\ TO DOWNTOWN \

For endearing, engaging and enchanting Roots/Country songwriter Glen Hornblast, taking a turn hosting the weekly Monday open mic at Free Times Café tonight is like going home for the holidays.

I can relate: as with Glen, it was at Free Times Café on Monday nights where, in the mid-1980s, I first started performing my originals publicly in TO and also where I had my first paying gig in the city.

A lot more talented songwriters and performers than I have passed through the now-legendary portal to the local Roots community, but few more gifted or respected than Glen, whose debut (and so far only —time for a new one next year Glen!) 2013 album Once In A Blue Moon is pretty much all earworm material from start to finish.

Along with the Wednesday night open mic at Fat Albert’s Coffee House, this weekly event, which has been running for 36 years as of later this month, is the place to find out if you’ve got what it takes to attract listeners and fans, not to mention to meet other artists who are also working at getting their original material heard.  But far from just an outlet for newbies, a lot of well known composers still come out to try out new material or just to hang out and socialize.

Sign-up for the open mic in the back room of the club at 320 College St. starts at 7 p.m., there’s no cover, beer pint specials usually available for $5 and the first performance, probably by Hornblast to warm things up, goes at 7:30.  If you’re hoping to play, get there early unless you want to be waiting for a few hours —this is a deservedly very popular event and should be even more so tonight with Glen in the driver’s seat.

-Gary 17, TorontoMoon.ca

SHOW LISTINGS for Monday, December 05, 2021

Listings are organized by area in which the shows occur and within each area field shows are listed chronologically.

Listings preceded by an asterisk (*) are repeating weekly events. (Double asterisk indicates repeating event with different hosts/guest/etc.). Events preceded by question mark (?) usually take place but have not been confirmed. Admission prices followed by a slash and minus (/-) after the amount indicates door charge with availability of cheaper rates for some purchases. /+ indicates stated price is minimum.

Names of subscribers appear in bold, are underlined and, where applicable, include a live link to their websites. Advertisers’ listings are in larger highlighted type, include live link to website and also have ad icon included in listings.

416 – TORONTO CENTRAL

6> Jon Brooks @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO ~Roots songwriter

6:30> U of T Jazz Ensembles @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz; $

**7-1 (sign-up at 7, show starts 7:30)> open stage with host Glen Hornblast @ Free Times Café, 320 College St., TO

*7-10> open stage with Brad Scott @ Lola, 40 Kensington Ave., TO

7:30> Terry Jones & guests @ Tranzac Lounge (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

7:30> Impalers; Triage; Crotchmutt @ Coalition, 282 Augusta Ave., TO ~original Hard Rock; $10

7:30 Y.C. Lee @ Array Space, 155 Walnut Ave., TO ~solo debut Classical/Jazz; $15/pwyc

7:30> Advocats Big Band @ Seven44, 744 Mount Pleasant Road, TO North ~R&B/Swing

8> Ukulele jam @ Tranzac Lounge (Main Hall), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

8> Tory Lanez; Jacauees; Kranium; Veecee @ Rebel, 11 Polson St., TO ~indie; $36.50

*8-11> Legible Illegibles host poetry open mic @ May Café, 876 Dundas St. W., TO

8:40> Minitelevision; Madame Psychosis @ Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St. W., TO ~indie 0$

**9-1:30> jam with No Band Required @ Grossman’s, 379 Spadina Ave., TO

*9:30> open mic with host Mark Villamor at Amsterdam Bicycle Club, 54 The Esplanade, TO

9:30> Steve Farrugia’s Big City Big Band @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz; $

10> Jordan John @ The Orbit Room, 580 College St., TO ~R&B/Blues; $

**10> open mic (2 songs; sign-up starts 8 p.m.) with host Chris Banks @ Tranzac Lounge (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

416 - TORONTO EAST

7-10> Smokey Folk @ Relish, 2152 Danforth Ave., Toronto East ~Bluegrass; 0$

**7:30> M-Factor Mondays with host Elana Harte & Lucio Agostini with features by Kori Kameda; Wesley Attew @ The Old Nick, 123 Danforth Ave., TO East ~songwriters; 0$

7:30> “Jingle Bones” party for trombone players & furndraiser for Parkinson Society @ Dora Keogh, 141 Danforth Ave. ~Jazz; 0$/donation

NO JAM TODAY: *8-12> Riverboat Mondays acoustic open stage jam with Julian Taylor & Tyler Ellis @ Dora Keogh, 141 Danforth Ave. TO East; 0$

8:30-10:30> Sugar Brown @ Castro’s, 2116 Queen St. E., TO East ~original Blues

*9-12> The Out of Towners @ Sauce on Danforth, 1376 Danforth Ave., TO East

*9:30-2> Sebastian Agnello & friends @ Black Swan (ground floor), 154 Danforth Ave., TO East; 0$

416 – TORONTO ETOBICOKE

*8-12> Al Reilly’s Catalyst also featuring Anthony Cee & Rick Anderson host Rock jam @ Rockpile, 5555 Dundas St. W., Etobicoke

416 – TORONTO SCARBOROUGH

*8-11> open stage @ McGradie’s, 2167 Victoria Park Ave., Scarborough

416 – TORONTO WEST

5-8> Mike & Jill Daley Duo @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Jazz

7> Ken McDonald Quartet @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St., TO West ~Jazz; pwyc

*7:30> Balfolk @ La Rev, 2848 Dundas St. W., TO West ~French Folk music & dance; $5-10/pwyc

7:30> Electric Messiah @ Drake Hotel Underground, 1150 Queen St. W., TO West ~Classical electro-Pop; $15

*8-11> Ken Yoshioka @ On Cue Billiards, 349 Jane St., TO West ~Blues

8-11> Dakota 10^th anniversary party @ Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave., TO West

8> Rallidae; Bernice @ Burdock, 1184 Bloor St. W., TO West ~original art Pop; $10

9> Wing Night (The Band) @ Drake Hotel Lounge, 1150 Queen St. W., TO West ~9$

*9-1> Hamstrung Stringband @ The Local, 396 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Bluegrass

*9-1> eclectic open stage/jam with host Nelson Sobral @ The Painted Lady, 218 Ossington Ave., TO West

9-1> Drew Austin Band @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Jazz

9:30> Dave French & Perry White Quartet @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St., TO West ~Jazz; pwyc

*10> open mic with Richard McCarthy & feature @ The Hole In The Wall, 2867 Dundas St. W., TO West

519

7-11:30> open mic @ The Cornerstone, 1 Wyndham St. N., Guelph

*8-12> open stage @ The Boathouse, 97 Jubilee Drive, Kitchener

*8-2> Matt Weidinger @ Jimmy Jazz, 52 Macdonell St., Guelph ~acoustic originals & covers

705

*7> Rick & Gailie @ Black Horse Pub, 452 George St. N., Peterborough

9?> jam night with Rob Drake @ Sticky Fingers Dunlop, 199 Essa Rd.

905 EAST

*8-11> open stage @ Simcoe Blues & Jazz, 926 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa

905 NORTH

9:25-1:05> jam/open stage with backline @ Sneakers Uptown, 18025 Yonge St., Newmarket

905 SOUTH

*8:30-12:30> songwriters open stage with host JP Riemens @ Cat ‘n’ Fiddle, 174 John St. S., Hamilton

905 WEST

*7-10> open mic with Chris Partland @ The Purple Heather, 3600 Dundas St. W., Burlington

**8-12> BBQ & jam night with Mimico Bill @ Moonshine Café, 137 Kerr St., Oakville; ($8.95 with BBQ dinner special starts at 6)

9-1> Kevin Reid & The Deadbeats @ Roc’n Doc’s, 105 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit ~Rock/Pop

*9:30-1> jam with Tom Barlow @ Shore Grill, 71 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit

Copyright © 2016 Toronto Moon Magazine. All Rights Reserved