PERFORMANCES Jim Gaffigan (Saturday): Jim Gaffigan hits the Massey Hall stage this weekend in what’s sure to be a very funny evening. You may know Gaffigan from his appearances on late night shows with David Letterman and Conan O’Brien but my personal fave was his guest appearance as the loveable, if odd, best friend to Murray on Flight of the Conchords (recall his initial introduction to Murray’s “newly added friends” Bret and Jermaine over barbeque). Check out the embedded video above for some of Gaffigan’s more classic stand-up, this time on the topic of camping from his perspective (he notes that he is “what you would call indoorsy”).
Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestory: Inside The Genographic Project (Monday): The third presentation in this year’s new National Geographic Live series, Spencer Wells is a Population Geneticist who is currently taking it upon himself to create a “detailed, genetically-based map of human migration.” Seriously impressive stuff, right? (Makes your victory dance about the accomplishment of finally cleaning the attic this weekend seem a bit lacklustre, doesn’t it?). You can read all about the project here and learn about how you can participate by doing a cheek swab to “reveal your deep ancestry” here.
JUST ANNOUNCED
We have three exciting announcements for you this week in the Buzz! Deep Purple will pay a visit to the Grand Ol’ Lady of Shuter Street on February 12, 2012 as part of their Smoke on the Nation tour. Canoe.ca has the details of the full tour if you won’t be in Toronto, but if you are, tickets go on sale to FriendsFirst members this Thursday and to the public on Saturday.
And we’ve also just announced two shows coming up in March. On March 9 and 10, Jann Arden returns to Massey Hall with friends for two concerts coinciding with the release of her eleventh album, Uncover Me 2. Check out her recent feature chat on CBC Q here (just click on “listen” under the listing for November 18). Then on March 16 funny-man Danny Bhoy hits the Massey Hall stage in a show presented by experts on funny, Just for Laughs. To get yourself ready for the big show, you might check out Danny Bhoy’s DVD from his live show at the Athenaeum which includes his theory on accents in Adelaide or you could check out his full YouTube channel here (fair warning: much of the content is NSFW).
PERFORMANCES Feist (Thursday): The lovely Feist returns to Massey Hall this week in support of her new album Metals and everybody is talking about the special occasion, including the fact that the opening slot features one Bry Webb (former lead singer of indie darlings, Constantines): Chromewaves recently posted a stream of the Constantines/Feist cover of “Islands in the Stream” (alongside the classic Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton version), Exclaim! reports on the special musical relationship the pair have (as well check out the Exclaim TV clip of Bry Webb performing the song “Undertaker”, embedded above), and the National Post features an article about Leslie Feist’s involvement in the creative process with Webb. Looking for some Feist-specific material out there in advance of the gig? Vancouver’s Georgia Straight has a recent interview with Feist about Metals, and don’t forget about her special concert from October at Glenn Gould Studio, available for your listening pleasure at CBC Concerts on Demand.
It’s another busy week in The Buzz, friendly readers. See below for all the good stuff coming up this week.
PERFORMANCES I Believe (Tonight – Tuesday): Last week, award-winning Canadian composer Zane Zalis posted on Soundboard about his experience composing the music and writing lyrics for this work in its Toronto Debut Performance tonight. The work, a “90-minute Holocaust oratorio for today’s generation, written in 12 movements” promises a “non-religious humanitarian story” that will compel us to reflect on both our history and our future.
Tyler Duncan (Thursday): Baritone Tyler Duncan performs with pianist Erika Switzer in the first edition of our new Canadian Voices vocal recitals series at Glenn Gould Studio. Duncan and Switzer recently visited the New Classical 96 FM Lobby Studio for a performance and interview. You can check it out on the Classical TV website (just click the Tyler Duncan option in the library at the bottom of the page) for a taste of what a treat we’re in for this Thursday.
Liza Minnelli (Friday): Liza Minnelli triumphantly returns to Roy Thomson Hall this week in what we’re sure will be an utterly fantastic performance. Minnelli has an impressive CV with both Oscar and Tony declaring her seriously talented not to mention accolades from the Golden Globes, the Emmy Awards, and the Grammy Awards. You can check out video on our event page (just click “video” under the photo) in preparation for the big night on Friday.
Were you listening to CBC Radio 2 yesterday afternoon?
No?
Why ever not?
The Great Canadian Song Quest debuted at 3:30 p.m. on the afternoon show Drive, introducing a new set of Canada-themed songs into our collective musical landscape. The concept is this: Radio 2 listeners were invited to select, through a nomination and voting process, some of their favourite places throughout Canada, and some singer-songwriters to create timeless classics about those places. One locale – sometimes as specific as the Black Sheep Inn (Wakefield, Quebec) and sometimes as broad and large as Algonquin Park (Ontario) – was selected from each of the provinces and territories, and matched with one of the nominated artists, who was asked to write, record, and perform a soon to be epic tune about it. CONTINUE READING >
Soundboard is the official community of musicians, music fans, and friends of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada. It’s your behind-the-scenes source for related music news, recommendations, and rewards.
Were you listening to CBC Radio 2 yesterday afternoon?
