This Week in Toronto (Jan 8- 14)

Well hello there, long time no see!! How are things? How were your holidays? Do anything crazy for new years? I went to Montreal, which is always a great time. I also saw a great band play the other night. The songwriter William Delray has put together a band, and my god, what a performance.... I wish there were words... I felt like I did the first time I saw the Broken Social Scene.  8 people up on stage, playing great rock songs, with a lot of feeling. If they're playing anytime soon, I'll be sure to post it... you have to make it out. Now to the task at hand, if you don't remember, all you have to do is click on the links if you want to learn more about the events, and if you have any comments, you can leave them in the section conveniently marked Comments.

THURS JAN 8

Ben Jansson Quartet at Rex Hotel (194 Queen Street West)
What a better way to start out the list than with some jazz? Ben is a serious Tenor man. I haven't seen him play in a long time (I believe he now resides in Ann Arbor), but there was a time when he was one of my favourite players in the city. And that says a lot, Toronto is blessed with some of the best Tenor sax players in the world. I have no idea who his quartet consists of, but I can guarantee they'll be fantastic.



FRI JAN 9

Nick Rose & the Stables at Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue)
I had the oppurtunity to play a show with Nick about a year ago, and really loved his songwriting. He has a great country feel, a smooth voice, and if I remember correctly, the man can really play the harp... mouth harp that is.



SAT JAN 10

The Sound of Music playing at Fox Theatre (2236 Queen St E)
I've been getting into musicals lately. Re-watched Singing in the Rain the other day. Watched the incredibly sexist (yet still entertaining) My Fair Lady on the train back from Montreal, and I have An American in Paris cued up to watch as soon as I finish writing this blog. So, there you have the tie in. The classic Sound of Music, is getting two plays this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, both at 1pm. Bring your kids!


MON JAN 12

Angela Bower at Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue)
I can't say enough good things about Christine Bougie. She's one of my favourite guitarists in the city, and she plays at the Tranzac every Monday night with pianist Dafydd Hughes. Do you like talented musicians who don't take a different approach to instrumental music? Of coarse you do, or you wouldn't be here.



TUES JAN 13

Barzin at Clintons (693 Bloor Street West)
Seeing Barzin live was one of the biggest events for me last year. There wasn't many people there, which is a shame. He's got a beautiful voice, and his music is like a dream. Ask him to play the song where he gets to rhyme Jesus Christ.... I'm not done yet. If you can only see one show this week, please see this one. He'll probably be playing a lot of songs that will appear on his up-coming CD (one of my top anticipated CD's of the year).



Well, short week. Not a lot happening in the city on this cold January week. If you know of any exciting shows coming up this week, please let un know in the comments section. Peace!