Tori Amos will be paying a visit to Massey Hall this year – she performs on December 8. L.A. Times reports that her next album, Night of Hunters, is set for release in September by Deutsche Grammophon. It also reports that the tour announcement describes the album as “a 21st century song cycle inspired by select classical pieces spanning the last 400 years.” Tickets for this one go on sale to FriendsFirst members tomorrow (Wednesday) and to the public on Saturday.
Larry King will also be hitting the Massey Hall stage this coming November where he’ll be sharing stories of his incredible experiences from his 50-year broadcasting career. The clever (and funny) promo for this tour promises you’ll see “Larry King like you’ve never seen him before. Standing up.” The Tickets for this very special event go on sale to FriendsFirst members today (Tuesday) and to the public on Wednesday. And if you’re simultaneously a Harry Potter fan and a Larry King fan, check out this video – When Harry Met Larry.
PERFORMANCES
Craig Ferguson (Friday): Craigyferg returns to Massey Hall for another hilarious night of his signature comedy this Friday. He’s been a busy fellow with his show taking a trip to Paris (the shows air next week) and the release of Winnie the Pooh, his latest voice-acting gig. In this new imagining of Winnie the Pooh, he voices wise ‘ol Owl– you can read an interview with Ferguson about the film and catch the charming trailer for the movie, here. Ferguson makes time for Toronto this Friday night at 7pm with an all-new show of stand-up comedy.
Welcome to July! Our 10|11 season is winding down but there’s still lotsofreasonsto be excited this month. And we can’t wait for what’s to come in our 11|12 season! Stay tuned!
Moving along…
JUST ANNOUNCED
Canada’s Walk of Fame: Seven prominent Canucks will be inducted into (or is it on to?) Canada’s Walk of Fame this fall. Adding a touch of class and fame to Toronto’s downtown sidewalks is an eclectic mix of inductees like Burton Cummings (more on him below), Russell Peters (who recently stole the show hosting Charlie Sheen at Massey), and, my personal favorite, the late Mordecai Richler.
Gordon Lightfoot (Wednesday – Saturday): It’s time for our annual visit from Mr. Gordon Lightfoot – he plays four shows this week at Massey Hall. Lightfoot has been performing at the Grand Ol’ Lady of Shuter Street for over 40 years now – very impressive indeed. Fun Fact: Lightfoot first played Massey Hall with his church choir at age 13 – that and more history on the legend is available over at the National Post’s Ampersand.
Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs(Monday): Ray Lamontagne and his band The Pariah Dogs return to Massey Hall to perform this Monday in support of their album God Willing & The Creek Don’t Rise. You probably know that Lamontagne and his band recently did a stint on the Letterman show but did you know he also performed a full 55 minute performance as part of their Live On Letterman web series? You can check out both performances on Consequence of Sound as well as this review of the group’s album.
JUST ANNOUNCED
Last week we announced that Daniel Tosh, comedian and host of Tosh.0 on Comedy Central will be paying a visit to Massey Hall on Saturday, July 30 for his Tour on Ice. New episodes of the show just started last week and Tosh continues to get up to his regular antics including stepping into the ring with world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao (youtube available here but I bet you can guess how well it goes for Mr. Tosh.)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Friday): Founded in 1964, this a cappella group has seen the world change but what hasn’t changed is their ability to perform beautiful music. The Chicago Tribune has an eye-opening article about the history of the group including the challenges they went through in the 1970s in South Africa (and how they often got out of trouble by singing) and their “international break” singing on Paul Simon’s Graceland. Of their ascension to pop stardom, Carol Muller, a University of Pennsylvania music professor, says in the Tribune article, “sometimes they were accused of selling out because they were recorded…. [But] the music has probably saved a lot of people through some very, very emotional times.” Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Friday night concert at Roy Thomson Hall holds the promise of something very special.
David Gray (Friday): Over at Massey Hall on Friday, David Gray returns to perform in support of his latest recording, Foundling. Check out this video to hear Mr. Gray himself speak about the title track from the new album. Last time through Toronto, David Gray brought along one of our faves, Royal Wood, as special guest. This time, Lisa O’Neill will be his guest – you can read about how and why David Gray selected her for this tour on his site and then check out some of her tracks on Myspace.
In the lower level of Massey Hall you’ll find ‘Centuries,’ a fully-stocked bar you can visit pre-show and at intermission of most performances. The room is filled with artefacts illustrating the admirable history of Massey Hall, perhaps most notably the “Decade Panels” that line the entrance corridor to ‘Centuries.’ Starting with 1894-1904, a panel is present for each decade since Massey Hall opened. The panels feature news articles, photographs, programmes and other paraphernalia that aim to give a slice of life at Massey Hall from that period in history. In this column, we look at each decade and highlight some of the items included in these panels. Of course, for a more in-depth look, next time you’re at Massey for a show, head on over to ‘Centuries’ and check them out. This week, we take a look at 1984 – 1993, the tenth in a series of eleven tributes to Massey Hall’s glorious history.
Massey Hall 1984 – 1993
The late 80s and early 90s remain a special place in many of our hearts – a time filled with hair-crimping irons, leg warmers, and Cyndi Lauper. While we don’t see a presence from Ms. Lauper on this decade panel, the delightful neon colours of yesteryear do show themselves, particularly in the form of a backstage pass for The Beach Boys as well as in a flyer for The Peking Acrobats. On the heels of their massive hit single Take On Me, a-ha performed at Massey Hall on October 16, 1986 (the band returns to Toronto for the first time since then on May 10 2010. CONTINUE READING >
In the lower level of Massey Hall you’ll find ‘Centuries,’ a fully-stocked bar you can visit pre-show and at intermission of most performances. The room is filled with artefacts illustrating the admirable history of Massey Hall, perhaps most notably the “Decade Panels” that line the entrance corridor to ‘Centuries.’ Starting with 1894-1904, a panel is present for each decade since Massey Hall opened. The panels feature news articles, photographs, programmes and other paraphernalia that aim to give a slice of life at Massey Hall from that period in history. In this column, we look at each decade and highlight some of the items included in these panels. Of course, for a more in-depth look, next time you’re at Massey for a show, head on over to ‘Centuries’ and check them out. This week, we take a look at 1974 – 1983, the nineth in a series of eleven tributes to Massey Hall’s glorious history.
Massey Hall 1974 – 1983 The late 70s and early 80s brought a wide variety of styles to Massey Hall. Torontonians were treated to performances by Nana Mouskouri, Gordon Lightfoot, James Brown, Barry White, and Billy Joel with special guest Ian Thomas, for example. CONTINUE READING >
These days are all seeming like a blur. People and places whizzing past as I jet around this crazy world of ours. And it’s a beautiful thing. I’m finding myself a bit out of whack today. It doesn’t seem real, but the weather in Austin is amazing. This is the best of a Prince Edward Island summer, but I’m in Texas and it’s March. My body hasn’t quite adjusted yet to the change, and the buzz of all the music and crowds around me keeps me in a bit of a daze. I’ve been very fortunate lately, winning a bunch of awards (Canadian Folk Music Award for Solo Performer of the Year, East Coast Music Awards for Folk Recording and Female Performer…), being on stage with some of my heroes (Gordon Lightfoot, Gord Downie…) and also finding time to create, write, and be a mom. CONTINUE READING >
WEB WATCH
At the top of February, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame held the inaugural performance in their new series, If You Could Read My Mind at the George Weston Recital Hall. Gordon Lightfoot (who celebrated 40 years performing at Massey Hall this past fall) and Gord Downie (who, with the Tragically Hip, performed no less than six shows at Massey last May) sat down to play some of their tunes and to talk about the art and challenge of songwriting. One of the other highlights came about halfway through the show when Catherine MacLellan performed two of her songs and a stellar rendition of Mr. Lightfoot’s “I’ll be Alright.” The Globe and Mail reported: “She performed gracefully; with each unfailingly reached note, Taylor Swift’s popularity became more unaccountable.” If you want to check out this new force in songwriting, come see her play at Glenn Gould Studio on March 26. CONTINUE READING >
My name is Martin Tielli, and for a long time I was in a group called the Rheostatics. Once, spontaneously, we covered the amazing Gordon Lightfoot song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” We tried to make it wilder – do it in a more modern style, and sonically ruminate more on the story – and we put it on the end of our record Melville. Was it legal? We put out the word and Gordo did not care.
Did he ever listen to it? I don’t know, but if he did, he didn’t like it.
Later, after listening to a current album of his, we sent out the word that we would volunteer our services for his next effort as a backing band.
Nothing. No response.
I wish this would’ve happened. It would have been an amazing collaboration. But I think that part of why I like Gordon Lightfoot is that he would never do anything like that.
Martin Tielli is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Gordon Lightfoot plays Massey Hall November 18 – 21.
Michael Kaeshammer performs at Glenn Gould Studio last year.
Just for fun, we’re trying something a little different with the Buzz this week: you’ll still get a weekly dose of all the good stuff, just packaged in a shiny new format. We’ve got show highlights and announcements, and we’ll also let you know about awards, news items, and other inside scoop details about the artists and presentations at the Halls. Let us know what you think!
**JUST ANNOUNCED**
C. R. Avery is coming to Glenn Gould Studio on Thursday, February 25. This guy is something else: his bio calls him a “one man hip hop beatbox blues harmonica americana iconoclast,” and when Tom Waits gave C.R. a listen he said “blowin’ my mind.” Avery impressed this year at the Hillside Festival in Guelph and a new album, The Great Canadian Novel, is due out in 2010.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.
In the lower level of Massey Hall you’ll find ‘Centuries,’ a fully-stocked bar you can visit pre-show and at intermission of most performances. The room is filled with artefacts illustrating the admirable history of Massey Hall, perhaps most notably the “Decade Panels” that line the entrance corridor to ‘Centuries.’ Starting with 1894-1904, a panel is present for each decade since Massey Hall opened. The panels feature news articles, photographs, programmes and other paraphernalia that aim to give a slice of life at Massey Hall from that period in history. In this column, we look at each decade and highlight some of the items included in these panels. Of course, for a more in-depth look, next time you’re at Massey for a show, head on over to ‘Centuries’ and check them out. This week, we take a look at 1974 – 1983, the nineth in a series of eleven tributes to Massey Hall’s glorious history.
