By DJ Tom
New Music Fridays at nOOn
How can two guys on two instruments BLOW the roof off of the LOVING TOUCH? Easily when they are Zach and Will of Hockey Dad.
Zach Stephensonʼs shimmery guitar riffs, his passionate voice, driven by Willʼs drums, with added VOLUME, is very MOVING. And MOVE we did. In fact, at one point between songs, Zachʼs mic got unplugged accidentally by those dancing at the front of the stage. After stopping the song about 30 seconds into the start, and getting it fixed, he teased “weʼll just skip that one.” The crowd protested, BUT Zach only joking, started over and KILLED IT. Will then took lead vocals on the tune “Sweet Release,” energizing the crowd surfers.
Giving the room a brief rest, Zach crooned “Danny,” full of emotion delivered from the gut. Also from their great 2018 album BLEND INN, “I Wanna Be Everybody,” and “My Stride,” kicked the dance party back into gear. “I Need a Woman” and “So Tired” from Baronia sounded amazing in this room.
But I would have to say the highlight of this night was “JUMP THE GUN.” What is it about this song that stirs people so? The hooks are addicting. The riffs on the guitar are heart wrenching — Zachʼs voice so sweet with the melody — this song is truly one of the best written, outstanding singles in decades.
I knew it would be something special seeing Hockey Dad in a room this size. I watched their tour in their homeland Australia, huge crowds, huge venues, and now headlining the Farmer and The Owl Festival in Wollongong.
It was a pleasure meeting Zach-he LOVED that I give Hockey Dad plenty of airtime on New Music Fridays @ nOOn AND I LOVE that Hockey Dad gives me GREAT TUNES to play that ROCK OUT!!! DONʼT MISS THEM WHEN THEY COME BACK to the STATES HEADLINING!!!
