News

Mako Funasaka Archives resumes this month! Looking back at important blues moments, performances, and milestones, our second episode will air on Sunday, June 27th at 4pm EDT both on TBS YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

Toronto Blues Society’s Pioneer Profile Series continues on Thursday, June 24th at 8pm EDT with Indigenous artist & activist Pura Fé joined by interviewer Diane Keye-Kohoko for an intimate conversation.

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.

This month’s recommended listening by Brant Zwicker, host/executive producer of At the Crossroads syndicated blues radio. Website: atcblues.ca.

Steve Marriner is ready to hit the road to support his new Stony Plain release, Hope Dies Last

Ghalia Volt honed her skills busking on the streets of her native Brussels, singing and playing guitar, while a foot tambourine marked the beat. Growing up, she was influenced by garage rock and punk music, then came to blues though Skip James and J.B. Lenoir. Now, on the heels of two acclaimed albums — Let the Demons Out and Mississippi Blend — where she was supported by other musicians, she’s back with a twist. In her new release, One Woman Band, Volt returns to her original format and decisively demonstrates that she won’t be silenced by the limitations of the pandemic.

A true stalwart of the Toronto blues scene, Gary Kendall is best known as the longtime bassist in Downchild, former co-leader of the Kendall Wall Band, and music director of the ace Maple Blues Revue. He is also a highly talented songwriter and producer, skills that were showcased on his only solo album to date, 2004’s Dusty & Pearl.
Kendall recently returned to the material on that compelling release, selecting four highlight tracks that have been Remixed & Remastered by award-winning engineer L. Stu Young (Downchild, David Wilcox, Prairie Oyster).

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

This month’s recommended listening by Greg Torrington, programmer of Stingray’s blues channels.