FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PLEASE UPDATE LISTINGS

TORONTO, May 31, 2004. The Toronto Blues Society announces the finalists for their 9th Annual Talent Search. The top six blues acts have been chosen from entries received from all across Canada. A screening panel reviewed three songs by each artist or band. Each of the finalists will perform one live set in the finals at The Silver Dollar, June 4-5th.

Who: Friday:Julian Fauth, Doc MacLean, Tommy Fyfe
Saturday: Dale Boyle and the Barburners, Bharath & the Catfish, Daddy Long Legs
What: Toronto Blues Society Annual Talent Search
When: Friday June 4th / Saturday June 5th Showtime: 8:00 p.m.
Where: the Silver Dollar Room, 486 Spadina AVE. @ College st.
How much: $7 ($6 with a TBS membership card)

The finalists are:

Friday night:
JULIAN FAUTH – Primitive, old-time barrelhouse piano with occasional flights of insanity from one of the hardest working and most talented players on the blues scene. (June 4th – 8pm)

DOC MACLEAN – Riding 30 years on the blues highway, Doc MacLean provides a direct link to some of the delta’s most celebrated songsters, including Peg Leg Sam, the Medicine Show Man, Blind John Davis, Sunnyland Slim, Little Brother Montgomery and Sam Chatmon. (June 4th 9pm)

TOMMY FYFE – Representing Northern Ontario, this Sudbury based Multi-instrumentalist recently recorded an album of original material with his band, ‘the Whiskey River Blues Band.’ (June 4th 10 pm)

Saturday night:
DALE BOYLE AND THE BARBURNERS – Create a sound for those who want to keep the blues alive and who are willing to embrace different interpretations of it. Coming down from Montreal. (June 5th 8pm)

BHARATH AND THE CATFISH – Traditional blues as raw and honest as it gets. Along with vocalist harmonicist Bharath Rajakumar the catfish are, Andrew Cowan, Costa Zapfiropolous and Ben Cassie. (June 5th 9pm)

DADDY LONG LEGS – Powerhouse harmonica from Chris “junior” Malleck and the vintage guitar tones of “shakey” mike elliot, this band plays the blues the way they were meant to be played. (June 5th 10pm)

The winning group will receive recording time at Liquid Toronto, a photo shoot courtesy of Rick Zolkower, showcase performances at the NXNE and the Cisco Systems Toronto Bluesfest, national broadcast on CBC Radio’s “Saturday Night Blues,” and a chance to represent the TBS at the International Blues Chalenge in Memphis.

Bands and musicians who have not made a nationally distributed or major record label recording and whose music is considered blues-based, qualified for entry. The material submitted must have been recorded during the past two years and original material was encouraged.

For more information, the public can contact The Toronto Blues Society at:
[email protected]
416-538-3885 or 1-866-871-9457