Guitar Boys and Funk Lad on the same gig is special

/TORONTO EAST/

I was very pleased to see, during the weekend this past February when Winterfolk Blues & Roots Festival returned to its longtime home in the little clubs on Danforth Ave. near Broadview, that one of the area’s musical treasures and longtime residents was included as part of the Roots festival’s programming.

Versatile and eclectic songwriter Julian Taylor did a couple of shows as part of the festival this year, and tonight he’s bringing a bit of that festival vibe to his open stage that takes place right in the heart of “Winterfolk Country”.

Festival founder/director and ace guitarist/songwriter Brian Gladstone told me, when the return to the Danforth locale was announced, that “the feel and vibe of the clubs in that area is just far superior to what we could create in a more structured environment” such as the downtown hotel where they experimented with holding the festival in 2012 and ’13.  He’s pretty comfortable in the Broadview-Danforth neck of the woods and in fact now hosts a weekly open stage (currently on hiatus for the summer) at one of Winterfolk’s main rooms, Black Swan Tavern.

Meanwhile, across the street at Dora Keogh pub, Taylor, who these days is writing a lot of Dance/Funk material after emerging into mainstream prominence for his NuPop material with Staggered Crossing, has been through a fascinating evolution. Since he first became involved with the quirky little pub, initially as a bartender then soon thereafter also as the host of a long-running weekly open stage jam there, he has almost, in a way, grown up, making the transition from label recording act to independent recording artist and performer and label entrepreneur, doing a lot of interesting stuff along the way.

So with Taylor having booked Gladstone to do the 9:30 feature act at tonight’s edition of the 8-12 Dora open stage, the vibe should certainly be festive indeed. Adding even more musical pleasure to the occasion, Gladstone has announced that he’s going to have iconic guitarist (and not half-bad backup vocalist) Tony Quarrington with him. The two are the mainspring of Gladstone’s combo The Guitar Boys Of Aldernon, which is a formidable finger-picking ensemble if ever there were one.

Add to those featured talents the unpredictable but always high-quality roster of open stagers who usually drop by plus Gladstone’s many musical pals and this could be quite a lovely summer evening of eclectic and delightful music.

-Gary 17, www.torontomoon.ca

LISTINGS:

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Noon> Free lunchtime Jazz with tba @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz

5-8> Byung-Gul Jung @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Jazz

*5> The Cosmotones @ Castro’s, 2116 Queen St. E.. TO East ~Rockabilly

6> Golden Country Classics @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO

*6-9> Calliope’s Nest open stage/jam for women @ Lola Pub, 40 Kensington Ave., TO

6:30> Peter Hill Quintet @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz

7-9> Danny Michel Band & guests @ Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington Ave., TO West

7> Songwriters open stage with host Samantha Martin @ Bar Radio, 615 College St., TO

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

**7:30> M Factor Mondays with host Elana Harte & features Julie Long & Tim Bovaconti @ Old Nick, 123 Danforth Ave., TO East

7:30> Bob Cary Big Band @ Seven44, 744 Mount Pleasant Blvd., TO North ~R&B/Swing

8-11> Tim Bradford @ Relish, 2152 Danforth Ave., Toronto East ~Roots Pop

8-12> open stage with Julian Taylor & 9:30 feature by Brian Gladstone & Tony Quarrington @ Dora Keogh, 141 Danforth Ave. TO East

**8-1> open stage with host Signe Miranda @ Free Times Café, 320 College St., TO

*8-11> open stage @ McGradie’s, 2167 Victoria Park Ave., Scarborough

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

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

8:30> Judy Collins @ Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas St. W., TO West ~Pop/Roots-Pop icon; $100

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

*9-1> Hamstrung Stringband @ The Local, 396 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Bluegrass

9> blueVenus @ Castro’s, 2116 Queen St. E.. TO East ~original Pop

9-1> Howard Willett Blues Duo @ Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles Ave., TO West ~Blues

*9-1> eclectic open stage/jam @ The Painted Lady, 218 Ossington Ave., TO West

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

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

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

9:30> Mike Malone & The Writers Jazz Orchestra @ The Rex, 194 Queen St. W., TO ~Jazz

*10-2> jam with Kimberley Wetmore & Company feat. Dave Girdlestone of Soul Funkshun @ Roc’n Doc’s, 105 Lakeshore E., Port Credit

10> Vibrosis @ The Orbit Room, 580 College St., TO ~Pop Funk dance covers & originals

 10> Joe Nolan @ Cameron House (front), 408 Queen St. W., TO

10:30> Big Otter Creek @ The Hideout, 484 Queen St. W., TO ~acoustic duo

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