There is something new happening on Queen Street at the Horseshoe Tavern. Every first Wednesday of every month there will be a Mini-Blues festival hosted by Glenn Marius and the Mojo Train. There will be three blues acts and the headliner will be The Mojo Train to come in and finish the evening. For Blues fans this is a great opportunity to discover new blues artists.

Danny Boy Phelan

With a whistling harmonica you can hear that train arriving. Danny Boy embraces the really old style of the blues from a century ago. His sound transports you back before you were even born, into the world of the delta blues.

So, this is where your train arrives. Climb onboard and listen to stories about train rides and women. I am sure there will be a bit of drinking and maybe some misadventures. You never know with Danny Boy.

His voice certainly fit this style of music. He sounded like the man of sorrows from the Coen Brothers movies, “Brother where art thou”. In fact, his style of dress even suited his music. He looked like he just woke up on a boxcar, just to come and play for you.

His guitar work is superb; his banjo work can keep you happy during a depressing song. His harmonica work can put you right on that train for a howling and foot stomping good time. He finished the evening off with Keys to the highway.

A Couple of photos of Danny Boy Phelan:

Little Magic Sam

If you haven’t seen Little Magic Sam yet, you will. He is becoming Toronto’s Blues paragon. He is not going anywhere soon. His band is solid, and they look like they really love each other, which keeps the music flowing beautifully. He has a secret weapon in his band called Steve Grant, whose harmonica playing adds a good chunk of that magic. There is a really great balance between Sam and Steve.

The band stuck with doing a lot of originals from their great EP- Step Back. They did sneak in “Shake your money maker”, which should be a staple of theirs for a while. It really is a song they do well. The other song that stood out for me was “Big Bad Wolf”. It really is a howling good time.

I was very impressed with the extended jamming version of “One Shoe”.  Well, he woke up this morning and it felt like he would have a weeklong hangover. They did finish with a rare Willie Dixon tune.

A Couple photo of Little Magic Sam:

Glenn Marias and the Mojo Train.

This was my first foyer into this band. How these guys are not one of the top bands in this city is a mystery to me. The opening song was full and rich and solid. As I was listening to this, I could hear Led Zeppelin’s- “How many more times”, hiding in there.

This band is a cast of various characters that really stand out as a whole band. Usually, it is one member that stands out, but each player brought a visual and musical style that gave them that solid sound.

They did Colin James’ song- “Keep on lovin’ me baby”, I personally loved their version more. It was fiery and intense. In fact, this band has that kind of fire. I guess that is why they have an album out called, “Red, Hot and Blue “They also did an instrumental song that was absolutely killer. This is the kind of fire that should be spreading across our city. We have the band, where are you?

Mojo Train played a song called, “Love, Sweet Love”, that has all the right Pop hooks in it. This is a song that would do very well on the radio. Another hit in the making was another new song called, “If you could see me now”. That is the thing about this band, they can mix up so many styles, it is near impossible to be bored at one of their shows. This band will bleed blue blood on the floor for you.

Glenn stepped away from the mike and handed it over to the keyboard player, Jesse Karwat. This song had that 70’s funkiness to it. It felt as if Billy Preston just joined the band. It was such a fresh moment for the show.

They finished the evening with “Treat me right, that soared with the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan. I just wish you blues fans could have been here to witness this. Wait! You can, because they will be back at the Horseshoe Tavern on October 2, 2024, with two more bands to fill your empty bucket.

Some photos of Glenn Marias and the Mojo Train:

If you want to learn more about Mojo Train, here is a link to their website Glenn Marais & The Mojo Train | (glennmaraisandthemojotrain.ca)

For Little Magic Sam, look no further – LITTLE MAGIC SAM | ONTARIO | LIVE BLUES MUSIC

For Danny Boy Phelan just click here and like his page: – Facebook