Monthly Archives: October 2012

Radio: It still matters… it’s still important. Step up!

  October 20, 2012 - 12:24 am | , ,
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Radio?? How…. 20th century! Well… maybe, but radio is not only important for providing [fill in: information, news, music, social connections, etc., etc. …], it’s now scientifically established that radio makes you feel better!  (Thanks to Mediazoic for the Twitter tip!) You’ll actually feel better than if you spend your time surfing the Net. And it’s also a great social experience. But, it is also, as always, an immediate source of that information/news/music mentioned above. And, if your interests, tastes, viewpoints on those areas, are not well-served (I hope not!) by “mainstream radio”, if Internet streams and radio stations provide little, if any, information about … Continue reading →

Roots of rock & roll: “hillbilly & blues/R&B”

  October 19, 2012 - 11:51 pm | , ,
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I came across this 1951 video of the great Western Swing Band, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys on Twitter recently (posted by Afropop Worldwide no less!), singing their 1930’s hit “Ida Red”  — a song first recorded a decade earlier (by Fiddlin’ Powers and Family), and has roots back to an 1878 popular song, “Sunday Night”. The video is a terrific capture of one of the seminal bands that pushed country music boundaries in the pre-World War Two era. Wills was known as the “King of Western Swing” and recorded over a 40 year period. But the song made … Continue reading →

Sleepwalk Guitar Festival: A weekend of guitar greats and legends

  October 19, 2012 - 11:18 pm | , ,
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You won’t be able to sleepwalk through this guitar extravaganza. The 2nd annual Sleepwalk Guitar Festival at The Great Hall on the weekend of Nov. 2-4, sponsored by Six Shooter Records and curated by Luke Doucet will be filled with guitar stars and legends: in concert, in workshops and in interview sessions. The festival website with schedules, ticket info and more is here. The Six Shooter Facebook page has more information, and a raft of videos of some of the performers. Some more about a couple of the artists is below. James Burton Many years ago, whenever I read anything … Continue reading →

Upcoming events

  October 13, 2012 - 12:20 am |
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A few to watch for. See www.to-music.ca/events for details on these, and many other concerts and shows. Sat. Oct. 13: Reception for José Ortega’s art exhibit opening at IndexG Sun. Oct. 14: Royal Drummers of Burundi (2 shows) Markham Theatre Thu. Oct. 17: Be Good Tanyas at Great Hall Fri. Oct. 18: Béla Fleck & Marcus Roberts Trio at Koerner Hall Sat. Oct. 20-21: Iris Dement (she’s just released her first album of new songs in 16 years) at Hugh’s Room. Both shows standing room only.  Listen to a recent NPR profile. Sat. Oct. 20-21: Uma Nota Festival of Tropical Expressions: … Continue reading →

Art exhibit by Jose Ortega (Lula Lounge)

  October 12, 2012 - 11:47 pm |
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José Ortega, the Artistic Director of one of Toronto’s musical gems, the Lula Lounge, has just opened his first solo art exhibit,”thinkin’ one thing and doin’ another” at IndexG Gallery, 50 Gladstone Ave. The exhibit runs opened Oct. 11-Nov. 18, 1-6pm Wed-Sun. The opening reception is Sat. Oct. 13, 3-6pm.   No doubt José is best known here for his great music contributions. Two years ago, he won the Roy Thomson Award of Recognition from the Toronto Arts Foundation. which recognized “creative, performing, administrative, volunteer or philanthropic contributions to Toronto’s musical life”. José is also an established and recognized visual … Continue reading →

Cuban food — and music — where??

  October 12, 2012 - 11:23 pm | ,
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My neighbourhood of Bloor West Village is not known for particularly interesting restaurants, and certainly not for live music. But things have begun changing recently, at least in one case. Bloom — a restaurant until recently under the same ownership of the Bloor/Yonge Focaccia — after a somewhat promising start, had (in my opinion) regressed to the generally uninspiring, and comfortable niche that seems to work in this neighbourhood. But last year, Focaccia’s chef, Cuban-born Pedro Quintanilla moved to Bloom, and added a bit of Cuban cooking to the menu. More recently, the restaurant was purchased by Luis Mario Ochoa, the … Continue reading →

“Music in Mali” documentary

  October 12, 2012 - 10:42 pm | ,
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Music In Mali: Life Is Hard, Music Is Good: Via Afropop Worldwide, I came across information on this recently completed documentary about Malian music (filmed before the tragic fighting and repression in that great country). The film is produced by Kanaga System Krush (KSK) Records, but at this point, I don’t have any information on any screenings or its availability. I will keep tabs on it though. The embedded clip is a 14 minute preview. (Click the full-screen icon to view it properly). Music In Mali: Life Is Hard, Music Is Good is a feature-length documentary about the musicians, dancers and everyday people of … Continue reading →

Sherry Ryan at The Dakota: Oct. 6 / Ticket, CD giveaway

  October 4, 2012 - 10:50 pm | , ,
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NOTE:  I have a pair of tickets to her Saturday show & a CD to give away to the first to contact me. Email info@to-music.ca This site tends to focus mostly on “world”, and especially African music, but I do periodically report on other music, notably some country/American artists. This Saturday, Newfoundland singer Sherry Ryan performs at the Dakota Tavern as part of her CD Release of Sister of Mine. I wasn’t familiar with her music until now, but having listened to the CD, and some of her earlier music, I’ve been really impressed with her sound, her singing and … Continue reading →