\ TO EAST \

With the holiday season fast approaching, the bar that hosts the Riverboat Mondays open stage with Julian Taylor and Tyler Ellis tends to get booked up for private parties and other special events.  So tonight’s edition of the popular 9-12 event at Dora Keogh on Danforth Ave. near Broadview will be the last for a few weeks —and possibly for the year.

The club at 141 Danforth Ave. next to the Danforth Music Hall has told Taylor that the jam is off for next week and December 12, and with the 26^th being a holiday and the first Monday in January following New Year’s Day, it’s unlikely to be happening those weeks too.  That leaves only December 19 available —unless another party ends up getting booked.

Bottom line is that those who want to be sure to connect with Julian and the gang before Christmas would be well advised to make their way to the cozy little room tonight.  If you get there early you may be lucky enough to hear JT, as Taylor’s pals call him, perform a few tunes from his latest smash hit double-album Desert Star as part of his opening set at 9.

The album has been getting a lot of very favourable mainstream press and tracks from it have received significant spins on radio.  In fact, one of the tunes, “Fever”, debuted at #20 on the November 24 chart for CBC Radio 2.  Positions on the chart are actually determined by a listener tally, which anyone can be part of by visiting the website where the votes are counted.

Julian’s personal profile continues to rise too: this coming Sunday, for example he’ll be one of the star-studded cast pf performers appearing for the “Riverdale Share” concert at the Danforth Music Hall.  The way things are going, who knows how much longer he’ll even be able to include the weekly Riverboat outings in his schedule!

Fortunately co-host Tyler Ellis, who was added into the mix in a formal way just a few months ago —perhaps presaging what the future may hold— is not only a fine, commanding songwriter in his own right but also an affable, sensible first mate quite capable of running the ship on his own.  Since he’s been there pretty much every week for the past several years he’s also very familiar with nearly all of the legion of superb talents who have walked the gangway into the night of musical adventure.

After tonight’s session ends,  and every Monday throughout the holiday season, you can still count on visiting with indefatigable Sebastian Agnello across the street at Black Swan Tavern, 154 Danforth Ave., where he welcomes musical friends to get up to do a few tunes every Monday from 9:30 till 1:30 or later.  There’s always at least a few first-rate acts taking part.

And before the Dora event kicks off there’s also a great showcase tonight a few doors to the west at Old Nick Pub, 123 Danforth Ave., where Elana Harte and her crew stage the weekly M-Factor Mondays event spotlighting local songwriters.  The two features tonight are Pop songwriters Katey Morley, who last month released a new album we told you about then, and Steve York, about whom we’ve also written previously.  That affair starts at 7:30 with Harte and her combo doing a few tunes, followed by the feature acts starting around 8:30.

-Gary 17, TorontoMoon.ca

SHOW LISTINGS for Monday, November 28, 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> Paul Linklater @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO

6> Hot Sauced Poetry @ The Central, 603 Markham St., TO

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 Michael Burton @ Free Times Café, 320 College St., TO

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

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

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

8-11> Major/Minor @ Wolf Like Me, 834 Bloor St. W., TO

8> Adam Gontier @ Velvet Underground, 508 Queen St. W., TO ~indie; $17.50

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

8-10> poetry open mic @ May Café, 876 Dundas St. W., TO

8:40> The Japanese House; The Big Moon @ Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St. W., TO ~indie; $15

**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> John MacLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra @ 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 Yawd Sylvester @ Tranzac Lounge (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

10> Sugar Brown @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO ~Blues originals

*10> Chris Gostling @ The Roxton, 379 Harbord St., TO ~songwriter; 0$

10> Lost In The Wilderness; guests tba @ Lost And Found, 577 King St. W., TO ~Hip Hop

416 - TORONTO EAST

7-9> Fouronesix @ Relish, 2152 Danforth Ave., Toronto East ~indie Pop Rock; 0$

7> Animals As Leaders; Intervals; Plini @ Opera House, 735 Queen St. E., TO East ~original Rock; $29

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

*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> Lotus Wight @ Castro’s, 2116 Queen St. E., TO East ~songwriter; 0$

*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

9> Uke jam/workshop @ Stone Cottage Pub, 3750 Kingston Rd., Scarborough

416 – TORONTO WEST

5-8> Steve Farrugia Quartet @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Jazz

7> Anthony Argatoff, Andrew Furlong, Joe Sorbara Trio @ The Emmet Ray, 924 College St., TO West ~Jazz; pwyc

7:30> Joseph Arthur @ Drake Hotel Underground, 1150 Queen St. W., TO West ~Grammy-nominated songwriter; $25

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

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

8> Dave & Marla @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W., TO West

8:30> Jacob Damelin Group album release for Old Soul; guest Nick Tateishi @ Burdock, 1184 Bloor St. W., TO West ~indie Jazz-Pop; $10

*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> C.R. Avery @ Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W., TO West ~indie; $20

9-1> Toby Hughes @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Jazz

9:30> Michael Herring 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

10> Parkside Drive @ Drake Hotel Underground, 1150 Queen St. W., TO West ~Pop/Soul/Jazz; $0

519

*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.

10> Carly Thomas @ The Garnet, 231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough

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 Dale Roosien @ 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

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