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Clubland Wonderland
Clubland Wonderland
| Issue 3: Clubland Wonderland |
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| Written by Various Authors |
| Friday, 11 September 2009 20:18 |
TULPA TO REUNITE OCTOBER 8 @ THE SUPERMARKET“They are one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen!” ~ Hilly Krystal, founder of legendary New York City undergroud hotspot CBGB During the heydays of TULPÄ from 1984-87, the “Queen Scene” was a baby, still a scoop in the Toronto papers. Multiculturalism was well on its way, but people still thought of Toronto as a quaint WASP banking town. There was some interesting New Music being made and City TVwas east of Yonge Street. Clubs were opening up, and artists and musicians had places to play. John Bottomley, Chris Bottomley, Sev Micron and a revolving cast of renegades were making music their way – loud and aggressive yet poignant and nuanced, and playing it in the midst of a crazy multimedia circus in the days when “multimedia” meant cameras, rulers, film, photocopiers and slide projectors. Larry’s Hideaway, Turning Point, The Diamond Club, The El Mocambo, Lee’s Palace, The Cabana Room, The Rivoli – then as now, sometimes the rooms were empty and sometimes you couldn’t move, especially when the likes of Living Colour were in the house. And then as now, independent-minded Canadians had to go abroad for their music to find an audience. Tulpa were known as a highly original band and were finding an audience internationally, including at New York’s seminal underground club CBGB. They signed to the club’s in-house label Off the Board Records, a year after releasing ”Mosaic Fish” in the UK on Midnight Music. Two of Toronto’s quintessential independent promoters, Gary Topp Presents and NuFunk.ca, are proud to bring Tulpä back to Toronto for this special, one-night only reunion. It’s happening on Thursday, October 8 at Supermarket, located at 268 Augusta Ave. in Kensington Market. Doors are at 8:30 pm, with one of Toronto’s most innovative contemporary pop bands Major Grey opening and DJ Gazza Striploin on the decks. Special guests may include, but are not limited to: Great Bob Scott (Thin Buckle, Look People) Richard Underhill and Perry White (Shuffle Demons), Glen Milchem (Blue Rodeo) and The Noble House Clowns. http://www.myspace.com/tulpamusic Thursday, October 8 Supermarket, 268 Augusta Ave., Toronto http://www.supermarkettoronto.com Doors at 8:30 pm, $12  SVEN GALI REUNION TO BENEFIT DEE CERNILEphoto: Craig CoutuFollowing a rehearsal gig at The Lion's Tavern in Port Dalhousie on August 1st, 1990s Canadian rock outfit Sven Gali stepped up to perform a benefit show at the Sound Academy on August 7th to raise money for Sven GALI guitarist Dee Cernile who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Apparently the event went off to great fanfare, Sven Gali rocked and special guest performers like Revolver/Slik Toxik singer Nick Walsh came out to wish their friend good health.LAST CALL FOR RICHARD'S ON RICHARDSLong standing Richard's On Richards nightclub in Vancouver had their last call on Sunday, July 26th as developers are set to turn the landmark nightspot into yet another condo development.Originally two building that were adjoined (one section was actually a garage), Richard's was co-owned by music magnate Bruce Allen but later sold his share. The club was a fashionable, but unpopular (among the music scene) Top-40 bar where people went to be seen, rather to party. That would later change with some rather notorious punk rock gigs, Courtney Love's famous breast-flashing during a Lemonheads' show, and a fire code violation of $28,000 when The Black Eyed Peas over-filled the room. The club will be moved to a 30,000 Square foot facility on Seymour street which means it is unlikely to retain the name Richard's On Richards. CONCERT REVIEWSAL STEWARTHugh's Room, Toronto August 16, 2009 by Marty Murray (NAIL Exclusive)I first became aware of British folk-rock artist Al Stewart back in the mid-70's, when his "Past, Present & Future" and "Modern Times" albums received regular airplay on FM's more adventurous stations. Here was a songwriter who combined an obvious love of history with excellent musicianship and lyrics, and many memorable tunes. His approach, at the time, was unique.His next record, "The Year Of The Cat," would propel him into radio heaven with its title track, which became an airwave staple for months, and he would follow it up with "Time Passages," which was almost equally as successful. This was a more commercial and radio-friendly Al Stewart, and the mellowing of his sound brought him great rewards. After those two records, however, he seemed to slip away from us, though I knew he was still performing and recording. I caught him on television doing some live appearances over the years. When I saw that he would be performing at Toronto's intimate Hugh's Room I just knew I had to go, as the only time I had seen him play previously was at the height of his fame, during the Year of the Cat Tour at Maple Leaf Gardens, and such a cavernous venue and huge crowd did not suit his musical style very well. The traffic was bad driving from Niagara due to all the construction going on, and we got to the show right as it was scheduled to start. The place was packed, and as we stood there in the doorway, searching for a friend I was supposed to meet, I saw a man standing to my right. It was none other than Mr. Al Stewart himself! He smiled at us and I shook his hand. By then my friend had spotted us and we found three chairs in a corner, where we could barely see the stage. Opening the show was a singer-songwriter named Dave Nachmanoff, a little guy with a big sense of humour and a big guitar sound, and some quite good tunes. After three songs Al Stewart walked onstage and Dave promptly took the role of being his lead guitar player, which he did extremely well. He easily pulled off all of Tim Renwick's amazing guitar parts, except he was playing a six-string acoustic instead of a Strat. During the two-set show Al ran through many of his more well-known songs, including Lord Grenville, Flying Sorcery, On The Border, Time Passages, and Year Of The Cat, as well as some lesser-known songs from his early "Orange" album, all the while adding colourful commentary to each one. He didn't do two of my favourites, "Nostradamus" and "Roads To Moscow," from Past, Present & Future, but then I really didn't expect him to. I was disappointed that he left out "Modern Times," but all three are quite long songs, and he obviously just wanted to keep the show moving along. At the end I was able to have him sign my Japanese import copy of "Modern Times," and I ordered a copy of the live CD he is releasing, called "Uncorked." During the show he remarked that he always wanted to live in California, and for him that dream has come true. Guitarist Nachmanoff is also from Davis, California. I'm assuming that Mr. Stewart is pursuing another of his interests, collecting wine, in his new home. UPCOMING SHOWSACRES OF LIONS THE WAXBILLS |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 September 2009 00:42 |