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NUANCE Progressive/Art Rock Festival and Showcases

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This years Nuance event at the Black Swan was … well another showcase of Toronto’s best kept musical secrets live on stage! The bands at this years celebration was none other then CounterPoint (my personal favorite), Half past 4 and Wilton Said.

Once again, a lot of praise has to be given to the man Wilton Said. The quality of acts at the show, is an indication of how much love Wilton has for his love of this genre of music. The energy that he has to bring together high caliber performers under one umbrella to present a well rounded evening is not only rewarding to him but the audience members as well.

The crowd was enthusiastic and respectful to each of the bands on stage that night. There wasn’t a single obnoxious drunk, ruining the evening in sight! The only thing that brought us all together was the love of music, a happening if you will.

Each group brought to the experience a unique art form. They contributed to the listener, sides of Prog/Art Rock that most people in general cannot appreciate. Collectively, they were fine ambassadors to the cause.

The price was right for these troubled financial times, three bucks! A buck a band, where else in the world can you find a deal like this? I told you not to miss it! To the ones that showed up, you know who you are, It was great to met some of the readers on this blog plus for your the support of this great event and hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I did!

So next time I write about this event, I hope to see more of you out there because it’s more then worth the drive to Toronto.

Keep on Jammin’ (at Nuance!)




Canada’s got the Blues

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Well fellow readers, it is finally time to shake the cob webs out of your head and get rid of those dreaded winter blues away! The blues come from those of us who have been deprived way too long of the sun’s healing properties. The medical term is called seasonal defective disorder (SAD). It’s when we do not receive enough vitamin D from that big orange thing in the sky! For some of us this is not a bad thing cause The Blues is making head way into the Canadian music scene!

The blues has always had a negative feel associated with it for ages. The Blues music is another story completely.

A dear friend of mine, way back in my college days, was a fabulous guitar player with immense guitar skills. Peter Schmidt is his name and his style of guitar playing just screams the blues. He is one of those unsung local talents who has not made it to the big stage yet, but there are many more where he came from. So, is Canada really that gifted in this area of music?

The answer seems to be YES! We have tons of blue society’s that are very active in the city. They hold concerts (Winter and Summer events), untold internet forums and have work shops everywhere, no matter the age.

We have bluesy greats such as the late, great Jeff Healey, Danny Marks, Kenny Brown, Ted Leonard, Steve Grisbrook or big Buzz Upshaw, just to name a few that I know of.
Even Leon Redbone was links to Canada!

There was this great article in this magazine called Chill that I was reading the other day. The article called “The state of the blues in Canada” was bringing to everyone’s attention the rise of Blues and who is the up and coming stars to watch out for. It’s a great read to check out!

So, are we going to shake off or embrace the blues? It’s your call.

Keep on Jammin’

The Shmenge Brothers

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The Schmenge Brothers, like many of the Canadians of the day, were a happy bunch that didn’t mind making fun of themselves in front of the world. We could all relate to these overly happy go lucky guys. When ever watching these guys on SCTV, they made me feel like I was in the show because the circle of friends I had back then, acted like them from time to time.

While growing up in Brantford, I had tons of Polish friends that I went to school with.

These guys and girls were really the salt of the earth bunch. Like all good R.C.-ers, X-mas was a big part of our lives and the Schmenge brothers just loved to celebrate and share their Lutonian Christmas traditions with others.

The traditional polish, polka band stereo type was always a silly topic that we constantly brought up in conversation.

This was because everyone, at least that I knew, back then had someone who was in one of these types of bands. When you got to know the band members and see them live, most of them had those similar on stage persona’s, just like that of the Schmenge Brothers characters!

So this post is dedicated to all my old happy wanderers polish buddies who had rock and roll polka bands in the past! Thanx for the memories guys.

Keep on Polka-in’

Simon and Garfunkle back on the road

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Simon and Garfunkel are back out on the road again after all these years. They have dates booked for Australia and New Zealand, but I’m sure their have to look for America in the near distant future, lucky buggards. If you love their music and they are going to be playing anywhere within 500 miles from where you live, then don’t be a fool and miss out on this one!

I had the glorious opportunity to have seen these guys way back in my college days. They played at the now demolished CNE stadium, but the memories will live on in my mind for the rest of my life!

The show was like going to someone’s back yard and they were just a couple of guys who showed up and start playing! We were around 100 feet away from the stage and this atmosphere was like nothing I’ve witnessed before. We had general admission seating and it was more then worth it!

Very young and old, and everything in between was there. It seemed like everyone there was lying on big blankets while eating and drinking out of a cooler. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky and it was around 30 (C). The whole place was so relaxing. It was like I was just hanging out with some Old Friends.

Keep on Jammin’

Will the remaining Beatle reunite for one night

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I just found out on the radio that the surviving members of the Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, may be on stage together tonight after all these years! I know we’ve heard all of this before, but you never know.

This historic event may take place at the Radio City Music Hall in New York city. This evenings concert is a benefit for the David Lynch Foundation.

I just wanted to inform you in case you didn’t hear about until now! I’ll be back tomorrow for more news on the show that you may have wished you saw, if it does in fact take place!

Let’s hope the Beatles will … Keep on Jammin’

Canada’s 2009 Juno award winners

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So another year has come and gone and it was that time to showcase Canada’s premier musicians for 2009 Juno Awards. The Canadian equivalent to the American Grammys, The 38th annual Juno Awards are growing stronger then ever. At least that is what people on the street and in my world say.

These are the award winners that I liked.

The big news was that Nickleback eclipsed everyone with walking away with both The Fan Choice and Group of the Year.

The runners up that I like is this real neat, quirky gypsy jazz outfit from Quebec called The Lost Fingers That night they had two Juno nominations for both fan choice and for album of the year but unfortunately came up empty handed. These guys are such a refreshing change of pace that it is not funny. Leon Redbone, eat your heart out!

My favorite modern Canadian Rocker to date, by a LONG SHOT, is City and Colour, better known as Dallas Green! This extraordinary guitarist, won the first award of the night, Songwriter of the Year with his latest project titled Bring me your Love. His best solo creation is called Sometimes and is a MUST for anyone’s collection. I know that I’m wearing that damn thing really thin.

Sam Roberts and the boys brought home the Artist of the Year award. He has this intangible feel to his creations. He is musically invigorating, with that raw edge that people in Quebec have, musically speaking, it’s a good thing trust me.

The most creative song he did on that album was Save Your Scissors. When I first heard that one I was in my car. It impressed me so much that I pulled over to get a pen and paper out of the glove box to write down the name of the artist and song. This guy impressed me that much.

The Alternative Album of the Year went to The Stills. The one song that I heard on the Juno’s website has the guitar style of the Edge of U2. I love the slide and anything that has to do with delays! Nice work boys. Also please check out the other bands on this link, they make me proud to be a Canadian musician!

So that is my short list of what went on at this years Juno Awards. I’ll comb over the other categories and see what comes up. So, what were your favorite acts that either played or were nominated for any Juno’s??

Keep on Jammin’

The Future is unwritten by Joe Strummer of the Clash

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This is a documentary about Joe Strummer, the now deceased singer of the Clash, as he talks about how music can change the world. It is said to be a tribute, told by many of music’s great chieftains like Bono, about Joe’s influence, not only in the world of Rock & Roll but, about the role he/they as musicians and story tellers, play in today’s modern society.

The location of these interviews are in various campfire settings all around the world. Anything about sitting around a campfire, talking about life in relationship to our earthly existence and I’m in!

I must admit that I have NEVER SEEN THIS but, everyone and their dog seems to have thought of it as plain brilliant! A buddy of mine on his blog said …

The appearances of Johnny Depp, John Cusack and Steve Buscemi, who would have been enough to engross my train of thought for more then a passing moment, are just a side show compared to the words of Joe Strummer!

Along with great candid chats with yesterday’s and today’s Rock entertainers, we have the odd idiot thrown in, ie: David Lee Roth. In an entertainment article from the Star, they explain it to us. It certainly sounds like something he would say.

Has anyone here seen this doc? If so, what did you think of it AND do you think it’s worth seeing?

Keep on Jammin’ Joe Strummer where ever you are!

Heartbeats by Jose Gonzolez

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While my wife and I were watching the TV series Bones on our PVR the other night, I picked up on this tune that really stuck in my mind. The guitarist name is Jose Gonzolez and his breathtaking song called Heartbeats, is a thing of wonder.

It is one of those songs they play during a show that is playing in the background, at a low volume. Most people don’t give it a second thought but, it lingers in ones mind long after the show is over. After the show ended my wife found it, the women is a god on finding anything on the web, and sent me a Youtube link to it!

Most of you may recognize this fabulous piece of music from the Sony Bravia (bouncy balls) TV commercial. The song itself is just so graceful and pure to my mind and ears.

This guitar picking technique is my favorite style, Drone Picking! It’s very fluid approach to playing. You can implement this mode of performing to just about any song! It can make a listener hypnotized at the drop of a hat. The art Drone will also highlight your guitar playing versatility.

Heart Beats is very simple but, yet it contains layers of complexity that just allows the listener to float away quite easily. It is a song that when I close my eyes, grants me ability to see the song in colour. This is a phrase that I picked up from my God son.

He is completely blind in one eye and is 80% in the other. One day at my parents home in Brantford, he was there so I brought him into the piano room and played some songs and progressions on it for him to listen to. After playing a certain phrasing, I asked him what he saw in his mind and he said he saw particular colours! Wow, that made me think about music in a completely different train of thought from that moment onwards.

This song really does it for me and I hope you get the same effect from it as I did. Just listen to this video and close your eyes … does this song give you the same sensation as it does for me?

Keep on Jammin’

Bare Naked Ladies-less

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As you may or may not know, Steven Page, one of the founders of the Bare Naked Ladies has now left the band to pursue a solo career. The crazy boy band from Scarborough Ontario is saying good bye to one of the masterminds behind their great success for the past 20 years!

I for one, like his old band. They were lots of fun and full of unbridled enthusiasm on stage. They brought out the kid in you and that really is what makes them a stand out act in today’s copy cat music world.

Steven Page’s first solo attempt (while still with the Bare Naked Ladies) was called The Vanity Project.

I only started to listen to bits and pieces of The Vanity Project while writing this post and it’s not that bad. Hit and Run is played in an open tuning format that has a nice, full feel and sound to it. The one called These Wasted Words reminds me a Toronto band called Needy Fingers. So Young, So Wrong, So Long is the type of song that one takes on a long road trip and Here Today And Yesterday has that incredible Klautu aura about it! I think I might pick it up!

My wife and I always wanted to see BNL live, but never got the chance. I guess they’re another great Canadian act that we never get to experience. Don’t get me wrong, The band The Bare Naked Ladies will still exist without Steven Page and perhaps we’ll see them play someday, but it probably won’t quite be the same. At this time the remaining members of The Barenaked Ladies do not plan on adding a new singer – they’ll continue on as they are and in fact are in the process of getting ready to go on Tour later this year.

Steven and the boys were not there to blow you away playing speed music or had that in your face onstage persona.

Steven Page was the one guy in the band that everyone could relate to. He is the modern day resonance man, and that is what he is about to do again. His next venture will be in the theatrical arena. He is the musical composer for the Thomas Patterson Group, Bartholomew Fair at the Stratford Festival. This appears to be a natural progression for him to follow. I think that he will eventually gravitate towards the stage, not the orchestra pit.

Steven Page’s style of guitar playing is very simple and straight forward and very much to the point. Nothing fancy at all in his approach but, it does the trick. His rhythm guitar playing is his bread and butter while playing in the band, plus he has done the odd little guitar solo here and there.

While reading the Toronto Star at work the other day, I noticed an article about Steven Page. It was about his first public musical exposure to the world since leaving the Bare Naked Ladies (BNL). He will perform as a solo act in the Neil Young tribute show coming up Wednesday, June 10 at Massey Hall here in Toronto. It will be part of this years Luminato festival of arts and creativity. I wonder what he will try and pull off at this gig, it’s anybody’s guess really.

As for Stevens adventure into the world of theatre, I am not sure if it will involve him in front or behind the stage. I can envision him in serious roles, desperately attempting to shake off the type casting of his kid like antics on the musical stage with BNL. I think this will be good for him. It will be an adventure that we will all be watching closely. So best of luck to Steven Page in his future endeavors!

My question to you all is, will he reach the lofty heights in his new career as he did with the Bare Naked Ladies?

Keep on Jammin’

2009 Brenda Carol Renaissance Jazz Fair

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This event, Brenda Carol Renaissance Jazz Fair, seems to be taking the neighbourhood by storm! Believe it or not, my neighbour told me! Once again I found out about this near by extravaganza by leafing through my bi-weekly newspaper called the Mirror! The only thing was I found it this Sunday, about 2 weeks after it was delivered! In the words of my good friend Charlie Brown, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

This event, the 3rd annual no less, sounded like it blew the lid off the joint. The event was held every night from Friday Jan. 30th through to Sunday Feb. 01. The joint in question is our local Renaissance Cafe at 1938 Danforth Ave. in Toronto. This place is about half the distance from our home, as compared to the Broadview Espresso Cafe, so I can even ride my bike there.

Checking out some of the acts that were held at this year’s event, it looks like Brenda chose a nice collection of jazz bands. I love the fact that they had a one much younger player in this year’s line up. That musician is Sam Dickinson on guitar, at the tender age of 17! Wow, there was even a guy playing there from my home town of Brantford named Kyle McGregor! He played both guitar and piano on Sunday.

Jazz music is a positive and creative genre played from the heart for the sheer love of the art.
This jazz fair is intended to showcase performers giving them the opportunity to perform in front of
peers, a respectful audience and to enjoy this exceptional opportunity. This Jazz Fair is not an open
stage show. All performers are selected and allotted performance time.

This time, I have given myself a reminder of the show next year and God willing, I will be able to give you a REAL critique of the event!

Keep on Jammin’

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