• Artists,  Ontario

    Artist Spotlight: Raging Asian Women

    This weekend I headed down to Yonge-Dundas Square to catch a little of the Small World Music Festival.  They had a terrific lineup, and one of my favourite live acts was playing – Raging Asian Women. Taiko drumming is a traditional Japanese form of performance where musicality and showmanship are both important, and RAW have it down.  The first time I saw them was years ago, at a conference, and I’d had no idea what to expect.  I’d seen and loved Taiko performances before, but nothing prepared me for the power of RAW. By the end of their performance, I had tears streaming down my face – not from sadness, but…

  • Artists,  Ontario

    Artist Spotlight: Euphonia

    Over the weekend, I got an email from Richard Flohill, inviting myself and a handful of music-lovers out to Lula Lounge for a Monday night PWYC show. I hadn’t heard of the band, Euphonia, but the words Mozart-Mendelssohn-Haydn caught my eye, and Richard’s taste is pretty finely-honed, so I was in. I always feel a little sheepish admitting that I like Classical music; it’s sort-of the last frontier.  People tend to react like you’re putting on airs, as if Classical music were a high-brow art form that only people from a certain generation and income bracket enjoy.  But anyone paying any attention to music history can tell you that Classical…

  • Artists,  Ontario

    Artist Spotlight: Maracatu Mar Aberto

    This past weekend was the Cabbagetown Festival, a community event with street vendors, a craft fair, lots of yard sales, food vendors, and music. ((Almost entirely awful cover bands, much to my dismay.  But there were a couple of good acts – read on!))  Luckily enough for me, the whole thing took place right outside my door, so I spent most the two days strolling around, noshing on murtabek and roti, and meeting some of my neighbours.  ((I even met a guy who has a bee hive in his back yard, who sold me a jar of Cabbagetown Gold – illegal bees make the best honey!)) Things were winding down…

  • Artists,  Ontario

    Artist Spotlight: The 24th Street Wailers

    The lineup for the Peterborough Folk Festival was released this past week, and for the first time in seven years, I didn’t do all of the booking. And for the first time in more than a decade, I won’t be working on the festival or even attending, because I’ve got another festival to run here in Toronto. ((Taiwanfest!)) It’s a weird feeling to see things roll along without you, but Nick’s ((PFF’s new Artistic Director!)) doing a great job, and so is Ashley ((PFF’s Executive Director!)) and the rest of the team. One of the bands that I booked  in this year’s lineup is The 24th Street Wailers; ((Full disclosure:…

  • Artists,  Quebec

    Artist Spotlight: Lakes of Canada

    I can’t remember where I first heard Lakes of Canada, but I feel as though in the last month or so, their name has come up a dozen or more times.  Rousing, fun, intelligent, and skillful, I think they’d kill whether in an intimate bar or on a festival stage. This is the kind of band that can get a cross-generational audience up on their feet dancing as well as lining up at the merch table. Great harmonies and overall vocals, as well as a nice mix of instrumentation, make listening to their music a lovely experience. Add to that their really beautifully-crafted sound a slew of fun, watchable videos…