Taking an extended road trip to Southern Ontario over the US Memorial Day holiday weekend has kind of been ‘our thing’ for several years now, and 2025 would be no exception. And naturally, this late spring getaway always presents an opportunity for enjoying some live music, but unlike the three previous years, we did not have any solid music plans in place until just 24 hours before hitting the road.
Sure, there were a couple of interesting events displayed in our concert tracking apps, but both proved a little further away than we planned to drive. Sticking to our guns, and staying local to the Hamilton area, it would be the notification of a show on the Saturday night featuring our pals Stardust Duo – performing at The Edison Room, which was just a brief drive around the western edge of Lake Ontario to downtown Burlington.
Hamilton alt-country rockers The Redhill Valleys have been long time favorites here at GDW, and when the band are not out rocking the big stages, founding members Tim Allard (guitar/vocals) and Chelsea McWilliams (bass/vocals) can often be found at some more intimate venues performing semi-acoustic shows, under the moniker Stardust Duo. And having caught this pairing as part of a songwriter circle in the past, the opportunity for a full show was impossible to miss – tickets bought!
A relative newcomer to the music-venue scene, The Edison Room is located at the rear of The Block Co., an artisan cheese shop on John Street. Not knowing the capacity, we arrived early to snag some great seats – welcomed by the proprietor (shoutout to Troy – thank you), who poured us some beverages and invited us to simply relax in the room. Wonderful hospitality – we will most definitely return for another show again one day.
With a 45-minute set, Stardust Duo received a lively ovation from the audience when kicking off the show. “My name’s Chelsea, this is Tim, together we’re Stardust Duo, even though we’re billed as Chelsea McWilliams tonight,” Chelsea announced. “I brought Tim along because I can’t go anywhere without him. Because I don’t want to…” Being life-partners as well as bandmates, Tim and Chelsea’s natural chemistry was on display all evening – both during and in-between songs. “We’re playing a mix of originals and covers. We’re playing some originals that we usually play electrically, as with an electric guitar, but are you going to take a solo on your acoustic guitar?” Chelsea asked of her partner. “No,” was Tim’s humorous deadpan response, eliciting chuckles from the room, before progressing into the opening riffs of “Living in Yesterday.”
The duo shared some of their earlier cuts (“Lay Me Down” / “Take a Lot of Pain”), and more recent SXM radio favorites (“Rhinestoned” / “Anymore”) – the latter including Chelsea and Tim’s tale of this song taking top prize in a songwriting contest for “American Songwriter” magazine during the dark days of the pandemic. Tossing in a couple of covers, we were privy to some great interpretations of hits by Lucinda Williams and Fleetwood Mac.
Always happy to keep an ace up their sleeves, Tim and Chelsea would play a winning hand with their closing tune. “This is a new song. It’s really new, but that’s okay, right? You guys like new songs that you’ve never heard before?” Chelsea asked, building the anticipation in the process. “This is a song we wrote. It’s a falling-out-of-love song, and it’s about a very specific moment when you know it’s over. It’s called ‘I know you’re going to leave’.” “It’s in D,” Tim added, a mischievous smile on his face as he looked over at Chelsea’s bass. “That’s how it is,” Chelsea replied, with a matching smile. “I don’t even know what key it’s in.”
Set List:
- Lay Me Down
- Living In Yesterday
- Take A Lot Of Pain
- Can’t Let Go (Lucinda Williams cover)
- Anymore
- Rhinestoned
- Ready To Roll
- Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac cover)
- Lonesome Road
- I Know You’re Going To Leave (*Unreleased*)
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
