Student Music Correspondent – Sarah Monaghan, Grade 11, Kingston Secondary School monaghans@limestone.on.ca

Sarah Monaghan is passionate about music of all styles. She has been playing music since she was very young and has experience in a number of ensembles in the Kingston area including Cantabile Youth Choir, Kingston Youth Orchestra, and a local band “Elastik”. She is also involved in all the ensembles at Kingston Secondary School. She loves going to see live music and strongly believes in its ability to make a positive impact on people of all ages.

“The more you love music, The more music you love” – Mark Haines

Basset: A Look Behind the Curtain
Live Wire Basset Performance @ BSS

Basset: A Look Behind the Curtain – Live Wire Basset Performance @ BSS

Live Wire hosted two-piece band ‘Basset’ at Bayridge Secondary School on Friday, October 24th for their first school concert of the season. The band performed a lovely concert for the students and answered many questions from their eager audience.

Basset formed in Toronto during their studies at university, performing in various open mics as they got started. Basset’s wonderful acoustic performance at the school featured Yasmine Shelton’s vocals and Sam Clark’s vocals and guitar. The band was able to get a range of tones despite their minimalist instrumentation, the guitar at times an entire rhythm section, other times laying down a soft accompaniment or doubling the vocal melody. In ‘Sail On’, a more uptempo tune, the guitar strummed high and quick while keeping a solid bassline underneath. They performed their latest release, ‘Oh California’, with a slower current of fingerpicked guitar throughout. There was similar contrast in the vocals – sometimes hearty, sometimes pure and clear.

Read Sarah’s full write-up on BASSET

A Touching Performance in the KSS Drama Room! – Live 
Musician Mikhail Laxton, April 25, 2025

A Touching Performance in the KSS Drama Room! – Live (Musician Mikhail Laxton, April 25, 2025)

On Friday, April 25th, Live Wire hosted a concert in our very own KSS drama room. Live Wire is a non-profit volunteer organization focused on music appreciation and aiming to bring high quality live music to Kingston. They are reaching younger audiences through their concerts at schools, the one on April 25th being particularly successful.

Mikhail Laxton, an Australian soul-folk artist, played for music students at KSS from guitar, vocal music, and band classes. He inspired the young musicians with his soulful melodies and vulnerable songwriting, Laxton’s opening song, “End of the Road” combined rich but gentle vocals with percussive guitar to create an engaging atmosphere. His use of dynamics – soaring highs and soft lows – reeled the audience in, hanging onto every word and strum of his guitar. 

Read Sarah’s full write-up on Mikhail