Gladstone’s Saturday Swan Sessions wrap for summer today

/TORONTO EAST/

Although it’s still a very new event, the weekly Saturday Sessions at the Swan 2 p.m. acoustic open mic/jam at Black Swan (not to be confused with the Saturday Sessions hosted for many moons by Bill Heffernan at Gate 403) is getting ready to hold a wrap party “season finale” today in the club at 154 Danforth Ave. near Broadview.

Attendance for the past couple of weeks has been a little thin, an issue that plagued the event in its early weeks but seemed to get resolved for a while by early spring after host/organizer Brian Gladstone solicited suggestions from participants as to how to make it better. But with the weather nicer now it’s a little more difficult to convince people to hang out on a sunny day inside an upstairs lounge with no real natural lighting and no food on offer, prompting the decision to break for the summer months.

Gladstone, who’s not averse to tweaking the details of the show, says it will resume in the fall but that he may consider changing the time to a little later in the day. Heffernan’s event, which also takes a summer break in July and August, runs 5-8, for example, but it’s also in a club, on Roncesvalles Ave. south of Howard Park, that has a very attractive menu.  That event isn’t an open stage but includes weekly special guests —this afternoon that’d be killer acoustic Blues duo Alec Fraser and Mike Daley— which also helps attract more audience members.

Perhaps more spectators might be inclined to forgo the pleasures of the outdoors to visit the Swan if they realized how absolutely excellent is the talent level of the participating players, at least from what I’ve seen in my visits there.

Dwight Peters (of Sue & Dwight), Boris Buhot, Steve Raiken, Roger Zuraw, Tony Quarrington, Glen Hornblast and of course, Gladstone himself, are some of the songwriters I’ve seen there and quite often there’s impromptu jamming, such as the day when Quarrington casually demonstrated, without any intention of showing off, just why Gladstone raves about him so enthusiastically as a guitar accompanist. Backing Hornblast on originals that he’d never heard nor played before, he added a dimension of sound and feeling that transported the songs to a new realm. I wrote last week about how Glen’s songs get a super boost when he’s backed by his band –but in Quarrington’s case he’s a one-man orchestra employing only six strings!

I’d expect today’s wrap party show —providentially taking place on an afternoon predicted to be damp and quite chilly— to be jammed with many of those who’ve come out in past weeks. Gladstone has announced that he’s taking advance bookings for people who want to be sure they can be part of what is very likely to be an afternoon to remember but I know he’ll do his utmost to fit in any players who arrive at a reasonable time (i.e. not 5 p.m. expecting to play immediately).

-Gary 17, www.torontomoon.ca

LISTINGS:

Listings preceded by an asterisk (*) are repeating weekly events. 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.

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*12-3> Julian Fauth’s Blues Brunch @ Axis, 3048 Dundas St. W., TO West ~Blues

*12-3> Danny Marks @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~eclectic Jazz/Blues/Rock

12:30-2:30> Sandi Marie & Guy Breau @ Humble Beginnings, 3109 Dundas St. W., TO West ~acoustic Roots/Blues/Pop

1-4> open mic with Philomene Hoffman @ Full Of Beans, 1348 Dundas St. W., TO West

*2> Saturday Sessions @ The Swan season finale open mic with Brian Gladstone @ Black Swan, 154 Danforth Ave., TO East

*2-6> jam w. Tom Finocchio @ Sam’s Place, Barton-Chestnut Sts., Hamilton

**2-6> Saturday Blues Sermon with James Anthony & special guest Ronnie Russell @ Black Swan Pub Burlington, 4040 Palladium Way, Burlington ~Blues

*3-6> Danny B’s House Party Band feat. Michael Keys on piano @ Blue Goose, 1 Blue Goose St., Etobicoke South ~R&B/Pop

*3-7> jam with Michelle Deneault & Redder @ Port Credit Legion, 35 Front St., Port Credit

3> The Hot Five Jazzmakers @ C’est What, 67 Front St. E., TO ~traditional Jazz; $5

*3-7> open stage jam @ Moonshine Café, 137 Kerr St., Oakville

*3:30-6> Johnny Wright @ Outriggers, 2232 Queen St. E., TO East ~R&B

*3:30-6:30> Climax Jazz Band @ Seven44, 744 Bayview Ave., TO North ~Jazz; $

3:30> Socialist Night School @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz

3:30> Andrea Farrugia Quartet @ The Pilot, 22 Cumberland St., TO ~Jazz

*4-8> The Bear Band & guests @ Southside Johnny’s, 3653 Lakeshore Blvd. W. Etobicoke South ~Rock-R&B

4> Pamela Gilmartin with special guest Ron Christian plus Jeff Shewchuck & Donna-Michelle St. Bernard @ Sauce, 1376 Danforth Ave., TO East ~Pop Rock covers & originals

*4-7:30> Ronnie Hayward Trio @ McQueen’s, 993 Queen St. E., TO E. ~Blues/Roots

*4-8> The Meteors with special guest Wendell Ferguson @ Timothy’s Pub, 344 Brown’s Line, Etobicoke South ~Blues/Rock/R&B

*4> PRJ @ Simcoe Blues & Jazz, 926 Simcoe St., Oshawa ~Blues

5-8> Bill Heffernan & Friends with guests Alec Fraser & Mike Daley @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave. TO West –Rootsy Pop

5-8> Arthur Renwick @ The Local, 396 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Rootsy Pop

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

6-8> Kristine Schmitt @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO

7-9> The Bros. Landreth @ Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave., TO West

7> The Bacchus Collective @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~ Jazz

7:30> George Meanwell & Anna Atkinson @ Tranzac Club (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

**8> Gary 17’s acoustic showcase & open stage with guest host & feature Kevin Davies @ King’s Belly, 429 Donlands Ave., TO East

8> Kayla Howran @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO ~Country

8-12> Our Bands @ Moonshine Café, 137 Kerr St., Oakville ~eclectic casual; $5

8:30> Nathan Carroll & Haley Gillis @ Free Times Café, 320 College St. TO ~Roots

*9-1> karaoke with Rob MacArthur @ Tudor Rose, 700 Harwood Ave. S., Ajax

9-2> Mercy Flight feat. Steve York; DITTOHEAD; The Histrionics @ Duffy’s Tavern, 1238 Bloor St. W., TO West ~indie

9> Jessica Blake (+ opening act The Dinner Club) @ Dominion On Queen, 500 Queen St. E., TO ~Folk-Rock; $10

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

9> Alistair Cristl @ The Local, 396 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Country/Roots

9-1> Off The Wall @ Black Dog Pub, 87 Island Rd., Scarborough ~Pop/soft Rock

9> James Anthony with special guest Ron Russell @ Blue Goose Tavern, 1 Blue Goose Rd., Etobicoke South ~Blues/R&B

9> Darren Hancock @ The Corral, 433 Simcoe St. S., Oshawa ~Country

9-1> Wing It’s @ Simcoe Blues & Jazz, 926 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa

9-1> Audio Taxi @ Oscar’s Roadhouse, 1785 Queen St. E., Brampton ~Pop Rock/Top 40

**9> Niagara Rhythm Section with guest Blair Packham @ The Old Winery, 2228 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagara-On-The-Lake ~R&B/Blues

9:30> Simply Queen @ Linsmore Tavern, 1298 Danforth Ave., TO East ~Queen tribute; $5/$10

**9:30-11:30> Big Name Actors & Friends @ Relish, 2152 Danforth Ave. TO East ~original songwriter

*9:30-2> karaoke with The English Rose & The Mad Scotsman @ Winners, 2181 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough

9:30> The Junction All-Stars feat. Dave McManus & special guest Paul Gellman @ Axis, 3048 Dundas St. W., TO West ~Blues/Rock

9:30> Al Reilly’s Catalyst @ The Loaded Dog, 1921 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarb. ~Pop Rock

9:30> David Bacha Band @ Karla’s Roadhouse, 4630 Kingston Rd., Scarborough ~Heartland Rock/Blues

9:30> The Petition @ Seven44, 744 Mount Pleasant Blvd., TO North

9:30> aBABE Music presents Eunice Keitan Trio; The Cardboard Crowns; Carmela Antonio @ The Press Club, 850 Dundas St. W., TO ~indie; $5

9:30> iHeart @ Stone Cottage Pub, 3750 Kingston Rd., Scarborough ~Pop Rock

9:30> The Neil Young’uns @ Timothy’s Pub 344 Brown’s Line, Etobicoke South ~Neil Young tribute

9:30> Sean Pinchin @ The Harp, 55 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit ~Pop Rock/Top 40

9:30> Orangeman @ Jake’s Boathouse Brampton, 59 First Gulf Rd., Brampton ~Pop Rock

9:30> Off The Wall @ Black Horse Pub, 452 George St. N., Peterborough

9:45> Dave Young Group @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz

10-2> Cottage Brew @ Southside Johnny’s, 3653 Lakeshore Blvd. W. Etobicoke South ~Rock/Top 40/R&B

10> Soul Stew @ Orbit Room, 480 College St. TO ~Funk/R&B

10> Jack Marks @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO

10> Ben Herman & Familiar Wild @ Tranzac Club  (Southern Cross), 292 Brunswick Ave., TO

10-2> Tennessee Voodoo Coupe @ Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave., TO West

10-2> Gator James Band @ Roc’n Doc’s, 105 Lakeshore Rd. E., Port Credit ~Rock/Top 40

10:30> The North @ The Hideout, 484 Queen St. W., TO ~indie Rock

10:30> Driven @ The Dickens, 423 Elizabeth St., Burlington ~Pop Rock

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