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Annual Talent Search

The winning act will perform another special showcase at the Celebrate Toronto Street Festival on July 9th, and will also win performance opportunities at the South Side Shuffle on September 10th and the Toronto Blues Society Blues Summit in January 2007. In addition, the winners receive a professional development package including a live CBC recording, studio time at Bass-Line Studios, and a photo shoot with Rick Zolkower.

The Toronto Blues Society is pleased to announce the six finalists in the 2005 Talent Search. Each will perform a set for a panel of distinguished industry judges on Saturday July 8th at the Celebrate Toronto Street Festival.

12:00-12:20 Trouble and Strife
Trouble and Strife are a band who make no excuses for playing only the blues. This electric quintet of Larry Kurtz, Bruce and Michael Ley, Greg Smith, and Maureen Brown play soulful, low-down, take-your-time blues inspired by the countrysides of Southern Ontario. Trouble and Strife are the only full electric blues band to make the finals this year this year.

12:30-12:50 Riverside Blues
Riverside Blues is an acoustic duo from Montreal consisting of Martin Goyette on harmonica and vocals, and Tytus Zurawski playing finger-style guitar.. Since forming in 2001, they have played many festivals and events in the Montreal region, taking home the top prize at the Festiblues de Montreal talent search in 2002. Riverside Blues mainly draw their inspiration from blues artists from the 30s and 40s which gives them a unique sound that will set them apart from the competition.

1:00-1:20 Donna Lynn Kay
Donna Lynn Kay is a Canadian singer and slide guitarist whose musical influences draw from the American Deep South and the Mississippi Delta. Recently returned to Toronto from Austin where she was a regular on the local blues scene, she is equally comfortable playing electric guitar at the bigger venues, or playing more intimate clubs where her instrument of choice is her National Guitar. Her soulful voice and laid-back accompaniment make this solo artist a powerful contender in this year's finals.

1:30-1:50 Matchstick Mike and the Chain Smokin' Alter Boys
Driving half way across the country just to compete, Fredericton's Matchstick Mike and the Chain Smokin' Alter Boys will bring their upbeat, dance-inspiring music to Toronto for the first time. Having been compared to a genetic-freak cross between Lyle Lovette, Steve Earl, and Muddy Waters, Mike has been playing roots music for 30 years since picking up the mandolin at age 7. A staple of the East Coast blues circuit, Matchstick Mike and the Chain Smokin' Alter Boys are ready for their big break into the rest of Canada.

2:00-2:20 Brock Stonefish
Brock Stonefish, a 22 year old member of the Delaware First Nation, recently opened for B.B. King, which anyone would agree is a pretty good stepping stone on the way to establishing a career singing the blues. Playing rhythm and slide guitar, Brock started in music as a Powwow singer before noticing the similarity between Native and Blues Music. Though he took up the blues on a whim, Brock is a bright new talent who impressed B.B., and may well impress this year's judges.

2:30-3:00 The Undesirables
The Undesirables are a refreshing and infectious songwriting duo. Guitarist/harmonicist Sean Cotton and lyricist/singer Corin Raymond deliver a brand new vibe with roots blues clout. In performance, The Undesirables are a mesmerizing unit. They perform with total commitment. Corin hand-delivers each lyric with entrancing conviction while Sean digs into the guitar with mastery and taste and their voices blend with sibling harmony. Fixtures of the Toronto music scene, both independently and as a duo, The Undesirables might just have the right experience and the right sound to win it all this year.

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	12:00-12:20 Trouble and Strife Trouble and Strife are a band who make no excuses for playing only the blues. This electric quintet of Larry Kurtz, Bruce and Michael Ley, Greg Smith, and Maureen Brown play soulful, low-down, take-your-time blues inspired by the countrysides of Southern Ontario. Trouble and Strife are the only full electric blues band to make the finals this year this year.
	12:30-12:50 Riverside Blues Riverside Blues is an acoustic duo from Montreal consisting of Martin Goyette on harmonica and vocals, and Tytus Zurawski playing finger-style guitar.. Since forming in 2001, they have played many festivals and events in the Montreal region, taking home the top prize at the Festiblues de Montreal talent search in 2002. Riverside Blues mainly draw their inspiration from blues artists from the 30s and 40s which gives them a unique sound that will set them apart from the competition.
	1:00-1:20 Donna Lynn Kay Donna Lynn Kay is a Canadian singer and slide guitarist whose musical influences draw from the American Deep South and the Mississippi Delta. Recently returned to Toronto from Austin where she was a regular on the local blues scene, she is equally comfortable playing electric guitar at the bigger venues, or playing more intimate clubs where her instrument of choice is her National Guitar. Her soulful voice and laid-back accompaniment make this solo artist a powerful contender in this year's finals.
	1:30-1:50 Matchstick Mike and the Chain Smokin' Alter Boys Driving half way across the country just to compete, Fredericton's Matchstick Mike and the Chain Smokin' Alter Boys will bring their upbeat, dance-inspiring music to Toronto for the first time. Having been compared to a genetic-freak cross between Lyle Lovette, Steve Earl, and Muddy Waters, Mike has been playing roots music for 30 years since picking up the mandolin at age 7. A staple of the East Coast blues circuit, Matchstick Mike and the Chain Smokin' Alter Boys are ready for their big break into the rest of Canada.
	2:00-2:20 Brock Stonefish Brock Stonefish, a 22 year old member of the Delaware First Nation, recently opened for B.B. King, which anyone would agree is a pretty good stepping stone on the way to establishing a career singing the blues. Playing rhythm and slide guitar, Brock started in music as a Powwow singer before noticing the similarity between Native and Blues Music. Though he took up the blues on a whim, Brock is a bright new talent who impressed B.B., and may well impress this year's judges.
	2:30-3:00 The Undesirables The Undesirables are a refreshing and infectious songwriting duo. Guitarist/harmonicist Sean Cotton and lyricist/singer Corin Raymond deliver a brand new vibe with roots blues clout. In performance, The Undesirables are a mesmerizing unit. They perform with total commitment. Corin hand-delivers each lyric with entrancing conviction while Sean digs into the guitar with mastery and taste and their voices blend with sibling harmony. Fixtures of the Toronto music scene, both independently and as a duo, The Undesirables might just have the right experience and the right sound to win it all this year.