Odds and sods from the Toronto blues community and beyond.
Silver Dollar Room rises from the ashes (twice): The Dollar is back at its original location, meticulously restored, but not yet open to the public. A privileged few have received a guided tour of the revived bar that was demolished along with the adjoining Waverly Hotel in 2018 to make way for a new residential property.
Julian Faiths house gigs, International Blues Challenge, Canadian expat Layla has new T-shirts for sale, Arhoolie unveils archives and some new cancellations.
Saturday Night Blues with Holger Peterson is leaving CBC Radio One. Sue Foley postpones Ontario Tour and New Orleans Jazzfest Cancelled
The Women’s Blues Revue at Roy Thomson Hall has been rescheduled to Friday, November 26, 2021. Live music is coming back! A list of upcoming shows and festivals. Find out who Downchild’s new members are?
Festival Update: It’s the June issue and this is the time we’d be talking up all the great summer blues festivals but aside from a couple of events in Quebec (still tentative) there are no festivals to talk about and instead we mourn the passing of festival founder Tim Sinnett, whose Canal Bank Shuffle was usually the last on the blues festival calendar and always provided a fitting end to the season.
Shuffling Along: The Southside Shuffle has been challenged like all festivals but will be proceeding with a slightly downsized event on September 9,10 and 11 with an all-Canadian line-up due to restrictions getting acts from US and Europe. Meanwhile, Artistic Director Chuck Jackson has programmed a series of livestream concerts to be aired on consecutive Sundays in July starting with “Ramble on the Rez” with Mark Laforme and Joel Johnson, followed by “Ladies Sing the Blues” with Suzie Vinnick and Miss Emily, “Pianorama – Remembering Michael Fonfara,” with Lance Anderson and Jenie Thai and finishing off with”Mannish Boys” with Jimmy Bowskill & Steve Marriner. The shows will be recorded at the Moonshine Café in late June and will include a short chat with Chuck. This will be a fundraising initiative for the festival, though fans can donate anytime at www.southsideshuffle.com
CIUT FM Honours the Legacy of Late John Valenteyn: After the upsetting passing of John Valenteyn last year, CIUT FM is preparing to honour his legacy with Andrew Galloway, Brooke Blackburn, Dr. Julie Hill, and Sugar Brown (aka Ken Kawashima) hosting the show on a rotating schedule and keeping Valenteyn’s and Blues spirit glowing up at the station. More details to be announced by CIUT FM.
Juno Awards: Nominees for the 2021 JUNO Awards will be announced at 11 AM on Tuesday March 9. Winners will be revealed on the 50th Annual JUNO Awards Broadcast (CBC) on Sunday, May 16.
Winter Blues: Toronto roots music fans have enjoyed the annual appearance of Winterfolk and last year, a new February festival appeared on the scene, the “Be Kind” festival. Both were based out of the Tranzac last year but this time they’ll be online, like everybody else. Winterfolk is happening February 19 & 20 and has plenty of blues content: Donne Roberts, Ken Whiteley, Jack de Keyzer, Suzie Vinnick, Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley and Julian Taylor among other blues-friendly roots artists.
The annual Blues Booster Award determined by the TBS Board of Directors has been renamed in honour of John Valenteyn the late co-founder of the organization. John’s untimely passing in October continues to reverberate in the community as he left a huge legacy. As you can see in this publication we have recruited a pool or scribes to cover off his monthly “John’s Picks” review column, a group that includes Richard Flohil, Sandra Tooze, Eric Thom, Terry Parson and others including the recipient of the the booster, Cindy McLeod.
©2024 Toronto Blues Society. Design by Janine Stoll Media.
TBS logo and WBR artwork by Barbara Klunder
The Toronto Blues Society acknowledges the annual support of the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage, and project support from FACTOR< and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Broadcasters, The Canada Council for the Arts, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
