New EP TWISTED OUT NOW "...a true feast for the ears..." ~ Grateful Web.com "Mark could go toe-to-toe with Richard Thompson in a contest of acoustic riffage." ~ Roots Music Canada TORONTO – Expert acoustic guitarist and...
folk
Saving puppetry, one show at a time: The Zucchini Club
July 9 — Tarragon Theatre, Toronto. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to see a bit of theatre for a change – a puppet show, no less, called the Zucchini Club. The weather made me late, so I missed the opening and found it hard at first to key in on what was...
NXNE Day 4
This was my last kick at the can going out to discover new music. This time I went down to Queen St to hang out at the Rivoli and the Cameron House. Here are three bands you should learn about. Ash Molloy Before Ash Molloy came on, the stage was taken over by a drag...
A Delightful Day at the Riverside Eats & Beats Streetfest
June 7th, Queen St. East, Toronto. At the 11th annual Riverside Eats & Beats Streetfest, Queen Street East transformed into a sun-dappled playground of music, flavours, and neighbourhood magic. For four glorious hours, I soaked in everthing I could. The ads said...
The Stephen Stanley Band- Before the collapse of the hive
April 23, 2025. Even on my first rodeo with Stephen Stanley Band on this record, I felt the earthiness mixed with special poetry and driven riffs that really drive Stephen’s storytelling talent. At first, the themes seem to come from a personal point of view and...
Persistency and Passion: local musician Harkness featured in CBC Documentary
April 13th—Toronto. Earlier this month, I was invited to an event that epitomizes why Toronto’s music scene thrives in its hidden corners. At the Monarch Tavern, local enigma Harkness—a psychedelic-pop oddball with a cult following—delivered a dreamy guitar,...
Hugh’s Room Commits to the Orphan Black
I purposely went to Hugh’s Room to see Maria Doyle Kennedy. Many will say who? Well, I am a big fan of the movie the Commitments and she played backup singer Natalie Murphy. I brought my Commitments CD for her to sign. As I found out later, she also played Siobhan...
Amanda Keeles Delivers Electric Rocking Country at the Legendary El Mocambo
Mar. 14 – At the iconic El Mocambo, Canadian country singer Amanda Keeles delivered a night of electric, rocking country in a charity concert for the Canadian Cancer Society. I don't typically gravitate toward country music—my picky tastes in that world lean toward...
Indigenous and Imperial
Being a music magazine means we are always looking for something new to talk about. In this case we have a new series of musical events that could be happening in Downtown Toronto later this year. I went to the Imperial Pub last Friday to watch an indigenous Rock band...
Playing the Classics with Albert Lee
Jan 25th. - I had the pleasure of going to Hugh's Room Live once more to experience rock and pop music history in person. This time, it was for a performance by English guitarist Albert Lee, an accomplished performer with a resume of some big names across a wide range...