Toronto’s unsung musical heroes pay tribute to Pete Otis
The avenue known as The Danforth has become the nexus of east-end Toronto’s musical culture and heritage, and the Black Swan Tavern has evolved into its unlikely headquarters, thanks primarily to a series of tribute shows held there over ...
Donovan Woods – March 28 at the Rio Theatre, Vancouver
Only once in my life did I vote for a U.S. president that won. Not once have I ever voted for any record to win “best something” and seen that album win. Until this year. The album in question ...
Titans of Toronto Reggae – Mar. 2 at the Opera ...
In the late 60s, thanks to the addition of a provision to the Immigration Act by Mr. Trudeau senior, Jamaican-born workers and professionals who had already emigrated to Toronto were able to invite their families to join them in Canada. ...
How Winterfolk XVII helped Paul Corby get through another winter ...
A rousing carousel of song spun everything from simple roots folk to visceral blues scorchers past an audience of musical tourists this past weekend on the upper east bank of Toronto’s Don River. For the seventeenth consecutive year, the Winterfolk ...
Folk Alliance: Elizabeth’s tour of the Saturday official showcases
The day dawned early after a bedtime of past 2 a.m. on Friday night. A late night email invited us to attend the Bed In at 9:20 a.m. in the room once occupied by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in ...
Folk Alliance: Heather’s Saturday showcase travelogue
4:30 p.m.: I admit it. I can be shallow. I HAVE been known to judge a book by its cover. Case in point, the Polky Village Band has always struck me as kind of a hokey name, so I’m a ...
Folk Alliance: Heather’s Friday night showcase travelogue
4:55 – “Are there any other introverts in the room?” asks PEI artist Meaghan Blanchard a song or two into her official showcase set in the Canadian Music East Coast Style suite. The comment seems to reflect the tranquil and ...
Folk Alliance: Elizabeth Szekeres’ tour of the Friday night ...
First up in the official showcases of Friday afternoon at the Folk Alliance International conference was Kaia Kater with her band. She played a series of lovely passionate songs on guitar and banjo, including some from her new album Grenades, ...
Folk Alliance: Elizabeth’s tour of the Thursday night private ...
Three floors of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in downtown Montreal are set aside this weekend for private showcase performances. Every room has its beds removed so that a constant procession of musicians can do showcase performances they hope will catch ...
Folk Alliance: Elizabeth’s tour of the official showcases (Thursday)
The Roots Music Canada team is out in force in Montreal this weekend for the annual Folk Alliance International conference, the world’s largest gathering of folk artists and industry people. A key component of Folk Alliance is the showcases, series ...