2010-06-19 - NxNE Dundas Square - Iggy and The Stooges
Iggy and The Stooges played a free concert as part of the NxNE festival. This drew the largest crowd ever for the festival forcing police to close Yonge St. to traffic. This is my smallest set of concert pictures to date since I didn't have a press pass and it's hard to get a decent shot from a mosh pit! Still, this is one of the best concerts I've attended to date. Here's their myspace page
2010-05-19 - Revival Bar - Kirsten Jones CD Release show
Kirsten Jones launched her new CD, "The Mad Mile", at the Revival Bar along College St. in Toronto. Collaborators on stage included Oh Susanna, Michael Johnston (of the Skydiggers), Christine Bougie, Robin Pirson, Mitch Girio and Alex McMaster. Kirsten's site has lots of news and other info.
2009-06-27 - City Roots Festival - Good Lovelies
Good Lovelies performed a great show to kick off the start of summer under perfect weather at the Distillery District. Their harmonies and charming banter was in fine form that afternoon. Visit their website for tons more music and videos!
2009-06-07 - Luminato Festival - The World of Slide Guitar at Dundas Square
The Derek Trucks Band headlined a free concert at Dundas Square for Toronto's Luminato Festival. This portion of the festival celebrates the guitar and the slide guitar in particular. This was also the night before Derek Trucks' 30th birthday. Getting to jam with Jerry Douglas and Sonny Landreth will be hard to top for next year's birthday! Of course the whole crowd (probably 2000 people) sang Happy Birthday for him at the end of the show. There are also some fan uploaded photos on the official website.
The World of Slide Guitar was put on by the Luminato festival and was a free event (WOW!). Among others, the lineup included the world class musicians Jerry Douglas, Sonny Landreth w/ Cindy Cashdollar, The Campbell Brothers Band and Canada's own legendary Daniel Lanois all in one afternoon. In the evening, Kitchener's Rueben deGroot opened for the Derek Trucks Band. Needless to say, the crowd enjoyed it and so did I.
2009-02-03 and 2009-02-04 - The Ark and The Mod Club - Gary Louris & Mark Olson
Gary Louris & Mark Olson started their acoustic duo tour with a show at The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan which showed them both having a great time and to a very appreciative crowd. The second show was at The Mod Club in Toronto where, after an hour wait, Mark and Gary put on a more serious, but top-shelf performance. The Jayhawks Fanpage has it all regarding these guys.
2008-11-11 - The Phoenix Concert Theatre - Rock & Roll Means Well tour
The Drive-by Truckers returned to Toronto for the second time this year (they were here back in March). This is Southern Rock the way it was meant to be done. Their website has all you need.
The Hold Steady are the best thing to come out of Brooklyn bar none. A dose of Minneapolis flavour doesn't help either! Fantastic energy is married to excellent stage presence. The Hold Steady's website has more.
2008-09-24 - The Rivoli - New Current Radio's 88.5 Live Big Money Shot Rockin' Review
Sojourn, winners of the contest, describe their sound as a high energy emo/modern rock hybrid. I'd say that's about right. Check out their Myspace page.
A Plot Against Me's hard rock edge brought a welcome contrast to my usual scope. I'm looking forward to getting into their music a bit more in the future. They've got a great website.
The Prefect's slick vocals and energetic rock work together to make a great up and coming modern rock band. All members of this band are top-notch indie musicians. They describe their sound as a cross between Billy Talent and A Simple Plan. Sounds about right to me. They've got a MySpace page.
2008-07-29 - The Dakota Tavern - Romi Mayes
Romi Mayes performed with the great Gurf Morlix for two raucus sets that had everyone dancing. Check out Romi's website.
Mr. Rick and The Biscuits twanged some classic honky tonk to open for Winnipeg's Romi Mayes. Check out Mr. Rick's website.
2008-06-18 - El Tren in Granada, Spain - The Bellrays
The Bellrays thrilled an already exhilerated Granada crowd. High energy performances from all members of the band ensured a memorable night. Check out their website.
The Ettes opened for The Bellrays after an already pumped crowd watched Spain beat Greece in the Euro Football Cup. Take a look at their website.
2008-06-17 - Teatro Muņoz Seco in El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain - Gary Louris
Gary Louris performed an acoustic set in his Spanish hometown of El Puerto de Santa Maria. He was joined by Muni Camon and Paco Loco. Lots of info at his website.
2008-06-06 - St. Stephen's-In-The-Field - Kirsten Jones and Scott Cooper double-bill
Scott Cooper ended this double-bill with his laid-back-to-basics pop tunes complete with horns and a cellist. All of which sounded fantastic in the venue's awesome acoustics. Take a look at Scott's website. He also has a MySpage page.
Kirsten Jones sang with angelic tones to fill the rafters of this 150 year-old church. Singing both old and new songs and a cover of a Jayhawks classic, Kirsten let us know she's here to stay. Kirsten joined Scott for the second-half of his set and included one of her own gems in the show's encore. You can hear her on her MySpace page and get more information from her official website.
2008-05-25 - Horseshoe Tavern - Justin Townes Earle with Lindi Ortega opening
Justin Townes Earle performed his own style of traditionally grounded country for a small, but very enthusiastic crowd at the Horseshoe Tavern. His natural charisma and redneck humour made for a great concert. Justin's MySpace page and website have more information.
Lindi Ortega once again wowed a new audience with her strong songwriting and attention-demanding vocals. Her stage presence showed a performer revelling in her element. Check out her music on her website.
2008-04-19 - Sunrise Records - Derek Miller
Derek Miller contributed his adept guitar playing reminiscent of classic rock fused with Robert Johnson blues and intelligent songwriting to Record Store Day at Sunrise Records. Merely days before, Derek won a Juno award for Best Aboriginal Recording. Visit Derek's official website and check out some music clips on his MySpace page.
2008-04-01 - El Mocambo - Tift Merritt with Lindi Ortega opening
Tift Merritt showed off her strong stage presence and new material from her album Another Country (produced by none other than George Drakoulias). Strong vocals and high energy made this journey to Toronto a memorable one. Her official website has more information and her fan site has more, including reviews and more Tift photos.
Lindi Ortega, a Toronto local, wowed the crowd at El Mocambo as a strong opening act whose striking appearance and arresting vocals are surely signs of great things to come. Do yourself a favour and check out her music on her website.
2008-03-30 - The Mod Club - Gary Louris with Vetiver opening and supporting
Gary Louris brought his bittersweet songs and brilliant guitar playing to Toronto's Mod Club in support of his new album, Vagabonds. Gary was joined by local favourites, The Sadies, during the encore to the thrill of everyone in attendance. A truly magical evening four years in the making since Gary previously brought his former band The Jayhawks this way. Be sure to visit his site for more information.
Vetiver opened for Gary Louris and later performed as his backing band. Their laid-back, Laurel Canyon folk-rock proved to be the perfect lead-in for Gary and this band proved to be a fantastic addition to the evening. The crowd was taken by their melodies and presence from the start. Visit their website to learn more about this band.
2008-03-19 - The Opera House - The Drive-By Truckers with The Whigs opening
The Drive-By Truckers brought The Rock Show in full-force. With their newest album, Brither Than Creation's Dark, reaching #37 on Billboard's Top 100 albums, they're more of a force to be reckoned with than ever before. See them if and when you can. Visit their official site and their fanpage, ninebullets.org.
The Whigs opened for The Drive-By Truckers showing great intensity and energy reminiscent of Nirvana. Expect to see much more of these guys! Check out the music of The Whigs.
2008-01-31 - Lee's Palace - North Mississippi All Stars with Alvin Youngblood Hart opening
The North Mississippi Allstars rocked out for 3 hours. Strong musicianship highlighted why their blend of southern rock and near-jamband instrumentation proves to be one of the best concert experiences around. Be sure to check out the Allstars' website.
Alvin Youngblood Hart put on a strong one hour opening act with great modern delta blues songs and guitar. By the end of his set, which included Luther Dickinson accompanying on mandolin for a song, the crowd was captivated. Be sure to check out Alvin's website.