\ TO DOWNTOWN \

Although there will be fireworks happening in various locations across the GTA tonight starting around 10 p.m. to celebrate Victoria Day, there’ll be musical explosions of a Rock ‘n’ Roll kind taking place earlier from 4 p.m. till whenever at a tiny bar on Bathurst Street to mark the birthday of TO music scene icon.

Johnnie Lovesin these days lives in the tiny hamlet of Jordan in south 905 on the Niagara Peninsula but in the 60s was a key figure in the Rock scene that was based on Yonge St. and in Yorkville Village, where he acquired a justifiable reputation as a bad boy.

Johnnie and I go way back, all the way to grade school, when he sat behind me in class and became the first person I ever saw play a guitar live —naturally it was an early electric model, probably a Fender— in a church basement as a special attraction at a weekly dance that I actually dee jayed for a while.  That was in the early 60s just before he hit the TO scene in his mid-teens and became part of the legendary pantheon of talents emerging as part of the “Toronto Sound”.

Brash, in yer face and uncompromising, Johnnie became a darling of the rougher edged side of the “mods and rockers” divide, lining up with Ronnie Hawkins and other similar acts as a counterpoint to the softer, gentler folk of “The Village” like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot et al.

It’s been over ten years now since I last saw Johnnie live on stage and he was still raising hell then —the club where I saw him at ended up dropping him from the roster despite him being a huge draw because the club owner had too many problems with unruly audience members!

These days, in his late 60s, the hair is white and the bones are a lot creakier —but I’m told by promoter Bill Delingat, organizer of today’s birthday jam with Johnnie at Mayday Malones, 1078 Bathurst St. just south of Dupont, that “when he gets a guitar in his hand it’s a different story –he’s the same old Johnnie just tearin’ it up.”

There’s a full backline and no doubt a house band and I’d expect a lot of great musical talent to be dropping in through the afternoon and early evening and quite possibly into the later hours.

-Gary 17, TorontoMoon.ca

SHOW LISTINGS for Monday, May 23, 2022

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

4-8> Johnnie Lovesin’s & friends birthday jam @ Mayday Malones, 1078 Bathurst St., TO ~classic Rock

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

6:30> Gord Mowat’s Skeleton Crew @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz; $

*7> Balfolk Toronto @ May Café, 876 Dundas St. W., TO ~Folk music & dance

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

7:30> Happy Hour with Chris Banks @ Tranzac Lounge (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

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

8:40> Stephen Lewis; Attics & Alleys @ Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St. W., TO ~indie; no cover

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

*9?> open mic @ Lou Dawgs Ryerson, 76 Gerrard St. E., TO

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

9:30> Don Naduriak @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz; $

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

10> The Honeyrunners @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO ~indie Pop

10:30> Big Otter Creek Unplugged @ The Hideout, 484 Queen St. W., TO ~indie Rock

416 - Toronto East

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

**7:30> M-Factor Mondays with host Elana Harte & Lucio Agostini with features by Raina Krangle; Julie Long & friends @ The Old Nick, 123 Danforth Ave., TO East ~songwriters

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

8:30-10:30> Big Rude Jake @ Castro’s, 2116 Queen St. E., TO East ~Blues

9> Tom Waits Appreciation Congregation @ Linsmore Tavern, 1298 Danforth Ave., TO East !tribute

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

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

8:30 (signup starts at 8)> open mic with Kevin Ker @ The Loaded Dog, 1921 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough

416 – Toronto West

7> Adam Arruda Quartet @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St., TO West ~Jazz

8:30> Dave Neill Trio @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St., TO West ~mainstream Jazz

9> Matty Powell & The General @ The Roncy, 390 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West

*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> Andrew Austin’s Zuffalo @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Jazz

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

705

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

10> Painted Fruit @ The Garnet, 231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough

905 East

*8-12> open stage @ Simcoe Blues & Jazz, 926 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa

*10> L&M Jam with host Emerson Ireland @ The Thirsty Monk, 21 Celina St., Oshawa

905 North

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

905 West

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

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

*9-1> jam hosted by Redder featuring Michelle Deneault @ Roc’n Doc’s, 105 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit

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

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