Uncle Wiggly with The Smokin' Hot Toasters | 1534 Joan Ave
Concerts
A revitalized edition of The Smokin’ Hot Toasters is set to hit the road and bring an
evening of red-hot rhythm and blues to audiences in the Pacific North West, the
interior of B.C. and the Alberta prairies, as 2025 unfolds.
With a history that goes back to the halcyon days of the Western Canadian roots
music scene of the eighties, The Smokin’ Hot Toasters were a force of a unit that
could often be found working great venues like the fabled Commodore Ballroom
and kicking off shows that found them on bills with legends like The Neville
Brothers, Koko Taylor and John Mayall.
Experts at luring patrons to dance floors, The Smokin’ Hot Toasters brought a
package of impressive playing and singing to clubs, cabarets, theatres and
festivals and after reforming in .....(what year), the band discovered they could
easily access the energy and chemistry that originally fueled their material and
performances in the eighties, and soon after realized audiences wanted hear that
distinctive Smokin’ Hot Toasters sound again.
That groove saturated sound has once again been front and centre at wonderful
venues like Festival Place and Horizon Stage and in Central Alberta, The Mary
Winspear in Sidney BC, The Syd Williams Theatre in Courtney, Knox United in
Parksville, the Alex Golden Performance Hall in Victoria, Hermann’s Jazz Club in
Victoria and White Rock’s Blue Frog Studios. The group has also launched a
spirited and well-received Christmas Blues Show that has played strings of shows
across Alberta and B.C..
The summer festival circuit has also embraced The Smokin’ Hot Toasters and the
band has made main stage appearances at The Edmonton International Blues
Festival, The Nanaimo Blues Festival, Beaumont Roots n Blues Festival, Calgary
International Blues Festival, the Victoria Inner Harbour Blues Festival, Island’s
Folkfest in Duncan BC and Butchart Gardens concert series as fans love the
sound of the band that is spearheaded by the band’s co-founders, vocalist Big
Hank Lionhart and guitarist Steve Cross.
Always focused on keeping the shows fresh, 2025 will find The Smokin’ Hot
Toasters stepping into the songbook of Los Lobos for part of their shows.
“We have always done a few Los Lobos Songs as far back as the 80’s. We always
loved the band and their music, so we decided to expand our nod to them into a
full feature set. That set includes Evangeline, I got Loaded, Don’t Worry Baby, Set
Me Free Rosalee, Farmer John, That Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore, Will the
Wolf Survive, La Bamba, One Time One Night and a few more,’ says Lionhart,
whose powerhouse voice easily tackles these tunes.
“We do Lobos songs that are true to the original arrangements you hear on those
great recordings. We’re not emulating the band or pretending we are Los Lobos,
we just drill into the spirit of the songs, and try to be true to the vibe of the material.
Fans seem to enjoy them as much as we do and I think it’s fair to say these Lobos
tunes are now considered to be timeless,” adds Lionhart, before mentioning that
the group’s other set features an abundance of original material and choice cool
covers that have served the group well. That set includes material that is built
around their trademark tight arrangements and muscular group vocals.
The Smokin’ Hot Toasters are Uncle Wiggly - Lead Vocals, Steve Cross - Guitar,
Mick Woodhouse - Bass, Steve Ranta - Keys, Dave Emery - Drums, and Jonnie
Bridgeman - Sax
Information Source: Berry Music Company Ltd. | eventbrite