BITS

Today was my first Blues In The Schools session this year, but this was not just a school but a large kids rehab facility.  I played in a gym and it was something to behold looking out to that crowd - a large group of kids in wheelchairs and all kinds of wheeled contraptions some wearing protective helmets.  But what a great, attentive audience.  Even the little ones were clapping a "second line" beat.  They had already studied African Music and the Underground Railroad.  The music teacher sent a nice review:

"Today we had an exciting, informative and exceptional presentation by Brian Blain. Our students and staff at Bloorview sang, clapped and spontaneously jumped up to dance to the wonderful music presented by Brian. We learned so much about the history of the blues.

Brian began by introducing our group of 70 students and 30 staff to the Delta Blues. He played “The Midnight Special” encouraged us to join in and told us about Leadbelly. Then he helped the children create their own verses to “Pick a Bale of Cotton”. The children were so engaged! They enjoyed learning about gospel music when he played “Wade in the Water”.

Brian was able to captivate the students for the full 45 minute concert. Their smiles, clapping and movement showed how much they enjoyed participating in the program.  Our students range in age from 4 to 21 years old and he was warm, generous and able to relate so well to all of them.  We learned about the roots of Rock and Roll, Elvis, Chuck Berry and also enjoyed his original songs.  

We want to thank the Blues Society. We are so happy to host this “Blues in the Schools” program at our school, especially since our students can’t easily attend performances out in the community. These concerts enrich our music program, our appreciation of music and inspire many young musicians."

Blainletter #67

This will be the February/March issue since February just slipped by me this time.  There's one gig in March and it’s next Sunday Afternoon:

Who: Brian Blain (solo)

When: Sunday March 9, 2-4PM

Where: Full Of Beans Coffee Roastery, 1348 Dundas St W, Toronto

No cover & good coffee

I had a thought to send a one-time mailing to my entire address book (3000+) if only to see how many of those addresses have gone stale but I just don't have it in me to carpet bomb all these folks, many of whom don't even know I play guitar (and don't care).  But you, my cherished Blainreaders, give me sufficient encouragement to continue this enterprise.  I may reach out a little more this time because a couple of weeks ago I was clicking around in Google+, just trying to figure out how it works, and I guess I sent everybody in my Gmail a request to join my “circle.“  Something happened because for several days afterwards I was receiving  notifications that so-and-so is now in my “circle.“  (almost 400 so far – some I know, some I don't).

Bottom line is I guess I now have yet another social network to manage.

The second Sunday in May is, of course, Mother's Day and for the last ten years I've always done a show on that week-end or right after and called it my Motherless Day Concert.  I had some great guests over the last few years but this time we're doing something different and taking it on the road.  I will be celebrating Motherless Day in Quebec this year with a couple of gigs in the Townships (Ormstown on May 9 and Knowlton on May 10) and maybe another date or two will materialize between now and than (suggestions welcome!).  I'll also be doing a TV appearance and a bit of a media push – I've got a great French tune on the album and I want to get some play in Quebec.  The song is all about my favourite place, The Eastern Townships.  I did a quickie slideshow on YouTube with photos from Daniel Racine, who wrote the words.  You can check it out here

Since I couldn't make it to Kansas City for the Folk Alliance Conference I did watch a few webcasts from the hotel-room showcases.  It was neat watching Chip Taylor singing his mega-hit “Angel of the Morning“ for a handful of folks in a small hotel room. Just like being there.  I think I may have been the first to webcast from the Folk Alliance (back in Memphis 2011) where I streamed my set as well as The Sweetness (Chloe Charles was in that group) and also incurred the wrath of Melanie Brulé who was waiting to go on next while I was fiddling with the knobs. I'm sure all is forgiven now and her music career is going gangbusters

Watching the Olympics I was trying to see the parallel with music – The fact that there are champion skiers on that big stage does not diminish all the people who love to ski. There are so many people playing guitar and writing songs and all of them must think, like me, “hey, I'm just as good as that guy.“  But maybe we should just accept that there are some “elite“ artists (and sportsmen) that make it to the big stage and then there's the rest of us musicians and skiers and curlers who just do it because we love it

I heard a quote attributed to the Buddha the other day and I can't get it out of my mind: “Do your work the best you can with no expectation of any reward or recognition.“ I guess that's what I've been doing all along (although I may have faltered in the “best you can be“ department.  I think in music, there's something to be said for music that is “effortless“ – especially when it's been allowed to percolate over many years/decades.  Maybe this is just me trying to rationalize my laziness…

Saw some great Words of Wisdom about co-writing, if that's of interest.  I have never had much success as a co-writer but never really put much effort into that, either.

And while we're pulling out the Words of wisdom, here's some from Bob Lefsetz (he's the guy that will tell you to your face that if you're not selling CDs and getting people out to your shows it's because you suck). Here's what he had to say about the artist as businessman (a concept that is continually being drummed into us at music conferences and other Career Development opportunities)

“A businessman plays by the rules, an artist breaks them.
A businessman puts money first, an artist sees money as a byproduct.
A businessman has a plan, an artist flies by the seat of his pants.
Lose your job in business and you can find another, screw up in art and your career might be over."

…and much more here

Out and About

Harry Manx and Clayton Doley passed through town on Sunday on their way to the western leg of their tour (where Kevin Breit will be joining them).  I'm sure you heard about the theft of Harry's Mohan Veena at O'Hare airport and the subsequent capture of the culprit.  You and five million other people! Harry had us in stitches as he did his impression of the detective in charge of the case – kind of a Chicago mobster patois.  Here is a link to the happy ending

While we were having dinner, Clayton asked me who I'd heard lately and I was caught a bit off guard but this is usually the forum where I talk about who I've seen in the last month or so:

I enjoyed hearing Whiskey Jack playing the other night, and harmonica man Howard Willet gave me his new CD and what I heard so far sounds real sweet.

This was the first year in quite a while that I didn't play Winterfolk – I thought I might be doing one of my campfire jams but it was not to be, however I did take in a few shows and enjoyed hearing Mr. Rick doing a solo set (solid, official), David Bradstreet (with some fine guitar from Jason Fowler) and of course my old pal Allan Fraser who was performing with Marianne Girard.

The week before that I saw 5 or 6 acts but the highlight was Trombone Shorty. He uses every musical and stagecraft trick in the book. As I walked into the cavernous Phoenix along a winding hallway the sound was getting louder & louder and I was thinking I should have brought earplugs but it's just that the hallway ends right at the stage so when I got further back in the room it was. The band was already going full tilt - as if it was the last tune of the night. stretching out the endings with wide arm gestures to the drummer, high on a riser in center stage, leading to a drum solo or a quick modulation into the next tune. The drum solo had saxes playing punches egging him on. He did the obligatory one-note sustain solo but he held it longer than you've ever heard (more than 3 minutes by my count) and by the time he released the tension, the audience exploded. Later he pulled out the classic Maynard Ferguson high note. He has a tenor/bari sax section pumping away throughout - just the way I like it, then he had them stretch out by trading off on 8-bars "in the round". At one point, the horns were playing harmonies to Shorty's vocal. When it was time for (another) drum solo, the saxes punched it up. They also did some vocals, and I can't remember if they had tambourines but it reminds me that the next time I do a gig with the Blainettes I'm going to have them shaking the tams when they're not playing. When Shorty did a wacked out version of St. James Infirmary, Josh G. leaned over and said "This must be the ballad of the set."

Before I got to Trombone Shorty I wanted to drop in at the inaugural event for the Blues Society's "Third Thursday" at the Dominion on Queen. As it turned out, there was another event happening the same night, "The Wee Folk Club" which I had previously attended when it was located in the back room at a bar in Dundas Square. And once again they were in the back room, but the Dominion has a very nice back room, but I don't think they use it enough. The back of the back room, where I was sitting had a bit of a dank odour.  Banjomeister Chris Coole played a few tunes - including a great original called "A Hundred Dollars" which harkens back to the day to the days when a musician would never get less than a hundred a night and the gigs typically lasted more than one night - sometimes six! He was followed by a woman I had never heard, Anne Walker, but everyone in the room seemed to know her. A near operatic voice singing trad folk songs, or originals that sound like trad folk. 

Host of the Wee Folk Club, Scottish trad singer Enoch Kent, did the intros and reminded the artists that they were expected to share some stories too. I had previously inquired about playing the series but was told you needed songs that told stories - now anyone who knows my music will tell you that my songs all have stories - it's all I write! But I think they meant stories that resemble Chaucer more than Randy Newman. Enoch took delight in announcing that the "jazz" group in the front room would be starting later because all the microphones were in the back room. In fact, there were other mikes in the front room, though the direct box wasn't working. Chris Antonik was the artist selected to kick off the first night and he had Jesse Whiteley on piano. They played mostly blues standards, which I suppose is what most blues fans want to hear, but considering there was at least one important music journalist in the house, I would have tried to pull out a few originals.

Jesse told me off stage that he would be (re)joining the 24th Street Wailers and I had to laugh because back when that band was starting out I put something in the blues newsletter suggesting that Jesse was leader of the band and I was promptly corrected that he was just a sideman.

I still had one more stop, my friend Dr Ric was playing at Monarch's Pub and I thought they would be playing till 1am but was told that they were going to finish at midnight so I slipped out of the Phoenix before Shorty finished so I could catch a couple of tunes from the Melony Jade Band (Melony was the lead singer of the Trailblazers back when I met Lily Sazz - that's a long time ago...). Melony looked quite stunning and the band was tight but once again, it was tunes that you've heard a million times and if you're going to cover a standard you need to give it your own twist, like the way Shorty totally deconstructed "St. James Infirmary," though I'm not sure I liked where he took it. Anyway that was 5 acts in one evening and it's not even Jazz Festival season! And I was home just a little after midnight.

I had thought to hang around the Phoenix and maybe have a chance to give one of my CDs to Shorty. New Folk Blues 2.0 kicks off with my "homage" to the Crescent City and one time I'd love to present it someone from that town. I've always kicked myself that I didn't speak to Allan Toussaint when he walked right by me after his performance at the Jazz Festival. I wanted to stop him and hand him the CD and tell him I wrote a song about his town called "Forgotten". But I was too shy then and I was too shy last night too. Maybe they'll hear it one way or the other - I ran into one of the interns from last year's jazz festival who mentioned she heard Brad Barker playing my CD on jazz FM last week. The music will make its way out there, one way or the other.

That's all for now (two months' worth).  Thanks for reading.  See you out there, BrianB

JUNO Nominees are...

brianblain at the JUNO nominations

view full image

"@thejunoawards blues noms Harrison Kennedy, monkey junk, James buddy Rogers, david Gogo, Downchild"

Congratulations to Monkey Junk and all the Maple Blues Award Winners

Trombone Shorty kicked ass at the Phoenix

Out and About

Best show of the year (of course, it's only been 2 weeks). Shorty uses every musical and stagecraft trick in the book. As I walked in to the cavernous Phoenix along a winding hallway Already was thinking I should have brought earplugs but it's just that the hallway ends right at the stage so when you got back in the room a bit, the volume was fine (not that you could have a conversation). The band was already going full tilt - as if it was the last tune of the night. stretching out the endings with wide arm gestures to the drummer, high on a riser in center stage, leading to s drum solo or a quick modulation into the next tune. The drum solo had saxes playing punches egging him on. He did the obligatory one-note solo but he held it longer than you've ever heard (more than 3 minutes by ny count) and by the time he released the tension, the audience exploded. Later he pulled out the classic Maynard Ferguson high note. At the end of one tune he would cue multiple hits from the band. Not the typical "two times" but over and over speeding up until everybody was blowing and strumming and hitting as fast as they could - ending abruptly with a sharp wave from Shorty. He has a tenor/bari sax section pumping away throughout - just the way I like it, then he had them stretch out by trading off on 8-bars "in the round". At one point, the horns were playing harmonies to Shorty's vocal. When it was time for (another) drum solo, the saxes punched it up. They also did some vocals, and I can't remember if they had tambourines but it reminds me that the next time I do a gig with the Blainettes I'm going to have them shaking the tams when they're not playing. When they did a wacked out version of St. James Infirmary, Josh G. leaned over and said "This must be the ballad of the set."

Before I got to Trombone Shorty I wanted to drop in at the inaugural event for the Blues Society's "Third Thursday" at the Dominion on Queen. As it turned out, there was another event happening the same night, "The Wee Folk Club" which I had previously attended when it was located in the back room at a bar in Dundas Square. And once again they were in the back room, but the Dominion has a very nice back room, but I don't think they use it enough. The back of the back room, where I was sitting had a bit of a dank odour. Banjomeister Chris Coole played a few tunes - including a great original called "A Hundred Dollars" which harkens back to the day to the days when a musician would never get less than a hundred a night and the gigs typically lasted more than one night - sometimes six! He was followed by a woman I had never heard, Anne Walker, but everyone in the room seemed to know her. A near operatic voice singing trad folk songs, or originals that sound like trad folk.

Host of the Wee Folk Club, Scottish trad singer Enoch Kent, did the intros and reminded the artists that they were expected to share some stories too. I had previously inquired about playing the series but was told you needed songs that told stories - now anyone who knows my music will tell you that my songs all have stories - it's all I write. But I think they meant stories that resemble Chaucer more than Randy Newman. Enoch took delight in announcing that the "jazz" group in the front room would be starting later because all the microphones were in the back room. In fact, there were other mikes in the front room, though the direct box wasn't working. Chris Antonik was the artist selected to kick off the first night and he had the Jesse Whiteley on piano. They played mostly blues standards, which I suppose is what most blues fans want to hear, but considering there was at least one important music journalist in the house, I would have tried to pull out a few originals.

Jesse told me off stage that he would be joining the 24th Street Wailers and I had to laugh because back when that band was starting out I put something in the blues newsletter suggesting that Jesse was leader of the band and I was promptly corrected that he was just a sideman.

I still had one more stop, my friend Dr Ric was playing at Monarch's Pub and I thought they would be playing till 1am but was told that they were going to finish at midnight so I slipped out of the Phoenix before Shorty finished so I could catch a couple of tunes from the Melony Jade Band (Melony was the lead singer of the Trailblazers back when I met Lily Sazz - that's a long time ago...). Melony looked quite stunning and the band was tight but once again, it was tunes that you've heard a million times and if you're going to cover a standard you need to give it your own twist, like the way Shorty totally deconstructed "St. James Infirmary," though I'm not sure I liked where he took it. Anyway that was 5 acts in one evening and it's not even Jazz Festival season! And I was home just a little after midnight.

I had thought to hang around the Phoenix and maybe have a chance to give one of my CDs to Shorty (or anybody from New Orleans, for that matter). New Folk Blues 2.0 kicks off with my "homage" to the Crescent City and one time I'd love to present it someone from that town. I've always kicked myself that I didn't speak to Allan Toussaint when he walked right by me after his performance at the Jazz Festival. I wanted to stop him and hand him the CD and tell him I wrote a song about his town called "Forgotten". But I was too shy then and I was too shy last night too. Maybe they'll hear it one way or the other - I ran into one of the interns from last year's jazz festival who mentioned she heard Brad Barker playing my CD on jazz FM last week. The music will make its way out there, one way or the other.

Dr Ric plays some funk guitar with Melony Jade Band at Monarchs Pub

Brotherly Love - Whiteley style

Dawn Tyler Watson is a just-married do right woman

Mike Stevens and Okaidja Afroso

Riverdale Share is a great event for a good cause. Fabulous house band led by Tom Leighton. This is Donné Robert with some Malgasy vibe

Brian Blain is Danny Marks' guest on BLUZ-FM this Saturday Night

I'll be talking to Danny in the third segment at 10pm. Tune in to JAZZ-FM  91.1 on your radio dial and online at www.jazz.fm.  Here I am with Danny and the lovely Sabrina Weeks at Hugh's Room last week

I'd like to wish a Happy and Healthy 2014 to  all Mapleposters and Maplebluzers who might be reading this. This is what my (mostly)monthly Blainletter and blog looks like. I started it back in 1990 when I first arrived in Toronto to break into the music business. I have managed to break in to the music business but more business than music and I've been chronicling my ups and downs ever since. If you care to subscribe, just reply to this with "subscribe" in the subject line. Or you can view the blog at www.torontobluesdiary.com

I spend a lot more time behind the scenes than on the big stage but I love being around music any way I can. You could call me Canada's best known undiscovered blues artist.

Undiscovered, you say?  Even David Farrell, a genuine “influencer“ on the mainstream music industry since the 70s was surprised when I told him I played guitar.  I gave him a copy of the new CD and he wrote back that he was enjoying “what is clearly not a rank and file blues album.“

The following week he wrote a nice review on www.newcanadianmusic.ca and that website provides much more than a review. It actually tracks all your activity on the web.  Everytime somebody streams one of your tunes, watches one of your songs on YouTube or likes your Facebook page, it gets calculated on a graph on your NCM page.  So now it's downright embarrassing if a week goes by and I don't have any new likes or plays. or other fan activity.  So, if you haven't already, please “Like“ me on Facebook or play me on Spotify or Rdio.

And I don't know if they count physical sales but you can order it here or download it on iTunes. No pressure, eh?  Lord knows, I'm done with twisting the arms of my friends to give me a gig at their festival or play me on their radio show. I was trying to get a Christmas party gig for my band (it's been a while since I got out with the Blainettes) and the club booker actually said “but is it going to be blues enough?" I should have responded that it would not be “rank and file“ blues. Anyway when I saw the band who got the gig, I had to admit I would not have been putting out like they did, playing fast and loud and practically standing on their heads to get people on that dance floor.  I sure ain't blues enough for that.

I hope I can continue to keep you all amused and informed in the coming year (and I will try to avoid the long late-night ramblings).  I had a good lesson in keeping things short and snappy from my interview with Danny. He played a couple of tracks from the album and we talked a bit about Penny Lang. Danny did not know very much about her but had a great “first impression“ after meeting her at a festival in Nova Scotia. I told Danny about the time I saw Penny on the second stage at a Harbourfront Soul & Blues Festival where the PA died halfway through her set and she used what could have been a disaster for another artist and turned it into an opportunity to connect on a deeper level with her audience.  I don't know if she changed her set list but she had that audience in the palm of her hand and you could hear the proverbial pin drop.

We never got around to talking about my guitar (we talk a lot about guitars) but as I was driving home I heard that today was the 50th anniversary of the Beatles appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. I've often told the story of how I was immediately drawn to the Gibson acoustics that John and George were playing because they had a pick-up.  Brilliant! Those must have been the original acoustic-electric guitars but when I went to order one at my local music store I was told the J160-E was back-ordered but that they had a similar guitar (an Epiphone Texan) and they would install a pickup on it for me. $310 (without case) and that's the guitar I've been playing ever since. Interesting to note that Paul McCartney's acoustic of choice is an Epiphone Texan.

(Apologies to all the non-guitar geeks for all this shop-talk but it's also interesting to note that I never got so many Facebook comments as the time I posted a picture of my beloved Epiphone with the headstock broken off.  I don't think I would have attracted as much sympathy if my own head had been knocked off. )

Sorry to say I still haven't had a chance to put together a proper CD launch with full band although it would be a beautiful thing to gather together all or most of the musicians who played on the record. Maybe in February.  Meanwhile I was just offered a gig in the Townships for the springtime and maybe that will be the anchor date for a Quebec tour.

Speaking of Quebec, I want to share with you a quickie youTube I just created for my French tune “Ramene Moi Demain“ with beautiful photos of Townships landscapes by Daniel Racine, who wrote the beautiful French lyrics to that song.  And let me also mention that the beautiful slide guitar playing is by Harry Manx.



I haven't mailed the CD to Media yet, either, but I have handed out a few to media folk when I ran into them. When I gave one to John Valenteyn or Eric Thom (or anyone who had already reviewed New Folk Blues 1.0), I was quick to mention that I hardly expected another revue for what was essentially the same album.  Anyway, JV must have deemed it worthy because he wrote about it in the current issue of MapleBlues and you and you can read it here.

We lost our power for a couple of days here at the old homestead but it came back and it was quite a novelty to be able to sit around the gas stove playing chess by candlelight with my son and no digital distractions.

Last week I came upon an old demo cassette of a group I played with briefly back in the 70s. Slim Chance was the name of the band. We were a country-rock and I recently came upon an old cassette demo and digitized a couple of the tunes and sent them to Sue Lothrop (who was the lead singer - she asked me to send the rest but now I can't find that damn cassette – sorry Sue) Sue sent me back this picture which I don't remember at all.  But I do remember those embroidered cowboy pants (Dan Kershaw owns them now). I don't think I ever looked so thin in my whole life. Must have been the drugs (that would explain why I can't remember the picture)

I always like to start out a new year by consulting my runes and I'm always amazed that year after year they give me the same advice, with some slight variation or glimmer of hope for the future.  But mostly it's “sow the seeds and wait for the harvest“ or “this is a period of gestation.“ This time my situation is described as “gradual development and steady progress, slow growth and moral effort will be required.“  Argh!  The advice was “Do not rely on others for help or support“ and “Watch for signs of spring“.  It ended with some encouragement for the new year: “you now have the strength to achieve completion.“  So now I just have decide what I want to complete.

Thanks for reading this far and I wish you all the strength to achieve completion this year (whatever you need to complete).

And let me leave you with a little history lesson that came my way from Jean-Nil, an old friend from the Townships. Check it out


Click image to see the full interactive music graphic(via Concert Hotels).

TBD header 750

Blainletter #65 - Holiday Greetings

If this seems a little early for Holiday Greetings, it's because I never get this out till after Christmas so this time I would like to jump on it and express my appreciation to all who read this and/or have bought the new CD (don't forget you get a free upgrade to New Folk Blues 2.0 if you bought the original New Folk Blues). The Blainletter has been a bit irregular of late, and there were some comments that it was getting a bit too long for some folks so I'll keep things short & sweet.

We have entered the marketing phase for “New Folk Blues 2.0“ - well, actually all I've done so far is gone out and bought a hundred dollars worth of stamps and a box of CD shipping envelopes.  I will be sending CDs to radio station across the country in the hopes that there's folks out there who will enjoy what I'm doing.  

I had a very nice review (the first for Version 2.0)  in newcanadianmusic.ca - even before we've done any media mailout.  "Last Time I Saw Lenny" was selected as a "Track of the Week" and they created a selection of Brian Blain videos, and a Rdio player, social media links and more.  

Wow, they found stuff about me on that I didn't even know was on the internet. It's interesting to note that this is not a blues or roots site but geared to the mainstream and I have to say I din't recognize most of the other new releases alongside mine. David Farrell, who wrote the review, said he was “enjoying what is clearly not a rank and file blues album.“ 

Maybe that can work to my advantage, because I haven't gotten much attention from the blues media in the past. You can read his review here:

http://www.newcanadianmusic.ca/releases/n/new-folk-blues-20/brian-blain/2013-12-03

I used to be “Overqualified For The Blues“ but this week I was “Disqualified For The Blues.“ I had sent in my CD to the JUNO Awards but they've written back to say it does not qualify because I had previously released New Folk Blues with just myself and bassist George Koller. 

Version 2.0 uses those tracks and adds new instrumentation to all the songs. New Orleans marching horns with Alison Young and Colleen Allen on "Forgotten“,  “Another Song About Alice“ gets violin and banjo treatment from Drew Jurecka and Tim Posgate. There's a reggae percussion work out with Wayne Stoute and Michelle Josef, some sweet slide from Harry Manx on the French tune, some barrelhouse boogie from Toronto expat Patrick Godfrey, Clayton Doley's B3 organ magic and my boy DJ Joel Blain adding a whole soundscape to "The Ghost of Clinton's Tavern." The songs all turned out totally different from each other. 

Anyway, everybody who has sat back and listened to the whole thing has been quite satisfied with the trip. I hope you will have a chance to hear it, either online or by purchasing your own personal copy (I'll come to your house and sign it :-)

Out and About

Tonight I'm off to see that amazing harmonica player, Mike Stevens.  I've known about him for years but never saw him play live until I was sitting in a hotel room (the after-hours Borealis hootenanny at the Folk Music Ontario conference).  He was playing along with everybody including throwing in a few licks on “Another Song About Alice“.  Alice, by the way, posted some nice words about me when I put up a video clip of an interview I did with her for Thanksgiving.  A few American folk DJs also gave the song a spin on American Thanksgiving, though I will always live in the shadow of “Alice's Restaurant.“ "Ghost of Clinton's Tavern" got played several times during the Halloween period.

If you check out my blog, you will see some assorted 15-sec Instagram clips of some shows I attended.  If a picture is worth a thousand words then a 15 second video is worth a thousand pics (and the 15-sec limitation means I can spend more time enjoying the show and less time holding my phone in the air - I'm sure the people standing behind me will appreciate that!). You will see Jake Chisholm at the Gladstone Hotel – the last of a series of blues shows that the Toronto Bllues Society was putting on there.  There will be a new series at Dominion on Queen in the New Year – hope the west-enders are prepared to make the trek east. This venue has a lot going for it. I was there last night and invited to sit in with the Django Jam. I don't have any Django in my repertoire but I pulled out an old blues tune and we had fun.

I was invited to a musical about the history of Regent Park, presented in the new theatre which will be the hub of the new Regent Park Re-Re-Development – It's called Daniel's Spectrum and it is a fine, multi-use venue.  The band, led by Henry Heilig, was top notch and any show with Jackie Richardson you know will be great. . It was quite an emotional experience. Alison Young was playing and I got to see her backstage and present her with her copy of “New Folk Blues 2.0“ on which she figures prominently right off the top

The next night there were two more Richardsons featured at the Women's Blues Revue (Jackie's sister and daughter) and that was another fabulous evening though I was starting to wonder if I'd ever get through the juggernaut which is the beaurocracy of our hallowed Massey Hall.

And after the Toronto Blues Society's Annual General Meeting I heard a set of Jerome Godboo and visited a bit with Alec Fraser, who is a wealth of knowledge about way more than music.  Also introduced myself to Derek Downham who is a very busy local player and it seems every time I saw him, he was playing a different instrument.  I had seen him playing with the legendary James Burton at a Guitar Festival and he had a great story:  When they were having a rehearsal with James Burton (who, if you didn't know, was Elvis' guitar player and bandleader), they were running over the tune “Mystery Train“ and one of the musicians said something like “there are so many versions of this song, I never know which chords to play“ and James responded “How about we play the version that sold 16 million copies?"

Jake Chisholm plays the last First Thursday

Layla Zoe wailin' the blues at the Women's Blues Revue

Celebrating "The Journey" - a musical about Regent Park with Jackie Richardson and Sterling Jarvis

Happy American Thanksgiving to Alice Brock and all my American Friends

If you ever wondered what happened to the Alice that Arlo Guthrie wrote about in "Alice’s Restaurant"...”You’ll find her down / in Provincetown / pro’bly painting a rock / Drawing cats on beach stones / tossing ‘em in the sand / Sharing her opinions / helping when she can / Alice don’t spend too much time / cookin’ in the kitchen anymore” 

Buy Another Song About Alice on iTunes

Terry Gillespie launches his new CD at Dominion on Queen

Double CD Launch with my old buddy Allan Fraser

Allan Fraser and Brian Blain celebrate
double CD Launch November 10

TORONTO - Two "senior statesmen" of the Canadian roots music scene have just returned from a western tour and will be celebrating the release of their brand new CDs on Sunday, November 10, at the Full of Beans Coffee House on Dundas Street west of Dovercourt. It's been nearly 50 years since they first recorded together at RCA studios in Montreal.

         


Brian Blain and Allan Fraser, now...and then

Allan Fraser's "Super Moon" is the culmination of a musical journey that started with Fraser & DeBolt in the 70s and Brian Blain's "New Folk Blues 2.0" is an "upgrade" of his 2011 album with renowned bassist George Koller. Brian went back into the studio and "sweetened" the live recording with horn players Alison Young and Colleen Allen, drummer Michelle Josef, violinist Drew Jurecka, Australian organist Clayton Doley and some sweet slide guitar from Harry Manx. Brian is offering a free upgrade to anyone who bought Version 1 of New Folk Blues.

Blain's preview single, "Ghost of Clinton's Tavern" features an electronica soundscape of ghostly loops by his DJ son, Joel Blain. It received 3 days consecutive airplay in Toronto during Halloween week. Listen and download at www.airplaydirect.com/brianblain 

Father and son are planning another CD launch at an electronic music venue and Brian will also be doing launch events with his his "bluesgrass" outfit and his horn band, The Blainettes.

The two Columbia albums released by Fraser and DeBolt in the early 70s are still considered quite influential and Fraser's song, "Dance Hall Girls", is a classic wherever pickers gather. It has been recorded by dozens of artists, most recently John Oates of Hall & Oates. Fraser's new album, Super Moon, is already finding interest, both from fans of Fraser and DeBolt and those newly introduced to songs and performances of this great Canadian singer-songwriter.

Super Moon is available at www.cdbaby.com/allanfraser2

Brian Blain produced the last Fraser & DeBolt album and toured with them occasionally. Over the last 50 years, Brian and Allan would get together to play and when Allan moved to Toronto earlier this year, they renewed their musical collaboration. "We came up together," says Brian "and when I hear recordings we made back then, our guitar styles are so similar I'm hard pressed to know who's playing what."

One late night last February in a hotel room at the Folk Alliance conference, Home Routes founder Mitch Podolak hatched the idea of getting Allan, one of his favourite songwriters, back on the road along with his oldest musical compadre, Brian Blain. Six months later, Brian and Allan were on a two-week tour of Manitoba and Saskatchewan supporting the releases of their two new CDs, both mixed and mastered by Quentin Meek in the Eastern Townships.

Brian and Allan will be sharing stories and performing tunes from their respective new CDs at Full of Beans Roastery, 1348 Dundas Street west of Dovercourt, on Sunday, November 10, 2013 from 1-4pm. Allan will do a set at 2pm and Brian at 3.

www.brianblain.ca

www.reverbnation.com/rpk/allanfraser

media inquiries:

Brian Blain

416-461-0638

brianblain@brianblain.ca

review copies of both albums available upon request

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Allan Fraser and Brian Blain Double CD Launch

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