TBS @ FAI: The TBS put on a showcase at last month’s Folk Alliance conference in Montreal. The artists featured were Suzie Vinnick, Miss Emily, Michael Jerome Browne, Angelique Francis, Charlie A’Court, Graham Lindsey,The Harpoonist, Berk Jodoin and Maya Killtron.  Suzie reports, “Cat Bird (TBS grant-writer) and her team transformed the space with a beautiful blue and green motif—perfect for our ‘blues’ night, with plenty of blue accents.There was a nice variety of bluesy performers who drew lots of listeners to the room.  I brought along six boxes of Canadian-made maple leaf cookies (wish they were blue!), with extra beer and sodas provided by Cat’s team. It was wonderful to showcase our Canadian blues talent in such a welcoming space. A big thank you to Cat Bird and her team for sharing their space with us!”

Festival News (too soon?): The Orangeville Blues and Jazz festival have announced the dates for 2025 (May 30-June 1) and will kick off the festival season with a top-notch lineup of blues talent including Lachy Doley, Harry Manx, Robi Botos, Maple Blues Band, Kenny Blues Boss Wayne, Raoul & The Big Time, Steve Strongman, Alfie Smith, Jay Douglas & The Allstars, Turbo Street Funk, Tia Brazda, Canefire, Johnny Max Band, Al Lerman & The Country Fried Blues Band, Larry Kurtz & The Lawbreakers, Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin, Erin McCallum Band, Rosie’s Smokehouse Deluxe, Danny Boy Phelan,  Danny Marks  James Anthony Band, Voodoo Pawnshop, CJ Lee, Dwayne Laforme  Gail Gunnis & The Dirty Roosters and Little Joe & The Werewolves. https://orangevillebluesandjazz.ca/

Ottawa Bluesfest has announced their lineup and triggered the usual response on social media that there’s not enough blues.  We sifted through to find a healthy contingent: The blues content at Bluesfest includes the youthful contemporary bluesman Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Grammy-nominated, Ottawa-born guitarist Sue Foley and the amazing Fantastic Negrito.  Local guitar hero JW Jones will be there as well as Harry Manx, Durham County Poets and Garnetta Cromwell & DaGroovmasters. The festival runs from July 10 to 20 in its usual home at LeBreton Flats Park on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum next to the Ottawa River. It features four stages devoted to live music, three of which are outdoors and one inside the museum, plus two smaller DJ stages. https://ottawabluesfest.ca/

In other festival news, The Toronto Jazz Festival just announced Mavis Staples on June 23 and two local festivals have called it quits. The West Coast Blues fest in Goderich and the Buckslide Blues Festival in Haliburton will not be happening this summer.

New Name, Same Joint:  The Mighty Duck Blues Band`s home base for their Saturday afternoon blues series in St. Catharines, Ontario has new owners, new name, new menu and new look.  The current venue, Coco Bar, Mexican Grill sits in the same location as the former club, Jo Blos Rock & Wok at 2 Pelham Rd 905-685-8280.  For more info go to http://www.mightyduckbluesband.com

Murray Kinsley & Wicked Grin release Eye Of The Storm: “If The Doors were a blues band” was all I could think of while listening to “Dance with Me,” “Blues for Sorrow,” and the majority of the songs on Eye of the Storm. Murray Kinsley’s seductive—and a little creepy—vocal approach is no small part of what makes this connection, but so to do the instrumental jams laid down by Wicked Grin. Kinsley handles the guitar (including cigar box guitar on a pair of songs, including “Dressed in Black,” one of the standouts) with drummer (and co-producer with Kinsley) Dave Tettmar providing drive. But it is bassist Laura Greenberg’s compelling, funky, and florid lines that are as significant as the more obvious lead guitar work. She just lays it out, keeping everything connected including on songs