Monthly Archives: March 2014

Toronto Moon 140331 Monday, March 31, 2022 Show Listings

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    A compelling performer and absorbing songwriter, Myke Mazzei first came to my attention as the sideman of first choice for artist and songstress Sharron Katz.  In December I was also lucky enough to have him visit me at the open stage I was running, when we got to really hear his own impressive…

Toronto Moon 140330 Sunday, March 30, 2022 Show Listings

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“Elvis” George Pliakes may look a bit like Elvis and he may be able to channel the long-departed icon when called upon to do so, but the east-end based entertainer has a lot more going for him than that. George is a truly engaging performer who is more than willing to share the spotlight and…

Toronto Moon 140329 Saturday, March 29, 2022 Show Listings

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  140329Sa One of the artists that Moon subscribers will be seeing articles both about and by in the Vault section of the torontomoon.ca website in coming days is singer Dee Flat, about whom I’ve been writing for nearly twenty years. It’s hard to believe that in all that time she hardly seems to have…

Toronto Moon 140328 Friday, March 28, 2022 Show Listings

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  With a versatile and high energy singer in former AC/DC tribute band frontman James Alcock and the sizzling six-string work of Andrew J. Walsh, Rockin’ A Hard Place is a band of veterans who are finding a second life tearing up stages across the GTA these days since coming together last summer. The group…

Toronto Moon 140327 Thursday, March 27, 2022 Show Listings

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Since initiating the new “Vault” section for Moon subscribers on the www.torontomoon.ca website a few weeks ago I’ve found myself quite naturally gravitating to recalling bands and rooms from my history over the past 22 years, since I started covering the GTA music scene full-time with the launch of this magazine project. One of the…

Beaches Jazz Festival will get 75G from Ontario after all

Crowd enjoying music in Woodbine Park in 2013 -Gary 17

    According to a report from Canadian Press and 680 News, Ontario’s Culture Minister, Michael Chan, announced Wed. March 26 that the government has found another program that will provide the $75,000 the Beaches International Jazz Festival lost out on when its application for an annual grant from the Celebrate Ontario program was denied…

Toronto Moon 140326 Wednesday, March 26, 2022 Show Listings

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How ebulliently over the top is singer and jam host Tommy Rocker? Well, he makes guitarist and drummer Jim Cornell of the Still Sunday band look like a laid back guy by comparison —and that takes some doing! But the two work well together whether gigging (Cornell occasionally subs in with his bud’s Tommy  Rocker…

Toronto Moon 140325 Tuesday, March 25, 2022 Show Listings

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  While preparing listings each week I’ve been finding myself looking forward to discovering which TO indie talents will be featured in that Tuesday’s showcase at The Painted Lady in Ossi-Parkdale.  Promoters, A Babe Music —which appears to be an actual babe (club liaison Angela Faithful) as well as a collective of fellow creative multi-disciplinary…

Toronto Moon 140324 Monday, March 24, 2022 Show Listings

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When Still Sunday frontman, songwriter and veteran Rock drummer Jim Cornell tells me to check out an artist I’ve learned it’s a good idea to do so, since he’s got great instincts for what works in a Pop song. So when he told me he’s going to be appearing playing acoustic percussion behind this week’s…

Toronto Moon 140323 Sunday, March 23, 2022 Show Listings

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A musical force of nature, “Hurricane” Mike Thompson isn’t seen much on TO stages these days, as he lives north of the city in the sticks and has also been hobbled by medical issues the past couple of years. He’s not in TO this afternoon either but it’s a fine day for a drive and…

Toronto Moon 140322 Saturday, March 22, 2022 Show Listings

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It was interesting to me to see how Brian Gladstone approached dealing with some issues related to slow sales at the bar for his still rather new 2-5ish Saturday afternoon “Saturday Sessions” open stage jam at Black Swan Tavern on Danforth at Broadview. The founder of Winterfolk knows how to work with a community of…

Toronto Moon 140321 Friday, March 21, 2022 Show Listings

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  As a former longtime resident and habitué of the Kensington Market area and its local clubs, Sauble Beach resident and fearlessly literate Rock songwriter Ted Rusk is well familiar with the sort of conditions that turned an ordinary house fire into a killer catastrophe in the Bohemian-style district the night of March 19. No…

Toronto Moon 140320 Thursday, March 20, 2022 Show Listings

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  When music promoter Billy Zee of torontorox.com, who’s a regular at East York’s Linsmore Tavern, found out a few days ago nothing was scheduled for the venue’s weekly “indie night” showcase tonight a flashbulb went off in his head: why not throw together a little jam night to give some of the many players…

Toronto Moon 140319 Wednesday, March 19, 2022 Show Listings

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Although I’ve used the accompanying picture of Big Tobacco & The Pickers (from their www.bigtobaccoandthepickers.com website) a few times now, I’ve never actually seen this “new old Country” group and am really only familiar with the talents of one —the pedal steel player, Anne Werbitzky. I got to fully appreciate Anne’s sensitive ear and skilful…

Toronto Moon 140318 Tuesday, March 18, 2022 Show Listings

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The word on the street out of Port Credit is that dynamic acoustic Pop duo Phil Naro and John Rogers were none too happy last month about the abrupt cancellation of their 15-year-old Monday night Phil & John Show gig at Roc’n Doc’s. Our source tells us they felt they got “the bum’s rush” because…

Toronto Moon 140316 Sunday, March 16, 2022 Show Listings

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  *11am-2pm> Double A Jazz @ DeSoto’s 1079 St. Clair Ave. W., ~Jazz 11am-2pm> Mitch Smolkin & Nina Shapilsky for Jazz Brunch @ Free Times Café, 320 College St., TO ~Jewish Jazz *11am-3pm> Rockabilly Brunch with The Cosmotones @ Dominion On Queen, 500 Queen St. E., TO ~Rockabilly *12-3> Blues Brunch @ Axis, 3048 Dundas…

Toronto Moon 140315 Saturday, March 15, 2022 Show Listings

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*12-3> Danny Marks @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~eclectic Jazz/Blues/Rock 12:30-2:30> Dan McLean Jr. birthday bash @ Humble Beginnings, 3109 Dundas St. W., TO W. ~acoustic Roots/Blues/Pop 1-4> open mic with Richard “Poppa K” Keelan @ Full Of Beans, 1348 Dundas St. W., TO W. *2> Saturday Sessions @ The Swan open…