Loose Blues News
Congratulations to Mel Brown and Toronto-based Electro-Fi Records for their Handy award, announced Thursday, for Comeback Album of the Year, Neckbones and Caviar. Mel performs at a very special evening at Centro, 2472 Yonge St on Sunday June 10 (6:30pm) featuring an authentic and very deluxe "Mississippi Supper". Call Tony Longo 416-483-2211 for reservations ($125 plus taxes). You can catch Mel and the Homewreckers for considerably less at the venerable Black Swan on June 23 as part of Downtown Jazz but the menu there is limited to chips and pickled eggs.
Guitarists and collecters should not miss Canada's biggest Vintage Guitar Show with dealers from across Canada and all over North America. This year's show has a special nod to guitar makers. "With the renaisance of guitar building, you'll be impressed with how far the luthier's art has progressed in recent years," says Ed McDonald of Tundra Music/Vintage Guitars. The show takes place June 2-3, 2001 at the Thornhill Community Centre, 7755 Bayview Ave (Bayview & John). For info, call 416-222-8222 or visit www.tundramusic.com
Borealis Birthday: Borealis Records, a home grown treasure of roots and blues music celebrates their fifth birthday with a big blow-out at Harbourfront Centre on June 29th and 30th with workshops and performances by many of their artists including blues icons Jackie Washington, Penny Lang, Chris & Ken Whiteley and newly-signed Michael Jerome Browne (to name only a few). Many happy reviews (not returns).
Two new blues-friendly venues have now successfully opened in Toronto:
Revival: At 783 College Street (southeast corner of Shaw, one block east of Ossington), Revival opened as a live music venue and restaurant in May, "adding a new dimension to the existing cultural dynamism of College Street's Little Italy. A painstaking renovation of a location once used as a Baptist church and Polish legion hall has been transformed into an exciting live music venue and restaurant. The vision of co-owners Domenic Tedesco and Joe Saturnino, Revival combines Pan-Asian cuisine with an equally exotic music programming slate featuring live new and traditional Jazz, Soul, Latin and Blues performers." Revival's capacity is 400 on the main floor, 50 on the second floor balcony lounge, 150 on the lower floor, and a 60 person patio. The restaurant, featuring Pan-Asian cuisine highlighting Thai and Indonesian flavours, is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily. For live music, the doors open at 9 p.m., with performances by 10:30 p.m. For further information: 416.535.7888 or www.revivalbar.com
Healey's: Jeff Healey's new club at 178 Bathurst Street at Queen (under the Paddock) has also opened in May with a mix of blues, trad jazz, bluegrass, country/folk, karaoke, soul, funk and r&b. The large basement space, capacity approximately 150 to 200, provides an opportunity to be up close to the music, or around a corner with monitors. The club offers updated decor, two bars, and a menu more sophisticated than most bars. Co-owned with the two previous owners of the Bohemian Embassy in the Ave/Dav neighbourhood of Toronto, the club also boasts a celebrity owner who jams in later sets with his club's acts. The club is open Tuesday to Saturday, 8 pm to 2 am. For further information: www.jeffhealeys.com, 416-922-4459 (media), or 416-703-5882 (club).
The Music Managers Forum of Canada at the North By Northeast Music Conference in Toronto: MMF presents A Short Course on Management as a precursor to NXNE. The course takes place at the Holiday Inn, 370 King St. W., Toronto on June 6th (10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Regency D room) and June 7th (10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Room 218), for a registration fee of only $50. MMF is also presenting a Managers Panel for NXNE delegates, entitled Face-off: Music Managers vs. Record Companies Friday, June 8th, 5:00 p.m. (Regency D room, Holiday Inn on King) and their 2nd Annual Manager Meet `N' Greet on Saturday, June 9th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Beverley Tavern (240 Queen St. W.). For further information: Contact Karen Pace at (416) 465-3993, or at info@imfcanada.com, MMF Canada, P.O. Box 98058, 970 Queen St. E., Toronto, ON M4M 1J0, or www.imfcanada.com
More Big Times: After receiving the 1999 Maple Blues Award for Best New Artist, Raoul and The Big Time have been named Best New Talent of 2000 in the annual Real Blues Awards presented annually by Real Blues Magazine of British Columbia. Festival appearances for the band this summer include NXNE, The Toronto Buskers Festival, The Downtown Jazz Festival, Labatt's Blues and BBQ Festival at Harbourfront (with the legendary Big Dave McLean), The Beaches Jazz Festival, The Festival Of Beer at Old Fort York, and a Saturday night slot at The Southside Shuffle in Port Credit opening for The Downchild Blues Band. Past appearances this year have included Canadian Music Week, opening for Mark Hummel, and The JVC Jazz Festival, opening for Bobby Blue Bland. Since July 2000, the band has had a Sunday night residency at Blues on Bellair in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood. www.raoulandthebigtime.com.
Ronnie Douglas CD Release: Toronto Blues Society 1999 Talent Search winners the Ronnie Douglas Band will be releasing a new CD, entitled Big Brother, on June 28 in Orillia, 6:30 to 8 pm, at McCabes Restaurant, 201 Woodside Drive. The new disc features ten tunes, including eight originals. The first track will be included in this year's Mariposa Folk Festival compilation CD. The band is scheduled to perform at Mariposa in a country blues format (acoustic guitar and harp), and at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Fest in September in a group format.
Fine Fingerpickin': Ontario's award-winning Rick Fines will instruct a fingerpicking guitar course at the Haliburton School Of The Arts, July 2-6 in Haliburton Ontario, hot off his teaching engagement at the Hornby Island Blues Workshop last month in BC. For further information, contact www.flemingc.on.ca/programs/haliburton/hsta/hsta.asp or info@flemingc.on.ca, or 705-457-1680. The college reportedly has many other interesting courses, ranging from sketching to blacksmithing.
Ottawa Blues: The Mud Boys have released their second recording, Dustkickers Palace, which features all-original material. Sound clips and other information is available on their website.
The Trevor Finlay Band has also released their second CD, Bumpy Roads, featuring nine new songs and three "well-known crowd-pleasers done Finlay style". The new CD was engineered by Ken Friesen and Peter Gilroy, and mastered by Nick Blagona, known for his work with such legendary artists as Deep Purple, The Police and, recently, Little Feat. www.tfband.com
The Doheny Blues Festival selected Mannie & the Swingin' Hipshakers (www.hipshakers.com) as finalists for the 2001 Doheny Blues Talent Search. Held in Dana Point, California, the Doheny Blues Festival (www.omegaevents.com/html/doheny_blues) hosts a talent search prior to the festival each year. Other finalists included Aaron King and the Imperials, Billy Watson, Mark DuFresne and San Pedro Slim. The winner receives an opportunity to perform at the Festival along with Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', James Cotton, Robert Cray, and many others.
Montreal Bleues: Nanette Workman has released her first blues CD, Roots `n Blues, which features Steve Hill, Rob Lutes, Rob MacDonald, Rick Hayworth, Stephen Barry and many more.
The Medley Blues Festival was held at Le Medley in Montreal in May, featuring Bryan Lee, Jimmy Johnson, Roomful of Blues, Bob Walsh, and many others.
East coast blues: Moncton, New Brunswick's "Zydeco/Cajun infused blues unit" Glamour Puss is touring Europe. After four nights in Cannes, France, Glamour Puss is headed to Paris, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. www.glamourpuss.ca
West coast blues: The Moaning Summit Concert Series, produced by Ted and Monique Jablonski in Calgary, has hosted 5 successful concerts to date, including folk, bluegrass, and blues, and they are soliciting submissions from any interested touring folk and blues artists or their agents. Concerts are held in an intimate 50-seat venue. The Moaning Summit Concert Series, 4057 EdgeValley Landing NW, Calgary, Alberta T3A 5H5, 403-208-3230, or gogetm@telusplanet.net
Duke Robillard Signs with Stony Plain: Duke Robillard has consolidated his long-term relationship with Stony Plain by signing an international recording deal with the label. Starting with the 1994 release of Duke's Blues, he has released three other CDs on the label, as well as an album of duets with Herb Ellis, in addition to producing (and playing on) Stony Plain releases for the late Jimmy Witherspoon, Jay McShann, The Rockin' Highliners, Rosco Gordon and Billy Boy Arnold. Duke's next project for Stony Plain is a largely instrumental album by his veteran baritone sax man, Doug James, due July 10. After that, there will be two separate Robillard releases in the fall - they'll appear in Europe as a double CD set, but as single releases in Canada, the United States, and most other territories.
Maria Muldaur's Stony Plain recording, Richland Woman Blues, continues to garner enthusiastic reviews across North America.www.stonyplainrecords.com And Stony Plain president, and CBC radio Saturday Night Blues host, Holger Petersen, will receive an honorary doctorate from Athabaska University on June 8. The degree is in recognition of Petersen's "contributions to Canadian music, public broadcasting, and the Canadian arts industry."
Similarly, blues artist Ry Cooder received an honorary doctorate from Queen's University. The 53 year-old musician was awarded the doctorate degree in recognition of his contribution to music and culture, "in saving a generation of Cuban musicians from obscurity, and reintroducing an entire genre of Latin American music to the world."
Bobby Rush Band Accident: Bobby Rush's tour bus was involved in a one-vehicle accident en route to Pensacola, Florida, in the early morning hours of Thursday April 19. The driver of the van apparently suffered a heart attack and lost control of the vehicle, striking a tree, resulting in the death of dancer Latisha Brown, and hospitalizing Bobby and nine other band members. As of last notice, five still remain hospitalized. If you would like to help with a fund-raising effort, contact Beverly Tatum, btatum3143@aol.com, 404- 373-8803, or Bubba Sullivan, bluesco@ipa.net, 870-338-3501, or, to make a contribution to the Blues Aid / Bobby Rush Band Fund, mail to Blues Aid, P.O. Box 237, Helena, AR 72342 USA. Blues Aid, non-profit corporation, was created by the Sonny Boy Blues Society to help blues artists cope with healthcare, pharmaceutical, and memorial expenses.
We remember Boozoo Chavis: Boozoo passed away Saturday morning, May 5th, due to complications of a heart attack suffered on Sunday, April 29, which was quickly followed by a severe stroke, while in Austin, Texas. Donations to support Boozoo's family to offset high medical bills and funeral expenses may be made to Leona Chavis (Boozoo's wife of 50 years), at 115 Petah Street, Lake Charles, LA 70607 USA.
- Julie Hill, Brian Blain
Toronto Blues Society Copyright _ 2001