Sing us a song, you’re The Pianomen

Spring is more fun for me as the fun and exciting precursor to the summer, but I can appreciate it not being -40 anymore.

As far as music goes, there are still plenty of shows happening at venues around the city, but we aren’t quite into full-on festival season — yet.

So spring is the season of anticipation.

There are a lot of big musical acts that will be rolling through Saskatoon during April (Michael Buble, Metric, July Talk, etc.), but let’s not forget all the fun of the local venues.

THE PIANOMEN

When: Saturday, March 30 Where: The Bassment

What: This isn’t exactly a local band, but this column is all about the best Saskatoon shows and this one certainly qualifies. The Pianomen are a group of four accomplished pianists from in and around the city playing a fun-filled concert on a pair of grand pianos on the lovely stage at The Bassment. David Fong, Don Griffith, Ray Stephanson, and Paul Suchan are all incredibly talented — so if you’re a fan of the piano in any way at all, this is a concert you won’t want to miss. We see piano players in Saskatoon, but rarely so many packed into one show.

JOHN BRYANT WITH DYLAN COOPER

When: Thursday, March 28 Where: Capitol Music Club What: From out on the East Coast, John Bryant fuses high vocal-range lyrics with an interesting synth/folk style of sound. Bryant’s music almost sounds like it combines the feel of folk and roots music with more modern sounds. It’s a cool style that certainly carves out a niche in the music community, and it also allows for the smooth lyrics to take more prominence in his songs. And Saskatoon’s own Dylan Cooper is no slouch either, with a more classic folk-rock sound and some great acoustic skills.

PKEW PKEW PKEW

When: Wednesday, April 3 Where: Black Cat Tavern What: They might not win the award for Best Band Name (which, for me, is still Wenches and Rogues), but they certainly get the award for “Band Name That’s Fun To Try To Pronounce.” Pkew Pkew Pkew is a rock band from Toronto that has the sharp, high-octane style reminiscent of late 1990s to early 2000s alt rock, but with very classic rock-style vocals. This is not a group that plays a laid-back show: These guys are full throttle and high energy in every sense. But if I can’t help but bob my head listening to their music just sitting at a desk, imagine what the live show must be like.