\ TO EAST \ The host of the hugely successful Sunday night jam at Relish (relocated this summer to 511 Danforth Avenue) songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and wit David Macmichael, has added another hosting gig to his weekly repertoire, now shepherding the weekly hoot at new bar The Cut (aka The Big Bruce) at 1963 Queen St.…
\ TO EAST \ After a roller coaster month and a Herculean effort to move her Relish tapas bistro of 13 years literally up the street into a new, larger and better-trafficked space, Joanne Clayton is ready to welcome the throngs in her new home at 511 Danforth Ave. near Logan. “Relish 2.0” is now…
\ TO EAST \ People all over the GTA are in a celebratory mood tonight after the Raptors’ convincing win in Game 6 of the NBA finals to win an historic first championship in that league. But at Relish in east TO, patrons, musicians and owner Joanne Clayton will be more excited to mark the…
\ TO CENTRAL \ It’s been a while since I last wrote about the Danger Bees, the cheeky alt-Pop outfit based around the songs and persona of versatile multi-instrumentalist and composer David Macmichael. The group, which had some personnel changes that may have left it producing precious little honey lately. The group has been pretty…
\ TO EAST \ It’s been just over eight years tonight since Joanne Clayton first tried out live music at her funky tapas bar on Danforth Ave. a block east of Woodbine and both her restaurant and the east TO live music scene have never been quite the same since. These days Relish offers at…
\ TO CENTRAL \ Most often seen on the music scene behind a drum kit with other musicians (which is about the only time he’s at all constrained by norms or parameters), gifted artist, compelling songwriter and sartorial dandy Jace Traz is worth going out of your way to see perform when he takes the…
\ TO CENTRAL \ A staple of Folk festivals, the songwriters-in-the-round musical presentation concept has also been gaining in popularity for club night shows the past couple of years. We’re written previously about several of these events, typically hosted by a talented performer and inviting songwriters, arranged in a semi-circle or line on stage, to…
\ TO WEST \ Perhaps because many of the GTA’s live music rooms are dark on Tuesdays, it has become a popular night not only for open stages and jams, but for indie night showcases, with three acts seemingly the magic number that guarantees a decent set length and a variety of fans coming out…
\ TO DOWNTOWN \ Who doesn’t enjoy letting loose a good howl of inner torment now and then? If your answer to that question is “me!” then the new Fish With Wings album by The Danger Bees being released tonight at Horseshoe Tavern may not be for you. But for the loveless, the lovelorn and…
\ TO WEST \ Performers who are adept on various musical instruments are not at all uncommon and songwriters in particular find having command of more than one instrumental voice gives them more range. And when a few such talents have had opportunities to play together at an ongoing jam —such as the one Sunday…
\ TO EAST \ Eleven years ago today owner Joanne Clayton first opened the doors of her east-TO tapas eatery Relish, which although it has consistently excellent food has become even better known for its live music menu, which includes a wide range of acts performing up to ten shows a week on a professionally…
\ TORONTO EAST YORK \ Two dozen years ago when I ventured into the heart of East York at Woodbine and Danforth Avenues for the first time, shortly after starting the progenitor of TorontoMoon.ca, the music climate there, like the neighbourhood itself, was very different from what it is today. Regarded as dangerously edgy by…
Since young Blues tyro Sam Taylor stopped doing any performances at Relish in east TO a few weeks ago, about now some of his many fans will be jonesing for a dose of his by turns fiery and smooth guitar licks and soulful vocals. Never fear, tonight he takes his mix of covers and originals downtown…
\ TO DOWNTOWN \ Bass player Kevin Jeffrey is one of two hold over members of the Under The Bus group that now goes by the name Hold The Bus hosting two monthly shows at Grossman’s downtown: the “First Friday” early sessions and tonight’s “4th Thursday” 9-2 open mic, with versatile Nicola Vaughan guest hosting.…
\ TO EAST \ For the past three-and-a-half years now musicians and appreciative audiences have been making east Toronto’s Danforth strip just west and east of Woodbine Avenue a weekly Sunday afternoon and evening destination. The attraction is two open mic jam events that offer affable hosts with eclectic skills in rooms that are nurturing…
\ TORONTO \ Sam Taylor and his East End Love Blues band is part of a very talented multi-act lineup paying tribute tonight to The Guess Who at an 8:30 Hugh’s Room show on Dundas St. West near Bloor. But will he have regular bass player David Macmichael with him? Macmichael’s own indie Pop Danger…
\ TO DOWNTOWN \ It’s been over two years since alt-Pop songwriter David Macmichael started performing every Friday night at Relish tapas bistro in east TO and about three since he became part of the host group at the Stir It Up Sundays jam there and for which he’s been the anchor for some time…
\ TO EAST \ It’s been a little over five years since the first time I set foot in a live music venue that has become a central part of my life ever since: Relish, at 2152 Danforth a block east of Woodbine in east TO. I was first drawn to the tapas eatery not…
\ OAKVILLE \ Veteran jam host band Kimberley Wetmore & Co. featuring Dave Girdlestone on guitar is tonight’s host group for a very happening weekly jam taking place at the Sixth Line Pub in Oakville starting at 8 p.m. -17 \ TO DOWNTOWN \ Indie Pop songwriter David Macmichael’s campaign for world domination continues…
Is C’est What planning return to center of songwriters’ universe? \TORONTO DOWNTOWN\ Some of my fondest memories of open mics and presenting songwriters on stage go back to the couple of years during which I hosted a Sunday night open stage at TO’s C’est What on Front St. at Church back in the late 80s.…
Danger Bees seem unlikely to become extinct anytime soon Scientists and environmentalists have been telling us for a while now that something is threatening the honeybee population with extinction –an eventuality that would have catastrophic consequences for the human race, since the little winged workers play a vital role in the production of so much…
