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It’s the 2^nd Wednesday of the month and if you didn’t know what that means, it is time to go out and experience the blues. Glenn Marais and The Mojo Train host a special blues night at the Cameron House. They invite out two other talented blues artists and then headline the evening for $15. That’s like paying $5 per band. This is the best deal in the city!

Dan McKinnon

On tonight’s bill was Dan McKinnon. He is a one-man band who plays guitar, drums and sings. I have trouble patting my head and rubbing my belly.

His first words are “What sup”, and the proceeds to go straight ahead with his style of rocking blues that pokes you right between the eyes. I don’t know the first song, but it really reminded me of Kenny Loggins song, “Danger Zone” from the movie Top Gun. Good start.

He continues this pace with a good old stomping blues song. Of course he does, because he is playing the drums with his feet! Dan lets us know that he is playing the drums with his feet, the bass with his thumb and the guitar with the rest of his fingers. He really is a one man show.

He told personal stories and the one that stands out is that he suffers from PTSD. His manages it through yoga and the ability to play this way. It becomes relevant with his song “Moment by moment”.

Dan is an artist to watch out for and to be inspired by. We all experience trauma at some point in our lives and to get up on stage and perform the way he does and creates a therapeutic way of being, is a gift he will bring to everyone.

Here is Dan McKinnon in action:

Sugar Brown

Sugar brown is one of those artists that brings his own unique brand of the blues to the stage. If you know Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm”, He reinvents to be a really funked up version of the original. In fact even Muddy Waters get a little overhaul with his song, “Trouble no more”.

He brought along a hand drumming guru by the name of Derek Thorne and he pulled together an African style way of performing the blues. We all know that is where the blues truly started. His rhythmic talent added that funky flavour that got people jamming on the dance floor.

I personally loved his song “Sell, Steal or Die”. It is a commentary on today’s society, but the song feels like it was born 100 years ago. He also finished the evening off with his single, “Toronto Bound”. What a fun song to finish off to. As he described all the places, he has been but couldn’t stand being there so he “Left that Town”. This song reminds of classic John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.

Here is Sugar Brown in action:

Glenn Marais and the Mojo Train

The band opened up with a song that told us where their Mojo was at. Now that they have established their territory, it was time to bring on some “Super Funk”, to get the crowd aroused!

This is one of the best bands in Toronto today. Glenn Marais’ guitar playing is Red, Hot and Blue, which is a good thing, because that is the name of their latest release. This is a very tight outfit that knows how to stay loose and get you to open up to their ways.

Jeff on drums is a solid hitter and his power creates a solid wall of sound. Manny on Bass is both highly proficient and laid back. Jesse on keyboards brings together that 1970’s R&B funk. In fact, he gets to sing on one of the songs and you are transported back to the early 70’s with Billy Preston.

“Super Funk” does exactly what it needs to do. “The Song of Love” starts off like a lounge song and eventually turns into a power ballad and finishes off dark and rich.

Then out of the blue I hear a familiar cover song with a very unconventional twist. It was the Beatles, “Come Together”. This is a great version because they repainted this song with a graffiti spray can and the colours look brighter.

Blues fans, this is a night you need to go out and discover the best blues around. The Mojo Train is doing Toronto a favour by creating this evening of discovery by introducing the best blues artists around in an intimate setting. I noticed a young man being transformed right then and there as he was in rapture seeing these bands for the first time. I think it should be your first time next…

Here is The Mojo Train in action: