Saturday, October 17, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
Thursday, October 15, 2015
David Owen CD launch @jazzbistroTO
David Owen drew the biggest crowd yet for the Toronto Blues Society's "Hump Day" Wednesdays at the elegant Jazz Bistro. An upscale setting for some down-home country blues. The "quiet policy" of the Jazz Bistro was flaunted this night but it didn't bother David a bit and the usually sedate room was transformed into a roadhouse party - it didn't hurt that the Blue Jays had just won a big home game on their way to the World Series. The evening (and the CD) is peppered with authentic flavours from Jimmy Bowskill on mandolin, fiddle, slide and more. Brush/bass-meister Alec Fraser provides a solid foundation and the sparse production by Gary Kendall makes it all the more official. An honest, heartfelt recording.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Always get a kick out of going to Rdio.com and listening to the Brian Blain radio station that they generated. They are using some kind of algorithms to determine what songs listeners would enjoy if they already like Brian Blain. So far it's led me to Willie Big Eyes Smith with Kim Wilson, Jimmy Bowskill, Granine Duffy, The Heritage Blues Orchestra and an artist I never heard of, Alex McElcheran who plays a mean 12-string.