Cheat Sheet: Canadian Music Fest
Popular music fans rejoice! Canadian Music Fest (formerly CMW) kicks off tomorrow night with more than 700 bands at 45 different venues over five days (thru Sunday). How does a music lover even begin to choose what to see? From hip-hop to folk/roots, blues to alternative rock, the variety is practically endless.
As music programmer for City of Toronto Special Events I’m always on the look-out for hot new Canadian talent and this year’s CMF is loaded with rising stars. Here are my Top 10, must-see shows in chronological order . . .
Michael Brennan’s Casual Country Sundays
This week, singer/songwriter Michael Brennan, front right, celebrates 10 years of casual Sunday afternoon gigs at Graffiti’s Bar in Kensington Market. Last weekend, I dropped into the club and I have to say, it was one of the most authentic and satisfying live music experiences I’ve had in years!
As is their custom, Brennan and company occupied seats just inside the front door, no stage or barrier between them and the audience. The core duo of Brennan and guitarist Steve Briggs, front left, is augmented by whoever happens to be on hand that afternoon; last week it was mandolin player John Davis, back right, guitarist Colin Bradley, back left, and singer/percussionist Helen Stewart, who kept time on a beer box squeezed tightly between her knees.
Sistahs Project Gets Back To Business
Over the last 17 days (culminating with last night’s thrilling Team Canada hockey victory), we’ve been entranced and enthralled with the passion, the power, the achievements and the emotional range of the Olympic Games. Regardless of how you feel about the Olympics, the athletes continue to inspire us through their hard work, dedication, and their ability to rise to the occasion.
Vancouver was also the hub of the Cultural Olympiad where some of our finest artists from across the country showcased the breadth and depth of Canada’s cultural sector. I am also passionate about showcasing our great artists – especially the ones who sometimes fly under the mainstream media’s radar. Much of my work is about bringing my colleagues to the attention of the general public; this is largely why I created The Sistahs Project.
You may or may not be aware that Canada has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Black female singers. Some of that talent will be on display Wednesday at the fabulous new Koerner Hall. I have brought together eight of the country’s best female singers for one extraordinary night of music: Molly Johnson, Jackie Richardson, Divine Brown, Shakura S’aida, Alana Bridgewater, Toya Alexis, Sacha Williamson and Ada Lee. These women span an age range of more than 50 years from the youngest to the eldest but they all share a common cultural and artistic lineage – one that is not well known, but is nevertheless intensely powerful.
Solomon Spearheads African Guitar Summit
Toronto has been a nexus for African music since the 1980s although the buzz has quieted considerably since the shuttering of the original Bamboo club on Queen Street West in 2002. The ’Boo was the center of a music scene that positively percolated and it has been sorely missed by Toronto’s reggae and world music communities. “There’s still no other venue where you can regularly hear live reggae and world music,” says guitarist and bandleader Adam Solomon, left. “Lula Lounge reserves the weekends for Latin music, but at least they’ll host reggae and African bands between Monday and Thursday.”
Solomon is behind this Thursday’s African Guitar Summit at Lula, a benefit for Haiti featuring Adam’s band, Tikisa, Jean Fojeba, Show Do Man, JP Buse, Ado Mantiamina Band, Altaf, Patu Bokelo and Masaisai. The real blow-out will come sometime after midnight when some of the best African guitarists in Canada join forces to recreate the Juno Award-winning African Guitar Summit: players include Alpha Yaya Diallo and Naby Camara (balafon) from Guinea; Ghana’s elder master of the guitar, Pa Joe, Theo Yaa Boakye (golden voice) and drummer Kofi Ackah; Kenyan native, Solomon; the bluesy Mighty Popo (Burundi/Rwanda) and Madagascar’s Donné Robert and Madagascar Slim. That’s a lot of bang for 10 bucks!
Friends For Life Inspire Mackie To Do More
Like so many other performers, jazz and R&B singer Jeanine Mackie has done loads of benefit shows over the years. But it wasn’t until she met Friends for Life Erick Bauer and Steve Cameron that she decided to step up and take on a PR role helping to raise awareness and money on behalf of these inspiring young men who spent their adolescence battling life-threatening illnesses together.
“Steve and Erick’s story touched me so deeply that I agreed to do more than just show up and sing,” says Mackie. “The two boys met when they were 11-years old but their friendship really developed when they were both patients at the Hospital for Sick Children at age 16. Steve was fighting cancer and Erick was fighting Cystic Fibrosis. Steve’s cancer is now in remission but Erick continues to struggle with CF every day.”
