones, won awards for their music videos, and scored spots on national Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts—the sort of successes every rock band dreams of. This is dressed-down, cheeky, pirate-radio indie-rock: It’s tender and carefully considered, but also raw and wild and burnt around the edges, a sonic and compositional thumbprint that nods to classic and alternative rock history while pushing into something new, something exciting. This moment is years in the making. Kasador, who have shared stages with Arkells, July Talk, Sam Roberts Band, and The Glorious Sons, began a new era in 2016. In 2019, the band released their debut full-length Brood and Bloom, a dark, pensive collection of alt-rock, pop, and R&B that scored 350,000 plays in the first six months after release. The songs on Youth have collected more than 900,000 streams. Kasador’s momentum and energy is palpable, and this powderkeg of new material is ready to be set off.
Transmitting sonic disturbances from an inner city beach, The Beach Bats were formed in the hazy summer of 2016 by guitarist Chelsea White and bassist/vocalist Tony Doni in Hamilton, Ontario. The two had performed together for years in Hamilton psych-rock outfit Pluto Adrift and decided to use a hiatus to explore sounds farther afield. Originally influenced by rockabilly and punk a la The Cramps and Reverend Horton Heat, the Bats began to branch into jazz, country, noise rock and often found themselves returning to their psychedelic roots. Over the years, they have performed with a variety of musicians extensively throughout Southern Ontario and Quebec. In 2018, drummer Gabriel Bitti joined the group and brought a fresh, more technical dimension to the band’s performances. On their debut full-length offering, Last Resort (2019), The Beach Bats pushed their sonic limits and engaged audiences with lush arrangements, vocal dexterity and innovative guitar playing indicative of their relentless work ethic. The Beach Bats released their sophomore LP Limbo on August 4, 2023. This new record shows the group exploring a more stripped back sound, with bedtracks recorded live off the floor at their homebase, Boxcar Studios in Hamilton. These sparser arrangements provide the necessary space for the band to showcase chops honed over many years of performing together. However, the album provides plenty of variety as well with songs veering from one style to another at a moments notice. Vocals change from crooning to screaming, keyboards and synths poke out of the darkness, guitars create equal measures order and chaos, but the band is in absolute control of the vessel at all times. Limbo is a study in variety and how much can be squeezed out of seven songs and three musicians.
Hitting the ground running as an acoustic duo, Misty Blue has quickly evolved into a four-piece rock band making a mark in Toronto's emerging music scene. Their music channels the raw energy and rebellious spirit of the '90s, capturing the nostalgia of a radical and talented era with creativity, and confidence. Drawing consistently on a background of folk and classic rock, the group thrives by experimenting with elements of alternative, new wave, and grunge, jumping between genres while maintaining an upbeat, youthful spirit. Driven by intimate and raw vocal performances from lead singer Ally, each single release reveals a new layer of Misty Blue’s evolving musical identity. In the span of two years, the band’s trajectory has been nothing but upwards, with headlining shows at iconic Toronto venues like The Horseshoe Tavern and the Drake Underground, and larger performances on festival stages alongside acclaimed artists like Blue Rodeo, Tokyo Police Club, and Serena Ryder.
With special guest Lydia Stephen (Hamilton, ON)